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

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Amen! I don't much care for their aesthetics either...Ok, I better don my Nomex suit: To MY eye the Tyler grip thingy is a band-aid for poorly a designed grip and it looks terrible - it's nothing more than duct tape and bailing wire for your revolver.

This is, of course, correct, but it is a classic band-aid, and uses the original grips without marring them very much. It's like nail polish on the front sight. De gustibus non disputandum erat. [Note the past tense. These days all we do is argue about taste.]

 

[bushmaster1313]

It's like nail polish on the front sight.

I cringe at the thought of nail polish anywhere on my 1955 357 Magnum.
But the Tyler T's are just fine:

 

[Etalksalot]

I know this is a bit after the fact, but I would never, ever under any circumstances change out my magna style grips on a Smith & Wesson. To me they give it that classic look, even on a gun with up to a 4" barrel. Longer than that I would, but I don't like barrels longer than that so I have no issue. I see sooooo many complaints about guns hurting people's hands with magna grips, but I can't understand how or why. If you're older and/or have arthritis or other issues of the hand, I can understand, but I've never found a gun that hurts my hands with magna grips. To me they are as essential as anything else to that classic style of S&W from the days of 'ol. I even bought a Taurus 605 which is a J frame size, 5 shot gun in .357 mag, with a 2 inch barrel, and as quickly as I could I took off the stock rubber grips and out on magna style grips I found online and they are great. Shooting a .38 felt like a .22 (keep in mind it's a full weight gun, not an ultralite). Target .357 barely kicked any more, 158 grain hollow point .357 barely kicked either. I could shoot them all day long without a problem. I have in fact. The only ones that kicked hard were the 180 grain Buffalo Bore flat nosed lead slugs, but even those didn't hurt, and it pounds. I do work with my hands for a living, so maybe that helps, but I'm just so surprised to see so many people feel this way about them. A guy on YouTube with a snub Model 19 with magna stocks just kept complaining about how it hurt, and I just am dumbfounded. He appears to be in his early to mid 30's and he complained at least 7 or 8 times and swore he was going back to rubber. I don't believe I would own a Smith and Wesson without magna stocks on it ever. It takes away from the classic beauty in my opinion. However that's just what it is, my opinion. I expect no one to agree with me just because I feel that way, but I'm amazed at how many people prefer oversized grips on a revolver. To each their own, but I just feel that they made those guns with those grips for a reason, and I for one am extremely happy that they did!

 

[bmcgilvray]

Magnas with Tyler T-Grip ... Ahhh...

 

[AZretired]

The Chief of the city PD I worked for did not like rubber or after market grips. Our issued sidearms at the time were a mix of S&W 66 & 686, that all came with Targets. So after awhile I changed mine to Magnas with a grip adapter and never looked back. My range scores improved as well.

The previous department I had worked for allowed us to use what we wanted and I carried a M-19 with Pachmayr Presentation grips which fit my hand perfectly.

 

[ejjeff]

Not an N frame but i was lucky to pick up a 19-3 last week. It came with the original target grips. After a cleaning I installed a set of magnas. Now it's right for me. Love a purple and blue revolver.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I add Tyler-Ts. Easy fix.

 

[SLT223]

From what I read in Six Guns, the post war configuration where the manga continues all the way to the top of the frame was Elmer Keith's request from Smith & Wesson.

 

[Etalksalot]

Not an N frame but i was lucky to pick up a 19-3 last week. It came with the original target grips. After a cleaning I installed a set of magnas. Now it's right for me. Love a purple and blue revolver.

CONGRATULATIONS!! that is the exact 4" 19 I hope to have one day. It looks beautiful. I understand why people change out the grips in favor of Pacmayr and so on, but they just look so exquisite with the magnas. That is an exceptional looking piece my friend. I really like the nickel ones too, but I want a blued one. I am desperately seeking a blued snub 19 as well. It's all a matter of preference, and I am sure plenty of people think the guns done look good with magnas, but I always figure if Smith was going to sell them that way, why not? I know they also sold them with target grips as the stock grips, but I'm just, saying be proud of those magna grips. Until I saw this post, I was beginning to think I was the only one left!! Glad to see there are others as well. This was an old thread, but I couldn't help but comment. In fact I signed up on here just to comment on it! I also love the 3rd issue Colt Detective Specials with the magna style grips from the first or second issue DS. They look incredible. I just see constantly on forum pages here and other forums and on YouTube videos constantly about people griping about how it hurts their hands. It makes me sad. It's a gun, it should kick!! If you're worried about your hands hurting, go bake a cake or something (no one take offense to that please, it's a general catch-all statement for thousands of people I've seen complain). If my gun doesn't kick hard enough, I'm out looking for hotter rounds! Just glad to know I'm not alone in my feelings and to you whom I quoted, that is an incredible firearm, be proud and it looks amazing with the magna, I'm very proud to FINALLY hear someone took OFF the target grips so they could put ON some magnas. Makes me wanna sing the National Anthem! Haha

 

[automan71]

I like the look of magnas on most any frame, but I love shooting with targets on 4" and longer models. The shorter barrel lengths, I prefer to shoot with some type of compact Pach or Hogue (but mostly pach). I also tried magnas with the grip adapter and didn't care for it.

 

[Tom K]

I cannot stand the Magna grips. And I will say the Target Grips are not the right shape either.

Magnas with a Tyler feel much better, and I have slimmed down several sets of Target grips, and used ojnesuch set on my 44 Mag duty revolver for several years.

Back in the Day, IF I would have been the Boss of S&W, I would have designed a set of grips, that felt like a set of Service Magnas, with a Tyler T Grip... They would have been the Standard grips for the J frame up to the N frame...

And they'd look like this.
Some stocks by schofieldkid81

 

[hardcase60]

Grips/stocks are like underwear. One size or style does not fit nor feel right for everyone. hardcase60

 

[JohnRippert]

Grips/stocks are like underwear. One size or style does not fit nor feel right for everyone. hardcase60

Agreed. N frame magnas fit my hand pretty good while K frame targets are just right. It is all about what works for each person. I do admit to having a aesthetic preference on N frame grips. 3 1/2in N frames just look off with targets. 4in can go either way and I like the look of targets on 5in to 8 3/8in guns.

 

[Abbynormal]

I have large hands, my S.O. has small, so for our K frame M15 house gun we have Magna with Tylers.
Both of us are GTG with that.

On my K frame M17-4, .22 LR, I have K targets and they are perfect.

On N frames, I've noted a lot of differences of feel of width between different targets.
Some too big, some right, some feel like a K frame grip on an N frame (but weren't)
some with too much palm swell, adinfinitum................

So I settled on the following solution:

N Frames:

M28-2, 4", .357 Magnum: used for woods walkin', plinkin' and some steel and makin' auto shooters jealous,
my everyday do anything, kill anything in the Midwest gun:
Std N frame Magna's with a Tyler adapter. S.O. can deal with 1 cylinder in this configuration.

M629-4, 4" Mountain Gun, .44 Magnum: Kurak round to square converions with a Coke shape.
Nuthin' better, spreads the recoil across your hand rather than a slender area!
Plus speedloader cutouts! Your nutz if you think she'd shoot this.

M27-2, 6" ,357 Magnum: Standard speed loader cut Targets. Perfect for my hands. She can hit
the broad side of the barn with it!

M29-3, 6" .44 magnum: Kurek Cokes with speedloader cutout. Are you f'n nut'z, I'm not gunna
shoot that monster!
Combination of Cokes on an N frame with targets with speedloader cuts. Perfection!

 

[K Frame Keith]

I like Magna grips, just not with magnum ammunition.

 

[Etalksalot]

Can someone tell me how to post a picture on here without a URL?

 

[oysterer]

no love

don't like the look of magnas on any N frame, least on 6'' barrels, just too beady up front and too light in the back. A 4'' 28 or 58 with proper target or smooth target, that looks hot and feels and shoots great for my 2 cents.

 

[Etalksalot]

Here is my 15-3 and 36 no dash

 

[Peak53]

I miss SaxonPig and his, uh, opinions on stocks, +P .38's, and a whole raft of things.

 

[Grayfox]

I never was a big fan of magnas, but I could work with 'em. Especially after adding a Tyler T grip. But for me, its more about function than looks. Several of my guns use this combo.
Regardless of frame size, all the guns I tend to shoot mostly in single action wear target grips. I wrap both hands around those and it gives me a good solid hold for target shooting.
Guns that may be called on for defensive use mostly wear aftermarket grips. For N-frames, I'm quite fond of the Herrett's Shooting Stars. My Model 29 wears Pachmyer presentations.
On K & L frames, my perfect grip is the old Uncle Mikes/Butler Creek Combats or on a snubbie the boot grips. They fit me just right and used to be quite cheap. Darn shame they don't make them anymore.

A couple of times, I've modified grips to suit my needs. For example, I wanted a set of round to square N-frame boot grips for my 3" Model 24-3. Nobody makes one. So I bought a cheap set of aftermarket grips, cut off the bottom, thinned and reshaped them a bit until they fit me. You can see them in this picture. You might also notice the Herretts on the 4" gun.

However, time marches on and things do change. I now have a touch of arthritis in my hands and the middle finger on my shooting hand won't close completely. I can't use magnas at all because the back of the trigger guard beats the snot out of that middle knuckle. It only takes a couple of cylinders full to bust it open and have me bleeding.

Anyway, bottom line is use what works for you. Who cares what anybody else thinks?