Can a grip hold you back?

[DeadWhiteGoose]

I have a 686+ Pro with 5" barrel and still have the stock Hogue rubber monogrip. It's a soft grip and can be comfortable, but it might hold me back. It's my understanding that your suppose to grip a gun as high on the back strap as you can without interfering with the hammer. Well the finger grooves in the rubber grips are comfortable but seem to force me to grip a little lower than I think you're suppose to. I'm 6'3 and have pretty big hands. I'm looking to buy some wood grips and was wanting some advice on the subject. Would getting round butt grips help? I kind of like how they look and my gun is a round butt. The rubber grips are conversions. Also, should I just give up on finger grooves? Or would say, some ahrends or smith and wesson factory combat grips suit me better than the hogues? Thank you guys, I value any opinions I can get

 

[indiandave]

I have Eagle Heritage grips on my 686+. They convert the round grips into classic square gips. They look nice and they shoot nice. I have pretty big meat hooks too and they work out well for me. Got them on a 28-2 also.

 

[murphydog]

You can try several different types at a dealer or gun show before buying, and I believe there are still a few stock makers (such as Herrett's) that will custom-build ones for you based on your hand size.

How to order gun stocks

I have generic-size hands so have not bought from them. Good luck in your search.

 

[Pisgah]

Regardless of what any "expert" may say, what you are "supposed" to do is what works best for you, all rules of thumb and "best-ways" aside. Try the grip and if it works, good; if not, try something else.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

It's my understanding that your suppose to grip a gun as high on the back strap as you can without interfering with the hammer.

I don't buy that. Aside from the fact that such a one-sided statement doesn't say anything about where your trigger finger will end up or how it's bent, it also ignores the fact that some revolvers can be gripped high enough that there isn't enough backstrap left to keep the gun from rolling excessively on recoil. The quoted statement, while not completely baseless, is actually obviously false, as can be seen from the tremendous number of folks who have bought grip adapters.

I believe that if the Hogue grips are comfortable and allow proper placement of the finger on the trigger, you are probably luckier than some folks, and may never find better grips. Let your experience be your guide, and don't waste money on other grips without at least trying them out to see how they feel.

 

[DustyJacket]

One thing to look at is most people buy too big a grip.

Look at where the heel of the grip is, and where your finger is on the trigger, and what happens to the front sight as you slowly pull the trigger through a DA cycle or two. (Empty would be best )

With my (ex) Python, I shot much better with dinky pre-war grips than the huge good looking grips that it came with, and my hands are not small.

 

[H Richard]

The most important thing about grips is that they allow you to "consistently" grip the gun the same way every time. Grips made to fit your hand is usually money well spent if you are into any kind of competition. There are grip mfg's that will build you grips to fit by you sending in a zerox of your hand with several measurements in specific locations. I have a pair of Hogue wood grips on a 686 that were fit by Guy Hogue back in the 80's, and it is the best fitting revolver I have. If you ever get a chance to observe any Olympic pistol shooters guns, you will see grips that are not very pretty, having body putty, grind marks, etc. in various locations, but they are made to fit their hands for very precise shooting.

 

[Brevity]

These are what you should look for in a grip.

1. Are they comfortable?
2. Do they fit your hands?
3. Do you shoot accurately with them?
4. Can you control the recoil?

As far as I'm concerned, these matter, not what anyone 'suggests' or has for their criteria.

I have a 625-10, with the Eagle grips and the big Hogues.
What do I have on for grips? An old pair of UGLY
Pachmayr RB grips simply because they meet my criteria.

 

[vytoland]

you may like wood grips, but if you have large hands, give pachmayr "presentation" grips a try. they have no finger grooves and allow you to place your hands where they are most comfortable.

perhaps you can "get the feel" of a pachmayr presentation grip at your local gun dealer, before having to purchase. they are currently produced in "large" size only. but are frequently offered in the discontinued "small" size on ebay.

 

[photoman]

The idea behind the high grip is to reduce felt recoil and muzzle rise. I suspect a 5" Model 686 doesn't have a whole lot of either. Grip the gun in a manner that suits you best.

 

[Joe in SC]

Grips should be chosen for hand fit and the type of shooting you plan on doing. A revolver's grip used strictly for defense or double action shooting will be different from target grips where all the shooting is single action and fairly slow. Good, fast and accurate double action shooting does generally require a bit higher grip and fuller finger position on the trigger.

Not much discussion about revolver grip types anymore since shooting games have changed so much. Back when bullseye shooting was all the rage and police carried only revolvers there was a never ending supply of speciality grips. Bullseye transitioned to autos and not too many years later autos became the standard in police guns.

Back then good custom grip makers required an outline of your hand so critical dimensions could be proportioned correctly. I think some still require the outline.

We mostly see magnas and targets here because they are the factory standard. Neither are perfect for double or single action. The targets are beautifully designed for looking at with the flared bottom and semi-circular flare at the top. Add the awesome grained tropical woods and they are a delight to the eye. Ergonomically they are a train wreck. For shooting double action and some limited single action the grips by Fuzzy Farant and similar were probably the cat's meow. Collectors don't like the guns altered for their use because of the frame cut.

If you have large hands, probably the Jordan grip would be something for you to look at. Herrett's sell these and will still build you a custom sized grip, I think. Blu Magnum will properly proportion a grip for you, too. Look to pay a hefty premium for custom sized grips. Looking for a good fit is half the fun.

 

[scooter123]

As noted, custom hand fitted grips can be a real asset for high level competition shooters. However in the case of Olympic level shooters we are talking about people with skills that most of us can only dream about gaining. Frankly, for the average weekend handgunner I don't see any real benefit of having some custom fitted grips made. One issue is that there may be a bit of conflict between the person doing the fitting and the person actually shooting with those grips. Another issue is that most of us will gain more by simply shooting more often.

That said, I find the standard Hogue monogrip to be sized more appropriately to a womens hand. Try this test, put your index finger to the trigger with the crease of the first joint aligned with the side of the trigger and your remaining trigger on the grip. Now see if the palm of your hand is in contact with the palm swell on the grip. If it's not, you need a larger grip. One that I can recomend is the 500 Magnum monogrip, it's just a bit wider and the covered backstrap increases the reach to the trigger to eliminate the hand "cupping" too much. Another option is one of Pahchmayr's grips, they were a Police standby during the period when police officers carried revolvers and are very good fitting grips. BTW, the Pachmayr Gripper is my goto grip for square butt grip frames, for the round butt grip frame it's the 500 monogrip. As for fit, I find the 500 monogrip a better fit but the Pachmayr Gripper is a close second. I'll also mention that I've tried the Pachmayr Decelerator but feel the compound used to be a bit too soft for good recoil management.

As for those recomendation for "as high as possible" a grip on the revolver, I take that with a touch of skepticism. With these revolvers that means that the web of your shooting hand will be level with the "knuckle" at the top of the backstrap. To me that is a very natural way to grip these revolvers and I don't see any way of going any higher without running the risk of losing control during recoil. Quite simply it's a bit of a statement of the obvious that likely leads some to think they are doing something wrong when they are not.

 

[358156hp]

The high grip is usually recommended for fast double-action shooting. I have a set of finger groove Goncalo Alves Hogue grips on my 686, and shoot bowling pins with a high grip. I may go back to rubber Hogues next season, I'm not certain. Wood grips squirm a bit too much for my liking, but do allow for grip adjustments as you shoot. For slower, more deliberate shooting, I grip the revolver much lower anyway, where the grips the most comfortable.