I took my 27-3 to the range today to fire .357 magnums from the gun for the first time. The gun is outfitted with the factory-equipped big N-frame wooden target grips. I've fired a lot of .38s with it, experiencing no discomfort. Today, I fired some 125 gr. Remington screamers. The first round felt as if someone had slammed a hammer into the webbing between my right thumb and forefinger. By the fourth round, I was feeling intense pain throughout my right hand. By the 12th round, my right trigger finger had gone (thankfully, temporarily) numb. That was the end of my session.

I have hands like Shaq O'Neal and normally, for me, the bigger the grips the better. But, there's no way I can continue to shoot magnums with these N-frame targets. How can people shoot magnums from these guns with those target grips? I think about all of those police officers in the 60s and 70s who were outfitted with 27s or 28s, or 19s or 66s with target grips and I just shake my head.

I'm thinking of throwing tradition to the wind and getting a set of Hogues or Pachmyers for the gun. How many of you have done the same thing?

Oh, yeah, and despite it all, the gun gave me two tiny groups at 10 yards. Just imagine what I and it could do when I'm not in agony

I have magna type stag grips and t grip on mine...and have large hands as well, 357mag not an issue. I also am not a fan of the target grips on N frames

If you think a 27 is brutal, you <STRIKE>probably</STRIKE> definitely don’t want to shoot a 327 or a 340.

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"I also cook."

I had the same problem with the bigger grips--I solved it by going to slimmer grips: all of my target S&Ws wear Ahrends Tactical Fingergroove grips, which are really slim near the top (the grips only add about 1/4" of width) and direct all of the recoil into the webbing of my hands, rather than the bones.

Check your grip. A .357 as heavy as a Model 27 should not be that brutal with large stocks. I can understand discomfort with a K-frame, but the N-frames are big, heavy suckers.

You may be holding the gun too loosely. Hold the grip tightly with one hand, and then hold that hand with the other.

Personally, I always take the stock grips off, label them as to what gun they fit, and store them in the safe. Factory grips are just too valuable to risk damaging.

Then I put after market wood Hogues, or smooth target factory grips. If a gun still hurts my hand, such as a 4" Model 29 with full loads, I have never had any qualms about putting rubber grips on them.

Hell, I wore a hole in a set of rubber grips in my youth, shooting full house .44s.

I should also mention I now have arthritis in my hands.

Come to think of it, to hell with wood grips. Get Goodyears now and you won't get arthritis later.

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NRA Lifetime Member

Hi:
When I fire "N" Frames its mostly .44 and .45 caliber.
I use "Goodyears" that cover the back strap.
Jimmy

Shouldn't hurt like that. My K frame snubs are fitted with Ahrends RB grips and are fairly comfortable with Speer 158 grain HP's. Are you using a high grip? Very important aid in keeping muzzle flip down and controlling the recoil. I use a wood Hogue monogrip on my 657 and can shoot 50 Speer GD .210 grainers with no problem.

None of my S&W wear the original grips when I'm shooting as they don't fit my hand. I especially don't like the ovepriced finger grooved Combats. My Hogue has FG's but do fit my smallish hand for being a larger grip. Recommend Hogue's or Ahrends with the edge going to Ahrends.

You'll find quite a few members here with a drawer full of grips. My advice is a good HIGH grip and experiment with different brands till you find the pair that fit YOU. A grip that covers the back strap would probably help you with your huge hands.

Regards,

SG

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V/R
Roger / SG

I feel your pain when I look at them beautiful wooden checkered grips on that blaster!

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V/R
Roger / SG

I have a very high grip and I hold the gun tight. I've never had a problem shooting with either Hogue rubbers or Uncle Mike's on my 686, just with the old-style targets on my 27.

FWIW.......
I had a set of Pac cgips on my 28-2 and it was very comfortable to shoot with Magtech 158gr. SJSP.



I haven't tried it with the new wood grips yet.

Stevieboy,

I think you answered your own question.

Still don't understand why the target grips would hurt you from a "N" framed revolver in .357 mag.

My 27-2 wears smooth presentations and gave me no pain when I initially shot it with Speer 125 gr. GD's. Put 50 through it with no problem.




Happy shopping!

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V/R
Roger / SG

Try a set of magnas, they may fit your hand better. I had a set of targets on my Mod. 19 and switched them out for a set of well used magnas. World of difference for me.

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Rough waters ahead.

I have hands like Shaq O'Neal and normally, for me, the bigger the grips the better. But, there's no way I can continue to shoot magnums with these N-frame targets. How can people shoot magnums from these guns with those target grips? I think about all of those police officers in the 60s and 70s who were outfitted with 27s or 28s, or 19s or 66s with target grips and I just shake my head.

I'm thinking of throwing tradition to the wind and getting a set of Hogues or Pachmyers for the gun. How many of you have done the same thing?

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Actually, you'll be following a time-honored tradition. If you were old enough to have been reading Skeeter Skelton and other writers in the 70's, you would have seen that the first thing often done was to ditch the factory grips because after S&W changed the style of the target grips in the 50's/early 60's, they were way too big at the bottom, and the angle of the wood to the junction at the bottom of the trigger guard gave the metal there a really good running start at your middle finger on guns with stout recoil. Somewhat castigated now, Pachmyers were a really big hit when introduced, for those who didn't want to go the custom route. That's why you don't often see guns that have actually been used from that era with the original grips. Magnas's, for people with large hands, are even worse with magnums, there's just not enough to hold on to.

You've got a good point there, Bullet Bob. I've never been comfortable with Magnas or some of the other thinner grips. However, recently, I put a set of Nills Cokes round-square repros on my 686 and was delighted with them. They have a thinner profile than the targets but the swells fill out the grips nicely and give me something to hang on to with my meat hooks. But, at $200+ per set, they're a bit pricey to say the least. I've never been really enamored with Hogues because, although they cause me no pain, my hands just don't conform to the grip indentations. I've ordered a set of grips from Kurac and I expect they'll be much of an improvement over the immense targets presently on the gun. Meanwhile, I think I'll get a set of Pachmyer presentations to tide me over.

I have medium-large hands and the Target grips are a bit too thick for me at the bottom, but after all these years I have grown use to them. If I grip the gun tight and not lock my elbow the recoil of a .44 mag is not even too bad. What bothers me is the BLAST!

S&W Chad, given the barrel length, the next step is to hold the catridge directly in your hand and hit it with ball-peen!

I went ahead and ordered a set of Pachmyr presentations for the the gun. I suspect it'll be $30 well spent.

Definitly. That 125gr Remington is a hot load. I shoot it out of my 586 with factory targets and its stiff, but it doesn't hurt. In fact, I like it. Have Fun, ezb

No fun unless it really hurts bad! With a BIG BOOM!

I have just the exact opposite problem, with magnas and magnums my hands take a beating, with Pach's my carpal nerves get hit and within 2 or 3 shots my hand is numb. I've found that the oversize target stocks are the best for me, never had a problem with them.
Everybody is cut from a different cloth I reckon
RD

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Got a Phd from Hard Knocks U

Maybe I'm an oddball, but out of my 5 inch 27, the Remington 125 grain load really isn't much of anything at all. Also, I purchase every reasonably-priced set of N frame targets I can find, since they are the only way I can shoot N frame magnums. Magna grips are sheer torture on my hands to shoot. Just holding a gun with magnas for more than a few seconds brings pain, since I must contort my fist in an odd way to hold it securely. Rubbers are just....ugh.

My 27-2 currently wears a set of the aforementioned poorly shaped 70s-era S&W targets. I must be the only guy in North America that is not bothered by them in the slightest. The set I have was purchased on another forum for a great price and found their way onto the 27, which is usually fed either 125 grain Magnums(Rem or Fed), or a very stout handload with a 158 LSWC, which recoils substantially more.

If anybody has some more of those old 70s-era targets that just don't fit your fist, I have a nice home for them.

Stevie, I am so sorry for your pain. It is Sunday and in Christian mercy, I have a nice Iver Johnson .32 short that I will trade you for that painful, hard kicking old Smith.
Dan

Let me guess..is the spot right about here?:



If so...let me save you a bunch of money on custom grips. Go with the rubber grips. There is a magic spot on my hand, where the picture shows, that hurts WAY beyond what it should when shooting wood gripped revolvers with any kind of recoil. I don't know if its the way the gun twists or what it is, but, the pain is enough to make me stop shooting.

I have tried any number of grips to alleviate it and, the only answer I have found is to turn the hand further Clockwise, so I can barely reach the trigger and the recoil goes straight back into the web.

All I can figure is there is a nerve that runs right through that area (on some people) and the side of the hard wood, under torquing recoil, hits it perfectly.

Shooting my K frame 65 with full house magnums with wood grips is not doable for me anymore, But, I can shoot my Sig P239 in 357 SIG all day long, Different recoil impulse, no torque, slide eats a little energy, I dunno...but, I literally feel your pain.

That's about right. I generally have no problems with rubber grips, although Hogues don't work for me due to the mismatch between the finger cutouts and my hands. However, I've been able to fire my friend's 629, equipped with Hogues, without any discomfort. Strangely, the most comfortable grips I've ever used have been Uncle Mike's round butt combats on my 686. I say "strangely" because these grips are smallish and they literally disappear in my hands. But, they cover the backstrap and are made out of fairly soft rubber. I can fire the same 125 gr. Remington .357s all day long with my 686 equipped with the Uncle Mikes. Sadly, Uncle Mike no longer makes square butt grips and I don't know whether it ever made N-frame square butts. I certainly haven't been able to find any.

Spring for a pair of Herrett's Jordan style; people with large hands usually like them. You can get a used, worn but functional pair like these on a pre-25 for not too much money:



Or live a little and spring for a new pair of the same like these on the stainless steel MagnaClassic in this .44 group photo:



You can get 'em smooth with closed backstrap as above, or checkered with open backstrap as below on a 27-2:



Really want to go nuts? Order a custom pair like these by Roy Fishpaw on a Heritage 24:

Most everyone here really likes the target grip. They do have beautiful lines and when made of figured wood they look really good on a nice, shiny S&W. I've got them on most of my magnums and even have a few surplus pairs.

When I shoot a sharp recoiling revolver I remove the targets and install rubber or smooth finger groove combat type grips. It's just more comfortable for me. I have a average size hand and target grips, particularily N frame, are just to large at the bottom. In my estimation they are not very ergonomic. I can see where a person with a large mitt would find them ok.

The most comfortable set of N frame targets I own are a set of smooth rosewood cokes that my late mentor gave me. I don't shoot the gun with the cokes very often because I understand the grips are valuable. I will say that they really feel good and are amazing in the hand. They definitey do not feel anything like a set of standard targets in the hand. The visual difference is slight, but the feel is amazing.

When I was much younger I just ignored the pain and the bloody raw places on my hand. I thought I was tough, probably was, but finally figured out there was a better way. Maybe I just got over myself some when I became more than casually interested in shooting revolvers very accurately.

I have a pair of Ahrends finger groove round butt grips on my 625-2 that seems to be one of my most comfortable grips. The acp is not a hard recoiling round, but I think they would be great for use with a hammer.

There are some good grips for the hard hitting type out there but most of them will never be found on the safe queens we mostly see pictured here. Rubber just ain't very photogenic.

I feel your pain (too many 44 Magnum full house loads):

Well, I've been reading this thread with interest. I'm amazed at those of you who can shoot high end magnums with the N-frame targets. I say, more power to you. I've ordered a set of Pachs presentations for the gun and I've also asked Kurac to make me a set of birdseye maples. My guess is that one of those will work just fine. I've shot everything from .22s to .44 magnums and I've only experienced the pain that I felt yesterday on one other occasion. That was when I fired my friend's Ruger Blackhawk .44 magnum with the hard rubber plow handle grips.

I have targets on a couple of my K-frames, a 66 and a 617, and these have been perfectly comfortable. Obviously, however, the 617 has 0 recoil and, so far, I haven't shot magnums with the 66. And, as I've said, I've also fired magnums (the same 125 gr. Remingtons) from my 686, equipped with Hogues, Uncle Mike's, and Nills. No problem there, either. So, it's just the combination of N-frame targets + some pretty hot .357s.

Btw, there's a spot at the base of my right thumb that hurts like hell tonight. The price we pay for our passion.

I'm with Smithhound and Vanilla Gorilla (have a home for targets also, Magnas bite me). I just purchased a 4" M29 that had Mustang FG grips on it and you might consider them. I have fairly large hands and they set the web of your hand further back than most grips I've tried. They put the center of my index pad on the trigger. Sounds like you've made up your mind for now, but if you run across a pair cheap (shameless plug) they might be worth a try.

I had Magnas on my 19 and had to swap them for the Hogue rubber grips. A big difference when shooting hot loads. My 629 has the factory rubbers and I can shoot that all day with no problem.

what I found with targets and N frames is my middle finger on my gun hand hits the back of the trigger guard, just on n frames......but still really dont care for targets....they look nice but magna-tgrip or rubbers work best for "me"

Bubbujoe.....I like those grips

May I suggest Pacmayr Gripper grips? I don't have big hands & have them on my 4 inch Model 19 & shoot 125 & 158 gr. magnums with no discomfort.

I have Hogue hardwood MonoGrips on all my N-frames , except one. My 5-screw Highway Patrolman wears a set of early (original?) diamond targets , which are noticeably smaller than modern targets. They fit my paw very nicely.

I like Pachmeyr Presentations, and I've got big hands too.

Jerry Miculek actually recommends holding the big boomers lower so that they can twist back some.

http://www.myoutdoortv.com/pdk...K0GbWemanhJ0KNWQYqM4

That grip is at the end of the first video.

I've asked myself the same questions about old cops, but I asked about how they could hold the old Registered Magnum in the 30's

I found that if I used the old fashioned one hand grip, I could stand the recoil a lot better.

I decided that the problem with big hands is that are generally attached to big arms and a big body, so that we can force the hands to absorb most of the recoil, rather than having the arm flex. I've even seen little guys have their bodies knocked back some by shooting .44 magnums. Doesn't happen with me.

So maybe the advice of leaving your elbows a little loose is good too, though I've never tried it.

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Regulate Banks, not guns

Something to be said for that, IMHO. I am medium-sized guy and find a 44 Magnum can/does move me around easily, if I handle it like I used to (firm grip, reasonably straight arms). Years ago, I changed to a more moderate grip and slightly flexed elbows - and solved all my problems. I also grip the revolver a bit lower, as you say mentioned by JM, but not so the gun can twist. I hold it securely enough that it does not twist substantially in my grip and instead forces the elbows to flex. That's the theory, anwyay. The gun does move enough under 44 Magnum recoil that I usually have to reacquire my grip for the next shot, however. This works well for me for deliberate fire, which is all I do with full-charge 44s.

Nowadays, with older eyes, I find myself wanting to straighten out my arms again, to get the sights farther away from my eyes. What a mess!

One thing is sure, we all have limits, and it is probably nonproductive to exceed them unless one plans to do an awful lot of training. I can still manage a 44 Magnum without any difficulty, if no fast shooting is required. A few shots out of my friend's 500 convinced me I need not waste any money on one of those!

In general, Pachmayr presentations are a pretty good answer when shooting a 4-inch 44 Magnum, but they are just so unattractive I have to take them off when cleaning the gun and set them aside, until they are needed again.

Groo here
From the start I could not shoot smith grips.
The old hurt in the base of the thumb trick.
At the SO we almost all used rubber grips,
but usually because the gun grips got beat up
on the cruser doors..
It has to do with how meat you have at the base
of the thumb, [I can feel the bone]
usually a smaller grip at the top helps.
Also most smith grips are built wrong,
big where the fingers are short, need to be
thinner there.
The best thing was when smith roundbutted
the line as that allows the grip to be made
to fit better on the bottom.

One of the fascinating things about this thread is that hardly anyone uses the same technique and grip. It's pretty obvious that one size doesn't fit all here. As I've said, I've got huge hands (although I'm not by any means a large person). I've been quite successful over the years shooting revolvers double action with a high hold on the grip and using a lot of pressure with my non-shooting hand (my left hand) to stabilize the gun. In other words, if you watch the Jerry Miculak clip, that's pretty much how I shoot, albeit far less successfully than him. I've thought a bit about the problem I had with the 27 (four days later and I still have slight soreness in my hand) and I'm positive that it was caused by the exposed back of the grip frame and the edges of the grips at the top of the grip frame being slammed back into the web between my thumb and first finger. So, I need narrower grips and preferably something which covers the grip frame. My hope is that the Pach presentations fill the bill. I'll post a range report in a few days when I get them.

I got the 27 because I've always wanted an N-frame .357 and because I wanted something that would be able to handle pretty much anything in that caliber. I'm really happy with the gun, especially it's accuracy, and I expect that it'll just be a question of fiddling with it 'til I get the right setup.