3rd Gen Wood Grips

[kaveman]

My only complaint with the Smith 3rd Gens is the grip 'situation'. The factory delrins are generally OK but it would be nice to be able to dress the guns up a bit with wood. The only thing I can find available are the Hogues. Yep, they're spendy and they are on the upper edge of comfort size-wise, but the big problem seems to be the way they fit. A single screw down at the base doesn't seem very secure.

I just got this set in today(my first). The grips came in with a complete set of parts from a 4043 and I stuck them on a 4046 that had already been fitted with the Hogue rubbers. The rubber grips seemed to fit just fine at the back seam. Not so the woodies. I can squeeze the grips together but they spring right back when I let go opening up a gap. Is this a common problem? Could it just be this set of used grips? I have no idea how well they fit the 4043 before they came to me. I'm seriously thinking of installing a second screw per side threaded into the frame at the point indicated.

 

[RDFabsRep]

I've never taken the grips off any of my 3rd gens, so I'm not completely sure of the mechanics. From the pictures, it almost looks like those grips are touching at the bottom, but obviously gapped at the top. Does it look like they'd sit more flush if you took some material off of them?

Or...it it possible to turn them into a solid grip (epoxy'ing them on the inside) and then slide them on like the factory units, tightening down with the screws provided?

 

[loeman]

I experienced exactly the same issues with Hogue wood on two of my 3rd Gens. I HAD them on my 4516-2 and on my 4506. They felt too big on both guns and the fit wasn't nearly precise enough to satisfy me. I also stupidly overtightened the screw on the 4506 trying to get the two panels to merge. Bad idea, the retaining block cracked. I went back to OEM on the 4516 and to Hogue rubber on the 4506. I like the Hogue rubber so much that I will probably put them on the 4516. I'm like you, I like the look of wood but not at the expense of good ergonomics and precision fit. Judging by all the pics I've seen of 3rd Gens here on the forum, most owners do not opt for Hogue wood.

On the other hand, I have Hogue wood on my Sig P239 and P230 and the fit, feel and look on both is great!

Off topic, but I put Karl Nill grips on my HK P7. The look, fit and feel of these rather expensive grips is fantastic!

 

[Arik]

Could never get into wood grips. Don't feel right, don't have any grip, slower with follow up shots. Just not there where it matters. But if look is for you...enjoy

 

[Hill_Country]

You're right that metal guns need wood stocks. Hard to get warm and fuzzy about Delrin.

I've never messed with Hogue grips, but I've spent a good bit of time fitting CT lazer grips which use a similar mounting system. They can take a good bit of tweaking to get the fit just right. Sometimes tightening the screw to tight will actually cause the sides to spread. I'd go really slow and be sure before I removed any material.

Have you checked that the metal lip on the inside is tight? Good luck with them.

 

[kaveman]

No way to unitize the wood grips. Wood doesn't have the strength and flexibility of the delrin and would snap if made as a one piece wrap-around. Has to be two separate pieces.

I'm OK with 'other' grips,.....I'd just prefer to have some wood on a few pieces. I actually like the rubber Hogues on the single-stack .45's and other than the slickness of the delrin I like the feel of the factory stocks on everything other than the single-stack .45's. The rubber Hogues are really too big on anything smaller(although my 3953 and a couple of 4046's still have the Hogues on them). I've even got a set of Pachmayrs I'm wanting to try.

Still, anything other than wood is a poor substitute imho. These all stainless guns are range guns for me and for that the size of the wood grips seems to be just fine. I'll spend a little more time adjusting screw tension but there didn't seem to be a sweet spot short of 'very tight' which is where they are now. The front lips are not a problem,.....they slip right in and the front edges are tight. I'll look again but I thought the rubber grips had a tab high at the rear that held tight to the frame; a tab the wood grips don't have. Other than having to do the work, drilling and tapping, I really like the idea of a second screw per panel. The Hogue 'system' is really kinda Mickey-Mouse, but I can appreciate the need to come up with a no mod, bolt-on system. It may be the best system available, but it's still not very good.

 

[Mainsail]

I had hopes of putting some wood grips on my carry 1076, but good luck finding any cut for the decocker lever. I've heard the 1006 Hogues can be modified for the lever, but I dropped it after I found out they were thicker. I like how slim the gun is, and in a pancake holster it's stuck in tight to my side. I decided to learn to love the factory grips.

 

[WTN1271]

I tried a set of Hogue wood grips on a 3913tsw and ended up with a similar gap along the backstrap too. Couldn't make the panels fit nicely and went back to Hogue rubber panels without any problems. The wood grips definitely look the best but I find that the black rubber grips are the most functional. Maybe some sets of the wood grips warp just enough to cause the fit issues.

 

[kaveman]

Well, this is discouraging. I've done several searches on the forum over the last couple of months and I've found dozens of discussions of the wood Hogues and the only complaints I've seen were concerning the thickness of the grip on the double-stacks. Getting way too much negative feedback here, not that I'm really surprised. I've never been that comfortable with the mounting system.

I'll dink around with these a little more but if I have to drill and tap for another screw to make them work, that's what I'll do. The gun's a $300 police trade-in and the grips were essentially free. I may try the grips on a couple of different pistols before committing to any permanent mods.

 

[Hill_Country]

Might be worth a call to Hogue to get their advice on the problem. If the grips are defective I'd give them a chance to make it right. I've always gotten great support from them.

 

[kaveman]

With further experimentation,........I'm stumped. There is no worthwhile alternative to the factory delrin grips for the 3rd Gens. That's a real shame,.......plastic grips on a metal pistol aren't that much better than a plastic pistol. Well, it's still better but so much less than it could be. Here's what I've found and I'm really surprised that I didn't see it mentioned elsewhere.

The Wood Hogues don't have anything in their design to prevent the grips from splitting high up on the backstrap. The rubber Hogues do. On the rubbers, there's a blocky tab in the plastic that the rubber is molded around that slips in under the rear of the frame keeping the upper rear clamped in tight, much like the flanges at the front edge slip in under the frame. Without any screws at all, when you slide a rubber half forward into position it's held tight to the frame up by the hammer and all along the front edge. The screw helps clamp the heel and keeps everything in place. The grips can't split along the backstrap if the grips are installed correctly. The wood grips don't have that high rear tab and the grips pull apart. I've checked to see if there ever were tabs milled into the wood, but both scales show cleanly cut surfaces back there. As much as I hate to do it, I'm giving up on the wood stocks.

Still looking for something different, I grabbed another 4046 and installed a set of Pachmayrs I'd scrounged from a sales bin hoping that they'de be at least a little slimmer than the Hogues. They've got a bit of slimming at the thumb rest, but any gain there is offset by the checkered rubber across the front strap. End result is that the 'Pachyderms' are every bit as bulky as the 'Hoggs'. No joy there either.



So I guess I'm just going to have to settle for the factory grips or turn my attention to the Gen2's. The only problem with that path is that I'm a fan of the DAO Smiths and as far as I know that trigger system was never available in the 2's. I wonder if the TSW DAO guts will fit into a 439? I've got a killer set of wood grips for one of those.

 

[Elandt]

I know this is an old thread but, I completely agree with these third gens needing wood grips. Just purchased an old police issue 4043 ($300) and I'm currently experimenting with my own grip design.

Ordered a delrin grips set off Ebay to cut the backstrap from to retain the spring cup. Leaning towards a clean two panel design much like that of the 952. May end up having to drill and tap a couple small holes in the frame.
I'll post pictures when I get things rolling

 

[Raladan]

KSD

You might want to look at the wood grips from KSD Grips.
I have a set for my 4040PD for about 8 months and love them!
Many other members here have also been very happy with them

 

[unclejerky]

Haven't posted much here, but can assure you all that I'm probably the oldest fart, being born in 1864. If I can recall, most of the gun fighters in my day, used single action revolvers with wood grips. The blisters on their hands gave them the "checkering" needed to hold on to their gun.

 

[Guevera]

If it's wood you want, KSD grips are the only way to go these days...

 

[BAM-BAM]

Hogue wood IMO work well on single stack 3rd Gen guns...... but make a double stack guns too thick.

I've got/ had Hogue wood grips for 3913/14/NLs, 4506 and 4566 since the early 90s and never had the problem your facing.

I've gotten KSD grips for a couple of Beretta.....NICE!!!!

I have also stippled a half dozen factory grips for the...... 6906,915 and 59xx.... in a fish scale pattern......for a much better grip!!!!

 

[kaveman]

I'm convinced that there is just something wrong with this pair although I'm still not sure what. I lucked into a deal on GB and picked up twelve pair of Hogue wood stocks for various frame sizes and none of them have the undercut that the Hogue rubber grips have, but I've installed three sets on a 6946, a 4053 and a 4586 and none have the spreading that this checkered set has, but they came used from a dismantled gun so I have no clue as to the history.

Agreed, the KSD grips are the way to go. I have a 3953 and a CS9D wearing KSDs and love them. Haven't tried them on a double-stack yet but if they quit making the stupid looking patterns and go back to classic styled grips like they started with I'd like to try a set.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Agreed, the KSD grips are the way to go. I have a 3953 and a CS9D wearing KSDs and love them. Haven't tried them on a double-stack yet but if they quit making the stupid looking patterns and go back to classic styled grips like they started with I'd like to try a set.

They will make you exactly what you want......I saw a set on e-____ and ask if I could get it "stippled but w/o the logos" no problem...had it within 10 days IIRC.

 

[cobra357]

What about faux wood.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/191153-sweet-5906-grips.html

 

[BAM-BAM]

What about faux wood.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/191153-sweet-5906-grips.html

Ya have seen pictures of a few set of "dipped" grips....... not sure how they hold up ????