Wood vs. Rubber Stocks... Why do I have to choose between comfort and appearance?

Try this: ahrendsgripsusa.com

Look into G10 grips. Not all grip makers DO make from it, but any grip maker CAN make from it, just have to be more careful about dust mitigation and tool sharpness than most woods (note: most woods).

Have you tried a more hand filling wood grip for the 29? I tend to favor wood grips, even in punishing cartridges like 475Linebaugh or .460S&W, but with a standard grip, relatively "mid-sized," the recoil sucks. Throw a little more junk in the trunk and that pain at the web of my thumb and forefinger completely disappears. The 29's a heavy revolver, and only chambered for the relatively manageable 44mag; even with 300's, I'd be surprised if you wouldn't be happy with a hand filling wood grip like a Hogue wrap around.

The downside to rubberized grips in the 29 is the exposed backstrap. You may consider throwing a Limbsaver Bow Insulator down the backstrap to provide a bit extra grip and extra cushion under recoil. I use them on my own 629's, SBH's, and SRH's, really brings the palm pain down, and they're remarkably cheap, even if they aren't hugely attractive.

Keep the factory wood.

Get Mag-NA-Port & shooting gloves.

As for me, I find rubber grips to be a royal pain. I've shot some pretty hard kicking magnums using those rubber things and at the end of the day my hand was raw and blistered at the web between thumb and forefinger.

For the Model 29, smooth, oil finished wood has proven to be the best for me. I've heard ivory, but never could afford that.

For guns that develop severe recoil, the Single Action grip has always been the best to me for controlling recoil, especially that of the Ruger Super Blackhawk. I know many extol the virtues of the Bisley grip, but this has not worked for me.

Bob Wright

243winxb said:

Get Mag-NA-Port & shooting gloves.

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ShootingIsFun said:

None of this is happening...

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<3

While I do occasionally don shooting gloves, it's never for a 44mag or lower (unless in a tactical match where I expect to be in the dirt/gravel and need gloves), but magnaporting a 44mag just isn't up to speed. Some guys love it, but they can keep it!

It's grippier and pulls the skin more, as opposed to the wood which slides more smoothly against the skin.

Kind of how back when folks hammered for a living a smooth bare wood hammer handle was great but a rubber griped hammer is for hobbyists who drive a few nails a year. With a bit of experience you can drive nails all day with that wood handle but the rubber will pull up blisters like mad.

Now, rubber revolver grips can help soak up recoil. But it's all going to be a compromise.

G10 has no give at all. It sure wouldn't be any more recoil absorbing than wood.

Get Hogue wood grips.

Nah, rubber keeps my hand firmly in place and offers better control, rather than having to correct my hold because of slippery grips. Also...When you age, the skin on your hands thins out and you loose both dexterity and much of the natural padding that you had back when you were 20 something and bullet-proof. Specialized shooting gloves are ok at the range, but not so much in the woods or in situations where you need manual dexterity. I'm in the past 30 something something crowd, so I keep cushy rubber on my guns and reserve good wood for my Bar-B-Que gun, or for show & tell, not for shooting.

I also wonder why nobody makes brown rubber grips. It's just a matter of adding a different dye. If you make it, they will come...or is that buy?

I prefer neoprene grips over wood for function.

With checkered wood grips, the checkering grates my hand raw. With smooth grips, the gun moves in my hand and the trigger guard raps my fingers hard. This is especially bad with my Blackhawks.

With neoprene grips, the gun stays put in my hand and is comfortable to hold.

I've never had any blisters or sores from using neoprene grips on any of my handguns.

I do think many wood grips look great, but I'll go for function over form.

Here is my trio of Model 25-5s with Pachmayrs. I think they look good, but I'm a bit biased.

I'm a retroman as for wheelguns.



I have ONLY one revolver with rubber grips.

Deaf

Rubber

Sam1911 said:

It's grippier and pulls the skin more, as opposed to the wood which slides more smoothly against the skin.

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Sure does .

The trigger guard hits my knuckle on recoil. So i shoot with 2 hands with a left hand finger placed between trigger guard and knuckle of the right hand. No free travel.

If you shoot a full 44 mag load, double action, fast, the Mag-na-Port helps . But not all like the look of it.

No gloves for me, unless its cold out.

ShootingIsFun said:

I have a S&W Model 29 which I haven't been shooting much lately. I think it'd make it to the range much more often if it were more fun to shoot. I like the looks of the factory wood checkered stocks but find them very uncomfortable with full house .44 mags. I've considered the various black rubber grips but can't get past how ugly they seem to me on a blued gun.
I can find items like vinyl or laminate flooring, window frames, siding and shingles, furniture and fencing, etc in materials that look very much like wood but perform like their true material. (Rubber, aluminum, vinyl, fiberglass, etc)
Surely somebody has applied the same thought process and technology to revolver stocks, right? I can't find anything online. Does anyone know of a product that I haven't found?

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The Roper style grip made of smooth hardwood has been used by serious hand gunners for years. This is my old Roper style 29-2. The rubber bicycle handle bar grips are not the best choice.

Personally I've always felt a wood grip that really fits my particular hand is far superior to any rubber grip.

Maybe you should approach Hogue about the idea. May be others looking for the same thing.

I changed out the grips on my 29-2. Looks good, feels good, and shoots, very good.

A nice hand-filling, smooth, closed backstrap, hardwood set of stocks is the answer.

Since there's more "meat" in the web of your hand there's less of a hammering action. The smoothness dosent chaff and abrade your skin. Those Ropers have the traits you're really looking for.

A perfect grip designed for your hand that swells in the right spots and has the proper fit for you and how you use the trigger (and hammer) can be great. I find such grips hard to find for my hand, and a part of why I prefer semi auto pistols. A perfect revolver feels better to me than an auto but a standard auto feels better to me than a typical fitting revolver. I find a good revolver more tailored to one person than most autos.

If it really fits you well and you have decent hand strength I actually think wood beats rubber. Rubber makes up for a less ideal fit by being softer on the edges and not biting or digging in during recoil at the uneven points of pressure. But it also sticks to things in ways that can be annoying, and perfectly fitting wood won't be biting into your hand in the wrong places and spreads the recoil out almost as well as the rubber (just not the vibrations if it is of a caliber and gun with harsh harmonics.) While the hard handle is more durable, doesn't stick to clothing, can look nicer, can be kept cleaner, and gives more tactile feel to your hand letting your hand immediately go to where it knows is the best place if you practice.

Would love several sets of wood brown Pachmayr Diamond Pros.

Rubber is really just a crutch for poorly fitting and poorly designed grips. A properly designed wood/ivory/horn/stag grip that is made to fit your hand will be infinitely more comfortable than a one size fits all rubber grip. These Roper style stocks from John Culina work far better than any of that crap from Hogue or Pachmayr. The 4" blued K-frame wears walnut Herrett's Roper stocks.








I developed a flinch due to these wood Hogue's pounding my right thumb joint. They are poorly designed with a stupid double palm swell and they are too thin on either side of the swell, leaving gaps between your hand and the grip.