I have three (soon to be four) round butt j-frames. I have a couple sets of Uncle Mike boot grips for them which I like, along with a couple sets of wood grips (Badgers & Ahrends). As much as I like wood grips, the rubbers do have some advantages. I'm thinking about buying another set of rubbers, either the latest S&W factory offering or a set of Hogue Bantams. I'm curious as to what others think about them compared to the UM's-- shape, texture, etc.
I like to take the grips off my guns pretty regularly, not only to wipe them down underneath (a must for IWB carry guns!) but also to switch them around. The monogrip design of the bantams requires you to kind of spread them open & snap them onto the gun when installing-- I'm wondering how they are to take back off, and if installing/reinstalling leads to the grips being kind of twanged out after a while.
There's another style of rubber grips available, I've seen them labelled as both Siles & Byrons. There's some on ebay right now which are being touted as factory grips, and although I've never seen them offered on new guns they do indeed have the S&W logo on them. Never seen them in person so no chance to fondle a gun equipped with them, so I was wondering what people's take on these grips are also.

The style requiring you to use a tool to spread them off the frame from the back are a real pain. In addition if you're not very careful you can spread them too much and ruin them, I've done it. If it were me I'd pass on those only for that reason.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I'm a big fan of the current S&W J-frame rubber boot grips -- the "fish scale" ones.

They're grippy, comfortable and conceal well. Compared to the last generation S&W rubber boot grips, the current ones work significantly better at absorbing recoil while staying firmly in hand. I used to get backstrap bite bad with the lighter J-frames but don't anymore.

They do wear when carried and used frequently, but I have extras for down the road...

Bought three J-frames in the past year; despise the factory grips and have UM boot or wood boot on all. I do have the monogrip on a 681 SB and it is a challenge to remove/reinstall; not as bad as reassembling a MK II and it does get easier with repetition.

That's what I meant by getting "twanged out", and kinda what I was afraid of. Thanks for the feedback.

What are "the last generation"-- the uncle mike boot grips? I did fondle a new 642 at the LGS which had a set of the fish-scale rubber grips, they seemed pretty comfortable. I might pick up a set just to try them-- they can be had pretty cheap on ebay.
Unfortunately you can tie up a fair amount of money buying & trying when they turn out not to be to your liking, even with inexpensive grips-- it'd cost at least a hundred bucks to buy a set each of bantams, fishscales, & byrons- even off ebay. At least a guy can usually recoup some (but not all) of his invstment by reselling the discards.

The current generation S&W (fish scale) grips are OK, but be advised, they won't work with speedloaders. Personally, I like the Hogue Bantams better than any other rubber grip, even though they are a little more difficult to take off. Another option, although more expensive is G10's.

Its my experience that speedloaders are a PITA to use with j-frames, no matter which grips you have. The grips aren't the problem-- the crane just isn't big enough to swing the cylinder out far enough to clear everything, including the thumbpiece. Everything's gotta be lined up just right (including the expresson on your face) for them to even sorta work.
I have an HKS speedloader which I bought at a gunshow just because it was only six bucks, even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to use it. It is a good way to keep 5 rounds in one place though. Speaking of which, I've found that a plastic 35mm film canister (does anyone even use them anymore?) is a perfect fit for 5 rounds of 38 special.
I bought a couple quick strips which are not the easiest thing to use, esp under pressure, but they are a convenient way to carry spare ammo.

I have used Bantams and finally opted to go with the modern fish scales.

The Bantams are difficult to remove for routine maintenance.
The fish scales are easy, an Allen head screw.
Carry guns don't need to be pretty,...just work.

Best, Rick

I don't know if the last generation were Uncle Mike's or Hogue's, but I was thinking of the Hogue's; the UM's are pretty good.

Agreed on the frustrations of grip buying; it's too bad there isn't an easy way to palm them first the way we can guns at stores, rental ranges and shows.

Moon clips.

I find it interesting that moon-clips for rimmed cartridges are getting to be a big thing now, but I don't get it.
I've always wanted a small 9mm revolver, but it seems like nobody ever got the no-moon-clip-required spring-extractor thing figured out. I always disliked the idea of moon-clips due to the possibility of accidently bending them so that they won't fit into the gun, or bind the gun up if you do succeed in getting them in.
For matches they're probably awesome, but how do people like them for real life? I'd be afraid of bending it if I packed one around in my pockets for very long.

I think they're great for daily carry. Extraction and reload become fast and near flawless with moon clips; they're smaller and easier to carry and use than speed loaders. And in the 442, you can shoot with or without them, unlike the 9mm.

Usually have one in my pocket, sometimes two. Haven't bent or had trouble with one yet. I inspect them regularly and periodically use them in live fire practice to make sure they're functioning properly, just like one would their magazines.

Cheap to replace, too.

I can understand the concern that they're easily damaged because they're small, thin metal things, but that concern has never borne out in my experience.

I go with the UM boot grips on my 442

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17-2, 65-5, 442-2, 10-5

I just sold a set of Ahrend boots so will probably use the proceeds to buy a set of the fish-scale grips. I like my uncle mikes, but I might like those better.

I like UM's boot grips fine, but I've gone back to factory wood grips and a T-Grip. Seems to be the best balance for carry and accuracy for me.

I've tried factory magna's & a Pachmayr grip adapter-- definitely better than just the magna's alone, but I prefer rubber or wood boot grips.

On Saturday, I shot my new Model 638 with the stock grips you described. I like them but a fellow range officer suggested to me to hold the gun with a higher grip. The first shot as I did what he said for me to do caused me to get a backstrap bite so bad that the skin in the web of my hand was broken and I had blood all over my new revolver. NUTS! I quickly went back to how I normally gripped the gun and the rest of the range time I had I not once had a backstrap bite. I do take a liking to wood grips and I want a set of Karl Nill grips.

I've heard of people recommending a "high hold" on j-frames. I tried dry-firing with a high hold (web of my hand up against the top of the grip frame)-- I couldn't get a good smooth double-action pull. No thanks, think I'll stick to a low hold. Never did try it live-fire.