Changing Grips On A Sig Handgun (PITA) !

[billt]

I have a Sig P-226 SCT that came with rubber grips from the factory. The picture below is when I first bought it. I decided to pick up a nice set of Sig wood grips that were on sale from CDNN. These are the grips. Note they are of Sig Sauer manufacture.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/sig-sauer-p226-hardwood-grips-silver-medallion.html?___SID=U

They looked good, and were a good deal, so I bought them. Now the problem. The stock grip screws that came on the gun with the rubber grips are too short for the wood grips. What you have to do is purchase grip screws for the Sig P-239. They are longer, and will fit the wood silver medallion grips on a Sig P-226. This type of thing becomes a total pain in the ass. Here is a good diagram of all the different grip screws Sig employs on all their different models. Note all the different head thicknesses and lengths.



This is good to have for anyone who is planning to do any grip swapping on Sig handguns. You will run into the same thing I did. Just so you don't think I'm picking on Sig, I ran into the same crap on my Browning Buckmark Camper UFX. I changed out the black and grey rubber grips for a nice set of Browning Cocobolo grips. And those screws had too big of a head to work in the Browning wood grips, forcing me to buy additional grip screws that would properly fit the Browning Cocobolo grips. Remember, I'm talking about Sig grips on a Sig handgun, and Browning grips on a Browning handgun. Not any aftermarket grips. If these grips are manufactured by Hogue or someone else for Sig and Browning, they are made to their factory specifications. Or at least should be.

I cannot understand why the hell these manufacturers can't get their $h!t together, and make sure all of their grips are counterbored the same diameter. And to the same depth from the back of the grip. So one grip screw would work in all the grips they produce for that gun. We've had interchangeable parts on mass produced goods since the Industrial Revolution for God's sake.

I will say when I changed out the grips on my Beretta 92-FS from plastic to wood, (again the wood grips were of Beretta manufacture), the same screws did work. Although I had to ditch the star washers that came with the plastic grips. No big deal. At least I didn't have to purchase new screws. These are the P-239 grip screws I had to buy, so I could make my wood Sig grips work on my P-226 Sig handgun.

http://store.sigsauer.com/p239-grip-screws-5-blued.html

$24.00+ including shipping and tax for 5 screws. Add that to the $50.00 for the grips, (including shipping), and I'm up to $75.00 for this whole deal. Still not bad because Sig charges north of $110.00 for most all of their wood P-226 grips on their website. I just wish I didn't have to research all of this nonsense to make it happen correctly. You shouldn't have to. Sig Sauer should at least provide a page on their website that contains the information I've listed here.

Anyway, I thought I would point this out for anyone thinking about doing the same. Sig handguns are very popular. 

[Rastus]

Bilt this is a good post.  I'm sorry you're having problems but I like how you went to the detail...even though I don't have a Sig.  I keep thinking one day I'll get one of those 226's just to say I have one.

I know you have tastes for a wide range of all things firearms.  Aim Surplus just got a shipment of Erma-Werke 22 LR M-1 Carbine look alikes:  http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?groupid=7923&name=German+ERMA-WERKE+.22LR+M1+Carbine+Rifle .  I'd get some for the boys if I had an dime or two laying around. 

[billt]

I forgot to mention that I swapped out the plastic grips, for CZ Cocobolo wood grips on my CZ-75 in matte Stainless, and it used the same screws without any issues.

[Rastus]

I forgot to mention that I swapped out the plastic grips, for CZ Cocobolo wood grips on my CZ-75 in matte Stainless, and it used the same screws without any issues.

OK.  That's a picture I've got to see.  I have a CZ-75 in the polished stainless...and couple more...  I may need to make a change!

[billt]

OK.  That's a picture I've got to see.  I have a CZ-75 in the polished stainless...and couple more...  I may need to make a change!

Here ya' go:

COCOBOLO



PLASTIC



This is my Polished Stainless that came with Cocobolo from the factory. (I borrowed the "Whore House Red" pillow from the old lady):

[Sponsor]

[Rastus]

Nice.

I see Christmas present....yes I do!

Where'd you get'em from?

[billt]

Nice.

I see Christmas present....yes I do!

Where'd you get'em from?

Are you talking about the CZ Cocobolo grips?

[Rastus]

Yahzah...the CZ ones. 

Now is that the polished stainless you added or is it chrome plated?  Whilst fondling my polished stainless at the gun shop one day I told them to put it back because chrome eventually flaked and I had to pass.  That's when I found out it was not chrome just polished stainless and it had to come home and join the pack with some of it's brothers and sisters....

[billt]

Yahzah...the CZ ones.

If I remember correctly I either got them from Midway, or else CDNN. Midway tends to have them in stock on a more regular basis. But CDNN is always cheaper..... If they have them. 

Now is that the polished stainless you added or is it chrome plated?  Whilst fondling my polished stainless at the gun shop one day I told them to put it back because chrome eventually flaked and I had to pass.  That's when I found out it was not chrome just polished stainless and it had to come home and join the pack with some of it's brothers and sisters....

The polished Stainless CZ-75 IS factory polished Stainless Steel, not chrome or Nickel plated. I bought it that way. I don't care much for plated guns either, because it's just too easy to screw up the finish. Especially with several of the stronger solvents. Even Ballistol can screw up Nickel plating if too much is used.

Another good thing about polished Stainless over Nickel plating is you can polish out any fine scratches with a bit of Flitz Metal Polish. If a plated gun gets scratched, you pretty much have to live with it. The polished Stainless CZ-75 I purchased from Cabela's a few years back. It came with the Cocobolo grips from the factory.

The salesman told me CZ makes a special run of polished Stainless CZ-75's with Cocobolo grips for Cabela's once or twice a year, because they order enough of them to stock all of their stores, to make it worth their while. The majority of polished Stainless CZ-75's come with black plastic grips, like my matte Stainless gun did.

[Big Frank]

Yahzah...the CZ ones. 

Now is that the polished stainless you added or is it chrome plated?  Whilst fondling my polished stainless at the gun shop one day I told them to put it back because chrome eventually flaked and I had to pass.  That's when I found out it was not chrome just polished stainless and it had to come home and join the pack with some of it's brothers and sisters....

I had one of my pistols hard chrome plated and it never flaked or got scratched or anything. I believe it's 28 years old now. If chrome has any flaws they haven't shown up yet.