Removing finger grooves from factory Hogue grips?

[Apec]

Has anyone here tried filing off the finger grooves on the Hogue grips that S&W ships on most of their guns? I am finding it hard to locate no-groove grips in stock.

However, I know that some grips are solid rubber, while others are only coated. Not sure how the Hogues are made. Just wondering if I’ll end up ruining a set of grips or if I will actually mod them successfully.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I've done several with a belt sander. A 1" or 2" wide coarse grit belt works the best. Finish off with a medium grit sandpaper. Usually some clear nylon looking plastic will be exposed, but it doesn't matter.

 

[ExcitableBoy]

Check out 3M Scotch-Brite Roloc (or similar) pads mounted to an angled die grinder. They come in various grits from 40 to 120, though you may be able to find some finer. I use them a lot for similar projects. You just have to take off a little at a time so the plastic/rubber material doesn't melt and glaze over. When you have the desired profile, buff it smooth with a soft, cloth disc, as you would when polishing metal, though a buffing compound may not be needed.

Another hint when using these pads: Once they are worn down (I sometimes do it intentionally on a chunk of scrap steel) they will produce a finer finish. It makes for quick work when mounting recoil pads on long guns, too.

 

[growr]

Plenty of no groove Pachmayers around........
Randy

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Is it for an N frame or an L? Because if it's for an L, I recently bumped into an L frame hogue grip-no finger grooves.
I had a chance to use them on a 66 and a 986. They worked really well....
If it's for an N, I haven't seen one yet. (I stand corrected! See post #8. Thank you pizza bob! I may order a few of those.....)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[colt_saa]

I used a Dremel and a sanding drum to remove the bottom finger groove

 

[Paul105]

I’m a big fan of the S&W 500 X Frame Hogue grips (Tamers). I have them mounted on all my S&W Round Butt grip frames where they fit. They do seem a bit large on some of the L and K Frame guns.

So, I set about modifying an old set of worn out 500 X Frame gips. Using my “Work Sharp” knife sharpener (mini belt sander) I shortened, rounded and narrowed the bottom of the butt and eliminated the finger grooves. Because of the condition of the grips being modified this was basically “exploratory surgery”. For the 20 minutes it took, I was pleased with the outcome. Reduced grip profile, making them a bit more compact for better concealability (which I’m not particularly concerned with). I will note that there is enough material remaining on the grips that additional trimming would be fairly easy. Here's a picture of the results on my 2.75" M69 .44 Mag.

I like these so much that I have a new set that I will modify in the near future.

 

[Pizza Bob]

K/L Rd Butt conversion are in stock at Hogue...

S&W K or L Frame Round Butt Rubber Conversion No Finger Grooves Monogrip Black

and N-frame rd. butt too...

S&W N Frame Round Butt Rubber Conversion No Finger Grooves Monogrip Black

Adios,

Pizza Bob