Round or Square Butt

[vospertw]

I’m no expert on Smith revolvers, my dad is a Ruger guy so have several in my collection that he gave me and one lonely J-frame. I was at my LGS yesterday and he showed me a -5, 4”, 7 shot 686 that he had taken on consignment a few hours earlier. From my later research, I see there are round and square butt models and sounds like the round butt is better for smaller hands like mine, at least from the standpoint of finding aftermarket grips.

Two questions - is that a true statement about the frames and if so, how can you tell without taking the grip off? This gun is wearing a factory Hogue- style grip.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DD357]

I don't have large hands (use a medium glove for archery as an example) and I find a square butt K/L with Hogue grips works for me fine. Now some of the larger grips get to be a bit much.

 

[CH4]

The -5 686 you speak of is definitely a round butt. Smith used to make both, but stopped making square butt frames circa the mid to late '90s.

 

[Dieseltech56]

The early -4s were the last of the square butts. I prefer square butts for shooting, all my pre lock L/N frames are square.

 

[dubshooter]

I can shoot either just fine. I have square butt model 10 4” and round 2” model 10. Can grip and shoot them both fine. My hand prefers a round butt. Best way to tell you is hold them and see what fits best. Or get a round butt and get the grips that make a round frame feel like a square.

 

[AveragEd]

To quickly tell if an S&W revolver has a round or sqaure butt while wearing stocks that appear to be for a square butt, look at the grip frame at the rear. If it goes inside the stocks as it flows downward, the gun has a round butt.

I much prefer square butt guns mainly because I like the old S&W target stocks for those guns. Many have exceptional wood figure and you can't get that today without buying costly custom aftermarket stocks. Plus, they haven't been made for something on the order of 25 years.

The Hogue Monogrip for round butt guns is as comfortable as a square butt version so for shooting comfort, there is little difference in that regard. In fact, my primary hunting revolver is a 629-3 Classic DX with a five-inch barrel and a round butt. But for looks, nothing beats a square butt wearing attractive target stocks.

Ed

 

[BAM-BAM]

Weren't all/ some of the -5s .38s for export?

 

[Old cop]

My glove size is XL so square butt is better for me, but with the selection of aftermarket grips you can make almost anything work.

 

[Cal44]

On J frames, I shoot the square butt models better. They just fit my hand well.

The round butt Js work OK, but not quite as nicelyl.

The round butts conceal slightly better, but for me in pocket carrying both work OK.

 

[old bear]

I have some of each frame style and I don't notice any difference when shooting. I do use a grip adapter with all my revolvers that have magna style grips.

 

[yep380]

I prefer my Js to have round butts because I feel they carry in the pocket better. I can shoot them just fine at the distances they're intended for.

For shooting a coupla hundred rounds, I prefer to be hanging to a square butt, especially with larger (than j) frame revolvers such as a 586/686.

 

[OttoLoader]

Frame runs boot grip. 686-6 round butt conversion to square butt.

 

[vospertw]

All - sorry for the delay in responding and thanks for the information. I greatly appreciate it.

 

[Mark IV]

"I like round butts and I cannot lie......"

(sorry, I couldn't resist )

 

[75Vette]

"I like round butts and I cannot lie......"

(sorry, I couldn't resist )

You've been to Shane's BBQ!!!!

 

[one eye joe]

with the selection of aftermarket grips you can make almost anything work.

I HAVE TO ROLL WITH THE Old cop ON THIS ONE. I FAVOR AHRENDS TACTICAL CONVERSION STOCKS, THAT CONVERT A ROUND BUTT FRAME TO A SQUARE BUTT GRIP. THESE ARE ALL SMOOTH, OIL FINISHED, MORADILLO WOOD......

 

[Mark IV]

You've been to Shane's BBQ!!!!

Nope, never heard of it, but it sounds like I inadvertently borrowed a line from them.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

My first s&w revolver, a m17 "classic", came with classic magnas, which I do not care for. So, I went to the LGS and bought a hogue grip (single piece) for a square butt revolver. I knew that there was a difference between the two, so I made sure that the m17 was square butt, and bought the right package.

I went home, and spent a half an hour trying to put the grips on. It was so frustrating because they almost fit, but I could not get it to slide on the whole way. I watched a few videos on line, tried again and again. I finally gave up.

I took the grips back and had the LGS owner try to put them on. He quickly spotted the problem--they were for a round butt S&W. The factory had put the wrong grip in the package! Talk about frustrating. And talk about the last hogue product I bought for a very long time.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

THESE ARE ALL SMOOTH, OIL FINISHED, MORADILLO WOOD......

AHRENDS GRIPS ARE NORMALLY FINISHED WITH A POLYURETHANE, NOT OIL. YOU CAN GET AN OIL FINISH FROM HIM AS AN UPGRADE. I'VE GOT FIVE OR SIX PAIRS AND HAVE REFINISHED (OR BOUGHT THEM UNFINISHED) ALL OF THEM WITH A TUNG OIL VARNISH BLEND. THEY ARE VERY NICE GRIPS.

 

[zogger]

Everyone is different. I have smaller sized hands but on the three guns of mine that are round butt, I have put square butt grips on them. In two cases, I actually have sq butt grips on the rnd butt. These are regular sqr butt grips, not conversions. They fit fine as long as you don't mind the "butt crack". The first pix below is my 686 that has a round butt with a square butt grip on it. The second pix is my Model 60 round butt with a rnd to sq conversion grip on it.

What I have found is the the sqr butt grips stay tight against the palm of my shooting hand while the round butt grips have a tendency to rotate upwards in my hand during recoil.

So if you get a round butt gun, you can put either round or square butt grips on it. However if you get a sqr butt gun then it's sqr butt all the way.