Centennial grips - rubber vs. wood?

[Dollar An Hour]

My 442-1 has factory Uncle Mikes boot grips, and sees alot of pocket carry.

I'm not crazy though about the way my pinky finger hangs in the breeze while practicing, and the grip feels a bit small. I've seen some nice wood grips from Badger and Spegel, and some of them have a place for the pinky finger.

However if I choose a longer grip for pinky finger comfort, I give up the compactness for pocket carry.

Is there a good compromise here as far as compactness versus comfort? Are there some Centennial-specific grips that give you more material higher on the backstrap to hang onto?

Also, is wood a better material for a pocket gun, and if so, why?

 

[Standing Wolf]

I prefer wood for two reasons: it's much less likely than rubber to hang up in your clothes when you need the gun right this instant, and rubber is just plain old-fashioned UGHly.

I've got a set of Badger plywood stocks on my pre-agreement model 60. They're not my idea of beautiful, but a.) they're considerably less UGHly than rubber, and b.) they fit my hand well.

Best of success to you, eh?

 

[ChristopherG]

I'm not dogmatic about a lot of things, but I did enough screwing around with grips for my Centennial that I can say this with absolute confidence: the best grips available for a centennial j-frame are made specifically for centennials by Craig Spegel. They let you grip higher on the frame than any other grip out there; they're polished wood, which is the right material for pocket carry; and, not that it matters, they're beautiful. Lightning arms is the only place I know of that's distributing them right now.

Scroll down the page of this link until you get to the centennial grips, and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.lightningarms.com/spegel_boot.htm

 

[Serpico]

I've tried wood, rubber and even nylon....but I always go back to the original checkered stock grips and a tyler t-grip...I find smooth wood much too slippery for shooting (especially in summer) and rubber catches on my pants for ankle carry...the stock wood grips are smooth enough for clothes to glide over, easy to grip with the side checkering...and very compact but easy to shoot with the t-grip....

by the way Standing wolf, those badger grips are very nice...don't know why you think they aren't beautiful....

 

[Standing Wolf]

by the way Standing wolf, those badger grips are very nice...don't know why you think they aren't beautiful....

They're plywood, not wood, and the red color is a stain. I'd love to find the exact same shape in classy wood.

 

[chaim]

I'm not dogmatic about a lot of things, but I did enough screwing around with grips for my Centennial that I can say this with absolute confidence: the best grips available for a centennial j-frame are made specifically for centennials by Craig Spegel. They let you grip higher on the frame than any other grip out there; they're polished wood, which is the right material for pocket carry; and, not that it matters, they're beautiful. Lightning arms is the only place I know of that's distributing them right now.

Scroll down the page of this link until you get to the centennial grips, and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.lightningarms.com/spegel_boot.htm

Those grips look pretty nice and might solve a problem I am having with my 442 (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=177321). Unfortunately I can't find anything on their site that tells me pricing or how to order. Any idea what they cost, or how to order from them?

 

[tomkatz]

Those grips look pretty nice and might solve a problem I am having with my 442 (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=177321). Unfortunately I can't find anything on their site that tells me pricing or how to order. Any idea what they cost, or how to order from them?

Chaim.....you'll find contact info on this page, just e-mail or call.....tom

http://lightningarms.com/products.htm

 

[Iggy]

E-mail LAS and Craig or Audrey will get back to you almost instantly.
They will probably e-mail you pictures, prices etc
Nice folks to talk to on the phone, and your order will arrive almost before you get to the mailbox to pick it up

Great folks.

 

[Bob79]

Pachmayr Compacs have a very small groove at the bottom for your pinky. They also cover the back strap, but aren't much larger than the UM boot grips. Check em' out.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

I e-mailed Lighting Arms Sports yesterday about the Spegel grips and got a reply the same day with photos of the Rosewood he's got in stock. Beautiful grips! $84 + $10.50 shipping.

Will the Spegels ride higher up the backstrap to take allow a higher grip on the Centennial? I've heard some guys say a higher grip helps control recoil and allow quicker follow up shots.

Looks like the pinky finger will still hang with these, correct?

 

[Old Fuff]

When it comes to shooting them, the ultra-light small snubbies are the worst possible thing to use - especially with what some call a "meaningful" cartridge/load. Somewhere compromises are necessary, and the choices should be dictated by how the revolver is carried. I like them for pocket carry, but I get all-steel or steel/aluminum versions, and haven’t found the heavier guns to be a problem. The lightest guns might be more convenient to carry, but you may pay a heavy price for this convenience if you have to use it.

I pick loads that shoot to the point of aim, and that I can control for quick follow-up shots - and don't worry about the power factor very much.

As for stocks: Those that come on the guns usually fill the area behind the trigger guard almost to the bottom of the guard. This is to prevent the guard from battering the second finger. Then they add finger grooves, which are fine if they fit your hand, but make the problems worse if they don't. Then they are cut off at the bottom of the butt, which usually insures you'll have to hold a hard-kicking gun with no more then two fingers. I am not surprised that many folks can't hit the broad side of a barn at 7 yards.

I prefer wood stocks on pocket guns. I usually use those that are approximately the same size as the older factory Maga service stocks, but sometimes with a small grip adapter. This eliminates the finger grooves that don't fit my fingers, and gives me more area on the forestrap to hold on to without making the length longer - which is counterproductive for pocket carry. The only Magnum I'd consider using in these small/light guns is the .32 H&R Magnum. I pick loads that I can handle with this set-up, and depend on bullet placement – not raw power or whatever hollow point is currently popular.

Compromises? Yes. But for me it works. Others can do it differently as they see fit.

 

[ChristopherG]

Will the Spegels ride higher up the backstrap to take allow a higher grip on the Centennial? I've heard some guys say a higher grip helps control recoil and allow quicker follow up shots.

Looks like the pinky finger will still hang with these, correct?

Yes, they will ride higher; they come all the way up to the peak of the backstrap hump. And, yes, this allows you to get your hand closer to the bore axis, which puts the recoil in more of a straight-back direction, and reduces muzzle flip.

As far as your pinky, yes, it will still probably hang; but to me, that's just the way it goes with a pocket gun. A longer grip will print more and draw less easily; and your pinky doesn't actually add much to a proper grip, anyway.

I've got a picture of mine on the gun around here somewhere; ah, here it is.

 

[pcf]

Spegels are nice, if you're willing to wait 4 months Craig can make you a pair of Bootgrips plus, he adds a 1/4" extension to get a the pinky on the grip. His grip go all the way to the top of the backstrap. Do I think it adds to the controlability? No, but they do keep the web of the hand and thumb from taking such a beating. Craig can also taper the bottom so that no siginificant length is added to the bottom of the grip. (Similar to the pinky extension on the S&W 386 factory bootgrips) Unless your doing pocket carry, I'd also recommend the round to square conversion, makes a huge difference in controlability and comfort, and only adds 1/4-3/8" to the length of the gun.

Craig Spegel
Box 387, Nehalem OR 97131
503/368-5653

Std wood bootgrips $60 (Granadillo, rosewood, panama cocobolo, etc)
Std cocoblo bootgrips $70
Checkering +$20
Std+ grade wood +$10
Finger extension +$5
Convert round to square +$5