J Frame Grips

[egraetze]

First time posting, long time S&W revolver owner.
I just purchase a J Frame 642. I have read suggestions to change out the grips to wood if intending to pocket carry to allow for easier drawing. I see S&W round butt checkered, square butt checkered, combat grips and a variety of Hogue grips. My hands are average sized and I don't mind recoil. Any suggestions for guidance is appreciated.

 

[Cal44]

I suggest giving the stock grips a chance before changing them out.

They work fine with pocket carry for me.

Grips are personal choices.

Ask three people, and you will get three (or four) different recommendations.

 

[dr. K]

Ask three people, and you will get three (or four) different recommendations.

... And here's one of em: try Altamont grips. If you go to their site and select Smith and Wesson, then round butt J-Frames, they have great descriptions and pictures of their products. Not terribly expensive, ranging from practical to beautiful and practical, good range of sizes and styles. I've been happy with their options, and find those descriptions pretty accurate. They make a lot of OEM stocks directly for Smith as well.

 

[fedoff]

I have a 442 and recently replaced the stock grips with a pair of Pachmayr Diamond Pro. They are really comfortable and cushion the recoil on 38 P+ better than the stock grips. I have fairly good size hands and am able to get most of my hand on the grip.

I think I paid $19 on e-Bay. It is also available on Amazon. It is a little larger than the stock grip, but the print is not noticeable in a pocket holster.

 

[6thtexas]

I suggest giving the stock grips a chance before changing them out.

They work fine with pocket carry for me.

Grips are personal choices.

Ask three people, and you will get three (or four) different recommendations.

This in spades.

But FWIW, I have large hands and the regular S&W small grips with an adapter work the best for me as a compromise between concealabilty and recoil control

 

[Houlton]

J FRAME WOOD

If you decide you want the old factory wood grips let me know.. I think I may have an old set. Might take awhile to find. If you look up "pack rat "in the dictionary they just show my picture.

 

[BigMoneyGrip]

I have a pair of Eagles on a 642 and a pair of Ahrends on a M&P 340. I much prefer the Ahrends.

 

[eveled]

For my 442, I use Barami hip grips, gives the option of carrying without a holster but does not interfere with holster use. No problem shooting +p with them. The hook also bumps out the trigger finger making them feel bigger than they are. Barami Hip-Grip - Home

My 340 pd has the cushiest crimson trace grips available, no problem with magnums.

My model 60 has pachmayr grips on it, until I find a set of factory woods for it.

IMHO, unless you want a hook, or a laser, or something fancy looking, there is no reason to change from the factory grips that came on the 642.

Those strange looking delta ergo grips look interesting too, people either love or hate them.DELTA GRIP

 

[Bastogne71]

Grips are like women. Everyone knows which one they like to hold best! I prefer the extended grips the I can get my little finger on. Usually wear deep pocket cargo pants, so concealment is no problem. See if you can try the feel of some different J grips at your gun store, range, or friends revolvers.

 

[Backlighting]

Not wanting to add ANY weight or SIZE to my 638 I'm leaving the stock grips on it and putting a T-Grip on. With extensive practice I expect to handle the kick and get reasonable groups at short ranges.
What a nice, lightweight & small package...perfect in my DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster.

 

[Wsmitty01]

Just put these on my 60 Pro, great feel and they cover the backstrap! Altamont BATELEUR

 

[ContinentalOp]

What works best for me are Spegel boot grips. They're not bulky but fill my hands nicely. I also like that the "ears" go up the full height of the grip frame.

Another option are PGS Hideout grips. They're very low profile, about the size of magnas with a little bit of the front of the grip frame covered (i.e., the front strap of the grips aren't quite as thick as Tyler T-Grips). They're inexpensive plastic grips but are good quality. I've used them on K-frames with good results. I believe they're ~$20 from Brownells. The only downside to the J-frame models is that you have to modify the left grip panel to get clearance with speedloaders, but it's only an issue if you use speedloaders.

 

[Ozark Marine]

I recently bought a 642-1. Took it to the range and hated the thing. Not enough to grip. I was firing Freedom 158gr. This is my first revolver. How can I tell it's a round or square butt. LGS had a limited supply of grips. By the date on the fired brass packet it was fired 9/22/15.
Dumb question I know, but semi's are what I've always owned and fired.

 

[326MOD10]

To the OP's question I am not a big fan of the new Smith&Wesson grips on their J frames. I like to go with the older Uncle Mikes Boot grips that they used to come with.

I have carried my 642 with them for 15+ years and never had an issue with them grabbing on anything. They also work with speed loaders if you want to use them, while the new ones do not.

They used to have them in the closeout section on the S&W Website but just checked and it looks like they are out.

To the last question about round or square butt if it is a newer 642 it should be a round butt.

 

[Coastie762]

Ozark Marine, Your 642-1 is a round butt. I think all current model J-frames like yours are only being produced with the round butt.

 

[egraetze]

Thanks for all the recommendations. Will try the stock grips for a while as I have only shot 100 rounds since purchase a week ago and am satisfied with them so far other than the fact that the speed loaders I bought don't clear the grips. Will need to give quick strips a try.
Now I need to settle on pocket holster....DeSantis Nemesis, Bianchi 152, or Mika round or square cut? I really don't care to gather a half dozen holsters to only leave most gathering dust or mold. Once settled and carrying with a pocket holster I will see how the grips work out, which was my main concern reading about it.
The problem is that local shops don't have grips or pocket holsters to try in person. Even the bigger national stores don't carry even one type let alone a selection.

 

[sarg1c]

My 637 came with rubber grips as most do today,pocket carry was no problem except speed loaders would not work with them.I bought a set of wood S&W j frame grips and speed loaders worked fine. Now I went back to the rubber and use speed strip which work fine...

 

[ContinentalOp]

I really don't care to gather a half dozen holsters to only leave most gathering dust or mold.

You might get lucky and find the right holster with your first try, but most people, me included, have to figure out what works by trial-and-error. There's a reason people often speak of having a "holster box" or a "holster drawer" full of holsters they tried that didn't work. FWIW, you could probably sell holsters that don't work out for you.

As for pocket holsters, I have a DeSantis Nemesis that works ok, but I find it bulkier than what I'd like. I'll probably try a Mika pocket holster at some point, as I've read that they break-in nicely. At some point I'd like to try one of the minimalist leather pocket holsters I've seen, such as the one made by Bell Charter Oak, to see if it's any better. I've also considered looking at kydex pocket holsters, but I'm concerned they might have too much retention on the gun. However, I rarely pocket carry so right now it's just not worth it to me to experiment with pocket holsters.

 

[Jessie]

I like the stock rubber grips on the 442 but it does tend to grab fabric sometimes. That's why I prefer a good set of wood grips. Checkered doesnt really matter as far as the draw, but the wood grips will
not snag on clothes/pocket.

 

[Waywatcher]

The current factory rubber grips are junk, really. Their shape precludes speed loaders. Plus they're heavy.

The old Spegel design boot grips are much better, Hogue are decent, and Crimson trace boot grips are the best since they incorporate a laser.