SmallCaliberCentral

The UPS man just delivered my Crimson Trace laser grips for my S&W Model 686 square butt .357 magnum. The instruction manual wasn't a lot of help, but then I think the installation procedure isn't too complicated in the first place.

I have not had a chance to shoot the revolver since I installed the grips, but sighting down the sights on the gun and where the laser dot hits appears to be spot on for the 50 feet they say it is set for.

I am not overly impressed with the fit of the grips. Here are some photos of the fairly large gaps between the grips and metal on the revolver as well as photos showing alignment problems between the two halves of the grips. While these problems may not affect the operation and accuracy of the laser grips, they do not exude Quality Workmanship to me.

Any comments on how these alignment problems may affect how the grips perform would be appreciated. I'd also like to know if any of you who own these grips noticed the same fit or lack thereof on your revolver. Thanks.

SF: I don't blame you for being a bit bummed out by the looks of those photos. If it were me, I'd call the Customer Service Dept. for CT, get an email addy, then send them those pics for evaluation.

I've only got one pair of CT grips, mounted nicely on one of my covert CCW's, a S&W 642 .38+P hammerless, and they fit perfectly, no unsightly gaps, voids, or misalignment.

With the popularity of Smith revolvers, I can't imagine thousands out there with such a crap-o-la fit as what you received. Hopefully it's not typical, and a call to the right place will rectify the problem.

Either way, be sure to let us all know how this one shakes out, as I had considered a set of CT's on one of my pet Kimber .45's, but not if I can expect what you just received.

Rick--Thanks for the suggestion about e-mailing them. I just got done sending and e-mail with those same 6 photos attached that I posted here. I'll post their response in this thread.

We have had a run of extremely cold temperatures with high winds and wind chill factors hitting near 50º below zero. I really would like to get out and try the new grips to see where the gun shoots, but I'd be shivering so bad I probably couldn't tell anything about the accuracy.

I received an e-mail from a Customer Service rep from Crimson yesterday, December 25, 2008. They thanked me for purchasing the Crimson Trace grips, apologized for the poor fitting grips, and gave me an 800 number to call to talk to Customer Service so they could help me out. Well, I came down with a case of the stomach flu early this morning and didn't get a chance to call them.

Around 11:00 a.m., I was feeling better and about that time the telephone rang. It was Jamie, from Crimson Trace, and she apologized again for the poor fitting grips. She asked exactly what model they were and I told her. She said they would ship out another set of grips and would include a postage paid return shipping label so I could send the other set back.

Now that is what I call GREAT Customer Service!!!! Thank you Crimson Trace. I sure hope this next set of grips fits better than the first set.

Ah-ha! It appears the squeaky wheel did indeed get the grease. Glad to hear CT followed up in such a professional manner SF.

I hope the new grips are to your satisfaction, and that you are feeling better in the gutty-whats soon too. Be sure to let us know how it all shakes out.

Well, I was pretty happy after receiving that phone call from Crimson Trace on December 26, 2008, telling me a new set of grips would be shipped out the week of December 29, 2008. The week of December 29, 2008, has come and gone. It is now January 6, 2009, and I haven't received the new set of grips or the paid return shipping label!?!?! I just fired off another e-mail expressing my concern. We'll see if my "squeaking" gets some action.

The ugly gaps and terrible fit on the grips don't prevent me from using the revolver, but I'd prefer to have the replacement grips and be done with this exchange. I'll quit grumbling now and let you know IF and WHEN the replacement grips arrive.

SF: Sorry to hear the new CT grips have not arrived. I'm betting they put all their operations on hold until the first of the year. Still no excuse, but most outfits operate that way during that part of the year, and with the UPS lag time, I'm hoping you see them soon.

To bide some time, I thought I'd show you a comparison of CT grips that are installed on one of my carry rigs, a S&W Model 642 Airweight Hammerless .38 Spl +P. Perfect for the front pocket of a pair of jeans in a DeSantis pocket holster.

As you can see, same brand of weapon, but quite a good fit all around:



On the left side of the weapon, the CT grips are hardly distingushable from the factory grips:



Grip to metal fit decent for an aftermarket item, and I'm hoping your replacement grips fit this well:



CT did their homework here. As this is a little Pocket Rocket, +P rated piece, they have an energy absorbtion chamber moulded into the backstrap portion of the grip to reduce felt recoil. Pretty nifty:



Slightly Off Topic, but for these short barrel little wonders, Speer has developed a special 'short barrel' ammunition in their Gold Dot line that really performs. How about a 135gr JHP at just over 900 fps from a 2" snubbie? Pretty impressive, and word has it, very effective in "social situations" that it was designed for (per the NYPD who requested this ammunition for their detective's 2" snubs):



Wicked looking little devils, eh?



Early 'tests' on soaked phone books was very impressive. Let us know how this Customer Service/Replacement set of grips works out. I for one am interested.

Well, I no sooner post info about not receiving the replacement grips last night and now today, January 7, 2009, the new grips show up! I am not a patient man.

I hustled into the house, got out my tools and my S&W Model 686 and sat down to open the package. Just like they said, there was a new set of LG-307 Crimson Trace laser grips AND the postage paid return slip! I removed the old grips, took the batteries out of them and put them back in the original battery package, along with the two screws, the nice black grip wrap material, the instructions, and closed the box. I unwrapped the new grips, installed the batteries, and put the grips on and tightened the screws down solid. If I were to take photos of how these grips fit, they would be almost identical to the photos in my original post

While I appreciate the receipt of the new grips, I am extremely unhappy about the terrible fit. RIO's grips are the way mine should look. There SHOULD NOT be huge gaps between the metal and the grip, misalignment on the butt, etc. I e-mailed Customer Service again and told them how these new grips just didn't pass muster and asked them if they thought they might, some day, be able to provide a set of grips for my revolver that would fit properly. I guess all I can do now is use them the way they are. I could try to figure out some way to plug up the huge gaps, especially where the grip meets around the back of the trigger guard, but I don't know what material would work and I might do some damage to the grips too. Well, I'll have to wait and see if they have a solution. Both sets of grips were manufactured in December of 2008, so maybe there is an especially bad mold they are using??? I am not a happy camper. If I weren't a grown man I would probably just sit right down and cry

Hopefully, there will be a satisfactory conclusion to this saga.

Silverfox, that really sucks! The two sets of CT's I have fit like a glove but they are on a 1911 and a Ruger LCP. Sorry you are having such a problem with CT, I live about 5 miles from their plant and I'm a quality assurance manager by trade, so do you want me to drop by their place and give them the business for you! Gary

Gary--Thanks for the offer to throw a little fear into them. If I knew you wouldn't wind up in jail, I'd tell you to give them the business for sure!!! When I see the fit that Rick has on his &W Model 642 Airweight Hammerless .38 Spl +P, it just makes me sick to look at the poor fit on my revolver. Something has to be wrong with the molds they used to make my grips. I'm hoping I get an answer that will make me happy.

Well, I have been waiting, albeit not very patiently, for a reply to my e-mail to Crimson Trace where I told them about the ill-fitting replacement grips I received from them on January 7, 2009. Still no word. I would have thought they would have at least told me to take a flying leap, but nothing, NADA, Zip, Zilch. I guess I'll communicate my unhappy demeanor to them one more time.

My next e-mail to them will include the photos of the crappy fitting Crimson Trace grips and I'm going to copy those photos of Rick in Oregon's fabulous fitting grips so they know what the fit should look like.

End of Rant for now!!!

Silverfox Well what is the story with your CTC grips? I feel for you not getting the fit needed. March 1st? Have they gotten back to you?
Later and hope it all works out in your favor.
Ray P

Ray P--The folks at Crimson Trace were contacted about the ill-fitting set of replacement grips they sent to me and they did get back to me. In my answer to that e-mail I included the photos Rick posted in this thread of the very tight-fitting grips he has on his S&W Model 642 Airweight Hammerless .38 Spl +P. They suggested that I go out to the range and test the grips and revolver to see if the laser aiming part works.

Well, I finally got out to do some shooting using the Crimson Trace laser grips yesterday. They seem to hold zero real good, but I'm still not in love with the crappy fit. They did suggest sending them back to where I purchased them for a refund. I'll probably keep them, but I'm sure not a happy camper.

I did ask them why the fit was so bad and suggested maybe they had a production quality control problem, but never got any response from them on that possibility. Oh well, I'll have to keep on keeping on and close my eyes to the huge gaps between the frame and the grips.

The red dot is pretty hard to see on the "shoot-and-see-targets" that are black. I had to set up some targets that were mostly white with just black outlines around the aiming area. I think I can probably do better on an attacking cougar with the open sights, so I'll practice with both aiming devices.

Silverfox

I have noticed the same "hard to see" issue with laser sights and because of that issue, I have avoided using them on defense guns. After trying various and sundry combinations (red or yellow insert front with white outline rear, plain black, dots, etc.) I have ended up with three dot tritium sights on all my carry pistols and my paper puncher which has a plain three dot sight on it.

When you can use the laser, it is fantastic. My issue with a defense gun centers around consistency and simplicity. I want my carry pieces to work the same way every time.

In my opinion, it is really a matter of personal preference. Red dots and lasers are a lot of fun. I have a red dot on a 22 auto. But for self defense, rugged and consistent sights are hard to beat.

Bill.