5906 straight grips for small hands?

[JMD999]

Are 5906 series straight grips the smallest available and best recommendation for people with small hands?
Thanks, Mike

 

[Borderboss]

I don't know every possible aftermarket grip available for the 5906, but given that the S&W grips are really thin, I would think that the straight back is as thin as you're going to get. If you need something smaller and still want to use a 3rd Gen S&W, you're going to need to switch to the single stack 39 series.

 

[cololab]

Some of my trainees with smaller hands preferred the straight factory grip over the arched grip. There may now be aftermarket grips (other than Hogues which seemed to add to the width of the grip area) that provide a slimmer grip area. Others with more up to date knowledge on this subject can be of more help to you.

 

[VASCAR2]

I prefer the straight back strap on the 5904 and flat mainspring housing on 1911's. For comparison of both grips on my S&W 5904.

S&W 5904 with straight back grip.




S&W 5904 with arched back strap.

 

[JMD999]

I don't know every possible aftermarket grip available for the 5906, but given that the S&W grips are really thin, I would think that the straight back is as thin as you're going to get. If you need something smaller and still want to use a 3rd Gen S&W, you're going to need to switch to the single stack 39 series.

Thanks, I agree, not going to get much thinner than factory and i think the straight are probably the way to go- but- the collective knowledge here always worth hearing from.
I have plenty to fit me, just started into 3rd gen semi's and sucking up information! (plus i want one that fits me as good as i can make it)
Mike

 

[jsbethel]

Unless you're hung up on magazine capacity, the 3906 might be a better choice although harder to find.

 

[JMD999]

Unless you're hung up on magazine capacity, the 3906 might be a better choice although harder to find.

Thanks for the recommendation, its not a capacity concern (I'm a 5 shot 38 hammerless guy, and dress from there). I'm retired and have all i'll ever need, but i cant stop the accumulation addiction! and fixing up guns I'll never use. It keeps me happy!
Smiles, Mike

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I haven't shot this lately but I recollect being very comfortable with it and I don't have large hands.

 

[pasound]

My first 3rd gen is a 6906. Good shooter, but the grip is just too big around to get a comfortable feel. My newest is a 3913, 4 less rounds but the fit is "just right" with factories and with Pachmyers, which it currently has.

 

[JMD999]

I haven't shot this lately but I recollect being very comfortable with it and I don't have large hands.

Nice buy, those are the boxes I like buying them in! And 5906's are on my list! I can shoot a 5946 with one hand but a smaller grip would be more comfortable

 

[URIT]

I found the single stack 3900 series pistols felt better in my hand than any of my double stack Smiths.

I carried 4" Smith revolvers my entire career, so I when I got a S&W 3953 I knew it was near perfect for me. The trigger was much like my model 19-4 - sweet. My 4053 has a nice fit and trigger too.

 

[Borderboss]

Thanks, I agree, not going to get much thinner than factory and i think the straight are probably the way to go- but- the collective knowledge here always worth hearing from.
I have plenty to fit me, just started into 3rd gen semi's and sucking up information! (plus i want one that fits me as good as i can make it)
Mike

I hear you. My comments about single stack comes from an actual example. Back in the early 90s, when I had an FFL, I would sell guns to my local PD. They all carried S&W Model 59s. But they had just hired a woman that had small hands and couldn't handle the 59. I brought in a 39 and it fit her perfectly. She bought it and some extra mags. She just retired with 30 years in, as a sergeant.

 

[stansdds]

The factory straight stock is the slimmest, smallest circumference stock you will find for the 59xx pistols. If you want something smaller than that, then the single stack pistols are an option.

 

[Fastbolt]

At my former agency we installed the straight grip (common on the 4006) for our 5903's for shooters with smaller hands, and they felt it worked better for them.

FWIW, some care must be exercised when installing factory grips, as sometimes an inattentive (or unfamiliar) person can tweak and damage the sideplate during the installation process.

What can potentially happen is the upper L/F corner of the new grip may catch/snag under the bottom edge of the sideplate, and pressure exerted to push the grip up into position may cause the bottom rear 'prong' of the sideplate (around the headed sear pin) to either bend or snap off. This can allow the sideplate to shift and not remain sufficiently stationary for the slide stop lever's plunger to function properly.

Also, sometimes someone may not notice the rear of the backstrap isn't sufficiently pushed forward, and this can cause the manual safety/decocking lever to hit against the top of the grip and interfere with the lever movement. Usually, grasping the grip (shooting grip) and squeezing it will move a slightly out-of-position grip forward into place (presuming no other problem has occurred, like one of the grip's hooks - fitting against the forward edge of each grip frame window - hasn't been positioned incorrectly).

Decocking lever movement blocked because the grip isn't properly position on the frame (notice the top of the backstrap not fully forward under the frame tang?):


Proper decocking lever movement with properly installed grip:


Old factory instructions for removing and replacing factory grips.




Notice the warning in Step 3 of the last group of instructions.

 

[JMD999]

Fastbolt- thanks for the tips, photos, and factory instructions. I've removed and only installed 2, so I'm still a rookie and appreciate the detailed explanation. Any benefit /concerns over "nylon" or metal hammer spring cups?

 

[Fastbolt]

Fastbolt- thanks for the tips, photos, and factory instructions. I've removed and only installed 2, so I'm still a rookie and appreciate the detailed explanation. Any benefit /concerns over "nylon" or metal hammer spring cups?

Sometimes the older metal spring cups (S&W calls it a mainspring plunger, BTW) might bump against the coils of the mainspring during compression (at the mouth). Some folks thought this might add resistance during DA shots. The sides of used springs do usually show some shiny marks, so maybe so. I've read of an occasional smith having chamfered the mouth of the cups.

Once the nylon cups came along, that became a moot point because of the softness and inherent 'lubricity' of the nylon (against steel spring coils).

I've used a lot of both types, and I like the nylon, if only for it being easier to push out the grip pin during disassembly (as an armorer).