So I am relatively new to this forum but I have had a model 28-2 for 30+ years. It had the factory target grips on it when I bought it. Lately I've had more time to shoot and discovered that after 100 rounds or so it became really uncomfortable to the index finger on the shooting hand. So.....I tried some "rubber" grips and settled on a set of Hogue's. Very comfortable to shoot. Then I see all the hate for these grips on this forum. I know the wood grips look better but the Hogue's are much better for actual shooting. So are you guys shooting with the wood grips? Or are they just for for the awe factor?

I shoot with wood stocks. I really hate the way the rubber ones look. Having said that, I did have rubber on a M64 snub and and M60 back in the eighties because I couldn't shoot with the magnas that came on them, and I was unaware of any custom wood stocks that would fit the guns (this was way before the internet, and I was pretty much limited to what was in my LGS). The rubber grips did shoot well. Also, I'm not shooting magnum calibers. To each his own, but did I say the rubber grips look horrible?

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Peter
S&WCA #2620

Welcome to the forum, glad your here!

I'm a grip snob - I like factory stocks ( that's what a grip snob calls grips ) and do have them on most of my revolvers.

I put rubber grips on my heavy hitter revos tho' ...

629-4


... because I, like you, want to hold on to them after discharge.

So, buy pretty stocks and post pictures of them here. Put Goodyears on for magnum shooting.

Nothing you do with your revolver is wrong if it suits you.

GF

I don't even care for the awe factor. Hogues are great grips for some people, including me. I do like the looks of most Magna and service grips, and the guns are often usable with these grips if one adds a Tyler. But the bottom line is that guns are for shooting, and what shoots best usually IS best.

I have a 325PD that I would have sold, had I not found how well Hogues work with it.

I have Pachmayr Presentations on my 6" K22.

I have a 4" Model 29 that is now darn near a safe queen. It has been well used, but also very well preserved. Like many, I feel that it is a classic. Unlike many, I do not regard the original targets as classic, except possibly in the sense of "classic ****up." I proudly store and display my 29 with Pachmayr Presentation SN-S grips, rubber with no medallions. I feel that these were the classic correct grips for this frame, and probably still are. I have a pair on my new-production "1917."

I have wooden factory grips on most of my smaller Smiths, where a Tyler can correct their deficiencies, but for larger guns, Frank Pachmayr and Guy Hogue were the masters. They have been imitated, but not surpassed.

[Historical note: Walter Roper, whose designs were mostly executed by Matheis Gagne, was the pioneer whom Pachmayr followed. Not so sure of the genealogy of Hogue's designs, but there were others around doing that sort of stuff, notably Fuzzy Farrant and, much later, Bill Rogers.]

...and, if you choose not to correct the "deficiencies" of a factory magna panel grip with a Tyler T-Grip, then there is a plethora of deficiency correcting finger groove combat style wood grips, of which Altamont is on the top of my very, very small A List.

P.S. I do replace my wood grips for the synthetic rubber S&W full size grips if I plan on some extensive range time with my J frames.

As has been stated it's mostly a cosmetic thing for most. I carry my 442 w/the wood magnas b/c they conceal better. I use rubber on the range when shooting more than 50 rounds to save my hands. When I was still on the job and before we transitioned to the Glock I had rubber on my issued Model 15. I was in uniform so concealment was not a factor and the rubber grips fit my XL hands better.

Lots of rubber grip haters out there but they do have their place.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Thanks guys. I thought this was the case but I wanted to check with the real aficionados.

I'll get the magna's on my HP and take some pics for posting here.

That's the spirit! You'll notice in my avatar that my 27-2 is wearing the original magnas. I can't shoot very well with them. I have some custom stocks fitted to my hand on order from Keith Brown, although those may be too pretty to shoot! Oh well, I don't shoot that one much anyway.

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Peter
S&WCA #2620

All of my revolvers have Hogues on them (except my model 19 - that would be uncivilised). Except for weight and balance, every time I pick up one of my guns it feels pretty much the same.

Why Hogues? Because they fit my hand. I tried Pachmyrs and a couple of different wood grips/stocks, but the cheap Hogues worked best.

I have the factory grips set aside and will always keep them, but with grips - form follows function. I'll be the first to agree, though, that rubber grips put the "fug" in "*****".

edit - Oh, look, you can't say 'f u g l y'...

Tom

I have Pachmayr Compac Professional rubber grips in all my S&W revolvers. They fit my small hands perfectly and absorb recoil.

I agree with brother Wells. The rubber grips may be more comfortable with frequent firing but since I am blessed with the resources to have what I want. I removed any rubber grips when I rescued a S&W revolver, I did my best to place a quality set of proper grips on it. I have automatics for my carry, and when I want to show a classy girl off, I take one of my collection out for a spin.

And here I thought I was the only one who was ashamed to show my choice revolvers in the black Hogues that I actually used to shoot them.....

Where our rubbers go to die.
Quite a few added since making the image.
Hogue is, IMHO, the worst of the lot.
If I was to use any one, the now-defunct Uncle Mike's would be it.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I went through a "cycle", as I call it, of messing with nice wood grips.....both making my own and purchasing them. I have become mostly practical-minded about it, at this point, with no more sentimentality. So, I switched back to rubber (Pachmayr). I've always shot better with rubber grips, anyway.

I still like beautiful wood grips as much as before, on other people's guns. Very nice to look at.

Not a Goodyear hater, I've just never found to many that fit my hand. I loved the Bantum grips on the J and L framed guns, but can't get them for my N frames, so Magnas and BK adapters are the norm for me now.

Blue steel and fine wood on a classic is just the way it should be, but if it hurts to shoot, there's always the rubber option. No sense letting a fine firearm languish from lack of shooting.

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SFC, US Army, Retired

Only a very few of my S&Ws came with the original wooden grips. So I have hogues or pachmayrs on most of mine and really like shooting with them.

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But then, what do I know?

I STILL have my original grips & sights & deluxe box I bought new. If you shoot a mag you can shoot a better score with the aftermarket grips. The people that rag on these u can beat like a drum.

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Couple of things:

I find it way more important for a grip to fill and fit my hand properly than to be soft and mushy.

Next, unless they cover the back strap, rubber grips are doing little to "absorb" recoil. They might give you a more solid grip on the gun, which might help with muzzle rise, but web of your hand is still screwed.

And finally, I find most rubber grips and magna stocks to be far to abrasive. The texture feels like it chews my hands up.

I used smooth wood stocks on all my revolvers. I prefer the Jerry Miculek grips for K/L frames because they fit my small hands and don't have stupid finger grooves. And I like a Bantam/Boot style grip on my J frame.

Interesting observations. They come close to my experience, but don't match perfectly.What I see as a common thread here is that the fit of the grip to the hand is really what is important. I can't know for sure, but I think that if the rubber grips, or even somehow the Magna stocks, fit your hand better, the texture wouldn't bother you as much, if at all. One of my best set of grips is a checkered set made by Roy Fishpaw for my 520. For reasons too lengthy to go into, I put them on a 3" 629. They work just fine there, checkering and all, with backstrap uncovered, because they fit my hand very well and distribute the recoil over the whole hand, not on just one spot. Rubber isn't soft enough to erase the effects of bad fit, and checkering usually isn't rough enough create a problem that really good hand-to-grip fit wouldn't eliminate from the git-go.

Its one screw and 1 minute. You can have both

Sent from my SCH-R760 using Tapatalk 2

On the big bore magnums I like the OEM stocks generally.

My .454 Casull has beautiful wood grips which slip in my hand when the gun is fired. I bought aftermarket rubbers for it after it drew blood on my right hand three times. That one is wood for show, rubber for use.

Next there is the Ruger Super Redhawk .44 with OEM rubber/wood stocks. It's a pussy cat so there is no reason to alter factory.

Then there is the Bisley Blackhawk .44 with wooden OEM stocks. They work fine for me and look good. Putting rubber on that would mean it's not a Bisley anymore.

Finally I come to my 629-3 Classic with OEM Houge rubber. It's original. It is my favorite. It has been used in inclement weather as well as fair weather and never failed or hurt me. I do not think it right to to change what is original and works for me perfectly.

I have lots of both grips, wood looks better for sure, but in "J" frame, rubber makes a big difference to me when shooting.
Do shoot the m28 4" & M21 4" with wood grips & carry with them.
As stated, what ever fits & feels right.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

IF U shoot a full charge 44 mag or 500 s@w or 41 mag fill what makes your mitts feel good. IF IT HURTS U R GONA FINCH- DO what u think is ok. If it works don't worry what others think.

I've had a Model 29 since 1978. The factory checkered grips look great, but would bloody the heel of my hand at the range. The Pachmayr's look awful, but make the .44 a lot more comfortable to shoot.

I have target grips and just ordered a set of bonded ivory magna grips for my model 29-3 in nickel, but for shooting, I prefer Hogue's. They just feel good in my hand.


I'll take pics of it with the other grips on it, and show them to my friends with those grips, but for controllability and accurate shooting, my choice is rubba.

I've pretty much gone full circle. When I first got into shooting 35 years ago I changed most of my revolver and 1911 grips over to Pachmeyer's and when the metal inside started coming through the rubber and scratching the frames and bluing, I went out and got Uncle Mike's rubber grips. After a few years the Uncle Mike's grips started breaking down and getting sticky and gooey. I then tried a few pair of the Hogue's but after only a short while I changed all my revolvers back to the original Factory grips. The smaller wooden grips now have either a Tyler "T" or (older) S&W "T" installed and I have never looked back.

I also like the fact that the wood grips do not stick to clothing or on the inside of your pants pocket while pocket carrying. I truly find that the Magna-grips along with a "T" Grip is the best for me.

YMMV

chief38

Like many others here I think it's and aesthetics thing. I do like shooting my Nframe magnums with wood magna grips though, they seem to sit in my palm well and the guns are quite controllable with them. I use pac compacs on my 629-4 because the round butt is too small for a decent grip for me.

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Even older, even crankier....

I like the timeless look of wood grips on S&W revolvers. My hands are not massive enough to get a good grip on S&W target grips, but the magna or service grips feel better. On harder kicking pieces, small or large, my hands fit perfectly around Hogue finger groove grips. I believe these finger grooves help control recoil better than any other grips I've shelled out $$ for. I have tried Pacs and Uncle Mikes, but they are not as comfortable for me. I particularly like the Hogue bantam or boot style grip on K/L round butted revolvers, especially for snub nose configuration, and particularly on a 696.

I have tried shooting w the Uncle Mikes finger groove grips, sold by S&W, as well as wood finger groove grips by altamont. In both cases the tip of the second finger groove would ride on my third finger and was not comfortable or controllable. Additionally, grabbing hold of a cold grip with dry hands was not
controllable with these grips. The general tackiness of Hogue rubber grips gives more immediate control of the piece for aiming and followup. I don't worry about the beauty contests out in the field.

I shoot with factory smooth targets(with an exception or two which I'll mention in a moment). They don't hurt any part of my hands or fingers. I find that they fit my my hands better than any other grip I've tried. I've replaced all the checkered ones I had with smooth ones; I don't like checkering, primarily for aesthetic reasons, but also because they tend to dig into my hands during recoil.

The exceptions: My defense guns, both for carry and for the house. The house guns have Hogue rubber ones. I use these for one reason only: they are 'sticky'. In the stressful circumstances surrounding a defensive encounter I don't want the gun to slip in my sweaty palms. But they don't fit my hand well -too narrow. I put up with it.

My carry piece is a Ruger SP101, with factory rubber & plastic panels. This grip fits my hand well but is also 'sticky', so I won't be replacing it.

I recently bought a model 34 J-frame with a magna grip. I'm not sure yet what to do with it -it's too small for my hand.

Andy

Wood might be prettier, but it is really hard to beat the Hogue rubber for actually shooting.

So, if your aim is to constantly polish and take pictures for posting, get wood. Otherwise, you made a fine choice.

I have both so I can dress for the occasion. I have thought about picking up a set of wood grips in the Hogue style also just to see how I like them. Never hurts to have choices.

I like wood grips but when shooting a lot of .357 magnums you don't get nearly as fatigued when you are shooting with Pachmeyers.

My two S&W's had the big wooden target grips on that my Dad liked. After I inherited them, I bought new Hogue wooden grips for both. One Cocobolo, the other Rosewood. They have finger grooves and I love them --- not as bulk as the S&W originals. I'll attach a photo of one of them.

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Kemosabe1951

I like form over function. I dump the rubber bulb stuff first thing and replace them with eagle grips, stag, or bone when the price is right.

I can pretend the 29 doesn't sting that bad but I can't pretend ugly away.

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>>ARMED LIBERAL>>

It depends on if they fit your hand or not. A wood grip that fits your hand is going to transfer recoil over a larger surface than the rubber bending out of the steel grip frame's way and pushing the grip frame into your hand. I like Ahrends Retro Target and Retro Combat grips for S&W N frames:





I have been using an X frame grip on my 629-6 but that grip wraps rubber around the whole grip frame:

S&W Model 686-6 Plus w/factory rubber stocks.


The same revolver with Eagle Grips Secret Service stocks.


My revolver with Magna stocks from the S&W store.


The 686 w/Pachmayr Compac grips.

Okay, which ones?

Shooting .38 Special +P I like them all.

Shooting .357 Magnum, only the Pachmayrs.

I don't like Hogue grips at all, as they put my hand way too far down on the gun.

Pachmayr grips (I've only shot with the fingergroove "gripper") have a nice shape that fits me well, but the seam in the rubber at the front behind the triggerguard is VERY uncomfortable for me. The ones I have simply don't meet up there very well.

Different strokes, I guess. I am a total fan of Hogue Bantams.

Saved the knuckle on my middle finger, strong hand shooting 124 Gr Gold Dot Plus Ps in the 9mm Model 547:



Have 'em on this 686P snubby, sorry no nekkid gun picture:



and I have a set on on model 19 snubby, no pic.

Pachys on this 65-6



Uncle Mikes an a 642-1

They are made to shoot with. I keep the wood for dress up.

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Bob

When it comes to shooting hard kicking loads the rubber grips are where it's at. Most everyone I see at the ranges that are shooting serious numbers of stout rounds are shooting with some sort of recoil absorbing grips, myself included. For my purposes I shoot with them because I get much better results when the hurt is minimized.

Wood sure looks good, better than rubber anyday. We can all probably agree on that. But when it comes to results on targets though, looks don't count.