What are some easy methods for removing/replacing grips on 5906/4006 pistols?

[Echo40]

So I've owned a California Highway Patrol 4006TSW for a year now, and I absolutely love it.

It's a fantastic all steel pistol with an excellent trigger, but I've had one issue with it since day one -- the grips.
My CHP 4006TSW came from a lot that had been fitted with Hogue Rubber Grips, which are nice and obviously help soak up recoil, but unfortunately they just don't fit my hands well at all because they add too much thickness to the already wide grip of the 4006TSW.

Since the day that I bought it I have been tempted to swap out the Hogues for a nice slim pair of KSD wood grips, but I have been repeatedly dissuaded from doing so because people online make removing/replacing the grips sound akin to performing surgery or diffusing a bomb, with long, intimidating descriptions of the process which honestly make it sound like one wrong move can damage the pistol.

Can someone here put my mind at ease by providing a more simplified description which doesn't presume that I'm a clumsy buffoon with 5 thumbs on each hand? Because I'd really like to replace the grips on my 4006, but I'm terrified to even try at this point thanks to everyone online making it sound so difficult, not to mention potentially harmful to perform.

 

[18DAI]

Member BMCM posted a tutorial, fairly recently, detailing how to do a grip change/installation. If you search his posts it will appear.

It is not particularly difficult to do. The big thing to watch out for is bending the small/somewhat delicate "legs" of the sideplate. On high round count guns, those legs can become a bit brittle and snap off. Ask me how I know that.

Do not be daunted by the nervous Nellies. If we listened to them, we would never use 3rd gen guns due to "...lack of spare parts!" or "...no manufacturer support!".

BTW, the "thinnest"grip option is the OEM Delrin grip. I put a rubber grip sleeve over them, giving me the benefit of the better traction/recoil absorption of rubber and thin circumference for hand fit.

Good luck! Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI

 

[TexasG]

I would take a look at original equipment grips. My 4006 also came with Hogue grips when I bought it 10 years ago. I have not shopped for OE grips lately but I think places like midway, and Brunelles used to carry them.


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[jsbethel]

Need some advice on changing grips

 

[Echo40]

Member BMCM posted a tutorial, fairly recently, detailing how to do a grip change/installation. If you search his posts it will appear.

It is not particularly difficult to do. The big thing to watch out for is bending the small/somewhat delicate "legs" of the sideplate. On high round count guns, those legs can become a bit brittle and snap off. Ask me how I know that.

Do not be daunted by the nervous Nellies. If we listened to them, we would never use 3rd gen guns due to "...lack of spare parts!" or "...no manufacturer support!".

BTW, the "thinnest"grip option is the OEM Delrin grip. I put a rubber grip sleeve over them, giving me the benefit of the better traction/recoil absorption of rubber and thin circumference for hand fit.

Good luck! Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI

Thanks, I found the thread you're referring to...

How to NOT mangle your sideplate...

The good news is, now I know what to do, the bad news is, it still makes me nervous... I really wish that S&W had designed the 3rd Gen full-size pistols with more conventional grip panels that are removed/replaced as easily as turning a screw.

 

[DMcBB]

It’s not that hard. I’f you have the correct number of thumbs per hand, and you can be reasonably careful, you’ll be fine.

 

[Jeppo]

I’ve become reasonably competent at removing and reinstalling grips. Part of my initial cleaning of a “new to me” Smith is scrubbing the grips with warm water and dish soap. It’s shocking what comes off them.

 

[Sevens]

I really wish that S&W had designed the 3rd Gen full-size pistols with more conventional grip panels that are removed/replaced as easily as turning a screw.

I think if we polled every handgunner from the heyday of the S&W 3rd Gen and beyond, both fans and detractors, I believe that the one-piece grip design would be lodged firmly in the #3 slot for complaints about this design. The idea was to make them slim and they accomplished that, but they are not grippy and and alternative solutions were not at all easy the way that classic grip panels are. And S&W gave themselves a massive, rotten black eye when the very earliest grips were brittle and shattered when the pistol was dropped, which made the pistol completely incapable of firing. These grips were recalled and S&W looked absolutely INEPT because of it.

Even die-hard S&W 3rd Gen guys usually admit that S&W could have done better with the grip.

With that said, I think a FAST and ultra-cheap solution worth at least trying is bicycle tire inner tube over the OEM grip. Cost is super low and if you buy a tube you have enough material for a fleet of guns. The genius with this solution is that it’s extremely thin, thinner than any aftermarket grip sleeve, be it Hogue or Pachmayr or others. And no annoying finger grooves. The biggest deficit is that the look is absolutely questionable. It’s pretty white trash. But the tacky rubber feel is extremely good and unlike the fat gooey Hogue, the rubber doesn’t break down and dry rot over years. (I too dislike the enormous Hogue)

The single best replacement aftermarket 3rd Gen grip ever made (my opinion of course) is the Farrar Machine & Tool grip. Great grab, quite thin, durable, good looking. Install can be somewhat tricky. The real struggle is finding them. They are scarce and decades out of business.

-OH YEAH- if you are wondering what complaints #1 and 2 are, I’d guess it’s “that darned ole backwards safety, should be down to fire dag nabbit” and the much maligned magazine disconnect safety, which is the Grandpappy of the classic gun forum tactical argument: “I can use small motor skills to dump a mag on purpose to keep the bad guy from shooting me with my own gun that he is taking from me” versus “I gotta fight off the enemy with my single round WHILE swapping in a new mag!”

 

[hammy5150]

I think if we polled every handgunner from the heyday of the S&W 3rd Gen and beyond, both fans and detractors, I believe that the one-piece grip design would be lodged firmly in the #3 slot for complaints about this design. The idea was to make them slim and they accomplished that, but they are not grippy and and alternative solutions were not at all easy the way that classic grip panels are. And S&W gave themselves a massive, rotten black eye when the very earliest grips were brittle and shattered when the pistol was dropped, which made the pistol completely incapable of firing. These grips were recalled and S&W looked absolutely INEPT because of it.

Even die-hard S&W 3rd Gen guys usually admit that S&W could have done better with the grip.

With that said, I think a FAST and ultra-cheap solution worth at least trying is bicycle tire inner tube over the OEM grip. Cost is super low and if you buy a tube you have enough material for a fleet of guns. The genius with this solution is that it’s extremely thin, thinner than any aftermarket grip sleeve, be it Hogue or Pachmayr or others. And no annoying finger grooves. The biggest deficit is that the look is absolutely questionable. It’s pretty white trash. But the tacky rubber feel is extremely good and unlike the fat gooey Hogue, the rubber doesn’t break down and dry rot over years. (I too dislike the enormous Hogue)

The single best replacement aftermarket 3rd Gen grip ever made (my opinion of course) is the Farrar Machine & Tool grip. Great grab, quite thin, durable, good looking. Install can be somewhat tricky. The real struggle is finding them. They are scarce and decades out of business.

-OH YEAH- if you are wondering what complaints #1 and 2 are, I’d guess it’s “that darned ole backwards safety, should be down to fire dag nabbit” and the much maligned magazine disconnect safety, which is the Grandpappy of the classic gun forum tactical argument: “I can use small motor skills to dump a mag on purpose to keep the bad guy from shooting me with my own gun that he is taking from me” versus “I gotta fight off the enemy with my single round WHILE swapping in a new mag!”

I've never handled a 59 or 659 but I've always heard them referred to as having the ergonomics of bricks, so while having a Vertec Beretta style flat backstrap with the option for wrap around palm swell grips sounds nice I don't know how doable that'd be with the ergonomics of the 3rd gens. Sig did end up going to the one piece clamshell design for their E2 grips so S&W was probably on to something there, but importantly the Sig grips still have a proper mainspring retainer that hooks onto the frame rather than using the grip for it which just reeks of corner cutting. The E2 grips are in my opinion what the 3rd Gen grips were going for with their very grippy texture and ergonomic bumps that fill out in the hand better than just the flat checkering of the 3rd Gens. It's unfortunate that the Hogues are the only real aftermarket grip option for the 3rd Gens since I also find them too huge and they generally only come with curved backstraps where the flat ones fit me the best.

 

[Echo40]

As far as grips go, I like the KSD Wood Grips because they're thin yet durable and they're modeled after the stock grips, so they look good on the gun too.

Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of rubber grips, simply because they don't hold up very well in my experience. So yeah, if I'm going to go through the stress of removing/replacing grips which aren't exactly easy to remove, then I want it to be a pair of grips that are durable and attractive so that I won't have to and won't want to replace them down the line.

 

[ACEd]

I hesitate to say this for fear of jinxing myself but i have removed and replaced numerous grips on 39xx, 40xx, 59xx, and 69xx pistols and have never had a problem with sideplate. I generally remove grips to clean a used gun and have also installed new SW grips. Just go slow and if necessary pry up new grips at top go cover sideplate. May also need to pry up new SW grips on other side as the point can get into top of magwell if they are too tight. Also some of recent OE grips have been slightly warped and have to make sure front lip slides under front edge of magwell.

 

[18DAI]

You can purchase generic Hogue rubber grip sleeves WITH palm swells. I use them on several of my 3rd Gen carry guns and on my 5903 beater.

I sometimes have to use surgical scissors to "tailor" the fit and sometimes it would make a Preacher cuss getting them positioned over the OEM Delrin grips. BUT worth the effort. Especially the ones with the finger grooves. I will try and post a pic tomorrow. Regards 18DAI

 

[Jon651]

YouTube is your friend. Here's a quick video I picked up about installing Hogue grips on a 4006, it only runs for 5-6 minutes and if you run it backwards you can see how to remove them!

S&W 4006 New Hogue Grips - YouTube

Removing Hogue grips is even easier than removing the factory grips because the mainspring is held in place by the adapter piece that Hogue supplies instead of by the grip itself like from the factory.

 

[kbm6893]

Thanks, I found the thread you're referring to...

How to NOT mangle your sideplate...

The good news is, now I know what to do, the bad news is, it still makes me nervous... I really wish that S&W had designed the 3rd Gen full-size pistols with more conventional grip panels that are removed/replaced as easily as turning a screw.

Just make sure you slightly spread the grips as you slide them up. Once they clear the sideplate, there’s really nothing they can wrong.

 

[Echo40]

Oh, one more thing, does anyone know what size punch I'll need to drive in/out the grip retention pin?

YouTube is your friend. Here's a quick video I picked up about installing Hogue grips on a 4006, it only runs for 5-6 minutes and if you run it backwards you can see how to remove them!

S&W 4006 New Hogue Grips - YouTube

Removing Hogue grips is even easier than removing the factory grips because the mainspring is held in place by the adapter piece that Hogue supplies instead of by the grip itself like from the factory.

Watching that video gave me a 100% boost in confidence, thank you so much for posting a link to that. I'm not nervous at all anymore about installing a new set of grips, in fact, I may actually be so bold as to attempt to modify a pair of KSD grips in the future to see if they can be secured with screws like the Hogues are, although that would be something to try down the line.

 

[DUSTYDOGDAN]

You can do it!!

It's very easy to switch back to original grips. I've done several and never ran into any problems. I have not done the wood grips but the original swap was no problem at all if you know how to use a screw driver and a punch.

 

[JohnHL]

Oh, one more thing, does anyone know what size punch I'll need to drive in/out the grip retention pin?

1/8" pin punch.

Oh, and there are NO easy methods of grip replacement on 3rd gen pistols.

Just like there are NO easy methods of bolt replacement on an M-14 or reassembly of a Ruger 22 pistol.

But, just like the above, there ARE several simple steps to be properly learned and practiced until it becomes second nature.

The reason it is not "easy" is because it is not intuitive, like seeing that set of boogered-up screw slots on slab grips.

Yeah, that was soooo much better.

Also, screws that seize in their bushings, or screws that work loose, or threads that strip in the bushings or frames...

Why, oh why did S&W abandon such a crappy way of attaching grips?

You can keep your screws!

BTW, I have a very nice pair of Brownell's screwdriver handled grip spreaders for S&W 3rd gen grips.

I tried them ONCE, to see if they were any faster than doing it by hand.

Nope.

When you get your new 3rd gen grips, take the time to look inside the left grip panel.

If you are observant, you will see a groove molded into the inside of the left panel.

S&W thoughtfully provided that groove as a guide to protect the side plate legs.

Start the groove over the end of the sear pin and it will guide the grips to right where you want them.

Most folks never notice this groove and need to invent "home brewed and bubba approved" methods of installation.

John

 

[Echo40]

Thanks, could have done without the sarcasm though.

 

[JohnHL]

Thanks, could have done without the sarcasm though.

Beggars can't be choosers...

John

 

[VictorLouis]

It is not particularly difficult to do. The big thing to watch out for is bending the small/somewhat delicate "legs" of the sideplate. On high round count guns, those legs can become a bit brittle and snap off. Ask me how I know that.
18DAI

Mega DITTOs, LOL.