Hello,
I recently aquired a M617 K frame round butt with Hogue grips. I really like the look and feel of the S&W Target grips that I have on my K frame M19 square butt. Can you get the square butt design in a grip that fits the round butt? Thanks.

Yup, they're called "conversion" or "round-to-square" grips--grips that fit the round grip frame and have a square profile.

Here is a set on a 686:

You can get them at:
Ahrends S&W K/L FRAME GRIPS - Top Gun Supply

Actually.......



You can put the square butt grips on the round butt gun with no problems at all. There's just a small area near the bottom of the grip frame that isn't filled. Its almost not noticeable after a while. Those who are particular can even find a piece of similar color and grain wood and glue it in place if the feel they need.

I have that setup on a Lew Horton M24 3". Its a round butt gun and I don't have any round butt grips I favor. So I just put on a set of creaky old rosewood targets. Feels nice, works well.

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Dick Burg

If you want conversion grips, they will have to be from an outside source. S&W never made them in wood, and the rubber ones that come on some of their guns are made for them by Hogue. Hogue has a very extensive lineup of conversion grips made from different woods. With or without finger grooves too.

http://www.getgrip.com/

This is what Mr. Burg was talking about. This is a RB 586 with SB wood on it-

Thanks for the info, I'll check out the leads. BTW I was wondering why a round but on the K frames...my M19 balances pretty good with the square vs the 617 with the round (yes I know the 617 has a full lug). Seems like the added weight would have been benifical.

Here is my rb current production 4" x10 617 sporting Ahrends 'Retro Target' grips. They were delivered as unfinished cocobolo - and have six coats of my homebrew penetrating oil/resin finish, which did darken them. They feel great!



Stainz

Here is a pair ofra Hogue conversion grips on a 617. They are the "big butt" design, which is not for everyone. I like them for bench shooting, and I really like the wood. They have many other styles of wood conversion grips for K frames.
Good luck with your search, and don't forget to share the pictures with us!

I have Ahrends 'Retro Target' grips on my K frames. They fit my hands better than others. They have a conversion grip.

I have to say that S&W did make some conversion grips in wood. Late 1980s a friend of mine received a 686 round butt as a wedding present from his bride. This guy has huge hands and the round butt was not a good idea. One day after shooting at the range we went to the gunstore and he purchased a factory conversion set.

I know that they were still made as late as 1992. I purchase a late production set without the washer in 1997. I was stupid and sold the grips with a M64 last year.

S&W didn't make those. They are from an outside vendor, made for Smith.

Hey Stainz,

What is the formula for your homebrew? Or is it super-secret?

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Lorin

It is possible that a vendor made them for Smith. The packaging and everything else was Smith. These grips might have been made as a response to uni-sexing police departments. Metro Dade was one department that started buying round butt revolvers.

Here is a factory set of conversion stocks:

"I was wondering why a round but on the K frames."

It was most likely a "money saving through standardization" thing. S&W had made K frames with both round and square butts, usually using the round butt frames for shorter barrels, but not always. They began eliminating square butt frames in the early 1990's,using round butt frames for all their revolvers.

I guess they figured if you liked the square butt feel, you could just put conversion grips on your round butt gun.

Being an old fart, I can't get used to round butt frames with barrels of 4 inches or longer.

S&W closed their "carpentry shop" (where they made their wood stocks) at the Springfield factory in the early 1990's and has bought all of their wood grips from outside vendors since. Bullseye Smith's attractive wood grips, for example, although they likely came on his gun from the factory, were made for S&W by someone else.

Those grips on Bullseye Smith's gun are made for S&W by Altamont.

Being a young fart, neither can I. I've got a bunch of modern 6" S&Ws with round-butt frames, but they all wear round-to-square conversion grips (Ahrends). Even my 4" S&W 15-7 with its round-butt frame feels and looks funny with round-butt grips on it.

I could see a 4" fightin' gun with fixed sights having a round-butt frame and grips, though.

skeezix,

2 oz boiled linseed oil, 4 oz turpentine, 0.5-1 oz old fashion bar varnish (Not polyurethane!) in a tightly lidded disposable (margarine) container. No varnish? A drop or two of Japan Drier. It'll do several coats on one or two grips - discard after a few days. Wipe it on with pieces of old white tees or socks. Let it 'soak' for 30 minutes - keep it wet. Wipe off with a clean piece of a white tee/sock - repeat every 12-24 hr until you get the 'depth' you want (3 coats is good.). Only on unfinished wood. On more absorbent woods, add 2 oz of mineral spirits and an extra soak.

Whatever you do, spread the used rags out afterwards to allow them to dry before discarding - or soak them in a pail of water.

Stainz