With a revolver do you still want to hold as high as possible? A question of grips

Well on my Glocks I grip as high as possible to get the bore axis as low as I can to my body. Is this practice still the same with revolvers? One would think yes but I wanted to ask.

If yes this leads me to my issue. I got a 686 Talo with the fish scale grips. I hate them. I then got a set of boot Altamont. I hate them.

Both of these don't fit me AT ALL I feel. Why? Finger grooves. I want to grip high on the revolver due to my practice with a slide gun but these finger grooves will not let me. Now I don't have a large hand but I'd say I'm average. If I lower my grip the grips fit great. But it doesn't feel natural to me to hold my grip so low on the gun.

So unless I'm doing it all wrong finger groove stocks don't work for me, yet. I like the idea of finger groove stocks and even the look. I'd like to try some Ahrends tactical grips in hope my fingers would line up like a nice fitting glove but I'm worried to spend the 80-90 to try.

Does anyone in northern South Carolina have a set on their revolver I could feel? Or is my grip just all wrong?

In answer to your Q yes, you do want to hold as high as possible on a revolver. As to grips it's hard to say, I have a drawer full of grips that did not work for me. It's an individual thing and you just have to experiment until you get it just right. Sometimes the small stock factory grip w/a grip adapter is perfect, depending on the frame size of the gun.

You didn't say if you are going to carry this 686 or not. If you are the best boot grip I ever had was from Uncle Mike's, but it was on a SP101. For the range my 686 and 629 (both RB's) have Hogue rubber conversion grips without the finger grooves, my 627 has a wood Hogue RB, also no finger grooves. The Hogue's just work for me.

I have the 3" Talo 686-6 with those useless fish scale grips. I replaced them with the Ahrends Tacticals. The groves are close to the same fit a Hogues, so if yiou have any Hogue grips, that would be a nice indicator. I am very happy with the Ahrends.

Collo Rosso said:

You didn't say if you are going to carry this 686 or not. If you are the best boot grip I ever had was from Uncle Mike's, but it was on a SP101. For the range my 686 and 629 (both RB's) have Hogue rubber conversion grips without the finger grooves, my 627 has a wood Hogue RB, also no finger grooves. The Hogue's just work for me.

Click to expand...

Yes I bought it solely to carry

I think you are on the right track with the Ahrends Tacticals. I have them on a few of my revolvers that I use as range guns. If you want it to carry, they make a boot grip that is pretty nice too.

Stopsign32v said:

Well on my Glocks I grip as high as possible to get the bore axis as low as I can to my body. Is this practice still the same with revolvers? One would think yes but I wanted to ask.

If yes this leads me to my issue. I got a 686 Talo with the fish scale grips. I hate them. I then got a set of boot Altamont. I hate them.

Click to expand...

Yes, but understand you will never get as high on a revolver as you can on a semi-automatic. Also your grip is different on both platforms. I post below the proper technique as taught by the NRA in the basic practical pistol course plus. (of which I'm a proud graduate)





Whenever I watch a YouTube video I can always spot the amateurs just by the way they are holding the revolver. Then once they try to play some movie part and swing the cylinder close I move along.

As 'Old cop' mentions grips are like holsters, both of which you might end up with a drawer full. I've been fortunate in that the rubber grips S&W uses fit me good and feel good to me. Particularly the Uncle Mikes boot grips they where using on the J-Frames. My new Governor has the same grips (bigger of course) so it worked out good for me.

I will say that for whatever reason I like putting my support hand index finger on the front of the trigger guard. Semi auto or revolver. And I cannot seem to break this habit

I really believe that we have something that will help you feel more comfortable when carrying and shooting your 686, like a few people above have already mentioned. If you'd like to take a look, I've included the link to our website for 686 grips. We have a ton of options: wood, rubber, G10...in finger groove and non finger groove as well. Hogue Inc.

Our customer service team is a great resource to use to find the right grip that will not only be comfortable for the hold you're used to, but also provide a secure grip on your firearm....after all this is what we do! If you like, you can call 1-800-438-4747 for more advice on the right grip for you.

I like a low grip, and the grooves on the X500 grips that I put on my Model 69 .44mag and my Model 686 .357 are just right. But I shoot SA only, and full-spec .44mag, so fast followup shots aren't something that is important to me. And even with my two 1911's, I use a low, relaxed grip and flexed joints, and shoot full-spec 10mm and .45 Super, so fast followups aren't important to me there either.

My thoughts...

Yes, generally you should grip as high up as possible, at least if fast follow-up shots are important (and with a carry gun, they should be). However, you should make sure that your hand doesn't go so high that the fleshy part of your hand interferes with the hammer spur when shooting DA.

Another consideration is how you draw the gun. The nice thing about semi-autos like the Glock is they have a grip tang that you can wedge your hand into when you draw. Revolvers don't have that. I carry a 642 Centennial, which I can grip higher than non-Centennial revolvers. However, I've found that my draws are more consistently on target if I don't grip all the way up. So grip as high as you can on your revolver, just make sure it's a grip that gives you good draw consistency.

One more consideration is the angle your trigger finger makes to the trigger. The sweet spot is where your hand can grip high but still gives your trigger finger plenty of leverage on the DA pull.

Like others have said, grips are going to be a personal choice and will likely require some experimentation to find what works for you. I'm one of those who don't like finger groove grips. I like Spegel boot grips, but the one thing I don't like about them is the finger grooves. When drawing from the holster my middle finger almost always ends up right on that middle horn between the grooves. Fortunately, it's neither particularly sharp nor particularly pronounced, so it's not that big of an issue. And the palm swell shape and the horns that extend all the way up the Centennial grip frame outweigh the relatively minor inconvenience of the finger grooves.

I know you're concerned about the cost of getting higher-end grips only to have them end up being less-than-optimal, but one advantage to the higher-end grips is that you can resell them and get at least some of your money back. I had bought some Ahrends Tactical grips for a 3" 65 I had at the time, the ones with the flat front straps. They didn't work for me so I sold them. I ended up buying the Retro model with the rounded front strap and they worked much better for me. The funny thing is that the grips that worked the best for me on the K-frames were PGS Hideout grips, which I believe are around $20 from Brownells.

I tried a high hold with my 629 and...

It. Hurt. A. Lot.

I can pull it off with my 686 6" but that's the limit for me.

There's a concept I teach semi shooters called "Fight the Gun"; provide a solid platform to allow the slide to do its work and help get back on target. Don't ride the recoil, keep a firm grip and some (not too much) muscle tension. With a .44 Magnum this goes out the window...takes a better man than me to fight that gun. Hold it low and ride it out.

HogueInc said:

I really believe that we have something that will help you feel more comfortable when carrying and shooting your 686, like a few people above have already mentioned. If you'd like to take a look, I've included the link to our website for 686 grips. We have a ton of options: wood, rubber, G10...in finger groove and non finger groove as well. Hogue Inc.

Click to expand...

I gotta' say I've never been disappointed by any Hogue product I've bought, and I've bought a bunch.
What does it for me with the Hogue revolver grips is they have a palm swell. It fits my hand like the proverbial glove.

For $21 I just got some Hogue Bantam grips. The only thing I HAVE about them is how hard they are to remove.

Stopsign32v said:

I will say that for whatever reason I like putting my support hand index finger on the front of the trigger guard. Semi auto or revolver. And I cannot seem to break this habit

Click to expand...

Keep trying! I used to do this too, when I was shooting a lot of PPC. One day, someone gave me some valuable advice to pull that finger underneath where it will work for you. When under the trigger guard, it does not give as much strength to the grip as it does if it is holding the the stocks. It really mitigates recoil a lot, and helps with getting back on target rapidly and improves accuracy. The forefinger is a probably the strongest finger and needs to be used! Rather than hung out under the trigger guard.

As to stocks. I really like Hogue finger groove stocks and have been using them for around 40 years. I have hands on the smaller side, yet my hands fit right in the finger grooves and seem natural. I use rubber mostly now, because they stick to the hands better, but I started using them when they were two piece wood stocks and they made different sizes, they might still, don't know.

ContinentalOp said:

[...]
Yes, generally you should grip as high up as possible, at least if fast follow-up shots are important (and with a carry gun, they should be).

Click to expand...

Not if you're carrying a 5-shot .44mag S&W69, and shooting SA. I prefer that gun for carry more than any other gun I have. I use a low grip, and a very relaxed grip and flexed joints. MUCH more pleasant to shoot that way, and also more accurate for me. With only 5 shots (before a fairly slow reload), my emphasis is focused on putting the bullet where I want it. If I can do that, I'll only need ONE.

On N and K frames, I hold 'em as high as possible, both single- and double-action. For that reason, I hate finger grooves with a passion. If I'm going high, they still sort've fit, but if I'm really going as high as I like, they just get in the way and bunch up my fingers.

On the J frame, I have to hold lower in order to maintain some degree of leverage on the trigger through a double-action pull.

I can imagine someone wrapping their weak hand in front of the trigger guard of a revolver just once. Painful! The same with resting your thumb(s) on the recoil shield. Painful but at least no burns.

Hogue grips have a palm bulge which I find a little low for best tactical shooting. Ahrends grips do not have a pronounced bulge, and are wider at the top, promoting an higher grip, which produces less muzzle flip. I place the web of my thumb even with the break.

Ahrends "Tactical" grips have a flattened front, which helps indexing, with or without finger grooves. Ahrends grooves fit my hand (medium) just fine, but I like them both ways too. Ahrends "Retro" grips have a rounded front, and much less taper than the original S&W "Target" grips.

For carry with a short (3" or less) .357, I use boot grips, or round tactical grips, for better concealment. The slightly longer tactical grips work better for .44 Mag, which torques a lot more than .357.

Sometimes, you just need to take some sandpaper, a file or even a Dremel tool (!) to those finger groove grips.

Mike_Fontenot said:

Not if you're carrying a 5-shot .44mag S&W69, and shooting SA. I prefer that gun for carry more than any other gun I have. I use a low grip, and a very relaxed grip and flexed joints. MUCH more pleasant to shoot that way, and also more accurate for me. With only 5 shots (before a fairly slow reload), my emphasis is focused on putting the bullet where I want it. If I can do that, I'll only need ONE.

Click to expand...

You can do what you want, but given how fast and close most self defense encounters are, I am NOT going to be taking the time to get a carefully aimed SA shot with a relaxed grip.