The Model 69 I got a couple months ago has undergone some grip changes but I'm liking it more each time I take it out.
The factory grips felt nice but don't cushion any, the rubber is pretty hard. Trigger reach with the factory grips is a tiny bit of a stretch for me.
I found some Hogue round butt grips at the LGS, soft rubber and no material covering the backstrap, so good reach with my average hands. But ugly rubber.
I then bought some Hogue Cocobolo grips, smooth, no finger groove ones that are RB to SQ conversion.
They seemed really long, so I decided to take some off the bottom of the grip and round that area some. The Hogues have a palm swell (which I like), but the grip flared out wider again at the bottom, (which I don't like), so I removed that flare.
Also took some off the top so speed loaders would clear better, but I didn't take enough.
The Hogues still feel a bit big for my hands, so I'll probably do some more surgery on them. One of these days they'll feel right.
Was trying some loads I did up with Accurate #7 powder and Hornady 240 XTPs.
14.5 was the recommended starting load, but both the Marlin carbine and the S&W shot the best with 14.7 grs.
Yee-hah, finally found a load that both guns like ! First time that has happened.
All the other charge weights were more like 2 1/2" groups.
Smith shot at 25 yards and the Marlin at 50 yards.
5 shots each (the left most hole with the Marlin group is two shots).
Reading old threads about the 69 after I got mine, almost everyone said you HAVE to get the Hogue Tamer grips originally made for the 500.
If this thing slammed the web of my hand like my 629s and Redhawk did, yes, I'd need some cushy grips.
But this just jumps up when I shoot it, (boy does it jump up !).
However, not much rotating in your hand at all and no pain from the top of the grip frame coming back.
The other day I grabbed a box of my loads, and instead of the 240 XTP loaded with 8.0 grs of Universal, had ones loaded with 19.0 grs. of Accurate #9.
I had loaded several boxes of the stouter load for the carbine but figured I'd just go ahead and shoot them out of the revolver.
They were real blasty, but comfortable out of the 69.
No pain at all, even with hard wood grips.
The Marlin with both a recoil pad and porting is very nice to shoot even with heavy loads, and the Model 69 has also surprised me with how tame it is for a lighter weight .44 Mag.
When I go into the mountains north of me (lots of Black bears) the 69 will come along instead of the .45 Shield.
The factory grips felt nice but don't cushion any, the rubber is pretty hard. Trigger reach with the factory grips is a tiny bit of a stretch for me.
I found some Hogue round butt grips at the LGS, soft rubber and no material covering the backstrap, so good reach with my average hands. But ugly rubber.
I then bought some Hogue Cocobolo grips, smooth, no finger groove ones that are RB to SQ conversion.
They seemed really long, so I decided to take some off the bottom of the grip and round that area some. The Hogues have a palm swell (which I like), but the grip flared out wider again at the bottom, (which I don't like), so I removed that flare.
Also took some off the top so speed loaders would clear better, but I didn't take enough.
The Hogues still feel a bit big for my hands, so I'll probably do some more surgery on them. One of these days they'll feel right.
Was trying some loads I did up with Accurate #7 powder and Hornady 240 XTPs.
14.5 was the recommended starting load, but both the Marlin carbine and the S&W shot the best with 14.7 grs.
Yee-hah, finally found a load that both guns like ! First time that has happened.
All the other charge weights were more like 2 1/2" groups.
Smith shot at 25 yards and the Marlin at 50 yards.
5 shots each (the left most hole with the Marlin group is two shots).
Reading old threads about the 69 after I got mine, almost everyone said you HAVE to get the Hogue Tamer grips originally made for the 500.
If this thing slammed the web of my hand like my 629s and Redhawk did, yes, I'd need some cushy grips.
But this just jumps up when I shoot it, (boy does it jump up !).
However, not much rotating in your hand at all and no pain from the top of the grip frame coming back.
The other day I grabbed a box of my loads, and instead of the 240 XTP loaded with 8.0 grs of Universal, had ones loaded with 19.0 grs. of Accurate #9.
I had loaded several boxes of the stouter load for the carbine but figured I'd just go ahead and shoot them out of the revolver.
They were real blasty, but comfortable out of the 69.
No pain at all, even with hard wood grips.
The Marlin with both a recoil pad and porting is very nice to shoot even with heavy loads, and the Model 69 has also surprised me with how tame it is for a lighter weight .44 Mag.
When I go into the mountains north of me (lots of Black bears) the 69 will come along instead of the .45 Shield.
Last edited:
