Advice on Wood Grips for my 686-5??

[Col Defender]

Would like to put a nice set of wood finger grip stocks on my 686-5, round butt, L Frame. 2.5" barrel.

Can anyone advise me on particular brands, models, sources and so on?
I know next to nothing about finger grip stocks and would like to be a bit smarter before I go shopping.

I do know there is a "Want to buy" section on this forum but first I feel like I need more info.

(And in the "for sale" sectioon of this forum I see lots of J, K, and N frame grips but not L. Are N and L interchangeable?)

Thanks

Steve

 

[Col Defender]

I just pulled the rubber Hogue Monogrips off the gun to clean it and discovered that on the inside of the grips is the marking "K-Rd".

Now I'm wondering if this means that K frame wooden finger grips will fit it. Maybe the difference in K and L frames is limited to the upper part of the frame and the grip part of the L frame is the same as the grip part of the K frame??

Confused in Missouri

Steve

 

[valkyriekl]

I tend to like Ahrends finger-groove "Tactical" grips:

K and L frame grips are interchangeable, as they use the same grip-frame geometry. J-frame grips are too small to fit on K/L-frames, and N-frame grips are too large (they'll fit, but they'll stick out in places).

I just pulled the rubber Hogue Monogrips off the gun to clean it and discovered that on the inside of the grips is the marking "K-Rd".

Now I'm wondering if this means that K frame wooden finger grips will fit it. Maybe the difference in K and L frames is limited to the upper part of the frame and the grip part of the L frame is the same as the grip part of the K frame??

Confused in Missouri

Steve

That's exactly right--the difference between the L-frame (your 686) and the K-frame is in the upper part of the frame: the K-frame forcing cone (the part of the barrel that 'meets' the cylinder) has a flat part cut there to clear the yoke/cylinder when it closes. Apparently, this was a perceived weak point, especially for hot/fast .357 Magnum loads, so the frame was redesigned to have a full forcing cone with no flat cut. This basically meant moving the barrel up a few fractions of an inch in the frame, which meant that the frame had to be made slightly larger in that dimension, and the cylinder made slightly larger all around. The grip area remained the same, which is why K and L grips can interchange.

 

[exfebee]

The other guys are exactly right ... the K & L frame grips are interchangeable. The N Frame is a bigger one & the J Frame is smaller. Look for a K or a L Frame grip. Grips can be expensive ... especially if you buy several & don't like any of them. Some times you can resell them & some times not. I've had real good luck over on the S&W For Sale Section. Have found good prices & good quality. You really need to study each... some are thin & will slide around in your hand. I went through several until i came back to the S&W Combat Finger Groove wood ones. They fit my hand perfect. They are "bulkier" than some of the others. I particularly like the finger grooves that go around the sides, while some others are just "indented" in the front to represent finger grooves. I don't particularly like rubber ones. Hope you find the "right ones for you". Heres a picture of my 686-4 2.5 inch snubby with the S&W Grips.
Carl

 

[foureyes]

Depending on how much you want to spend, Hogue has nice grips. See Hogue, Inc. | www.getgrip.com | The finest gun grips, rifle stocks and accessories for pics and prices. Just be sure to get round butt grips for your 686-5.

 

[Col Defender]

That's a beautiful gun Carl = and thanks to everyone for all the good advice.

Steved

 

[dairycreek]

Had these Hogues on my 686 Snubby for several years. They have worked well!

 

[KMB]

Karl Nill makes some beautiful and ergonomic grips. They are very nice, but expensive. Hogue has some nice designs as well. Hogues are cheaper than Nills but can still run $100+. I am very fond of Hogue grips that came with the 686 I bought last fall. The original owner said that he paid $130 for them.

 

[Swabby]

I have a pair of square butt Hogues on my M19, but that's because I couldn't afford S&W combats after purchasing the gun. I think the original S&W finger grooved combats are the coolest, but they are getting more expensive every year. If you can find a nice pair of K/L frame round butts, that's what I would suggest. PS - the Hogues work just fine for about half the price.

 

[HAWKEYE10]

I like these Hogues on my square butt 686. Don

 

[kennyb]

I have a pair of square butt Hogues on my M19, but that's because I couldn't afford S&W combats after purchasing the gun. I think the original S&W finger grooved combats are the coolest, but they are getting more expensive every year. If you can find a nice pair of K/L frame round butts, that's what I would suggest. PS - the Hogues work just fine for about half the price.

i'll plus one on the S&W fingergroove combats..they fit my hand well and really dress the gun up...as mentioned they aren't getting cheaper so buy a few pair while you can...i just picked up a model 29-3 44 mag.today...thankfully the original owner left the fingergroove combats on it

 

[cptdco]

If I remember how to post pictures correctly, here's my 686-5 5 inch with Hogue grips.

 

[Dragonfly]

My favourite K/L Frame round-butt wodden grips are Ahrends "Retro Banana" grips. They feel great without adding a lot of bulk and I like the look too.

 

[yugolovr]

I for one like the grips made by Ahrends. I have his finger groove grips on my standard barrel model 10. I find that the finger grooves help in the snappier recoil in the lighter model 10. On all my other guns I put on retro target grips also offered by Ahrends.

 

[H Richard]

These Hogue's have been on my 686 since about 1987.

 

[rollin_hot]

Grips

Factory grips for me.....

 

[a357magnum]

These are the "lamo camo" from Hogue (round to square conv.)
Middle one is a 686-6

What did you decide on?