VZ Grips Review For 642

[Pef]

I recently purchased some VZ grips for my SW 642.

On my 642 I stoned the internals and replaced the springs with a Wolff 8 pound main spring and an 11 pound rebound spring. I typically swap out the stock rubber grips with Ahrend’s finger grooved boot grips, a product with which I have been very pleased. See the attached photo below of my 640 Pro, which has a set of Ahrend’s tung oiled grips attached.

But after I stumbled upon the VZ grips website, and reading Sonny Crocket's post about these grips, I thought I'd give these grips a try. I order the smooth black cheery grips from amazon (Amazon.com: VZ Grips J-Frame-320-Black Cherry: Sports & Outdoors).

They have a very slight texture, not smooth, but not aggressive. Definitely enough that there is no slippery feeling or a sensation of a lack of purchase when you are holding the gun. They are made of G10 polymer, and they definitely have a synthetic feel.

The grips weigh a couple of ounces, and do add to the weight of the gun. Initially they felt pretty good. The have a palm swell that is more pronounced than the Ahrend’s.

So off to the range I went to try out the grips and the new springs. I shot 75 rounds of standard pressure .38 specials. The gun performed flawlessly. Sadly, however, the grips did not. After five rounds I noticed a “biting” sensation in my pinky and ring finger on my trigger hand. After 15 rounds my little finger and half of my ring finger started to go numb! It almost felt as though I had a problem with my cubital tunnel.

I then saw what the problem was. Where the grips meet on the bottom finger groove, where your ring finger purchases the grip, there was a very pronounced, almost sharp, angle formed. Also, on the bottom surfaces of the grips, the edges were squared along a sharp edge.

I took a break and fired some rounds from my 640, and then returned to the 642. I tried adjusting my grip in various ways but to no avail. Even with tame .38 standard pressure cartridges the VZ grips were biting into my hand.
When I returned home I decided that I would try to sand down the edges along the bottom and along the ring finger groove. I used 150 grit sandpaper to remove the hard edges and round the surfaces, and then smoothed them up with 400 grit. The resulting surfaces are shown in the close up below.

The grip feels much better after the sanding, but I have not shot the gun since I modified the grips. I’m hoping that will take care of the problem, especially since I can’t return them after my bubba mod. I’ll head to the range next week to find out, and I’ll report back.

If these are more comfortable after the sanding, I’ll keep them on the gun. If, however, they are still biting into my hand, then I’ll probably just pick up another pair of Ahrends.

If you are thinking about purchasing these grips, you may want to consider that you may have to do some sanding to prevent the grips from tearing into your ring finger and pinky.

I'll update next week after round 2.

The Ahrend's on a 640 Pro:


The VZ's on the 642:





And a close up of the surfaces I sanded (note the surface areas that are smooth and without the surface texture):

[shawn mccarver]

Originally Posted by Pef

I recently purchased some VZ grips for my SW 642.

So off to the range I went to try out the grips and the new springs. I shot 75 rounds of standard pressure .38 specials. The gun performed flawlessly. Sadly, however, the grips did not. After five rounds I noticed a “biting” sensation in my pinky and ring finger on my trigger hand. After 15 rounds my little finger and half of my ring finger started to go numb! It almost felt as though I had a problem with my cubital tunnel.

This is company mentioned in another recent post by a customer whose grip screw rusted. He called VZ to ask to PURCHASE a replacement and was told they would not sell him the screw separately - he would have to buy new grips, or some nonsense.

VZ J Frame grip screw...

[wheelyfun66]

Man, as much as I want to like these grips......
never heard any positive feedback on them.

but those patterns are so cool looking and I love the G10 concept......

Too much money for me to be sanding on!!

Thanks for the honest feedback and report!

[Old cop]

I had a pair of these on a J I purchased. The grip screw was stripped so I emailed the company and they sent a replacement w/o charge, but it was the wrong size. No follow up by me since I really did not like the feel, look or weight of the VZ's.

[Pef]

Update: Today I took the 642 to the range and fired 75 rounds. The sharpness and resulting numbness is no more. The grips seem to work well for me - my first rapid fire point shooting resulted in five rounds at five yards in a fist sized group.

I'm going to contact the company and suggest rounding the edges. I've heard this same complaint by others.

I'm probably going to keep these on my 642.

I would only suggest these grips *IF* you are willing to do some sanding to get rid of sharp corners. But once you do that, you probably won't be able to send them back if you still don't like them, so be aware that you might be out 75 bucks - these are not inexpensive grips.

[justintyme]

Thanks for the Review. I've had 3 pairs of their 1911 grips in different styles. I really like them on a 1911, on pair did have a very aggressive texture that I knocked the edge off a bit with sandpaper also.

[Pef]

Well a final update. The VZ grips are retired. Even with the smoothing, they still made the revolver a handful. Although they no longer cut into my hand, it is as if any force was being directly channeled into my hand. Probably due to the hardness of the grips. Not sure. But I've since switched them with a pair of Ahrend's boot grips.

As much as I like the idea behind them, I can't recommend them for a revolver. For other guns they may be fine, but they did not work for me with a revolver.

[DR505]

Thanks for the report...I need to try them on my 3" 657 still...just put them on and haven't been to the range. They feel great and help conceal this brute. I don't shoot full-house .41's out of it as that tires me out irrespective of the grip I use. I wanted the VZ's for CC. I'm hoping that with the larger grip size of the N-Frame they will work out. Wish me luck.

[Dave T]

DR505,

Don't know how those stocks feel but they sure look good on your revolver. Despite the negative reports in this thread I may give a pair a try. It's only money and you can't take it with you. (LOL)

Dave

[slabside2]

Not a fan. I bought a set for my J frame about a year ago. I went to put them in the gun and the little nut that screw threads into fell out of the grip. I put it back in and screwed them on and the nut turned with screw. It was stripped out. For that kind money that shouldn't happen. Back they went and they still charged me the shipping cost.

[inspcalahan]

I'm glad I read this thread. I have been considering getting some VZs for on of the J frames. Now I'm thinking on it a bit....

I bought one of the first 1911 grips the company made, on a semi custom order as they were just getting up and running. They needed a test done, so I put some on one of my swat 1911s at work and ran the **** out of them for over 10 years. They were great! Still have them. They even used the test review on their site for a bit. Maybe they should stick to 1911's and not the wheel guns?

Any reviews from L frame users? I was thinking about a set for my 686 Mountain Gun....

[coach22]

As close as they are, grips that fit on one J Frame
don't always fit perfectly on other J Frames.
The factory tolerances and consequently the size of the frames are different.
Example, I have an electroless nickel 442 purchased in 1994.
I also own a nickel 49, 640 (38) 340PD & 351C.
I have 4 sets of Pachmayr Compacs for J Frames.
Only one pair will close completely in the front of the 442,
yet all 4 fit perfectly on all the others.
That means it's the frame of the gun causing it and not the Pachmayrs.
That frame must be just a drop bigger than the rest.
True, the 442 was purchased in 1994,
but my 640 was purchased in 1992 and the 49 in 1984.
I was about to order a set of wood Bantam Grips from Hogue
a few years ago and asked them about the thickness.
They said for an additional $40, they would make them thinner.
But I didn't because they said I wouldn't be able to return them
if they didn't fit. I didn't want to risk losing $110 plus shipping.
Recently, I ordered the smooth wood grips for a 351PD for my 351C.
I figured on a newer model, the grip they are making
is measured to a newer model gun.
They fit the 351C perfectly.

[armylifer]

I bought a set of these grips for my J frame and they fit the gun very well. Mine have the checker pattern on the grip and the checkers are very sharp. When I test shot the gun, the grips bit into my skin and caused some abrasion. I sanded down the checkers so that they were not as sharp and I also re-formed the finger grooves so that they fit my hand better. The finished product was not pretty because you could see where I sanded but the result was much more comfortable.

I fired at the range again using my normal draw and the grips performed well. My purchase on the grip was sure and the shot group was acceptable. I did not have the abrasions on my hand that I experienced before modifying the grips.

The thing that I liked about the grips is that the G10 material does allow for some sanding to make the grips more fitted to your hand. The bad is that the grips are much harder than the stock rubber Houge grips that come with the gun. What this means to me is that the VZ grips are great for concealed carry but not desirable for target practice.

If you want target grips, stick to the stock grips or get a set of quality target grips. If you want a grip that you can customize for concealed carry, the VZ grips may be a good choice for you. One thing to consider is that if you are shooting on the range, comfort meand everything but if you are defending life, limb, and home, then performance is the king. The bottom line in my estimation is that the VZ grips have a place for some specialized uses. They definetly are not good for target practice.

[XAVMECH]

Had a set on my STI Guardian and liked 'em. Saw them pictured on a j-frame and ordered as set. And waited. And waited. Inquired and got some BS response that didn't make sense. Finally, they arrived. They're on my 340 M&P, which is a handful anyway. I've read elsewhere about the need to sand these a bit to remove the sharpness or bite. I expect that I may have to do some similar adjustments. I think VZ has an innovative product line, but their customer service is lacking. I've got a couple sets of Ahrends and like them - I would buy Kim's products over VZ without hesitation.

[kaaskop49]

Interesting post on grip-size variations. Anybody noticed that the grip pin on modern J-frames is of a slightly larger diameter? Mounting a set of old mfg factory 'peanut' (magna?) grips requires the corresponding holes in the grips be slightly relieved for them to fit.

Grips can look beautiful and feel great... until you fire the gun! The Colt Mark V Lawman, for example, has a set of 'service' grips that feel absolutely wonderful in the hand and when dry-firing. Live firing is quite another story. Brutal.

[QB Too]

I have the same VZ grips but in the Tactical Diamond finish (sharp nubs). Yes, the sharp nubs are rough on my hand but if I ever have to use the gun for defense purposes I don't think I'll notice.

I shoot 10-20 rounds at the range without my shooting glove and then put on my glove for the remainder of the session. I prefer the sharp nubs and don't plan on knocking off any of the points. Fit and finish was good and gun feels very secure in my hand when shooting.

Again, this is not a gun I use at the range "for fun", I shoot it to function test and to make sure that I can draw and unload 5 rounds post haste to the center of a target.....maybe 10-50 rounds each session (if all goes well).

I've never had VZ grips in the other finish which I've been told is less aggressive.

I admit I did buy these because I liked the color scheme.......

[elm_creek_smith]

Originally Posted by Dave T

It's only money and you can't take it with you. (LOL)

Dave

No, but my wife could take the rest of mine before I go!

ECS

[df06]

I have a set of VZ grips on my 625 colt. Have only shot 50 rounds with them, but so far, I like them.
They are black/gray and non checkered.

[BAM-BAM]

I've got a couple of sets of VZ grips on my Beretta 92 Centurion and Elite IIs..... they work well as they are thinner than even the stock plastic grips....and much thinner than wood......... which is a good thing on a Beretta 92.

The "best" grips for me on S&W revolvers are Spegel Boot Grips on guns with 2-3 inch barrels and Extended Boot grips on guns with 4-6 inch barrels .........................