"Feel" of Altamont grips?

[lrrifleman]

Hello! One of the detractions of the demise of local shops and the rise of internet shopping is the inability to handle an item before purchasing without tying up money!

I will be picking up a 686+ 3" shortly, and most likely purchasing a Model 69 in the not too distant future. Sadly, I have been comfortable with the targets that have come with my revolvers, and only ventured into Hogue Monogrips because of the hideous and spongy feel of the rubber monogrip on my 36-6.

My problem is, the stock grips on the 686+ Deluxe are too nice looking for carry, and what I have read of the grips on the 69 is that they are uncomfortable with significant recoil. While I do have a set of L round butt Hogues in reserve, a set of Altamont flat bottom round butt combats (with finger grooves) has caught my attention on the internet.

Has anyone here purchased this particular set of Altamont's and used them with stout 357 rounds or stout 44 Specials? Do these grips tend to be harsh on one's hands?

I do realize that grip "feel" is a subjective matter. Any and all comments would be appreciated!

 

[H Richard]

Pass a gun around your coffee group and see how many like or dislike it (grips). Feel is very subjective and hand size makes a big difference. You can't tell by a picture how they will feel in your hand. I think that's why there are so many used grips on the market. Hopefully someone at your gun club will have a set of the grips you are interested in and will let you handle them.

Good Luck.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Over the last 40 years I've learned there's a big difference in feel from "at the shop" and when you add 2lbs of steel to them...........what feels good in the hand really changes when you add weight.

A lot of the Combat style grips feel good without the weight of the gun....... but push my little finger away from the ring finger.... which I don't like......

I like the Hogue's with the single finger groove but not the most common cut for three fingers.

Good luck...............

 

[andy52]

Is this the style your referring to?, if so I have them on the 24-3 shown and on a pre 15 and find them very comfortable.

 

[TheHobbyist]

If they are as Andy52 has posted, I would recommend just using them. You will get the functional and aesthetic joy of using them. If they start to wear in 5-7 years, buy another set for $75.00. I understand where you are coming from ( a lot of us are into grips way too much!); but you will get way more usage and enjoyment from carrying with these on and in the future can easily replace.

 

[lrrifleman]

Is this the style your referring to?, if so I have them on the 24-3 shown and on a pre 15 and find them very comfortable.

Andy, pretty much so. However, I am looking at the round butt version.

 

[lrrifleman]

@TheHobbyist,
They do look like the one's that caught my eye, except the one's I am looking at are round butt. Usually, I don't accumulate grips. My concern is that more than one reviewer has encountered grip-bite from the S&W installed grips. I just don't want to waste money.

 

[THEmodelof1989]

Hello! One of the detractions of the demise of local shops and the rise of internet shopping is the inability to handle an item before purchasing without tying up money!

I will be picking up a 686+ 3" shortly, and most likely purchasing a Model 69 in the not too distant future. Sadly, I have been comfortable with the targets that have come with my revolvers, and only ventured into Hogue Monogrips because of the hideous and spongy feel of the rubber monogrip on my 36-6.

My problem is, the stock grips on the 686+ Deluxe are too nice looking for carry, and what I have read of the grips on the 69 is that they are uncomfortable with significant recoil. While I do have a set of L round butt Hogues in reserve, a set of Altamont flat bottom round butt combats (with finger grooves) has caught my attention on the internet.

Has anyone here purchased this particular set of Altamont's and used them with stout 357 rounds or stout 44 Specials? Do these grips tend to be harsh on one's hands?

I do realize that grip "feel" is a subjective matter. Any and all comments would be appreciated!

Stock deluxe grips are too nice for carry? They are just laminated dymond (I think that's how they spell it) wood.

Look at the picture I posted. Are these the grips you like? They are talo deluxe round butt grips for a k frame; I'll sell you this very set for $60 shipped, that way you can have a carry set. Send me a private message and we can work out the details if you are interested.

 

[andy52]

Andy, pretty much so. However, I am looking at the round butt version.

I don't have any Altamont's in the round butt version. I'm not sure about the design of the rounds but those I have on my 24-3 have a palm swell similar to a set of cokes but not as thick. As already mentioned they're hard to beat for the price and most new S&Ws come with their products now.

 

[drgbike]

They make several different styles, that feel completely different. Roper style is thinner. Bateleur thicker more combat style. Target no finger gooves. Round butt or square conversion? Small or big hands? If you have other Smiths, im sure you can find a home for many syles, try one, not the kids college fund !

 

[S&W Rover]

Altamonts seem to me to be generally very smooth and almost a bit slippery. That's subjective, of course, but I prefer S&W rubber grips on revolvers, e.g., my 686 and 585. I also have some VZ G-10 "tactical diamonds" grips that are very grippy, which I like on these same guns -- yep, I switch them out from time to time.

I've had a number of Altamont grips, and they provide good value for the money. I once had a pair with a faulty screw boss, and they were great about shipping me another set for free. If you buy a pair of their grips, and don't like them, you can re-sell them on Ebay or S-W Forum classifieds for, I dunno, 75% of what you paid for them. Keep the packaging just in case you decide to re-sell them.

 

[CCantu357]

I recently bought a 586 Classic. It is fitted with beautiful square butt target style grips.I am not sure who makes them for S&W, but I believe they might be Altamonts. While they are well made and look great, they feel horrible. They do not feel anything like the original target stocks from Smith. They are far too thin at the top and too thick at the bottom. Simply put, they are just plain uncomfortable, especially in DA.

 

[sodacan]

I've tried a couple sets of Altamonts. Both had a little wiggle in the fit, which to me was a deal breaker. They look okay, but they are definitely a lower end choice. For not too much more, I would look at Ahrend's stocks. Great fit. Nice wood choices. A little grippier. Nice quality for the price.

 

[CHARLIE699]

+1 on the Ahrends. While I am really into Kim's Cocobolo, they are not produced in that wood any longer. My 4"+ revolvers wear his FG Square. My 2.5 & 3" wear FG RB. Sights come up to a perfect natural point for me. Ordering a set of Ahrends RB Boot today for a recent 64 2" snub. Find someone in your club that has them. I think you will like them.

 

[chief38]

The only real answer is to either purchase or borrow a pair and see how they feel when you shoot the gun with the loads you are carrying. Opinions from us are really meaningless as each persons hand size, sensitivity and subjective opinions will always vary. The good news is they are not all that expensive.

Like most of us, I have gone through a plethora of grips when I carried a Revolver and finally ended up with custom made Ivory made to my personal spec's. They are not the best in soaking up recoil however they eliminated a Tyler T Grip and because they fit me perfectly & I was able to easily handle recoil from Buffalo Bore +P's. This gave me the best combination of concealment, comfort and control for my EDC. While certainly not the best recoil absorbing grips, I did not care for the grippy rubber (rubber grips from several Company's) against my pocket & clothing so I opted to seek out custom made. The Factory Walnut's were good for carry but needed the Tyler T for extra control - still stiff recoil when shooting BB loads. Nothing wrong with the T-Grips, however I always longed for a set of custom made to me hand Ivory.

 

[R*E]

I bought Altamont Coke grips for my 686 and they feel great when I shot with them.

 

[Bangler]

Is this the style your referring to?, if so I have them on the 24-3 shown and on a pre 15 and find them very comfortable.

I've a set of these in Super Rosewood on my 686. They were quite uncomfortable to shoot with in stock form. So were the stock "357" grips that were on the gun from the factory.
After one visit to the range with them on, I took them right back off. They were punishing to shoot, even worse than the stock grips. The problem? Right where they rode, in the web of my hand, they were quite squared off and had sharp corners that dug into my hand.
Finally, about two weeks ago, I thought to myself, "Self (that's what I call myself when I'm talking to myself) you bought the darned things, why don't you just take some sandpaper to them and refinish them so they're more comfy?"
So that's what I did. They will never come off the gun again.
Most likely, OP, you will have to do the same thing. I simply used Tung oil to refinish them. It took me about 45 mins. accumulative to do the work. Most of the time was spent on refinishing. I'd pay anyone $100 that could find a flaw in my work.

 

[THEmodelof1989]

I'd pay anyone $100 that could find a flaw in my work.

Send me the grips and $100 and I'll find a flaw in your work if you really want.

 

[Bangler]

Send me the grips and $100 and I'll find a flaw in your work if you really want.

Oh sure, you'd stomp 'em and say I did it. Lol!