Looking for advice on 642 grips

[dhandler]

I've been training on my new 642 and getting used to its kick - I recently changed out the stock rubberized grips for a nice pair of wood grips, but wow (and ouch) - can my hands feel the difference! It definitely "hurts" more than it did with the original grips.

Should I just go back to the stock grips, get a better set of Hogue rubber grips, or is there a set of good looking wood grips out there that won't make my hands sting after a few rounds? I don't think my hand hold has changed *that* much since switching to the new grips. (Maybe all these years of avoiding hard labor has just left me with overly soft hands! LOL)

(For the curious, Smith & Wesson S&W J Frame Grips Boot Style `Santos Rosewood' Round Butt New | eBay these are the grips I got)

Thanks for any advice!

 

[kaaskop49]

Pachmayr RB-J Compacs: their grip for the round-butt J-frame guns. They do cushion the recoil impact. They were heaven sent when they appeared in the 70s, allowing us to accurately shoot J-frames which came with the tiny Magna grips of the era. They DO add weight to the gun, too much for me, but not too excessive if recoil cushioning is your purpose.

Pachmayr may produce a Decelerator model for the RB-J, but I am not up on their product line. Seems quality has fallen off on many of their grips. BTW, most of us have a drawer full of grips that did not work out. But not me. It's "drawers!"

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[kscharlie]

I swapped out the original boot grips for Hogue Tamer grips on my 642. They made a huge difference and +P ammo is even fun to shoot now. Still quite stiff recoil, but no hurt.

 

[dhandler]

BTW, most of us have a drawer full of grips that did not work out. But not me. It's "drawers!"
Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I have already started on my "holster drawer", but I didn't think I'd have to free up space for a "grip drawer" as well! LOL!

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into them!

-DH

 

[GeoJelly]

I swapped the S&W boot grips that came with each of my 442's with Smith's (now discontinued, I think) rubber kinda-sorta banana grip. I picked my last one up on fleaBay - there were several available there the last time I looked. It's longer than the boot grip - but really dampens recoil for me ...

 

[two-bit cowboy]

As kscharlie said the Hogue Tamer is a dream on Centennial models, but if you like wood and don't mind "getting what you pay for," give the Karl Nill grips for Centennials a try. Great control. No pain. Feels like a K-frame.

 

[oneounceload]

Ugly, but functional, is the Ergo grip "Delta" for J frames; it really puts your wrist at a better angle to handle the recoil - especially when shooting hotter +P loads.

ERGO DELTA GRIP™ - ERGO Grips

Not as big as others, but still easily good for pocket carry.

 

[dwhite]

Ugly, but functional, is the Ergo grip "Delta" for J frames

That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen attached to a gun. And mine's arriving today from Lanbo's Black Friday sale. Too many great reviews of the results to ignore trying it; especially at $16.

Did I mention it's ugly

 

[Old cop]

I prefer rubber for extended range sessions, 50 + rounds, and wood for EDC. If something goes down you will not notice the recoil and wood does not get hung up in your clothing when trying to draw the weapon from concealment.

 

[oneounceload]

That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen attached to a gun. And mine's arriving today from Lanbo's Black Friday sale. Too many great reviews of the results to ignore trying it; especially at $16.

Did I mention it's ugly

Great price! Let us know how you like or dislike them.

 

[HardlyAble2]

Really like these Pach Diamond Pros, more hand filling than others i've tried. Don't seem to take up any more room in the pocket...

 

[RGVshooter]

Honestly I think the rubber grips that came with my new 642 are fine the way they are.

 

[GerSan69]

Don't let "fashion" dictate whether or not shooting your gun is comfortable. There's always plenty of good-natured ribbing over choosing to put rubber instead of wood on a gun, but your needs should dictate what you use.
I'm a user of Hogue's rubber boot grip on my 640 as well as my 2" 64. They give me a reasonable amount of recoil absorption and ergonomics that just seem to fit my hands. I have wood on my others, but I wouldn't hesitate to change out to rubber grips if I decided to put one in my rotation. Incidentally, I've never personally noticed any of the oft-noted problems with overgarments "sticking" to them. I suspect that's more a function of what clothing item you use for concealment, as well as what holster you use, instead of the grips themselves.

 

[Old cop]

Some brands of rubber grips seem to be stickier than others and there’s no way to know until you try them out. For me I like something that fills in the backstrap and found a set of wood Herritts Shooting Ace grips, w/a grip adapter, work w/o compromising pocket carry.

 

[Bill In Texas]

I'm trying the Original Uncle Mike's boot grips on my 637-2. I haven't been to the range with them yet, but I have a set on my 640-1 and they feel great with the 642's brother.

I guess I also need to say that I'm not very sensitive to felt recoil. It's not the reason I went with a different set of stocks. I'm trying to find something that fills my palm a little better that the stock grips.

 

[haywood]

The Hogue Tamers on my 442 took the bite out of the Recoil for me. They are a little slimmer than the Compact Pachmyers that I have on my 36. (Bottom Guns)

 

[eb07]

I put some gt-500 grip tape on the backstrap and went with altamont boot grips and found it worked great with my busted up hand. I am not a fan of the rubber grips.

 

[jnichols2]

All my carry revolvers have Hogue Rubber, full size.

It's not just the recoil hurting your hands, a slippery grip can turn a 3" group into 6", or even more. You need to control your gun, that's why all the western gunslingers wore gloves.

I do have wooden grips on a couple of collector guns that I'll never carry, but for the others, Hogue rubber.

 

[oldiesradio1560]

I tried different Hogue and Pac grips and got the Web hand bite every time. Went back to the rubber factory 3 finger grips on my 640-3. Today I traded my 640-3 for a new 640 Pro Series. The 640 Pro comes with the rubber boot grips. I kept my factory 3 finger rubber grips that had seen better days. The 640-3 was made in 2012 so they were well used. Anyway, I ordered for my new 640 Pro a new set of 3 finger 640-3 grips from Smith for $27.95 & normal $6.50 shipping. If you're interested the Smith Part # is 41304000 and can be ordered over the phone by talking to Smith customer service.

 

[creekman]

Hogue Tamer Grips

I believe another post said the same, but these have helped with recoil on my 642 enhanced action