Model 15 Grips

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high country

high country

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I landed a Model 15 on GB that looks like it is going to rapidly be one of my favorites, and for a price I was quite happy with. It is a 15-4 (made the same year as me by the serial number) with just the right amount of wear to make it a good shooter, but seemingly fired very little. It seems to shoot great with my go to HBWC and DEWC loads over bullseye, although I have only had a chance to run about 100 rounds through it and haven't fiddled with the sights to correct those rounds hitting a little low.

It came with the target grips on it, and they are not great for my hand. They are very wide, so I am gripping the sides, rather than the front and back straps. I prefer a grip that is narrower and longer so I am forcing the backstrap into the web of my hand with pressure on the front strap, rather than clamping it between my fingertips and palm.

I think I have narrowed it down to a few options to try for grips:
- Magna grips with a T-Grip - it seems like the Tyler T-grip is hard to come by/expensive, I would appreciate recommendations of other brands ($25 for some grips, and ? for the t-grip)
- Ahrends retro combat, or boot grip - not sure how I feel about the finger grooves, but these seem to get rave reviews, plus they are pretty ($100 with the tung oil finish)
- VZ 320 in black cherry - despite being composite, these do look nice in the pictures, and would be more durable. Review seem to be that they are on the thinner side, and people seem to like them ($80)

I don't like the way the houges look on a square butt, and I am not a big fan of the pachmayr grippers. The finger grooves don't seem to hit quite right for me. Sorry for the long winded post, and if this has been done to death, but any insight or thoughts on those options or other options I am missing would be greatly appreciated!
 
If your wanting a thinner grip than targets but longer in the hand then you could
Try some of the grips sold by Altamont that cover the front of the grip. There’s a few tat I like but taste is very subjective so
I will not mention anything specifically. I like the Altai for J frame and have considered the same grip for K/L
 
I got my Model 15 a long time ago. I put a pair of wooden Herrett "Shooting Star" grips on it. I think they are this model: https://www.gunsamerica.com/972064586/Herrett-Shooting-Stars-S-W-combat-mag-wood-grips-NIB.htm

They are a bit bulky, but I haven't seen anything I like better. Of course, I don't look a lot either.

As WestKentucky says, grips are very subjective. You will probably get a lot of answers, all different. It's a good thing grips are often not really expensive. Good luck!
 
high country

I don't know if you're aware that Kim Ahrends went out of business in February of this year. So if you're looking for their grips you'll have to do it on the secondary market like Gunbroker and Ebay.

They did make some very nice grips for the money and they were great people to deal with.
 
If the target grips don’t number to your revolver, you could sell them and buy a set of Magnas. Look for what are called PC magnas...they have the bottom edge rounded. With the T-grip adaptor, they make a great grip. I’ve used them on my Model 15-3. In the pic below, my pre-model 10 is wearing the PC magnas.
I will say that I find the targets to work very well for me.
In any case, S&W made some nice grips, out of some nice wood. I wouldn’t feel right putting anything but OEM on my S&W’s. C074EE87-C474-4668-8421-73E74CB11D6F.jpeg
 
amd6547 said:
If the target grips don’t number to your revolver, you could sell them and buy a set of Magnas. Look for what are called PC magnas...they have the bottom edge rounded. With the T-grip adaptor, they make a great grip. I’ve used them on my Model 15-3. In the pic below, my pre-model 10 is wearing the PC magnas.
I will say that I find the targets to work very well for me.
In any case, S&W made some nice grips, out of some nice wood. I wouldn’t feel right putting anything but OEM on my S&W’s.View attachment 934933
Click to expand...

Just curious - any idea what the PC stands for?
 
high country said:
I landed a Model 15 on GB that looks like it is going to rapidly be one of my favorites, and for a price I was quite happy with. It is a 15-4 (made the same year as me by the serial number) with just the right amount of wear to make it a good shooter, but seemingly fired very little. It seems to shoot great with my go to HBWC and DEWC loads over bullseye, although I have only had a chance to run about 100 rounds through it and haven't fiddled with the sights to correct those rounds hitting a little low.

It came with the target grips on it, and they are not great for my hand. They are very wide, so I am gripping the sides, rather than the front and back straps. I prefer a grip that is narrower and longer so I am forcing the backstrap into the web of my hand with pressure on the front strap, rather than clamping it between my fingertips and palm.

I think I have narrowed it down to a few options to try for grips:
- Magna grips with a T-Grip - it seems like the Tyler T-grip is hard to come by/expensive, I would appreciate recommendations of other brands ($25 for some grips, and ? for the t-grip)
- Ahrends retro combat, or boot grip - not sure how I feel about the finger grooves, but these seem to get rave reviews, plus they are pretty ($100 with the tung oil finish)
- VZ 320 in black cherry - despite being composite, these do look nice in the pictures, and would be more durable. Review seem to be that they are on the thinner side, and people seem to like them ($80)

I don't like the way the houges look on a square butt, and I am not a big fan of the pachmayr grippers. The finger grooves don't seem to hit quite right for me. Sorry for the long winded post, and if this has been done to death, but any insight or thoughts on those options or other options I am missing would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

WestKentucky said:
If your wanting a thinner grip than targets but longer in the hand then you could
Try some of the grips sold by Altamont that cover the front of the grip.
Click to expand...

I second the Altamonts. beautifully made, lots of styles, and they always fit perfectly. I have them on all three of my S&W revolvers. The magna grips, to me, are a tad too small for my liking, but maybe the .38 Spl would be okay with its less recoil than a magnum. here's my M19-3, same size as your M15, with a set of rosewood Altamonts. 2nd pic is my M28-2 with the factory magnas, next to the M19. The scale is a bit off, because the M28 is a N frame, but you can see the difference in size between the magna stocks and the Altamont stocks for the K frame.

Last is another style of Altamont stocks on my M57.
DSC09055.JPG

DSC01535.JPG

DSC01704.JPG
 
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WestKentucky said:
I like the Altai for J frame and have considered the same grip for K/L
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I do like the looks of the profile of the Altai grips, but those are round butt. I need square butt. Grips are definitely subjective, but I'm hoping to narrow in as much as possible before I start hitting the checkout button. Also maybe just basking a little in my happiness about my new addition as I get it outfitted...

bannockburn said:
high country

I don't know if you're aware that Kim Ahrends went out of business in February of this year. So if you're looking for their grips you'll have to do it on the secondary market like Gunbroker and Ebay.

They did make some very nice grips for the money and they were great people to deal with.
Click to expand...

Wow, no I was not aware of that, thanks for pointing that out. Definitely a loss, his grips seemed universally liked.

I appreciate the comments so far, keep them coming. Those magna grips with the adapter really do look sort of right on these old revolvers, thanks for the photo there. Any experience with the various options? Tyler's seem hard to come by with a pretty long wait. What about pachmayr or BK?
 
high country said:
Thanks for the tip, I do like the looks of the profile of the Altai grips, but those are round butt. I need square butt. Grips are definitely subjective, but I'm hoping to narrow in as much as possible before I start hitting the checkout button. Also maybe just basking a little in my happiness about my new addition as I get it outfitted...



Wow, no I was not aware of that, thanks for pointing that out. Definitely a loss, his grips seemed universally liked.

I appreciate the comments so far, keep them coming. Those magna grips with the adapter really do look sort of right on these old revolvers, thanks for the photo there. Any experience with the various options? Tyler's seem hard to come by with a pretty long wait. What about pachmayr or BK?
Click to expand...
Tyler’s are available secondhand. If your willing to fool with it, eBay might be an option.
 
high country said:
What about pachmayr or BK?
Click to expand...

I have these Pachmayr’s on my model 19-4 and 17-3:

Pachmayr Gripper Grips for S and W, K and L Frame Square Butt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002INPFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_LfaC4LZtLOmwl

52B632C1-B486-4CCE-9224-1E3D4175D887.jpeg

They aren’t sexy but the give me a much better grip that the factory target grips. I have big hands but never cared for the wide bottom of factory target grips.

Regarding the BK “t-grip”.
I have a BK on my model 10 and had one on my model 36. They help with your grip if you have Magnas, but as I said before I have big hands so I find that on my model 10 I have to readjust my grip sometimes while shooting. I am looking for new grips for it but I refuse to lose the lanyard ring do that makes grip selection a little hard.

Both my BK grip adapters needed minor fitting to snug up to the gun frame. A small file made short work of that as the grip adaptor is plastic. Take it from me - Don’t use a Dremel tool. :uhoh:

Here is my model 10-7 C&E revolver with the BK adapter.

3C4DFE47-A2DC-442C-B702-6789E92B31BC.jpeg

Here is my model 36 before installing a Hogue Monogrip. I am thinking about putting the Magnas back on with the BK adapter.

B42501E6-F1E0-4A37-A948-4F49274929D6.jpeg

I hope you find a grip solution. It can be a pain to find what works for you. I am actually considering Altamont grips for my K frames but I do like the feel of the Pachmayr grip when shooting.
 
Last edited:
The BK grip adaptor is a solid choice with magnas. I've got a couple kicking around.

Since I've thinned the heard, I kept the Tylers on the guns since they're a little purdier. But functionally the BK's are just a s good.
 
BK with Magna's is a good choice and reasonably inexpensive, As are Altamont's.

For a more elegant solution, you could look for a set of Smith and Wesson "diamond targets." The "diamonds" were available on Smith and Wesson revolvers up until the mid 60's or so. It's not just a cosmetic change though. The grips then were smaller overall, thinner, more "svelte." They're about my favorite grips I suppose. They are spendy though I'll warn you.

My Model 15-3 wears them...

100_0730_zpsms8ovsku.jpg

As does my 19-1.

enhance.jpg
 
high country said:
- Ahrends retro combat, or boot grip - not sure how I feel about the finger grooves, but these seem to get rave reviews, plus they are pretty ($100 with the tung oil finish)
Click to expand...
As bannockburn pointed out, Kim Ahrends retired this spring -- I'd heard the news, went to my go-to supplier who still had a stock of Ahrends' grips -- and stupidly didn't order at least a couple more sets. Now everybody's out ...
I like the traditional grips on my 15s
: Model 15-3.jpg
zknifegun3.jpg

Here's some Ahrends finger-grooves on a 19 (as bannockburn notes, you may be able to find some on the secondary market, but you'll probably pay a premium. I think they just might be worth it.

Model 19-3.jpg

I used to like the Altamonts, but I'm not now liking laminated grips as much -- carved grips seem more natural (and the wear causes character, not chips like on laminated stocks).
 
I like the Altamont's and have had quite a few pairs. Their Magna's are noticeably thinner than the old school factory ones.

The Arhends were my favorites for a full size gun though. A gap not likely to be filled soon.
 
I hate Tyler T grips. Ram my knuckle HARD into the triggerguard. The old Pachmayr grip adapters are better, but still not great.

I have yet to find a wood grip that really works for me without ramming my finger into the triggerguard (which means I'll have to make them). So far, the ugly black Pachmayr Grippers work best for my large hands. Filling the area behind the triggerguard completely, so my knuckle remains un-knocked.

Herett Shooting Stars come close, but no cigar. They are nice and thick, which is good and hand filling.

It is obvious that the original Smith and Wesson grip frame was designed for the average 12 year old girl.
 
Thanks all for the great info and AMAZING pictures. There really is some significant photographic talent on this site!

It definitely looks like I would be paying a premium for the Ahrends through a third party (~$140), which may be worth it. I will also have my eyes out for a set of those diamond target grips, those look quite nice too. If I knew for sure one of those would be right for me, it would be worth it, but it is hard to spend almost half the value of a revolver on a single set of grips just to try them out.

In the meantime, I see that there are two Pachmayr gripper options - the original version that covers the backstrap, and a Professional version that doesn't and is a bit smaller. The ones I tried previously were the original version, I may give the Professionals a try. They are almost too inexpensive not to... I will probably also try to pick up a grip adapter and magna grips to try out. Something tells me that this is not going to be my only K-frame .38, so having an assortment can't hurt since those are both pretty inexpensive options.
 
I would suggest you search EBay. There is an amazing variety of Thai made grips available. These are the ones on my 15-3
2019-11-30_15-03-36_266.jpg
2019-11-30_15-03-36_266.jpg
2019-11-30_13-03-41_462.jpg
And I got these back in ?June for a 686
2020-06-23_12-24-38_866.jpg
Another set on another 686
2019-08-01_17-54-09_973.jpg
 

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high country said:
I landed a Model 15 on GB that looks like it is going to rapidly be one of my favorites, and for a price I was quite happy with. It is a 15-4 (made the same year as me by the serial number) with just the right amount of wear to make it a good shooter, but seemingly fired very little. It seems to shoot great with my go to HBWC and DEWC loads over bullseye, although I have only had a chance to run about 100 rounds through it and haven't fiddled with the sights to correct those rounds hitting a little low.

It came with the target grips on it, and they are not great for my hand. They are very wide, so I am gripping the sides, rather than the front and back straps. I prefer a grip that is narrower and longer so I am forcing the backstrap into the web of my hand with pressure on the front strap, rather than clamping it between my fingertips and palm.

I think I have narrowed it down to a few options to try for grips:
- Magna grips with a T-Grip - it seems like the Tyler T-grip is hard to come by/expensive, I would appreciate recommendations of other brands ($25 for some grips, and ? for the t-grip)
- Ahrends retro combat, or boot grip - not sure how I feel about the finger grooves, but these seem to get rave reviews, plus they are pretty ($100 with the tung oil finish)
- VZ 320 in black cherry - despite being composite, these do look nice in the pictures, and would be more durable. Review seem to be that they are on the thinner side, and people seem to like them ($80)

I don't like the way the houges look on a square butt, and I am not a big fan of the pachmayr grippers. The finger grooves don't seem to hit quite right for me. Sorry for the long winded post, and if this has been done to death, but any insight or thoughts on those options or other options I am missing would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...


S&W k-frames are a personal favorite of mine and I own several. I've gone through a number of grip styles including Hogues and Pachmayrs.

Over the years, I've come to a conclusion on what works best for me: the Magna stocks with a Tyler T-grip. That combo not only looks great, but it fills my hand just about perfectly.
 
Well, I went ahead and ordered a set of pachmeyer pro grips, since the ones I had tried before and not cared for were the originals that cover the backstrap. I put them on and the fit is pretty awful along the backstrap of the frame. The curvature of the grip doesn't really line up with the curvature of the frame, and there is a gap at the bottom. The grip feels decent, but I haven't had a change to shoot it. It definitely feels better than the target grip to me, although the finger gooves still don't quite fall in the right places.

I think I will definitely order a set of magna grips and a BK adapter to try that too. That will give me some options while I keep looking for the perfect set, or order some oversized aftermarket target grips and make the perfect set...
 
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