Round vs. Square Butts

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danski

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Last Saturday at a gun show I noticed a round butted 6-inch 586 and I thought how impractical. Except for some snubbies for concealment purposes, I've never understood Smith's penchant, starting in the '90s I think, to create round butts as a matter of regular production--and then put square butt stocks on them. (I know, I know, round butts were more the norm at the beginning of the 20th Century and the latter part of the 19th.)

For "full-sized" revolvers, I've always found the square butt to be more comfortable and I have regular sized hands, not smallish.

I'd be willing to bet that 80 percent or more shooters prefer the square butt, particularly on the 4-,6- and 8 3/8ths barreled guns in K-frame on up. And I find
the square butted Model 10 2-inchers just dandy!
 
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I guess I prefer sq on the larger revolvers but do like the round on smaller (snubies).
 
I feel their design changes over the years tell a story. They were influenced by some people that really knew about gun fighting, then they were influenced by people that knew about hitting the X, followed by people that knew how to sell a used car and finally by people that know how to make the most profit.

I'm with you danski, I'll take the square butt in any barrel length and don't care at all for the round butt.
 
What I think is ridiculous is the large number of shoes made that are size 11 and smaller. How people can wear such things all day is beyond me; I can barely get those things on my feet. I know that, historically, some people did have smaller feet once, but to make them in this day and age just makes no sense to me.
 
Square butt?

imagesspongebob.jpg
 
Callipygian, I believe is the word that we need here.

My 625 is a RB and with wearing my fatty pants with an IWB holster, is very
comfortable with no edges digging into my side. If I wished, a square butt could be swapped. Would not work in reverse.
 
Jellybean said:
I'm with you danski, I'll take the square butt in any barrel length and don't care at all for the round butt.
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I'm with you, absolutely. RB gripframes are for losers, SB gripframes are where it's at. Just take a gander at these fine models of S&W greatness, nobody in their right mind would ever chose a RB over a SB with the profile, the feel and the performance of the SB gripframe.
Tell me where I'm wrong......

orig.jpg
 
klondike said:
Callipygian, I believe is the word that we need here.

My 625 is a RB and with wearing my fatty pants with an IWB holster, is very
comfortable with no edges digging into my side. If I wished, a square butt could be swapped. Would not work in reverse.
Click to expand...

That makes sense to me. If you want a SB you can have it. So, whats the problem?
 
I have never found a set of square butt grips I could stand. I usually convert all of my Smith revolvers to round butt configuration although I have recently purchased a no dash 629, 6 inch, P&R, that I think I will leave as is. Currently trying various grip options trying to find something I can live with. Sure am partial to the K frame round butt factory combats.
 
handejector said:
I suspect the three on the right in your pic may be round butts. If not all 3, at least the blue gun on the right......
:cool:
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Lee, I'm going to guess they're all round butts since all but one are MIMs. I also notice they don't look like they've been shot a whole lot and they are all wearing nice factory grips.

I don't have any MIM models right now, but I do have several pre-MIM 3" N frames with round butts. When I bought them the only N frame round to square butt conversion grip I could find was made by Pachmayr, and they were huge. I couldn't find any other N frame round to square butt conversion grip anywhere, and phone calls to several grip makers all came to the same end, they had no plans to make them at the time. When S&W started putting the Hogues on their MIM guns I tried a set out and couldn't stand them, so I pulled them off. I had a large box full of grips in both K and N frame for square butts, everyone made them and they were available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. I still have never found a suitable round to square conversion for an N frame.

So then, if anyone has a nice collection of round butt S&Ws, that aren't wearing factory grips, or expensive clones of them, and that actually get shot once in a while to make sure the grips feel O.K., and are wearing round to square conversion grips that have an open back strap. I'd like to see them. They also have to be reasonably priced too, I need 6 N frames, 1 L frame and 3 K frames. Hogues need not apply.
 
I wouldn't have a six-gun in any stouter caliber than .38 Spl with a round butt. I honestly would like to know how much the RB fans actually shoot their RB .44s and .45s. Last six-gun I had in .44 with a round butt was a New Model #3 in .44 Russian and it was PUNISHING to shoot. Now a .32-20 with a RB is all right, though.
 
Plain Old Dave said:
I wouldn't have a six-gun in any stouter caliber than .38 Spl with a round butt. I honestly would like to know how much the RB fans actually shoot their RB .44s and .45s. Last six-gun I had in .44 with a round butt was a New Model #3 in .44 Russian and it was PUNISHING to shoot. Now a .32-20 with a RB is all right, though.
Click to expand...

I've got a 21-4 that I handload for, 240gr SWC over 16.0 of 2400. I replaced the factory itty-bitty grips with some laminate combats, and it is VERY comfortable to shoot.

I enjoy shooting that more than I do full-house .357 in my 28-2, actually.
 
So, to answer some of the questions/comments....

All the guns in the picture:

1- have round butt gripframes
2- have been shot extensively
3- are not MIM.
4- are wearing Spegel conversion grips, not factory.

Two of the guns are all forged, but for the life of me I'm not certain how anyone can tell from my (loser) photographic skills.
As for nice clean and shiney, thanks for validating my cleaning skills.
I know that comment was probably from the "I'm a shooter, not collector" standpoint, something I don't understand. Just because folks here collect and take pics of clean guns should not infer any specific shooting practices, IMO.

As to not finding any good RB to SB grips, I'd suggest you keep looking - they are out there - in the case of the ones I use (Craig Spegel's grips), I find absolutely no difference in feel, whether static or under recoil. For the record, I've tried Eagles, Ahrends and Altamont versions and they all have their good points, but for me there are other things that keep me from buying any more of their grips. If you care to know, Eagles - poor quality, Ahrends - the ones with pointy finger grooves are painful as hell for shooting anything other than .22lr and .38 Special chambered guns, and Altamonts are - in most cases - just waaaay to big - extending below the gripframe an inch or more.
The guns in the pic include a 45 Colt Mountain Gun and a .44 Magnum Mountain Gun - both shown with aftermarket installed Patridge sights - to include shootability with my old (loser) eyes, but recoil in neither case was prohibitive in the context of wood grips.

Thanks for all the comments, this is what makes this forum great - everyone on the same page exhibiting all the close like minded friendship that we gun owners all need (whether or not collector or shooter).

Enjoy your day.
 
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