Round Butts Why??????

[Master Blaster]

Well it seems that Smith and Wesson has gone to all round butt grip frames on their wheelguns.

I dont understand why. Round Butt enthusiasts could argue a round butt is good on a concealed carry small frame revolver because it does give you slightly better concealment.

I fail to see the advantage of the round butt design for larger guns that will be carried in a OWB holster, or used as range guns.
Smith and Wesson even provides most of its revolvers with a round to square conversion grip out of the box (the Hogues).

I like the square butt better and the first thing I do is look for a conversion grip if I get a round butt gun. The squarebutt just fits my hand better.

So what made them decide to go with the round butt guns?????

 

[Shear_stress]

Probably simplifies production if all guns go through the same process. The result is fewer frame types to keep track of. The difference in production complexity probably isn't significant per gun, but it does add up over the eleventy guns they turn out.

The good thing is the ready availability of round-to-square grips.

 

[Old Fuff]

Shear_stress is correct, it was a cost-savings move. You can convert a round butt to a square configuration by using oversized stocks, but not the other way around.

 

[Onmilo]

Ditto what the two previous posters said.
Smith is really cheezing things up a bit here of late.
Hope it doesn't come back and bite them.

 

[Z_Infidel]

On a positive note, the new Model 22 has a true square butt frame.

 

[Shear_stress]

On a positive note, the new Model 22 has a true square butt frame.

Funny, how sometimes taking two steps backward can be a step forward. The M22 shows that S&W still respects its customers and its heritage. They had me scared for a while!

 

[Old Fuff]

Are you sure the model 22 has a true square-butt frame?? I haven't double checked, but I think it's a round-to-square butt conversion, even though it looks like the old Magna style service grips.

 

[albanian]

S&W should just go with a GP-100 style frame. The GP-100 allows the user to fit just about any grip he wants in order to fit his hand. The S&W square grip is fine if it fits your hand but if it is a little too large, there is nothing you can do. At least with the round butt, you can go up in size if you need to. You can never get a smaller grip than the size of the frame so it makes sense to make the frame as small as possible to fit the smallest shooter.

The square butt was a bad idea to begin with so why does anyone care that they are getting rid of it? Just because it seems to fit a few people really well is no reason to keep making it. I can't understand why you would be upset about this as you can always get grips that make it feel like a square butt.

 

[Shear_stress]

Just double-checked the S&W website:

"Authentic Square Butt Frame"

Not too shabby for a 21st century wheelgun!

Now, if only they'd reintroduce the Model 18. . .

 

[Z_Infidel]

I picked up my M22 today. The grip feels great! Now if I could just find a conversion grip that would give my M21-4 the exact same feel...

Side note: the grips are a different color than shown on the web site. They are lighter in color with a nicely defined grain.

 

[Brian Williams]

YEP TIS SQUARE
Specs from S&W site
Thunder Ranch
Engraved Model 22
Smith & Wesson Revolver



For more information please call 1-800-331-0852

This is a new Model 22 Smith & Wesson Revolver chambered in .45 ACP with a 4" barrel. The Thunder Ranch insignia is on the grip.

See Your Local Dealer For Pricing



Features:
4" Tapered Barrel
Black on Black Service Sight
Smooth Double Action and Crisp Single Action Trigger Pull
Authentic Square Butt Frame
Special Serial Number Range Starting with TRR0000
Thunder Ranch® Gun Rug
Smith & Wesson Lifetime Service Policy
* Limited Availability

if you look at the grip it shows a full grip frame

 

[wundudnee]

Brian Williams

Yep, there's something about that Model 22 that kind of catches my eye.

 

[Sistema1927]

That 22 is retro.

Tapered barrel, 3/4 ejector shroud, square butt, fixed sights.

Great! (Now, if it had a pinned barrel it would be even better.)

 

[Majic]

The square butt was a bad idea to begin with so why does anyone care that they are getting rid of it?

Because a lot of people think the round butt was a bad idea.

 

[BluesBear]

Since I prefer an open backstrap (short fingers) I much prfer the original square butt models.
The round to square stocks still have that little area where nothing quite matches up.

 

[X Who]

I like round butts.

 

[kennedy]

I perfer a pear shaped ass if you get my drift.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I've come to prefer the round butts. They looked funny to me at first, but fit my hand better.

I'd guess Smith & Wesson switched to round butt designs to save money. It seems to be the company's primary motivation these days.

 

[fisherman66]

I'm a tit man myself. UU

 

[BluesBear]

Yep, I'm definitely gonna need more popcorn.

 

[StrikeEagle]

Ditto what the two previous posters said.
Smith is really cheezing things up a bit here of late.
Hope it doesn't come back and bite them.

Well, it already has come back to bite them as far as my gun-buying habits are concerned. I have older Smiths... pinned, recessed and so on. There's just no way the new ones feel as good.

If I buy another Smith Revolver, it'll certainly be a clean old used one.

StrikeEagle

 

[Coronach]

Guys! High road!

Jeesh. It's like a locker room in here!

Mike

 

[Carl N. Brown]

disappointment

Darn, This thread is about ... pistol grips. Sigh.

 

[albanian]

I bet a million bucks that if S&W first made all the popular models with round butts instead of square, there would be a lot more crying. If the 19, 17, 27, 28, 29 and other favorites were originally round butted and they now changed them alll the square, people would be throwing an even bigger fit. If the square butt doesn't fit you, you are SOL. If the round but doesn't fit you, buy another set of grips. It is not a big deal unless you hate change for the sake of change.

 

[Checkman]

albanian

I bet a million bucks that if S&W first made all the popular models with round butts instead of square, there would be a lot more crying. If the 19, 17, 27, 28, 29 and other favorites were originally round butted and they now changed them alll the square, people would be throwing an even bigger fit. If the square butt doesn't fit you, you are SOL. If the round but doesn't fit you, buy another set of grips. It is not a big deal unless you hate change for the sake of change.

Albanian is right. Get a copy of Nahas's and Supica's Smith and Wesson Catalog. Smith made their models with round butts for approximately the first fifty years of the company's exsistence.They also numbered their models and didn't give them names. But in the first few years of the 20th century S&W went to square butts and began naming their models, i.e. The Triple Lock and the Military and Police. For many decades ,with the exception of the J frame and short barreled Model 10's, round butt models were hard to get and many a shooter took their square butts to custom shops to have them converted to the round butt configuration.

So now Smith has gone back to their configuration and everyone is griping. Geez. Lets just go back to cap and ball revolvers while we're at it. Also get rid of cell phones and lets bring-back the Model T, cloth covered bi-planes, and leeching.

Change happens(especially in a free market economy) and unless everyone is willing to pay $3,500 for a handgun made in "the old way" it isn't a bad thing. Go buy a seventy year old N-frame and mutter about how people used to make things that lasted.Just keep in mind that you will pay somewhere in the four figures and I bet you won't carry it. More then likely that mission will go to your combat tupperware. Which costs a whole lot less. I'll also bet in the process of getting that classic piece of American manufacturing you'll use a computer, cordless plastic phone or will drive your 2002 plastic car with all the modern safety features.

What's real funny about this topic is I found a book on handguns a few months ago that was published in 1950. Guess what. The author was going on about how the modern firearms just weren't as good as the one they made in the 1800's. And now we consider the fifties to be the zenith of American gunmakers. Unreal.