If you can find some of the now discontinued Uncle Mikes boot grips that were designed by Craig Spegel, those may be the ticket if you want rubber.
If you want Craig's wooden grips you can either call him and get on his waiting list, about 3 years, or pay a king's ransom for them from somebody selling them. Spegel Grips is the way to find him on the internet.
Those have been my go to. If you want to use some form of grip adapter you have two options but you would have to buy the old school J Frame wooden grips to use one. The two options would be:
-- Tyler T-Grip, the original. Made of metal and sometimes can take forever to get in the mail.
-- Or you might want to check out a vendor who is a member here on the Forum who makes BK Grip Adapters (I think that is the website). They are made of polymer, I think, work like the T-Grip, have great reviews, arrive quick and are not as expensive. I do not own any of the BK models but several here say they are top notch.
I almost forgot the Pachmayr Compac models which work well for larger hands. Short but thicker. Might be the ticket.
I will post a few pics of the grips you would need and what the T-Grip looks like. The BK is the same looks wise as stated is made of different material.
In regard to holster it depends on how you are looking to carry.
If looking for a pocket holster I am a big fan of Bob Mika at Mika holsters. Former LAPD guy with years of experience in making a quality product with a great price. Not many places get your order on the internet and the Big Dog himself calls you on the phone to make sure you are getting what you need/want.
If looking for a belt rig (either inside or outside the waistband) there are lots of quality makers out there and remember quality is the way to go. Ken Null, Lobo Gun Leather, Mitch Rosen, Ryan Grizzle at R. Grizzle Leather, Kramer Leather, etc. Main thing to remember is that when you need something to work correctly there is no point in looking for bargain basement prices.
If looking for an ankle rig I would go with Ritchie Holsters. He worked with/for Lou Alessi (may he RIP) back in the 80s and having owned two of Alessi's holsters I would have no other for the ankle.
Also make sure you are using a quality, properly sized, belt to support your gear.
Your factory J frame grips may give certain speed loaders difficulty in seating the rounds. If I remember correctly the stock rubber ones will not work well with speed loaders.
I am uncertain because I stocked up on the Uncle Mikes and they all work with the loaders, as do the stock grips with an adapter.
Speed Strips last a long time. They can be disposable if you drop them in a self defense situation, but they should last for years. I would recommend, if that is the route you are going, picking up pairs for practice and pairs to carry. Then only test the carry ones at times so they don't wear as quickly and cause issues when needed. Just watch for the rubber deterioration after time and exposure to different things.
As for ammo I am a big fan of the Speer Gold Dot 135 Grain load that was developed for the NYPD. It is made for the short barrel revolver and is said to give better expansion from the J Frames.
I used to carry a J Frame all the time as a back up and off duty but have recently transitioned to a 9MM subcompact. Just keep in mind it is not an easy revolver to master and I recently found out if you don't practice the skills with it diminish.
I have added 4 pictures to look at. Two are with grip adapters, the 442 is with UM's Combat Grips and the 940 is with the Pachmayr grips.
Good Luck and have fun trying things out.
