Recently acquired a custom order Galco Miami Special II shoulder rig, for discreet carry of my RB / 3" / Mod 65-3. Got a Hogue Bantam grip that will suffice as a handle, but thought maybe something a bit "special", might be in order.

I like "grippers", & have always been a fan of Badger Custom:

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I've used them in the past, on 4", square butt N frames (M624, M629-4, M657), & currently have a set on my 4", M686 "no dash). Very ergonomic, balanced well, pointed well, & provided good control.

Not sure how they'd work on a "less is more", round butt K frame though. Their basic round butt K stocks seem (visually at least) to be a bit long - for optimal concealment. Suppose they could be re-contoured - for shorter length.

Their RB K boots would seem optimum for concealment, but leave the pinky finger hanging free. In fairness, I'm told it's a non-issue for shoot-ability, but without an actual hands on experience, I have my doubts. That said, my initial doubts have been proven wrong before.

Anyway, your thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, here's the candidate:

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Regards - GCF

I don't have any personal experience with Badgers. I should also mention that I'm biased against finger grooves.

The grooves on Badger grips always looked too deep to me.

I personally like Ahrends grips without grooves, especially with the tung oil finish. They're smooth and grippy in hand but won't cling to clothing. They have grips available with and without finger grooves as well as boot grip and slightly extended models. The extended ones don't extend enough to negatively affect concealability, IMO. Some of their grips have flat front straps but I prefer the rounded ones.

Here's a picture of a 3" 65-3 that I used to own with a set of Ahrends grips (cocobolo with tung oil finish):



I should also mention that my hands aren't that big so even with a boot grip length stock I could still get a full 3-fingered grip on it.

However, I don't think having a 2-fingered grip would have much of an impact on shootability if you curl your pinky finger under the grip. On my 642 with Spegel boot grips I can often get a 2.5-fingered grip, but that usually involves my middle finger gripping on the hook between the finger grooves (which is why I don't like grooves...they rarely line up well with my hand).

Thanks for the input. I'll take a look at Ahrends - been a while since I had a set.

Finger groove stocks ARE a personal preference thing, for sure, & if they don't fit your hand..., well, they can be somewhat less then desirable. I had a set of RB / N frame, wood Hogue compact monogrips at one time, that definitely did not work for me.

One thing about Badgers, is they cut them to fit from hand measurements provided at the time of order.

Very nice rig there, BTW...

__________________
Regards - GCF

That's a nice option there, especially if the grooves can be ordered shallow with "bumps" rather than "hooks". But yeah, it's definitely a personal preference thing, along with having the right hand/stock relationship.

Thanks. I often wish I hadn't sold them. I kept the pictures for times when I want to torture myself.

Your 65 is a good looking revolver, too. With the magnas you may want to give a Tyler grip adapter a try. Just a thought.