Just replaced the magna's on my 27-2 with target grips.
The difference is amazing. With the magnas I could barely reach the trigger properly but with the target grips the pad of my finger fits squarely on the wide target trigger.

Does anyone like Magna grips on a 27-2 (or any other N-frame)?

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I refuse to answer that on the grounds that no matter what I reply .. I would be accused of " Ruining You"

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DAV in honor of POP

I can't stand magnas on any size frame. They just feel weird in my hand.

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The only verdict is vengeance

While correct for the collector and very attractive-they never fit my hand either. The hogue monogrip fits much better and a set of pacmayrs work well too.

I save the factory grips for my kids to enjoy..

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Well, first of all, while you dismiss the Magnas as too small you should know that many shooters find the Targets too big. It's a matter of personal preference. Some (OK, apparently it's just me) think that Targets on the 3.5" guns look ugly. Way too much wood for the short barrel and the gun looks *** heavy.

You have GOT to be kidding me. The word *** is being filtered? OK, in case you can't figure out what I wrote think of a Biblical donkey.

Bear in mind that when the Magnas were introduced in 1935 they were a step up from what was previously used. The older "Service" stocks can be truly punishing with hard kicking guns.

Does anyone use Magnas on N frames? Yes. Here are a few of mine.

S.P., you are not alone in your feelings. IMHO the target grips look out of balance on any 3' - 4" revolver.

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Saxon
Me thinks I see a grip adapter on your 58

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I for one cannot ever find enough magna's for N frame.

I prefer the magnas and service stocks on n-frames. The others are just too big for my taste.

I replace all my N frame targets with magnas cause they fit my hand better. I'll go one step further and state that I can't stand targets on ANY frame except a Square butt J. I'll go another step by stating that the best grip combo for me is a set of modified magnas and a tyler on an N, L or K frame.

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I have large hands with long fingers and I still like Magnas on most N-Frames.

I think magnas look goofy on 6" barreled N-frames, but just right on 4" and shorter barrels.

I'm in SP's camp on this one, although I would not go so far as to say "ugly". As to the OP's question, don't forget that many N frames were intended for police work, and the magna grips were probably better suited than the targets.

I to, like the magnas on my N-frame guns. The targets are way to big and the magnas fit me much better, besides I like the way the magnas look. I take off every pair of targets I get on any of my guns, including my K&L frames. Joe

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Sir, people's hands and purposes differ. FWIW, I like magnas on short-barreled N-frames. They conceal easier than targets and point better for me in double-action shooting.

Targets are fine on long-barreled guns used mainly for slow single-action shooting, as in target shooting or hunting. The bigger grip provides better leverage for holding up that long, heavy tube. With these big guns, concealment usually isn't an issue, so targets are fine for the application.

Regarding aesthetics, IMHO the big target stocks require a lot of barrel to make the gun look balanced. That can be length, as in a 6-inch tube, or weight, as in a full-lugged 5-inch tube. I have to agree with Mr. Saxon Pig that targets visually unbalance a 3-1/2 inch Model 27.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

I must be the oddball of the S&W world, but I can't stand N-Frame target grips......I think using the barrel of a Louisville Slugger as a grip would feel better.

It's Magnas all the way for me.

I'm not a huge fan of target grips on anything, for that fact. The only S&W I have that wears Targets is my 8 3/8" Model 14.

Well we sure can differ significantly in these matters. Some have made excellent points re the practicality of one grip or the other; e.g. the concealability of magnas, and so on. Though I acknowledge that that example and others are indisputable, I still don't like magnas, period. They don't look good to me on any gun of any size frame or barrel length, nor do they fit my hand at all. I only have smooth targets on all my Smiths.

Andy

29-3 6"
29 4"
25-2 6"
24-3 4" x2
24-3 6.5"
pre 27 3.5"
58 4"
All wear magnas, preferably "diamond" magnas. I really like them. The only 4 frames I have that don't have them are a pre 29 5 screw, (cokes), my 6.5" 29-2 (Kuracs) another 29-2 6.5" (Kuracs also), and a 29-2 8 3/8" that has a reshaped set of target grips.

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With the addition of a grip adapter a set of Magna stocks actually fit my hand better than S&W target stocks, and I have fairly large hands. In some cases they look better too:


The Magnas on this 5" pre-M27 are numbered to the gun and look just fine to my eye.


The Grashorn Gunworks elk antler Magnas on this 4th Model 44 Hand Ejector fit perfectly and look better than any other stocks I've tried on this gun.

The look and feel of stocks is such a personal thing it's kind of pointless to make statements like the title of this thread implies.

Dave

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My M28 looks like Dave T's M27.

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WyoStillhunter

No grip adaptors on any of my guns. Tried one once and it didn't feel that good to me and it dented the stocks. Tossed it.

I guess like with lots of things on this forum this group is divided on this subject and that is fine with me as everyone has a different view of what looks good and what does not. There is also a large varience in what feels right in different individuals hands when you are shooting so I guess it's great that we have a choice of factory grip types.

A lot of individuals up here also like 3rd party grips on there S&W revolvers like Kurac, Ahrends, Hogue, and etc and that's fine with me too as you paid your money and you should get what you like.

I also don't like to see blanket statements on either side of the issue because there is no correct answer to the question.

I can see how the grip adapter with the magnas would work well for me. With hands on the small side, the extra leverage from the grip adapter would let me stretch my forefinger enough to cover the trigger.

I also think the target trigger is not ideal for me.

Good thing there are lots of fresh fish in the sea.

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I use Magnas on any N-Frame at 4 inch barrels or less. With the exception of heavy barreled 4 inchers like a M29.

I tried the grip adapters, did not like them.

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Grips are the best way to add "personality" to a gun and the best part is, it's non-permanent.

Some of my S&W's have had 10 or more different grips on them since I've owned them, before I found something I liked.



I think this 64 with target grips looks awkward, like a piece of wood with a revolver growing out of it. It was either an ex-PD or security gun, probably ex-PD and these grips worked for someone with big hands who didn't like rubber, I guess. Sometimes it's all about utility. It just didn't work for me, so I put PC Magnas on the gun.

This is another of those no right or wrong questions, but rather what is right for the shooter. I used to like the the targets, but find the older I get (read worse arthritis)the better the magnas work for me. Truth be told the worse it gets the more I go with pachmeyer grippers for shooting,and the woods for looking at.

The N-frame Target grips seem like they are sized for a guy who's 6'10" and can crush coconuts with one hand.......I don't have small hands and these grips feel huge to me. You guys who like them must have some meat hooks

The only advantage I can see for N-frame Targets is maybe for Bullseye or bench rest shooting, or silhouette matches, so you can really wrap up a good two hand hold and let fly with some booming .44 Mags and have some wood to hold on to. My Model 29 is mainly a "looker" but it's a handful with the Magnas on it when shooting Magnums.

If they were all I had to work with,I could deal with them i.e. if I was a cop in the 60's and was issued a Model 27 with Targets on it, and I wasn't allowed to change them.....but given a choice, those targets gotta go.

Most of my S&W's have to look good to me, that's why I own them.Something like a Model 58 with standard Magnas looks about ideal to me, those are the wheelguns I will stop and stare at.....

Just my advice,,, change the wide trigger on the 3.5" model 27-2.
That trigger never belonged on that gun anyway.

Saxon posted pictures so I get to too.

Target stocks too big. Magnas just a might small.

Spegels,, perfect. Ahhhhhhh,



Shot this 44 with stag magnas on it the other day.
Old school cool.









There you go...



Regards
Allen Frame

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Try carrying a 3-1/2", 27-2 with target grips in a shoulder mounted holster under a suit coat???
JIM..........

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My 8 3/8 Model 27-2 will not fit in the original silver box with targets on it...

I like Hogue monogrips on my 29 / 629s because they feel just right. The Pachs feel good on a square butt M29 with a 4" barrel and prevent a lot of discomfort. All that wood sure looks good packed safely away.

But I'm the guy that likes lutefeske and lefse. It's just another aquired taste like grits (yuk) or liver and onions (yuk & yuk)!!!

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S&WHF 366

I have a mixture of both, I don't think the Targets look right on light barrels or short ones. I wouldn't put Magnas on any Model 29. I wouldn't put Targets on a 1917. My K-22 came with Targets, but I shoot it much better with Magnas. I don't like the Hogue grips or any with finger grooves. Once a friend was looking at my handguns, and he picked up my Colt 1917 with original grips and proclaimed, "This one feels better in my hand than any other one." Anyone who knows the grip of a New Service, you know he had BIG hands.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I've never cared for Targets at all. I have large hands and much prefer Magnas with a Tyler T.

I feel like I'm trying to hold onto the barrel of a bat when I try Targets. I can't feel where the barrel is pointing like with Magnas.

PC Magnas are the best IMHO. They are even more comfortable. Or maybe I just love my 58!

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A lot of posters claim they don't like Targets. Before you cast that opinion in stone wrap your hand around a set of Cokes. The Coke bottle profile Smith once offered for "Magnum" revolvers was only slightly different than Targets but they "feel" quite a bit different in the hand.

Dave

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To me a 4" heavy barrel like on a 29 or 57 looks OK with Targets.





A tapered barrel like the 27 needs at least 5" of length to balance the large stocks. I go both ways with the 5" guns, Targets or Magnas work for me.







Anything over 5" definitely needs Targets in my opinion.





A gun with a 4" tapered barrel with target sights looks OK with Target stocks (but barely).




A 4" tapered barrel with fixed sights absolutely requires Magnas.





I hate finger-groove stocks as I have fat fingers so they feel horrible and are uncomfortable under heavy recoil. I hate rubber grips because of the texture and the funny smell that stays on my hands for days after handling them. I also hate aftermarket stocks that hang down way below the butt of the frame (can anyone say Hogue?). Makes the gun sit high and makes recoil feel worse. I hate stocks that feel thick. This is my main complaint with most ivory stocks I have tried. They are way too thick and bulky.

These are bad about that and I need to find someone who can thin them for me.




I have found that in general older stocks are thinner and have a more comfortable contour. Stocks made in the 1950s feel much better in my hand than do later ones. Some Targets feel absolutely clunky to me and Magnas from the late 1970s seem to have sharp corners unlike the more rounded earlier versions.


I have strong feelings about stocks on handguns. As an art teacher I am aware of aesthetics and have preferences. After 44 years of shooting I have figured out what I like and don't like. But of course this is all subjective. Everyone has his own preferences.

I prefer hogue monogrips to any factory grip. I like the looks of magnas but don't like to shoot with them. Here is a set of targets that I reshaped to suit me on a M681.

cosmetic considerations aside, the only grips that actually are comfortable for me while ~shooting~ are the dreaded rubber gripper Pachs or Houges.

There are a few custom wood grippers that work for me on round butt models.

Ahrends despite my admiration for their looks, just never work in my hand.

thankfully we have more than one option to the grip question

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Just a lil side note to Mr Allen Frame & Mr Saxonpig, if your ever looking to adopt a 47 year old biker, keep me in mind You have some beautiful Guns Sirs

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Personally, I can't stand either Targets or Magnas, although I could make do with Magnas and a T-Grip if I had no other choice. All my Smiths have Ahrends grips these days, with the exception of one that has a set of ground down, smoothed and rounded salvaged Targets.

Well I find the magnas work best for me on N Frames, we all have our druthers:

25-5


624


24-3


27-2


24-3

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KSCowboy

In answer to the posted question, because they met the needs and expectations of most 1935-1955+/- shooters. And the March to Magnums of the '50s-60's made hands hurt, so they enlarged the grips.

Oversimplified? Probably, but close. Plus, Magnas fit a lot of hands, witness this thread. They sure fit mine. Though I love the look of targets on 5"-6" barrels and up.

Long live variety!.

Regards,

Dyson

I don't like targets. I am unable to palm a basketball either.

The key is to select the right magnas !
These from Don Collins are "fatter" than factory versions and fit my small hand very well !





Jerry

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I like both Magnas and Targets, any N frame any barrel length. For concealment, you have to go magna or look like you have an Alien popping out of you. I love a 29 (or anything really) with the old cokes on them, they just fit the hand and handle better than the later Targets.
I like Magnas that are a little fatter. Some made by Smith and other suppliers were so thin they feel like the old Service stocks (which, for some reason I'm seeing more of), which are just plain painful to me.
I can't use the grip adapters or the finger groove stocks. WIth the adapters, my hand is pushed to far down and I can't get a good hold. With the finger grooves, my hand is totally uncomfortable, my fingers never lining up with the grooves.

I am seeing two approaches to this issue:
1. What looks right.
2. What feels right.

Maybe there is a third but no one has presented it in a quantifiable format:
3. What functions right.

For me the answer lies in a blend of all three with weight given to feel and function over look.

I have a M10 getting all slicked up at Sand Burr Gun Ranch. When I get it back I will see how it shoots in our local pistol league: magnas + Tyler-T. I know this isn't an N-frame but function will be a big factor in determining the final grip configuration for this sidearm.

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WyoStillhunter

C'on now SP,,,,

Now, ya got me confus'd

Su Amigo,
Dave

BTW, Keith Brown made the 'Cokes' below to my requested specifications and are about a 1/4" thinner than standard.

The Ivory stocks on the middle revolver are thinner by that much as well, custom built by Ajax in Dallas years ago.

Of course the diamond magnas on my 45 Long Colt conv. are just fine the way they are.

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Fine for you to say. But in my collecting life I've only managed to find one set of Kearsarge N's. I kind of solved the problem by loaning it out to Keith so he could make others.

I like magna's, just fine. I even like old style service grips.. On my guns that shipped with them. I even like originals on my T/Ls. They work just fine.

What I'm not real fond of are the targets that are big chunks of 2x4 and won't fit all holsters, nor will they conceal.

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Dick Burg

While N frame magnas aren't perfect, I generally prefer them to N frame targets, and, the older service stocks. I have large hands and long fingers. N frame targets aren't too big, ... they are just plain uncomfortable and awkward to shoot. Mr. Burg was being kind comparing them to 2x4's. I would rather put a set of Pachmayr presentation grips on my N frames before I would use standard targets. I've never had the opportunity to try cokes, but, if anyone wants an unbiased opinion, please send me a set and I'll give them a go and report back promptly.

Regards,

Jerry

I like the Magna grips. My 27 and 28 both had target grips when I bought them. I put Magnas on both guns as quick as possible.

on any size frame. They just don't feel "right" in my hand.


mark

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