Recoil reducing wood grips?

[kbm6893]

I have a mint 66-2 that came with wood S&W target grips. I put on rubber Hogues, and the gun feels much nicer to hold and to fire. I prefer the look of wood, though. I know Hogue makes finger groove wood grips. I don't want to break the bank, but does anyone know of a set of wood grips that do the same job in recoil reduction as the rubber ones?

 

[kbm6893]

I have a mint 66-2 that came with wood S&W target grips. I put on rubber Hogues, and the gun feels much nicer to hold and to fire. I prefer the look of wood, though. I know Hogue makes finger groove wood grips. I don't want to break the bank, but does anyone know of a set of wood grips that do the same job in recoil reduction as the rubber ones?

 

[rburg]

Wood doesn't give like Goodyears. That seems to indicate that you won't get any cushion out of them. The best you can hope for is a set that more evenly distributes the shock to your hand.

I have a 45-70 made by Browning. Its a beauty, except that the butt plate is "recoil absorbing steel." Kind of like a chisel or sledge hammer being used on your shoulder.

 

[Andy Taylor]

Every thing is a trade off. With wood grips you can play with the shape of the grip and have something that more evenly distributes the recoil, but you are not going to have the recoil absortion of rubber.
With wood you get a better looking grip and, with the right design, one that is easier to conceal.

 

[Poohgyrr]

Fitz grips were designed back in the revolver heyday of the 1930s. He made at least two designs: one for formal target shooting and one for duty or carry. I'm not that old, but guys who are tell me these were the grips to have.

Below is the only set of wood K frame duty grips I have been able to buy. I have several in N frame size, but this is it for the K frames. There are Fitz synthetic grips (called Duramite)out there, and they work fine, but are not wood.

I still have not tried a set of Spegel's grips, but hope they work as well for me as the Fitz do.

For myself, Hogue Pau Ferro's on a 4" 686 or 4" Security Six work about as well as the Fitz/M19 combo. Problem is the Hogues have a long butt that sticks out too much when I CCW them.

It has to be the way these grips fit my hands, because these Fitz absolutely seem to "reduce" recoil. Hogue Pau Ferros seem to work about as well for me.

Full power loads in this 4" M19 shoot much easier than the factory, Eagle, or some rubber grips. Most other wood grips are cut wrong for me and some actually hurt.

 

[H Richard]

I'm not sure just how S&W had the new grips on the Mod 60-15 designed, but they do handle recoil better than any of the other older factory wood grips I have handled. With full power .357 158 Gr. rounds I never felt that I did not have full control.

 

[Raider]

Wood grips made to fit your hand probably don't actually reduce recoil but they make it easier to manage. The Bill Jordan Herrett Trooper Grips make shooting and controlling the big magnums easier. My preference is well fitting Herrett Roper style grips. Just two of many styles to choose from.

 

[338x74R]

The Jordan Trooper grips made by Herrett's are excellent for recoil reduction. I really enjoy shooting full powder loads from a 4" S&W .44 magnum with these grips.

http://www.herrett-stocks.com/jordontp.htm

However, although they are made to measure, they tend to be too big for double action shooting.

 

[Cruiser RN]

Hi I have Badger wood grips on my 2 1/8ht inch Model 640 357 Magnum.They handle the recoil very well when using full load 357 magnum rounds.They don't absorb recoil but rather have the firearm with well in the hand evenly distributing the recoil.All the best and God Bless......Mike

 

[tjpopkin]

Here's my solution for the 66....
Ahrends grips...about $75.00 new from him...

http://www.ahrendsgripsusa.com

send him a zerox of your hand with fingers spread.....

Terry

 

[Sportsterguy]

Try Ahrends. I think you'll love em. Mine are boot grips and shorter than their standard grip. Even so they don't hurt me with full .357 loads, and look good to the eye.

 

[SJshooter]

I collect more grips than I have guns, all wood and all beautiful. But they are not always the best to shoot with given a certain gun or caliber. So I have rubbers, and I put them on before I shoot at the range, and put the wood back on before I leave. No one knows any better.

Another tip, however, might be to check your grip. Many newer revolver shooters hold the gun way too low, as if they were holding a semi. Get your hand way up at the top of that grip, with the web of your hand coming over the top of the backstrap and the butt of your hand high up on that grip. Your fingers should curl up and around the grip, not horizontal around the grip. Often an adjustment in grip you use helps recoil more than the grips.

 

[lafayne]

I put Hogue Rubber grips on all of my shooters.
I remove the original grips and store them in Zip-Locs with the a card and the serial number of the gun. I use Past shooting gloves which help a lot. I am older now and the hands seem more tender - the skin really is and it doesn't take a lot to bruise.

 

[stevieboy]

Wood is definitely more attractive, but I've never found a wood grip that is as comfortable as rubber. I find Hogue rubbers to be better than wood but not perfect. I tend to grip very high and that puts my pinky finger squarely on top of the bottom projection on the rubber Hogues. I love Uncle Mike's boot grips, they fit my hand as if they were made for it, but they're out of production and increasingly difficult to find.

 

[Golddog]

Older Smith target grips are the worst for recoil. I've found Ahrends and Eagle Classics to be the best in full-size wood, with Hogue wood Bantams to be the best boot grips.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Originally posted by rburg:
Wood doesn't give like Goodyears. That seems to indicate that you won't get any cushion out of them. The best you can hope for is a set that more evenly distributes the shock to your hand.

Agreed. However, on a good day, your flesh is enough cushion if the grips fit your hand correctly. Probably my best recoil-handling grips are the walnut Fishpaws on my snubby 629. They are like Pachmayr Compac Professionals, only slightly fatter.

If you like Hogues in rubber, there's a good chance that you'll like them in wood.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have a set of Badger Combat grips on my M640 and they are more comfortable than rubber even when firing full power .357 Magnum rounds. They are made right and they work!

 

[RonS]

I like wood grips that are not checkered and have a slight palm swell. On a double action revolver a design that is slightly smaller at the bottom of the grip seems to work for me because I like the gun to settle into my hand when fired, wedging itself into my grip. I don't like finger grooves, but that is just an opinion, I want a smooth grip that is rounded and relies on the overall shape. http://www.herrett-stocks.com/album.htm

 

[bhk]

These Nill grips (closed back, finger groove)make my Mountain Gun MUCH less painful to shoot than the original Hogue rubber grips that came with the gun. Wood can be more comfortable, if designed correctly. I put an identical set on my 648, not due to recoil but due to the fact they make the gun so easly to shoot accurately.

 

[Cimarron]

BHK-Where do you get Nill grips. I know he is a German but is there a source in the U.S.?

 

[bhk]

Don't know where they are available now. I have bought three sets. The pictured set was my first and bought at the NRA convention in KC several years ago. The booth was a Nill booth and they had an store/office (and related web page) in Texas at the time. I then bought a set for my 648 and my 35 from the Texas office. A blond German-accented women seemed to do a lot of the work both at the show and at the office. She was efficient and easy to deal with.

The Texas store closed and then someone else (?) began importing the grips. BTW, I saw the blond competing last year at the Bianchi Cup and she was representing the German Team.

The

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

As others have said, I think it's probably a matter of finding well-fitting grips for your hand that will make recoil more bearable and allow you to work with it.

Elmer Keith shot many heavy loads before there was such a thing as squishy rubber grips. He also shot them very accurately. It appears to me that a great part of that was having grips that fit his shooting hand very well (though possibly having nerve damage probably made a difference as well).

 

[Frank V]

I second 338X74Rs suggestion about Herrett's Jordan Trooper stocks. I once had a set on a S&W mod. 29 & they were comfortable. Alas the 29 is gone. Frank

 

[keithherrington]

I've tried countless brands and types. By far the best I've tried are the Nill PPC grips. Pure target but they are fantastic for both control and recoil reduction.

 

[northslope]

The key seems to be how wide the back of the grip is; whether or not it covers the backstrap of the frame is immaterial IMO.

The wider grip distributes to force more evenly across your hand, which is going to *give* more than either wood or rubber.

I love wood grips and have them on all my guns; but I'll tell you I find it hard to backpack in the wilderness with a pair of $180 Nills!

--Neill

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Originally posted by Cimarron:
BHK-Where do you get Nill grips. I know he is a German but is there a source in the U.S.?

Karl Nill has a WEB site set up for sales in the USA. The prices are high but they are probably some of the best grips you will ever use. I recommended Badger grips above because they are in the price range of most shooters including me.

Keith Brown also makes extremely beautiful and functional grips but again, the price is prohibitive. Keith Brown grips are more retro than some others so if you need grips to complete a restoration that's the place to shop.

Craig Spegel is a little more reasonable and also makes outstanding grips. He designed the Uncle Mike's boot and combat grips that come stock on S&W J frame revolvers. Their prices are still just a little too high for me so I stick with Badger grips since they work very well too.