Why did S&W even bother with Magna Grips for N-Frames?

[Art Doc]

No grip adaptors on any of my guns. Tried one once and it didn't feel that good to me and it dented the stocks. Tossed it.

 

[fyimo]

I guess like with lots of things on this forum this group is divided on this subject and that is fine with me as everyone has a different view of what looks good and what does not. There is also a large varience in what feels right in different individuals hands when you are shooting so I guess it's great that we have a choice of factory grip types.

A lot of individuals up here also like 3rd party grips on there S&W revolvers like Kurac, Ahrends, Hogue, and etc and that's fine with me too as you paid your money and you should get what you like.

I also don't like to see blanket statements on either side of the issue because there is no correct answer to the question.

 

[bushmaster1313]

I can see how the grip adapter with the magnas would work well for me. With hands on the small side, the extra leverage from the grip adapter would let me stretch my forefinger enough to cover the trigger.

I also think the target trigger is not ideal for me.

Good thing there are lots of fresh fish in the sea.

 

[semperfi71]

I use Magnas on any N-Frame at 4 inch barrels or less. With the exception of heavy barreled 4 inchers like a M29.

I tried the grip adapters, did not like them.

 

[stantheman86]

Grips are the best way to add "personality" to a gun and the best part is, it's non-permanent.

Some of my S&W's have had 10 or more different grips on them since I've owned them, before I found something I liked.

I think this 64 with target grips looks awkward, like a piece of wood with a revolver growing out of it. It was either an ex-PD or security gun, probably ex-PD and these grips worked for someone with big hands who didn't like rubber, I guess. Sometimes it's all about utility. It just didn't work for me, so I put PC Magnas on the gun.

 

[Doc B]

This is another of those no right or wrong questions, but rather what is right for the shooter. I used to like the the targets, but find the older I get (read worse arthritis)the better the magnas work for me. Truth be told the worse it gets the more I go with pachmeyer grippers for shooting,and the woods for looking at.

 

[stantheman86]

The N-frame Target grips seem like they are sized for a guy who's 6'10" and can crush coconuts with one hand.......I don't have small hands and these grips feel huge to me. You guys who like them must have some meat hooks

The only advantage I can see for N-frame Targets is maybe for Bullseye or bench rest shooting, or silhouette matches, so you can really wrap up a good two hand hold and let fly with some booming .44 Mags and have some wood to hold on to. My Model 29 is mainly a "looker" but it's a handful with the Magnas on it when shooting Magnums.

If they were all I had to work with,I could deal with them i.e. if I was a cop in the 60's and was issued a Model 27 with Targets on it, and I wasn't allowed to change them.....but given a choice, those targets gotta go.

Most of my S&W's have to look good to me, that's why I own them.Something like a Model 58 with standard Magnas looks about ideal to me, those are the wheelguns I will stop and stare at.....

 

[Allen-frame]

Just my advice,,, change the wide trigger on the 3.5" model 27-2.
That trigger never belonged on that gun anyway.

Saxon posted pictures so I get to too.

Target stocks too big. Magnas just a might small.

Spegels,, perfect. Ahhhhhhh,

Shot this 44 with stag magnas on it the other day.
Old school cool.

There you go...

Regards
Allen Frame

 

[snake803]

Try carrying a 3-1/2", 27-2 with target grips in a shoulder mounted holster under a suit coat???
JIM..........

 

[usm1rifle]

My 8 3/8 Model 27-2 will not fit in the original silver box with targets on it...

 

[Engineer1911]

I like Hogue monogrips on my 29 / 629s because they feel just right. The Pachs feel good on a square butt M29 with a 4" barrel and prevent a lot of discomfort. All that wood sure looks good packed safely away.

But I'm the guy that likes lutefeske and lefse. It's just another aquired taste like grits (yuk) or liver and onions (yuk & yuk)!!!

 

[wbraswell]

I have a mixture of both, I don't think the Targets look right on light barrels or short ones. I wouldn't put Magnas on any Model 29. I wouldn't put Targets on a 1917. My K-22 came with Targets, but I shoot it much better with Magnas. I don't like the Hogue grips or any with finger grooves. Once a friend was looking at my handguns, and he picked up my Colt 1917 with original grips and proclaimed, "This one feels better in my hand than any other one." Anyone who knows the grip of a New Service, you know he had BIG hands.

 

[inFALable]

I've never cared for Targets at all. I have large hands and much prefer Magnas with a Tyler T.

I feel like I'm trying to hold onto the barrel of a bat when I try Targets. I can't feel where the barrel is pointing like with Magnas.

PC Magnas are the best IMHO. They are even more comfortable. Or maybe I just love my 58!

 

[Dave T]

A lot of posters claim they don't like Targets. Before you cast that opinion in stone wrap your hand around a set of Cokes. The Coke bottle profile Smith once offered for "Magnum" revolvers was only slightly different than Targets but they "feel" quite a bit different in the hand.

Dave

 

[Art Doc]

To me a 4" heavy barrel like on a 29 or 57 looks OK with Targets.

A tapered barrel like the 27 needs at least 5" of length to balance the large stocks. I go both ways with the 5" guns, Targets or Magnas work for me.

Anything over 5" definitely needs Targets in my opinion.

A gun with a 4" tapered barrel with target sights looks OK with Target stocks (but barely).

A 4" tapered barrel with fixed sights absolutely requires Magnas.

I hate finger-groove stocks as I have fat fingers so they feel horrible and are uncomfortable under heavy recoil. I hate rubber grips because of the texture and the funny smell that stays on my hands for days after handling them. I also hate aftermarket stocks that hang down way below the butt of the frame (can anyone say Hogue?). Makes the gun sit high and makes recoil feel worse. I hate stocks that feel thick. This is my main complaint with most ivory stocks I have tried. They are way too thick and bulky.

These are bad about that and I need to find someone who can thin them for me.

I have found that in general older stocks are thinner and have a more comfortable contour. Stocks made in the 1950s feel much better in my hand than do later ones. Some Targets feel absolutely clunky to me and Magnas from the late 1970s seem to have sharp corners unlike the more rounded earlier versions.


I have strong feelings about stocks on handguns. As an art teacher I am aware of aesthetics and have preferences. After 44 years of shooting I have figured out what I like and don't like. But of course this is all subjective. Everyone has his own preferences.

 

[deanodog]

I prefer hogue monogrips to any factory grip. I like the looks of magnas but don't like to shoot with them. Here is a set of targets that I reshaped to suit me on a M681.

 

[m657]

cosmetic considerations aside, the only grips that actually are comfortable for me while ~shooting~ are the dreaded rubber gripper Pachs or Houges.

There are a few custom wood grippers that work for me on round butt models.

Ahrends despite my admiration for their looks, just never work in my hand.

thankfully we have more than one option to the grip question

 

[coiler666]

Just a lil side note to Mr Allen Frame & Mr Saxonpig, if your ever looking to adopt a 47 year old biker, keep me in mind You have some beautiful Guns Sirs

 

[RufusG]

Personally, I can't stand either Targets or Magnas, although I could make do with Magnas and a T-Grip if I had no other choice. All my Smiths have Ahrends grips these days, with the exception of one that has a set of ground down, smoothed and rounded salvaged Targets.

 

[KSCowboy]

Well I find the magnas work best for me on N Frames, we all have our druthers:

25-5

624

24-3

27-2

24-3