As the title says, does anyone actually like the Delrin plastic factory grips on the 45xx series? I’ve never had a grip that I feel like I have to stop and reset my grip nearly every shot.

Swapped over to some Hogues and it’s night and day difference. I will say on the double stack 40s and 9mm the delrin is nice but I despised the 45 grip.

I like the factory straight grip on my 4566 & 1006. Not a fan of the rounded.

The arched backstrap was supposed to aid in double action shooting and that may be true, but it does make the pistol more of a handful. I think the flat stocks are better for those with small to medium sized hands, the arched stocks are better for those with large hands.

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I prefer them if for nothing else looks I don't much care for the looks of aftermarket grips & despise those things that stretch over factory grips

I like my Tercgen factory, cut down, curved back grip on my 457.

I changed out the straight back factory grip to the arched type on my Model 1006. I have big hands and it isn't a problem. The gun also came with one of the Hogue grips and they are thicker than the Delrin factory grip and that I didn't like.

YES I do......On both my 4506 and 1006.......Hogue use to make grips for them but.......They were butt ugly and felt like you were gripping a quart jar.

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S&W Accumulator

I prefer the Delrin grips on the compact 45s: CS45, 4513, 4516, and 457. I've taken the Hogue grips off the ones that came with them. I have an ongoing project to convert 4513TSW grips, the ones with the "step" on the bottom, to fit the CS. Not something I'd recommend (it's a gold-plate PITA,) but I have plenty of time for stuff like this.

Not really a fan of plastic or rubber grips on any generation of Smith and Wesson handgun

Many of mine currently have various wooden grips on them which I think are much more attractive and have a better feel in the hand

My 1006 is wearing Brazilian Rosewood from Hogue while my 845 is wearing walnut from KSD

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"Acta non verba"

I never noticed what you are talking about.
When I train I get the gun out quickly, focus sharply on the front sight and light off the round the instant it is on target. I use my eyes and the front sight not the feel of the gun to get on target. You certainly will not be wanting to change your grip while you are fighting. I would agree that you must do WHATEVER it takes to get on the other side of this. Let us know how you decide?
Kind Regards,
BrianD

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... or you can have L/XL hands like mine and just prefer the straight variant. I think hand geometry and flexibility plays a far bigger role than size in grip fitment. Sometimes it seems just random- I work well with I to N traditional Magna grips, hate N-frame targets, yet think the Colt New Service set-up is outstanding. I also think playing percussion from 5th grade through senior in college permanently gave my hands more dynamic grip range. Who knows?

The one-piece OEM grip… I like the look and also the thinness, but they are definitely too slippery.

Every time I have seen where someone has done the home-brew stipple job on the OEM grip, I have liked the look and I will bet it’s a good upgrade but I’ve never done it myself.

Farrar Machine & Tool made what I think is the best aftermarket 3rd Gen grip made, very rubbery and super thin, unlike the Hogue rubber which seems to double the width of the pistol. Problem with the Farrar is that it was only made for a short time and I think it was only for the double-stack full size guns, the 5906/4006 and variants.

For as successful as Pachmayr was all through the 80’s, man did they ever fail with the 3rd Gen grip. I can’t imagine something uglier than the Pachmayr.

For my 3rd Gen full size .45’s, I like bicycle tire innertube. Grabby, never moves even a bit, but definitely heinous in appearance.

Interesting responses I guess.. my 4566 with straight delrin grips is the only handgun I’ve ever shot that I hated how it handled - which came as a surprise given my love for my other 2nd and 3rd gen’ (with straight and curved grips). I wouldn’t categorize my hands as particularly small or large, but maybe I just have proportions that don’t work with the factory grip on the 4500 series. The gun would still point well for me but after a few shots I was always stopping to regrip the gun.

This discussion comes up very often. Sometimes I add, (actually repeat myself,) to the discussion most times I don’t.

I guess I like the factory Delrin’s compared to the wood and or rubber Hogue options. I’ve never tried the KSD’s on anything other than the Chief Specials. Like the Hogue’s I don’t imagine they are as thin as I want. I have factory straight, curved and Hogue rubber that can go on my 3rd Gens if available. I like the curved on my 4566 and “4567” but the straight feels perfect to me on my 4563 whereas the curved doesn’t. Maybe it’s a weight thing for me. Do you have a curved one on another .45 that you can test drive on the 4566?

For now Midway still has curved ones for $19.99 so that’s not too much money to try them. Find other stuff and have them thrown in the box for maybe free shipping.

Jim

Personnel preference. I love the factory grips. I detest Hogue grips.

I tried Hogue's rubber grip on the transitional 645-4506 I once owned. I agree, made the grip sticky, but uncomfortably large for my medium size hands.

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I like the factory grips. Most, if not all, aftermarket grips are too chunky.

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Straight factory derlin is the way to go! The aftermarket grips are way too big for me.

I was in Gun World in Corydon on Tuesday.
The vey knowledgable man behind the counter showed some Tisas 1911s to me. I thought to myself: “When did the 1911 shrink?” I even asked him if the Commander sized gun was a .45. I guess thats what you get from playing with a 645, 4506, and a 4566 for about a year. Everything else looks small in comparison. lol

I'd like to get a set of the Delrin grips that would fit my CS45.
I really dislike the factor rubber ones that it came with.
WAY too fat & sticky.

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the factory grips were too smooth for me. I put on the Hogue slip-on-grip so I could hold it after the shot.

I like them. I have large hands and prefer the rounded on my 4500 and 5900 series 3RD Gens.

Same here, arched is better for my hands.

Better still is the ‘palm swell’ arched grip for the FBI 1076 frame-mounted decocker, but which also fits the M1026. This grip will also fit any other 10XX-series pistol if you’re okay with a bit of a gap on the left side where the frame-mounted decocker lever would be.

Use of this grip on a large-frame 10XX- or 45XX-series pistol is considered a ‘tactical upgrade.’

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The purpose of the arched grip is to help keep the
muzzle up on full size pistols. It started with the 1911A1.

Folks with large hands usually find a straight grip perfectly fine.

I'm fine with the OEM straight grip on my 4646 and 4586TSW, but I prefer the feel of the Hogue checkered Pau Ferro. I find rubber grips useless, as they snag on clothing.

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Factory grips with the arched backstrap are my preference.

Don't mind the straight grip on mine, but its a shorty 45, and has extremely sharp checkered on the front strap, which cuts down the slippery feeling significantly

I never liked the Delrin grips of the 59xx series guns but I like them on the .45s. The .45 grip is just a bit too thin for my hands so I use a Hogue slip-on sleeve. It’s the best solution I’ve come up with for shooting the 45-series guns, though I admit the combination is not the most attractive grip I’ve seen. In general, I’ve always found the .45s much easier to shoot accurately than the 59s.

Both those wood grips are beautiful, and I’ve tried a pair of Hogue’s checkered Coco Bolo on my 1006 but they swelled the grips too ‘girthy’ for my liking. I was having to constantly adjust my shooting hand shot-to-shot.

I’ve never tried the KSD grips or seen them on a 3rd Gen in person. On a large-frame 45XX or 10XX-series gun, are they somewhat thinner than the Hogue’s?

There’s a tree out in California you can drive your car through that’s slimmer than the Hogues!

They used to have several of those trees that you could drive thru.
Now they’re called logs.

The Hogues are thicker and I kind of like that one the single stacks. Unfortunately Brazzilion Rosewood is no longer availble

The KSDs are about as thin as the Factory Derlin grips. I was worried putting them on, I thought they might crack, but it went well and they have been on that auto loader for 10 years or more now.

Beside I really like the look of the KSDs

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"Acta non verba"

Yeah, I do too, and thanks for the info.

Does KSD make checkered grips specifically for the 10XX or 45XX guns?

Thanks!

Does Anyone Actually like Factory 45xx Grips?

Yes, not only liked but preferred..........

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Straight back works best for me. Rubber Houge grips always felt too big for me on 3rd gens. I have 3 sets in my parts bin for 5900 series guns.

My only one left is a 4566 with Hogue Rubber grip.

The straight factory trip is my choice. They feel best in the hand, BUT they are too slippery. I’m not sticking a rubber Hogue over the factory grip. Looks terrible. On the single stack 3953 I have, the rubber Houge panels are nice. On the double stack, they feel too fat. I’ve tried the Hogue on my 4566 and I don’t like it.

A couple of things that can be done to improve the slipperiness of the factory plastic grips. The simple fix is skateboard tape, just place it where you want it, change it when necessary. Another fix would be a section of bicycle tire inner tube, just cut a section and slip it over the grip area of the pistol. The inner tube is thin and adds little to the circumference of the grip.
A permanent fix to their slippery nature would be a soldering iron with a pointy tip. Get the iron hot and stipple the plastic grip.

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Single stacks are too narrow with factory. Hogues are just right. On double stacks, the hogues are too fat. Factory is just the right width but wished it was rubber.

I do like the factory grip size, but they are a little slippery. Not trying to hijack the thread, I have a compatibility question. Will 4516 factory grips fit a 4513TSW in the 7 round configuration? I'm guessing the 3913 grips would be too narrow and the 4013 would be too wide? I have to retrofit and cannot find 4513TSW factory grips anywhere. Thanks.

4516 grips will fit the 4513TSW.

John