Which Pachmayr Grips Best for Carry on my m65 in 3-inch??

Nalapombu · Dec 2, 2023

Hey all.

I have a m65 in 3 inch that I like a lot. Now that it’s cold, I’m gonna be carrying it more and more.

I did have the factory grips on it, but now I have a set of rubber boot style grips on it.
This is a police trade-in piece and both grips came with it. The problem with the factory grips is that the previous owner must’ve really cranked down on the grip screw and it caused it to crack on both sides of the threaded part and it bulges up about 1mm or more. I use Tyler T-grips with those factory grips and I’m just not sure that under recoil those cracks will get worse and ultimately fail. I’ve thought about exploring a way to repair them, but I don’t think I can get any glue deep enough under the bulged up pieces to get a good strong bond.

Anyway, can you all tell me which round butt Pachmayr grips are available for this frame? Mine is the ROUND butt.

I looked at the Lyman site and they only show 2. I thought there was 1 or 2 others….that’s why I’m asking.

Do all of the Pachmayr grips have an open back strap or do they cover it?
I saw the Professional and the Compac one that has a finger groove on the bottom. Are there any differences other than the obvious pinky finger cut out?
Do they handle recoil the same?

Also, if you all are able, can you post pics of each of these Pachmayr round butt grips on a 3-inch….that would be ideal, but I understand not everyone has a 3-inch with these grips on it.
Don’t go to any trouble on my account.

Lastly….which if the Pachmayr round butt grips would you choose?
Are there any other great grips for carry that you can recommend in any material?

If you know of a brand that’s like the factory wood grips, but that does t cost a fortune, please post.

Thank you all kindly for indulging my multiple questions. I apologize for asking so many things in a single thread.

Have a great weekend everyone.

BD

rwsmith · Dec 2, 2023

I have the Pachmayr 'Grippers'...

...on my J Frame, but they also make them for the K frames. They do cover the backstrap. For another J Frame with a square butt I had to go to Hogue for grips. Hogue also has wood grip at decent prices.

colt_saa · Dec 2, 2023

You do not mention if you are referring to open carry or concealed carry.

Also the type of concealment can influence grip selection

I will presume that your question is for concealed carry as a civilian.

While I am not a huge fan of rubber, for concealed carry with the least amount of bulge and your desire for low price, I would be looking at the Pachmayer Compac grips. These have the covered back strap

The Pachmayer Compac Professional grips do not have a covered back strap and are well suited to those folks with small hands

Here is my 3" Model 66 wearing Pachmayer Compacs

I do not know what Pachmayer item you are looking at on-line but at the moment both the Pachmayer Compac and Compac Professional for the K/L frame revolver Do Not Have the Pinky Cut-out.

When it comes to wood grips, I have no idea what kind of cost you call "A Fortune"

Are we talking about $100, $200 or more?

My personal preference for wood grips on a round butt Smith & Wesson are the old Factory Combats. These have not been made in several decades and are bringing prices around the $300 dollar mark on the various For Sale sites. However they do fit my hand Very well

While I do not have a picture of these on any of my snubby K-frames, here is an image of the final variation on a 2 5/8" N-frame Model 627 PDR

These are the older style on my Mountain Guns. These are my favorite of the Factory Combats but are getting impossible to find since the Factory stopped making these 30+ years ago. I love the deeper, longer finger grooves on these

IF you are going for wood grips, try them first. Fitting YOUR Hand is very important with wood. After all wood does not have the more forgiving feeling of rubber

A set of wood grips that do not fit YOU will take all the enjoyment out of shooting.

Rodan · Dec 2, 2023

Compac Professional. As noted above, they have the open backstrap. They are probably the closest in feel to a factory service grip with a grip adapter that you'll find in a rubber grip.

The Hogue Bantam grip is very similar, but with finger grooves. Finger grooves vary widely, and because fingers vary widely as well, they don't always fit every shooter well.

Another option is Hideout grips from Precision gun specialties. They're similar in profile to the Pac Compac Pros, but are hard plastic with a textured surface. For CCW, they'll resist printing a little better than rubber grips since they won't grab fabric like rubber can.

Compac Pros on a 3" 19 Kcomp, Hideout grips on a 3" 65 and Ken's elk grips with a Tyler on a 19-3...

robertrwalsh · Dec 2, 2023

I do not have large hands and have the best luck with the compac professional grips (open backstrap). You should be aware that the rubber "grabs" at your clothing much more than wood and depending on how you carry and what you wear may print the gun more than you are comfortable with.

CH4 · Dec 2, 2023

For K frame I think these are the best looking Pachs and they have an open back strap.

BAM-BAM · Dec 2, 2023

^^^^^^^^ all good advice. I've used/tried them all over the past 45 years.

I have had Spegel boot grips on my 3" K-frames [65 & 66] since the mid-80s. One man shop so his backlog is measured in months.

THE PILGRIM · Dec 2, 2023

Open-closed strap is a personal choice.
You won’t know until you know.
That’s will be after you try both.
Here’s my Shorty 66.

Walter Rego · Dec 2, 2023

I don't like the medallions on the newer Pachmayrs. When I had my Model 65 3" I was able to locate a set of the older production Compacts like Colt SAA showed above. They worked and felt great.

prescobd · Dec 2, 2023

Not Pachmayr, but my favorite rubber grip for RB K frames, for concealed carry, is the Uncle Mike's boot grip. Not currently manufactured, but I don't believe that they are hard to find.

BC38 · Dec 2, 2023

colt_saa said:
You do not mention if you are referring to open carry or concealed carry.

Also the type of concealment can influence grip selection

I will presume that your question is for concealed carry as a civilian.

While I am not a huge fan of rubber, for concealed carry with the least amount of bulge and your desire for low price, I would be looking at the Pachmayer Compac grips. These have the covered back strap

The Pachmayer Compac Professional grips do not have a covered back strap and are well suited to those folks with small hands

Here is my 3" Model 66 wearing Pachmayer Compacs

If you are looking for concealed-carry rubber grips WITH a covered backstrap, then these are about the best you're going to find IMO...

1sailor · Dec 2, 2023

I used to have a set of Compacs on my M&P340. Fully loaded it weighs in at about 16 ounces and the Compacs took a lot of the pain out of it. More anyway then the Uncle Mikes Combats I have on there now. I went with the Mikes because they are on all my other round butt S&W's.

wproct · Dec 2, 2023

When I bought my used 64-2 it had a set of the older closed back Pachmayer grips like Colt_saa shows in his first photo. They really feel great, checkered with decent grip but doesn't grab clothes etc. I removed them to put my smooth wood Hogue grips on it, but the Pachmayer grips are very nice.

Baxter6551 · Dec 2, 2023

My 3 inch 65 has the Hogue Bantam grips. I think they are perfect. They snap on no screws with a provided wedge tool. Very secure.

C Islander · Dec 3, 2023

Altamont makes wood grips that are very similar to the factory Magna's. Do a google search for a lot of grips. Ebay is also a good source.

Here's my 65 with Ahrends. They are no longer made.

SLCDW · Dec 3, 2023

not thequestion you asked,

but probably the answer you want. I agree with Baxter6551.

Went back and forth between Pach Comp Pro and Comp. Former too small for my hands, latter fit right but a little too thick. Settled on Hogue Bantaam's for both my 65-3 3" and 66-8 2.75", which were the best fit for my hands and concealment.

Birdhunter6 · Dec 3, 2023

I have Compacs on my 3" 13-2. They work very well for me.

racer19j · Dec 3, 2023

I also like the Hogue Bantams. Have them on my 64-5 3”. Like them better than the Pachmayr. Just fits my hand better and carries well.

Which Pachmayr Grips Best for Carry on my m65 in 3-inch??

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