I just purchased a set of grips for my new 686 from Jaruwan.p on EBay. Apparently they are from Thailand and will have to wait 3-4 weeks to receive them in the mail. They look to be quality grips made from an exotic wood of some kind. I will post the pic of them in this thread, and will do a follow up review of them either on YouTube or in this thread.

***youtube review is posted in the thread now, POST #27***

The reason I am posting here is that I would like feedback from anyone who has purchased grips from this specific seller before and whether or not you were satisfied with the quality and craftsmanship as well as the feel of them, especially if you purchased the same style grips that I did.

I purchased these primarily because of the unavailability of the Ahrends grips that I intend to buy from gripseller on EBay, which unfortunately are on back order for 10 weeks right now. I figured this would be a risk worth taking since they were only $36 shipped and they are fully returnable within 30 days if unsatisfied. I read all I could about this seller and was surprised to find that 99% of his feedback was very positive. I know how many prefer to buy American product, myself included but thought I'd take a chance and intend to thoroughly review them and return them if they do not measure up to my expectations. So far the best wood grips I have found are Ahrends, and I have tried many, Altamont, Smith and Wesson and Hogue included. The best grips for my particular hand shape and size are the retro combat. The best rubber grips I have used are the Hogue Bantam, I would love to see a set of wood grips in this same design but so far no one makes them, Hogue offers the Bantam in wood but they are not the exact same. These on the other hand look like they may be comparable in terms of length and finger groove placement.

Anyway, I would like to create a thread specifically dedicated to gathering as much info. and opinion on the S&W line of his grips. There is quite a bit about his Ruger and CZ stuff but little about the S&W. I did find one or two threads in this forum but they were too brief.

Thanks all for your help!

I just happen to have a 686, and the original rubber grips (I think they are original anyway) are pretty beat up, and although I would certainly keep them, I might be interested in what you are exploring, if it works out. I'll keep watching!!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

These are the grips I ordered.

I bought a set of Thailand stocks a year or so ago for a gun with an embellished side plate that I bought used with standard S&W checkered target stocks instead of the ones with dual speedloader cutouts. I don't think they were from the same seller, however - my seller's handle had "red" in it somewhere, I believe.



My intention was to use them until I obtained a nice set of the correct stocks which I have since done. They do fit well, are comfortable and did not warp or shrink, things I was warned about back then.

For the money and especially for stocks to use when actually shooting the gun when they might become damaged, they are hard to beat. The S&W medallions are a hair oversize but since they don't resemble factory stocks in any way, that's of no consequence.

Ed

I can't believe someone would buy a new 686 and put put those stocks on it. I have seen them in the flesh and although they are made fine they are so noticeable as fakes from another country. They cry out I'm a cheap guy and I don't care who sees it.

He's a great seller....the set I bought arrived in 7 days. Much faster than the 3-4 weeks he says.

That settles it. I'm ordering a set tonight for my 686.

Hi:
In the past I ordered a set of the grips in discussion. The wait was much more than 3-4 weeks. I think after my grip order was received, a suitable tree had to be located, cut down, sawed into small lengths, carved, finished, packed, and mailed via an old three legged blind elephant.. The finished product was acceptable but NOT S&W.

Whenever I want Ahrend's grips , I just order them from Kim Ahrend himself, get them custom made, in the exotic wood and finish of my choice.
Nice guy to do business with and if you call , a real person answers the phone.

He made two sets for me , a matching pair in dark red and black cocobola ( you can specify the color you want ) for a K frame and N frame S&W , they were just as ordered and came in and were received in about 6 weeks.
Gary

Several years ago I ordered both a K-frame and an N-frame pair from Jaruwon P. on eBay. They were what one might call a smooth combat type. They arrived very quickly (I was expecting much longer), looked good, and fitted perfectly. Have bought none since, but I would if an occasion arose that I needed another pair. I'd like a darker color, but that's not too important. The N-frame pair looks great on my nickeled Model 29-3.

Do you have any pics of these?

I know you weren't referring to my gun but just in case you feel the same way about it, here's photo of that same 686-3 National Match along with my other two -3s. In this photo, it's wearing the genuine S&W checkered targets with dual speedloader cutouts and perfectly bookended grain all the way around that I found for it.



I hope you like them better. And yes, I changed the hammer and trigger on the four-inch to color-casehardened targets.

Ed

I bought a set from him for my 625PC, they are pretty good, certainly much improved over the clown grips from the factory.

[QUOTE=Arm;139101007]I bought a set from him for my 625PC, they are pretty good, certainly much improved over the clown grips from the factory.

Those look great! Are they fitted tight to the frame? Are they comfortable?

I had a set and they were very nice, but... They didn't look right, not factory, not American but exotic like the teak carvings our son brings back from his USCG adventures. Beautiful but not my style somehow. Sold them on eBay.

Yes and yes. Price was right too.

Here are some from this seller - just some simple N Frame combat stocks. I eventually found some correct target stocks and replaced these. But they were comfortable, well-made and fit well.

The pair I purchased look very similar to these. My wife loves them on her 586

Bought a set a few years back. At the time they were $35 shipped. Fit perfectly on my K/L frame guns. Currently on my Mod. 64. Zero complaints from me.

You want grips that fit, look good, and are reasonable, and have been a supplier of factory grips for S&W, look at Altamont gun grips. I have several pair, especially on my J frames. Altamont Company

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I have 3 sets of K-frame grips from that seller and they are beautiful and innovative designs. Real wood and the price is right.

I bought a set of N frame round to square conversions that resembled old school target stocks from the seller in question. They were a bit smaller and the S&W escutcheons were easy to spot as fakes, but I was completely satisfied. The fit was great. They looked great. Would buy from again.

Ordered a pair back around 6 months ago - arrived in about 10 days. I think the extended time line in the ad is for the worst situation - no complaints

Any pics you can share?

My experience with him and the stocks was good. If I remember right mine were N frame. Not a big deal, but you may have to Dremel to fit. My wait time was around 2 weeks to receive. The quality & price of what I bought was hard to beat. Thailand stock prices keep going up though. They started out dirt cheap. (just like everything else) Bob

I should be getting the stocks in the next week or so and when I do will be sure to review them.

Just received the stocks from Thailand, shipping was less than two weeks. I decided to do a video review of my first impression of them. You can watch the video on YouTube just click the link below. Thank you everyone for your contributions to the thread, hopefully this will be a source of useful information on these grips in the future,

https://youtu.be/frwDVSCualc

Rotate the camera 90 degrees,, re-shoot the video,,, try to get the video under 90 seconds,,,

The image will be MUCH larger,, it eliminates the black borders, somewhat.

No one has 9 minutes to devote to a video these days,,
unless it is,,, well, you know!!



Thanks for doing the video.

Unfortunately I have already applied some paste wax and scrubbed them down a bit to darken them so they're no longer "original." Agreed, the video is too long and a bit grainy, thanks for the advice, if I ever upload another video in the future I'll make those changes.

Thanks for the review!!! I think that you did a pretty good job for your first try... Hope that you are happy with your purchase in the long haul.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Good review. I have bought probably 6-7 sets of grips from him that were used for K/L frames, a Ruger Redhawk, and a Ruger SP101. All were under $38 (that's with shipping included in that price), and some required a little sanding on the inside to get a perfect fit with no gaps.

I don't care what critics say but my personal opinion is that they feel and look better than anything S&W's current grip contractor, Altamont, has made to date. In my search for grips I have bought several from Altamont and though they are excellent finish they usually feel hard and slippery in my hand. They look good but are not comfortable to shoot with. Why? Because well, they're laminate/resin. They look great but don't feel anything like the original grips that were once made of walnut, rosewood, and goncalvo alves. If you want the very best grips out there you have to get the ones that were made at the S&W factory. But in today's market some of those grips, especially the combat ones can sell for nearly as much as a used model 10/15.

For someone who likes the feel of real wood in the hand where else are you going to find wood grips for $34-38? Uhm, a set of rubber grips is what it will get you. If there was a maker in the U.S. who could meet up I would be ordering but there isn't. And to the poster who said they look like fakes, well I don't know but the ones I have seen offer completely different shapes and designs than anything Smith has offered. They are unique and some even come with very nice medallions.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

I have a couple of pair of smooth rosewood stocks from a Thai seller on ebay. I don't remember if it was Jaruwan P. or not. They came within 2 or 3 weeks if I recall and both were around $40 shipped. Both sets were inlet very precisely and fit tightly to the frames. Both sets required just a couple of minutes with some 220 and 400 grit sandpaper around the seams once installed to level them as one side or the other was just a hair higher. No big deal. I rubbed some Howard's Feed N' Wax into them and it blended the finish where I had to sand. One criticism I have is that the screw is very soft, make 100% sure that you use a close fitting hollow ground screwdriver. I also didn't like the brass escutcheons but some Birchwood Casey Brass Black fixed that issue.

I have two sets from jaruwan.p for my shooter-grade Smiths. I just like to try different stuff. I have no complaints about the fit, the shipping time or how they feel in the hand. At the range, I've found I much prefer stocks with checkering.

WOOT!!

You guys are worse than drugs,,,

I just ordered a set of grips from jaruwan.p,,,

We will see how long they take to get here,,,

Just got two sets from Jaruan about 3 weeks!

Very neat grips, and nice review.

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- Post No Bills -

The Altamont grips on eBay for a K frame seem to be unavailable from Altamont.

I ordered those today, they should arrive Saturday,,,
not a lot more $$ than the imports,,,