Taking off Grips

[chasdo4]

My new R9  is beautiful.  I am not a gunsmith, however, and do not want to get into removing the grips and possibly hampering the trigger mechanism.  Can I field strip the Pup with regualr use without doing this?  Is removing the grips a regular part of maintaining the pistol? I know that loose grips are one of the reasons for failure to fire and I don't want to be in a position where I have inadvertently loosend the right grip only to find my gun not working properly when I need it to (in a self defence senario).  Does any one have any thoughts about this? Thanks.

[theirishguard]

yes   Tom

[Dino]

I like to take off the grips when cleaning, oil and cleaner does make it's way behind them.  

I found it to be very easy if you take out the screws and slide a razor blade under the corner of the grips as the suction of the smooth surfaces makes you think they will not come off.  I use a long razor replacement from a razor knife.

Pay attention on the right grip as the trigger linkage and spring is there.  

Clean the screws with alcohol and put a drop of lock-tite on them, the lock-tite should be the low strength type.

Most of all shoot and have fun.

[tracker]

There are two schools of thought in removing the grips
when cleaning the R9. I was talking to Maria one day
about removing the grips and she relayed my question
to Karl. He responded by asking why I wanted to remove
the grips, so I didn't do it and have not done it in 4 years.

[Dino]

That would drive me crazy.  Then again I am in the mechanical field and love taking things apart and putting them back.
My son once told a gunsmith I rather work on them than shoot them.

[PsychoSword]

There are two schools of thought in removing the grips
when cleaning the R9. I was talking to Maria one day
about removing the grips and she relayed my question
to Karl. He responded by asking why I wanted to remove
the grips, so I didn't do it and have not done it in 4 years.

For one you might want to change grips or grip screws some day. Second you'll wanna clean underneath the grips to keep the trigger bar and components functioning smoothly, over time fouling will build up.

[PsychoSword]

That would drive me crazy.  Then again I am in the mechanical field and love taking things apart and putting them back.
My son once told a gunsmith I rather work on them than shoot them.

I'm the same way. It's cheaper too!  

[tracker]

The question from chasdo4 was, "Is removing the grips a
regular part of maintaining the pistol ?". I don't think it is
but if you want to do it have at it.

[theirishguard]

there you go!  Tom

[yankee2500]

I had the same question about the grips and it seems  to have been answered very well.  Thanks,  John

[jetman]

I was hesitant to remove my grips but I bought a set of CF grips for it and it was a perfect time to clean up under then and see exactly how the trigger/spring affair worked. It really isn't a complicated set-up at all. Shortly after changing out the grips I had one work loose while shooting and the spring came off under the grip and the gun didn't fire. I took it off again, cleaned it up and made it a little tighter and it's been fine ever since.

[chasdo4]

How hard is it to take the grips off, say if you wanted to change them to another set?  What kind of special tool do you need?  Having said that, I do like the standard grips with the R9.  Just wouldn't want to loosen them, and then either strip the screws putting them back on or put them on incorrectly so the gun wouldn't fire.  Does anyone have any thoughts about the hogue grips or allluminum grips vs the standard grips?  Thanks again!

[Dino]

See the third post donw on grip removal it may help you.  The only special tool you need is a 1/16 hex wrench.  

I bought the alluminum grips off of the Rohrbaugh website.  They look great and have good checkering so I do get a better grip on the gun, but they do zing your hand more when shooting.

I may put the standard grips on when shooting for more than a few rounds.

[slashsplat]

While the R9 comes well-prepared, I will not fire a weapon that I have not broken down, inspected, and lubed.  I have seen them come in dry, and come in dripping.

They are not that big a deal.  Scary the first time, though.  The hardest part is getting them started, and a CAREFUL use of a thin knife blade works.  I then use two hemostats to grip the two pins so they do not come out with the grip panel.  I pry the grips up off of the hemos.  They are set in pretty tight.  The two pins are a pain to replace the first time.

I will remove the grips and clean/lube twice a year.