I have the 2.75" 69 that I'm quite fond of but I didn't like the factory grips. They were too big for my intended purpose, S. Fl appendix concealed carry. As in no cover garment other than a light shirt.
I then purchased a set of Hogue rubber Bantam boot grips. (I put a set of the wood ones on my 3" 629 RB and they fit and work very well on that gun.) The rubber grips were cheap, they fit well and I liked the size but I didn't like their method of installation. They were to hard to remove easily without stretching them out (Hogue replaced one set of their rubber Bantams). I like to remove my grips for cleaning. Rubber grips tend to easily grow rust underneath when left to their own devices.
I then ordered a set of Hogue Bantam boot grips in Pau Ferro wood. They came in after a bit of delay. They looked nice but didn't fit worth a hoot. I called them and per their instructions (Hogue's) I sent in the grips. They inspected them and replaced them with another pair.
The second pair didn't fit much better. I called them again and they suggested I send the guns frame in to them with the grips and agreed to cover shipping as I'd already sent in the other grips. After a month or so they returned my frame with the grips.
The Hogue folks were friendly and nice to work with. They obviously wanted me to be happy.
Upon close inspection I don't claim they're a perfect fit now but the fit is one I'd never have complained about if they had fit that way originally. Of course I'm inspecting very closely now after all of the hoops to get to this point. I think they look great. They're the perfect size for my intended purpose.
Strangely the rubber grips did fit fine, but then rubber is more forgiving. The wood grips were designed to fit K or L frame round butts but maybe the 69 is a bit different. Knowing what I know now I'd want to call Hogue and ask about fit(ment
) before I ordered wood grips for a model 69. I don't know if they were having issues with their manufacturing for the wood Bantam RB L frame grips or perhaps the 69 is a tad different dimension wise from other L frames.
I had great difficulty getting my pic to work. Well finally got it to work, I think:
Any how they work pretty well. I shot several cylinders of my Zero brand 240gr jacketed flat points loaded near max with H110. The geometry of the little 69 works for me with the grips. I don't find the recoil to be hard on the wrist at all and with those grips my middle finger doesn't get hammered. However, the checkering is pretty sharp (I got the checkered version) and under recoil I'm afraid they would eat up my baby soft hand before too many rounds. I might knock the peaks off of the checkering. I think the checkering is finished with tongue oil.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the Hogue pau ferro Bantam grips.
I then purchased a set of Hogue rubber Bantam boot grips. (I put a set of the wood ones on my 3" 629 RB and they fit and work very well on that gun.) The rubber grips were cheap, they fit well and I liked the size but I didn't like their method of installation. They were to hard to remove easily without stretching them out (Hogue replaced one set of their rubber Bantams). I like to remove my grips for cleaning. Rubber grips tend to easily grow rust underneath when left to their own devices.
I then ordered a set of Hogue Bantam boot grips in Pau Ferro wood. They came in after a bit of delay. They looked nice but didn't fit worth a hoot. I called them and per their instructions (Hogue's) I sent in the grips. They inspected them and replaced them with another pair.
The second pair didn't fit much better. I called them again and they suggested I send the guns frame in to them with the grips and agreed to cover shipping as I'd already sent in the other grips. After a month or so they returned my frame with the grips.
The Hogue folks were friendly and nice to work with. They obviously wanted me to be happy.
Upon close inspection I don't claim they're a perfect fit now but the fit is one I'd never have complained about if they had fit that way originally. Of course I'm inspecting very closely now after all of the hoops to get to this point. I think they look great. They're the perfect size for my intended purpose.
Strangely the rubber grips did fit fine, but then rubber is more forgiving. The wood grips were designed to fit K or L frame round butts but maybe the 69 is a bit different. Knowing what I know now I'd want to call Hogue and ask about fit(ment
) before I ordered wood grips for a model 69. I don't know if they were having issues with their manufacturing for the wood Bantam RB L frame grips or perhaps the 69 is a tad different dimension wise from other L frames. I had great difficulty getting my pic to work. Well finally got it to work, I think:
Any how they work pretty well. I shot several cylinders of my Zero brand 240gr jacketed flat points loaded near max with H110. The geometry of the little 69 works for me with the grips. I don't find the recoil to be hard on the wrist at all and with those grips my middle finger doesn't get hammered. However, the checkering is pretty sharp (I got the checkered version) and under recoil I'm afraid they would eat up my baby soft hand before too many rounds. I might knock the peaks off of the checkering. I think the checkering is finished with tongue oil.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the Hogue pau ferro Bantam grips.
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