eBay Grip Woes

[brokenprism]

Not the price -- you can still do OK (I think) -- the fit. No one seems to know how to photograph N frame targets, or they do know, and they deliberately choose angles to hide the fact that one or both peaks at the panel rear will not reach up into or fill the frame hump! Bugs the ever livin' snot out of me! Most sellers have plausible deniability because they may be relatives or opportunists who know nothing about guns, and no one ever seems to have an N frame to try them on (right...) and report one way or the other. So I buy, pay shipping, and then pay another $10 to ship back with delivery conf and insurance. I study the pics and I know what to look for, but I was fooled ten bucks' worth today. Wouldn't be so bad if the majority of sellers didn't act like they were selling Picassos.

 

[gdnagle]

That's why they say caveat emptor. Sometimes you get a good deal sometime you get raked over the coals. Sometimes the seller will eat one of the shipping charges. I guess your isn't one of them.

 

[Old cop]

I've never purchased from EBay so cannot comment but I have purchased only from this site for grips & other stuff. Not one problem ever, honest folks here.

 

[Northwoods Trader]

I've had excellent experiences buying Ahrends grips from a seller on eBay who's user name is Gripseller. You can't go wrong with these grips.

 

[brokenprism]

I tried Ahrends but they don't fit me well. I have a thing for factory stock anyway.

I haven't been burned on eBay (well, once I bought an N set that was really a K) and I'm not blaming sellers so much (though I wish they'd go the extra mile and certify fit). I really blame S&W for making so many sets that fail to follow the basic profile of the frame. How hard is that?! Until the mid 80s, multiple craftsmen managed to make grips that fit. From what I can tell, the late 60s and early 70s N frame magnas were apparently shaped on the frame during polishing. It spoils you for the 'swing shift' employees.

I looked here. I just got a PM offer of some kind; will follow it up. I'm sure there are AWESOME sets here, and few could say they have no N frame to try them on : )

 

[chief38]

When ever I buy something on Flebay, I will immediately pass on any item that has blurry or poor photos. I do NOT think it is by accident that the photos are so poor!

When I sell on ebay (once in a while), I make sure my photos are crisp and clear. I have 100% positive feedback, and that's the way I want to keep it. Before purchasing an item, you should ALWAYS check the feedback of the seller.

 

[SemperFi1]

I've had excellent experiences buying Ahrends grips from a seller on eBay who's user name is Gripseller. You can't go wrong with these grips.

+1 on Gripseller. They have outstanding customer service and a great selection of grips. I requested to exchange a set of grips because they were too large for my hand and sent them an email. They responded within an hour and promptly refunded my money so I could purchase another set of grips.

 

[at_liberty]

You think that's a crapshoot, try buying holsters listed for a family of guns instead of something specific. If you have a Smith, you generally have the standard and will be satisfied.

 

[brokenprism]

I'll give [most] eBay sellers this: they can be very helpful and polite. A grip seller texted me pics of his grips mounted on a frame. Sadly, there was plenty of sideplate metal showing where wood should have been, but at least he saved me the heartache of another return. He said the imperfections of wood are among the things he likes about it. ; ) Mm-hmm.

A forum member came forward to ease my suffering, so I'm good now.

 

[DR505]

I just last week bought these Ahrend's Target Stocks (with finger grooves) for my 625-7 from Gripseller. Terry is a great vendor and the stocks (Cordia) fit beautifully and feel perfect in hand.

 

[Bill Douglas]

Wow, nice looking gun there DR505. I'm loving that strong grain and gold with the silver.

 

[BCDWYO]

I'm a big fan of the Ahrends stocks too...have them on all my Mountain Guns:

 

[DR505]

Wow, nice looking gun there DR505. I'm loving that strong grain and gold with the silver.

Here is a close-up:

 

[brokenprism]

Very nice wood on that! If S&W had used wood like that 30 yrs ago, they'd be $300 now.

I'll say this for Ahrends (and Culina) their grips fit the frame the way a frame is supposed fit! The one time I tried Ahrends was for a 3" 629, so the fit to my hand really wasnt tested by a full, conventional shape. I know he makes retros, for example, and they might fit perfectly. I would expect so, given the obvious high quality of his work. At that point though, on a full size N frame (which I normally select from a narrow manufacturing era window -- nothing after 85), I'd want factory grips just for the stock look. The factory targets fill my hand perfectly. I like the look of magnas too, but I have to grip higher in order to hold onto the gun. A Tyler T is the answer to that, but I can never seem to find one.