My old man/arthritis grip solution is the Ruger SP101, with the factory grip. When I bought my second SP101, it relegated my Airweight 642-ish J-snub to occasional/reserve status, and that was when I was age 41, in 2002 or early 2003. I still carry an SP101, regularly, though I have backed-away from the more-powerful loads. I can squeeze the grip of an SP101 as tightly as I can physically exert myself, with no pain. Just about every other handgun, that I own, will cause pain, when I squeeze that hard.
Oversized grips do help cushion recoil, but, can diminish the ability of my ring and little fingers to provide effective help in gripping the weapon securely. (I have long hands, but medium-length index and middle fingers, and relatively short thumbs, and ring and little fingers.) Because a fight can happen “inside a phone booth,” as we used to say, in the past century, I want to be able to retain my gun, at contact distance. My right ulnar nerve is not what it used to be, which particularly affects my ability to grip with my ring and little fingers. So, my SP101 revolvers wear factory grips, and my short-barrel S&W J- and K-Frames wear “boot” grips, magna stocks, or similar.
A more recent change has been to carry a K-Frame snub-gun, a 2” S&W Model 64. I accumulated two of them, in recent years, since retiring from the PD. There is more “work space” available, to reload a K-Frame quickly, compared to a J-Frame or an SP101. These K-snubs have not replaced my little Rugers, but supplement/complement them.
Oversized grips do help cushion recoil, but, can diminish the ability of my ring and little fingers to provide effective help in gripping the weapon securely. (I have long hands, but medium-length index and middle fingers, and relatively short thumbs, and ring and little fingers.) Because a fight can happen “inside a phone booth,” as we used to say, in the past century, I want to be able to retain my gun, at contact distance. My right ulnar nerve is not what it used to be, which particularly affects my ability to grip with my ring and little fingers. So, my SP101 revolvers wear factory grips, and my short-barrel S&W J- and K-Frames wear “boot” grips, magna stocks, or similar.
A more recent change has been to carry a K-Frame snub-gun, a 2” S&W Model 64. I accumulated two of them, in recent years, since retiring from the PD. There is more “work space” available, to reload a K-Frame quickly, compared to a J-Frame or an SP101. These K-snubs have not replaced my little Rugers, but supplement/complement them.
