I rented a Ruger American Pistol 9mm at local range and loved the way it shot. Last weekend went back to the range to buy one. The first thing I did was switch the grips to try the large. I broke the torx wrench tip off in the locking bolt. I didn't read the directions or realize that the bolt only turned a quarter turn. I read the directions and was able to remove the grip as directed. I noticed a large amount of grease on the original grips. I wiped it off the locking cam that the holds the grip and then attached the large grips. The large grips were to big, so I attempted to return to the original grips. I was unable to get them to budge. After trying for 30 minutes, I decided to go back to the gun shop and let the experts show me what I was doing wrong. The gunshop employee was glad to help me out, but was also unable to remove the large grip. He even took the grip off of another new Ruger American pistol to verify that printed directions were correct. That grip came off with no issues. He went back to working on my grip. After another 15 minutes he was able to remove the large grip and reattach the medium grip. I now understand the purpose of the grease on the original grips. Has anyone else had issues changing grips on the Ruger American Pistol?
I use all Pachmayr's on my SR1911's and I can tell you, since they are the wrap around style, they are tough to stretch and install. My LW Commander has even slimmer grips than the rest and it was still hard to install. Pachmayr makes a great grip and I highly recommend them especially if you have long fingers as myself. They tend to soak up a lot of recoil, better than wood which increases your ability to re-acquire your target in a fast shoot situation. Just MHO! Tommy
I switched mine out with no issue. The locking bolt only goes 1/4 turn from closed to open. Next time you have the grip off, work the bolt to see it in action without the grip obscuring your view.
My dear wife who I have been in deadlock with for 40 years pounded it into my head some time ago to always read the directions. I have started to clean firearms for friends as a retirement hobby and I always go to youtube and the company pdf files before I work on them to avoid such as this sometimes these crazy ladies we love have a good point to share. long story short, always follow directions.
