***Well, the replacement set arrived today and sadly they too seem to be a bit overmolded in the section around the frame cutout. A friend of mine has the older set with the S&W monogram molded in the exterior and we tried them on my 624-perfect fit! We put my grips on his gun and the fit is the same with the gap as on mine. Very curious.

I will take the original set and work cautiously with an exacto knife to trim the interior. I'll offer up the new replacements as freebies to anyone that wants them ($7 priority mail fee extra) with the stipulation and understanding they do not fit my gun and can't say whether they'll fit another. ***






The Pachmayr grips arrived for my 3" 624, new in the package-my friend down south ordered them from Pach, never used them. The strange thing is that they don't close at the frontstrap (yes the screw is properly set). As can be seen by the package these are definitely for the N round butt, the grip frame fits perfectly with the interior side dimensions and they also align properly through the top of the grip frame (unlike the K size I had on hand).

I guess I'll call Pachmayr next week to see if they have any ideas. I'm saving my pennies to get a proper set of Culina grips for it but until then I'm a bit sad at this turn of events. I did get a good deal on a DeSantis holster for so at least I'm getting there LOL.

Any thoughts on the Pachs?

It's really hard to tell from the photo; but it appears that they might be too low on the frame. There are two holes on the inside of the grips that will fit around the pin at the bottom of the grip frame. On my set, I have to kinda wiggle the grips upward until the holes "find" the pins.

A side photo might better show if this is the case.

Or; you got a defective set of grips that are missing the holes entirely.

Or; those aren't really for the N frame. I bought a pair of Hogues once that were marked for the N frame; but in fact the package contained Colt revolver grips. Somewhere along the line the wrong grips got put into the carton.

Thanks for the suggestions, the pin holes line up but now looking it looks like the left side wasn't molded properly-almost too much material to prevent it from fitting the frame opening properly. Tried to show it in the attached photo. I have a K frame Compact grip and it's definitely smaller at the top than this grip, hmm



Just took this pic from the side:

It may well be a bad molding. However, looking at the side photo, my Pachs definitely ride higher than yours.

On mine, the front portion covers up about half of the sideplate screw whereas in yours the grips are a good 1/8" - 1/4" below the screw.

Keep in mind that mine are the Compac Professionals for the K/L frame; but they should fit the same.

Hope that helps. BTW they're great concealed carry grips -- I think you'll like them once you get the fit problem resolved.

I’ve used the Pro model on my Ks and really like the open backstrap, wish they offered it for the N. Been looking for pics of other Ns with the Compac to compare but haven’t been successful.

When I first saw your side picture, I was of the opinion that they were riding too low. However, in examining my own round-butt N-frame with Pach Compacs, they appear to be in the right position. Are you sure that the locator pin at the base of the grip frame is in the corresponding holes in the grip?



If the pin is properly located, I'd send a picture off to Pachmayr.

Good luck.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

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NRA Benefactor Member

Not sure which screw you are referring to that is "properly set" but it sure appears from the photo that the strain screw head is not flush with the front strap.

Russ

Thanks guys. The strain screw is proper, another member has a gun that looks the same. I apologize for being unclear, the grip screw is also screwed in all the way. I’m guessing the problem is the extra material on the panel. The locater pin in the bottom of the frame does line up with the hole in the grip.

Pizza Bob, thank you very much for your photo, I agree the grip on your gun seems to sit exactly the same.

I think I’ll email the photos to Pachmayr and see what they say. Thanks again for the ideas.

^^^^ I suggest removing the strain screw completely, then checking to see if the grips can be installed.

Just tried that and unfortunately no joy. I sent an email to Pachmayr explaining the situation and offering the photos. When I hear back I’ll report what they say.

I've had similar problems before with Pachmayrs. I put a 3 or 4 tiny dots of super glue on the front seam and then tightly wrapped them with rubber bands. I left the rubber bands on for a few weeks and then removed them. They, through adhesive, compression and time, finally fit correctly.

Best Regards,
ADP3

I bought some Pacs for my 29-10. Put em on, same thing as yours. They were poorly done, internally and I found the holes couldn't line up, enough so that they pushed the pin in the frame! I guess one side was good, other wasn't right to align. I'd let Pach know.

Interesting that you brought this up. I recently bought a pair of those exact same grips for my round butt 625 and they did the same thing. Unusable. I came to the conclusion that they are defective.

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Centennial Every Day

Trim off any excess rubber with an Exacto Knife , looks like a little excess rubber on the right side panel is causing the problem.
Look at the left panel when trimming and go slow taking a little off at a time. Usually , even with properly moulded panels, the fit at first is snug.
Sometimes custom wood grips have to be fitted....not every grip frame is 100% exact from gun to gun.
Gary

This is my plan depending on what Lyman/Pachmayr says. Email with photos has been sent, I’m waiting for a response.

**According to the USPS the replacement grip should arrive Saturday, fingers crossed.**

Well today I received an email from the company with a pdf of a shipping label and USPS tracking number-I’m assuming it’s for a replacement set. I’ll report back.

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