I apologize for this basic question -- I'm new to S&W semi-autos, and my Googling didn't turn up a clear answer. Were there different generations of 4506 grips, or will any 4506 grip work on any 4506 pistol?

I'm looking at a 4506 being sold with Hogue grips rather than the standard S&W grips. The hole for the retaining screw on every picture I've seen of OEM 4506 grips looks to be ~0.75 cm above the bottom of the grip (as in the first photo below), whereas the screw for the Hogue grips on the gun I'm looking at is located ~1.5 cm above the bottom of the grip (as in the second photo below).

Will I be able to put either the flat or arched OEM grips (from Brownell's) on the pistol, even though the retaining screws for the Hogue and OEM grips appear to be both in different locations and of different sizes? I'm not clear on how that could be the case, but the OEM and Hogue grips, as far as I can tell, always differ in this way.

Thanks in advance for your help!

The Hogue grips are a bit different inside with regards to how the hammer spring is secured. The straight or curved factory Delrin grips or the Hogues will all interchange on a 4506.

Don't let the placement of the grip pin on the factory grips or the screw on the Hogues concern you.

ETA:I have all three grips for my 4506.

I belive there is also a link to a pictorial here that shows the proper way to remove or install the factory grips. My search skills are lacking so maybe someone can post it up.

It is not difficult, if the procedure is done improperly, to damage the frame side plate. They can be hard to come by these days.

Thanks to all for the info!

I will definitely make sure I know what I'm doing before I change the grips out. I wasn't aware that the grip pin/screw interacted with the mainspring (unlike on, say, a Beretta 92), but that certainly makes sense given its location.

Here you go!

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I love m 4506 with Hogue rubber. As stated above the Hogue and factory grips are different animals and mount to the gun in different ways. The two panel Hogues are very easy to remove and replace. The factory....not so much.

I didn't like the factory grips that came on my 4506. They were much too flat and didn't fill my palm much at all. I went to Hogue wood grips. Nice looking but too fat and the two panels did not fit together as nicely as they should. So I finally went to Hogue rubber and they are just fantastic. Now this gun is the most accurate center fire that I shoot.

I have the Hogue grips on my 4006. It does make this gun easier for me to hold and it takes a lot of the famously mentioned recoil of
S&W .40 Ammo. At first, it felt a bit big for my hands which are average, but after using them it really helps absorb the recoil making it feel close to the recoil of my 9mm 5906 which is minimal. My 2 cents.