Hello all - Let's hear it about J-frame grips! With pics please!

What are most comfortable to shoot? What are the most concealable? What are the best looking? What are the best compromises of the above?

I'm particularly interested in Airweight Centennial suggestions in the comfort department.

Thanks in advance -

Shooter686

Top left, originality. Top right, shootability. Bottom, it's all about the looks.

Concealable? On a Centennial? I've got to vote for Craig Spegel's boot grips. You can get them as plain or as pretty as your wallet can stand. Checkered or smooth.
The 'high horn' style allows most folks to snug-up on the gun just a little higher which seems to direct the recoil straight back as opposed to up. Of course, YMMV. $45 for the base set is a screaming deal for custom wood stocks.

Craig Spegel - Custom Pistol Grips

Centennial on the right....

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Stu

Well, I'm not having to much problem with the stock grips of my 637. But I am partial to stag. Stainless with stag grips, woof!

For shoot-ability paired with conceal-ability, I like the Crimson Trace LG-405 grips.

+1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Another Spegel fan

that's nice looking -db-

In a word............Spegel.

Dragon - who makes the grip in the bottom picture?
St/Db - I really like the looks of the spegels, escpecially the high position on the back of the frame, and they look to be wider helping to distribute recoil over bigger area. I've been using a high grip position with the web of my hand right at the top of the frame - but I'll be honest - even with light 38s the recoil is well - somewhat painful with the stock grips. STock grips are nice feel, small, and certainly fit the concealable role. but I like to be able to shoot a reasonable amount w/o pain...

Thanks again all - now off to look at the Spegel offerings.

Shooter686

Dead tree grips are real purdy and all, but if you want something durable, comfortable, and concealable, you can't go wrong with a pair of Hogue Bantams for your round butt J-framer.

stock SW target grips

I keep going right back to the original Uncle Mikes on my 637. I did take a three finger UM from my 640 and cut the bottom off it so it isn't much bigger than the smaller model. It has a slight amount of rubber covering the back of the grip and I left the bottom finger groove to anchor the middle finger some.

Altamont.

Altamont - Pistol Grips

NICE rig. That front sight looks like what I have been wanting to put on several of my guns. If you don't mind me asking who did the work for you? I can't quite make out the logo on the sideplate on this monitor. Cylinder and Slide?

Thanks,
Danny

For me, those old Uncle Mike Boot grips are most functional.
I have some wood grips including Eagle's Secret Service grip, Spegel's boot grip, couple different Pachmyr grips, Tyler T Grip Adapter, etc. but I always seem to come back to cheap Uncle Mike Boot grips.
The rubber is a little tacky but not too tacky and the rubber materal seems to absorbe the recoil better than wood and it doesn't increase the size of the revolver.

I have altamont super rosewood checkered boots on mine and they look great. So great I ordered a set for my dad on Sunday and they arrived this morning.

For myself, I like the "smaller is better" theory. I like the minimal Dymondwood for my pocket-carry or boot-grips for belt and/or pocket-carry.

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

Danny, yes it is C&S. The good folks up in Nebraska do good work.

Strictly for carry purposes, IMO it's hard to beat the original Uncle Mike's boot grips. For everything else, I like wood...

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For comfortable shooting, it doesn't get any better than the old, discontinued Uncle Mike's combat grips...

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Centennial Every Day

This one has skinny magnas to match it's larger bretheren. The small wood conceals well. I don't mind shooting with these grips. Wish I had a Tyler-T for it, though.


This one came with fancy walnut grips. Nice to look at, but not very comfortable to shoot .357's with. Also, I think they would get damaged too easily if carried.

Everyday carry 640 has Hogue Bantam Rubber on it. Very comfortable and controllable.

My Airweight 442 has the Desantis Clip Grip on it, and I like it alot, for that particular gun. It's my "pajama/gym gun", and with that grip on an airweight, I can just stick it in my waistband even if I'm wearing sweatpants or pajamas. Sorry, no photos of that one.

Eagle's Secret Service grips...

I don't have any myself but I find it interesting this is the first thread on stock or grips that there is zero mention of Ahrends Grips. I'm going to order some Altamont magnas to try my BK grip adapter with. The factory magnas work but I'm too stingy with them to wear them out.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Lots of nice looking set ups! I'm leaning towards a Spegel boot and/or a hogue monogrip. I must say that the factory rubber grip is attractive and comfortable - for everything but extended shooting sessions.

Thanks again,

Shooter686

Bob, mine is an original T...but if I needed one, I would go with BK...

BTW, I had that Sile rubber grip (top left) on my model 60 and it was very comfortable to shoot...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Shooter686 - If you want a J frame stock for extended shooting sessions then I would buy the Pachmayr Compac. I have one that I used to use on my 640 if I wanted to load it with real magnums. Here is a pic of several that I have tried over the years:


Thanks - I was looking for something in the "eating recoil" department. Pachmayrs are less appealing to me over hogues because I like the tacky feel of hogues. But I like to shoot what I own and need something to tame this airframe!

Possibly the subject of a different thread - but some Trail Boss powder will go through my 642 with the stock grips this weekend. That might be the ticket for practice. For those of you who have not looked at this powder - it seems a perfiect fit for mild loads. I had ignored it since its fan club is in the Cowboy Shooting world and I am not. But it now has my interest...

Thanks-

Shooter686

These are my favorite carry grips. I will say that Uncle Mike's boot grip makes my J Frames good shooters.

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let us know how it goes

Want another one if I can find it???

For long-session shooting comfort with a J frame I haven't found anything better than the Pachmayr Decelerators. Lots of very cushy rubber behind the backstrap, and plenty to hold on to. Even airweights are painless. Only problem is, they're pretty much oversize K frame size. But boy are they comfortable to shoot.

For something that you might actually carry and still shoot a lot, the Pachmayr Compacs are indeed terrific. Mine were a bit sticky when new, but use, age, sweat and skin oil smooth 'em out nicely.

Shooter686, my most commonly shot 38 loads are 158g lead round nose bullets over 3.2g of Trail Boss. These go about 585fps out of a 442 (625 from a model 10) and are very comfortable loads. For comparison, my carry loads (Hornady 158g XTP, non-+P) go 740 and 785fps from those 2 guns, and the heaviest loads I've shot (Remington 158g lead HP +P) go 820 and 900fps. The Trail Boss loads are clearly comfort shooters.

Trail Boss ain't the cheapest powder on the market, but it meters very accurately and I find it to be clean shooting. And I use it because it is absolutely impossible to overcharge a case with it. Even though I've found it virtually impossible to overcharge a case without consciously manhandling the progressive presses I use (Lee Loadmaster and Dillon Square Deal) I still find it comforting to use a powder that can fill a case and yet do no harm to the gun.

I got these from a forum member and love them.

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Go big or stay home

Wrangler - thanks for the input. I put together 50 rounds of 158gr LSWC over 3.0 grns Trail Boss last night. Hope to try them out soon. With any luck this load will be comfortable enough with out any grip change. I appreciate your grip suggestions too and will keep them in mind if the grips are still necessary.

As far as Trail Boss goes - this is the best powder since sliced bread. I have all kinds of uses for this stuff.....

Shooter686

That is funny!

I don'thave pics to share but, my 36 and 37 both wear the factory wood with a Tyler T Grip.

Here's a few pictures of my 642. Picked it up used at a good price. Test fired 12/10 and I dont think it had been fired at all besides that. I really love the factory grip - hope Trail Boss does the trick, I'll know tomorrow.

Shooter686

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Eagle Rosewood and Tyler T Grip on 438 Bodyguard

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I've got Eagle Secret Service grips on my 642. Makes it very concealable, and easy to grip high.

hogue pau ferro

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My 442 with a Lobo Gun Leather Enhanced Pancake Holster. The grips are Altamont. I also use the same 442 with a Crimson Trace laser grip.

442 & Enhanced Pancake.jpg 442 with CT Grips.jpg

3.0 grns of Trail boss and 158grn and I can shoot all day. No longer need to find a recoil soaking set of grips.

Now to review all of your wonderfull pics of wood grips and find something I like. I happen to be partial to wood. Some beautiful grips here.....Thanks to everyone for contributing!

Shooter686

Who makes that?

Pachmayr used to. There's a recent thread on them somewhere here.

what's it called?

Here you go: Pachmayer pocket device for J frames

My favorites, smooth contoured cocobolo S&W's on a 34-1. Haven't seen this particular style in a long time, I think they proved to be "keepers" for anyone lucky enough to have bought them back in the day....

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I've tried all sorts of rubber, oversize and other fancy grips. In the end, it came down to the most basic - My Js wear service stocks and grip adapters, which work best for me in pocket carry.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95