Gripping a Model 10

[Sergei Mosin]

I was in the LGS today and they had a nice old square butt M&P revolver (pre-Model 10.) Although I'm not that into revolvers, I have been thinking that a Model 10 would be a nice addition to the collection - classic design, inexpensive to own and feed, etc. So I had them pull it out of the case for me to handle. But I just couldn't get a good grip on the thing. Grip it high and the balance was wrong, the angle of my finger to the trigger was wrong, and it looked like the hammer would get me; grip it low and it didn't feel like I had enough control over it. Is there a trick to gripping a Model 10, should I be looking for a round butt, or does it just not fit me?

 

[1KPerDay]

try one with a T-grip or other non-factory grip that fills the space behind the trigger guard.

 

[Black Knight]

That seems to be the main complaint about any of the S&W K frames. The good thing is that there are grip adapters and many aftermarket grips available for them. I used Pachmayer Presentation grips on mine when I worked security. Now I have an old set of Safariland grips on it that feel perfect.

 

[Drail]

S&W has always made very fine firearms but very lousy grips. No matter how cool they look on the gun spend a full day shooting one and you'll see what I mean. Thankfully we have a good aftermarket industry making intelligently designed grips. Mr. Hogue and Mr. Ahrends understand how a grip should be built. It kills me to think of all of the original S&W grips I have given away over the years and now guys on Ebay are getting ridiculous money for them. I think it is hilarious that so many "colletors" will pay these absurd prices just so they can install the "original" grips on their S&W safe queens. (they're never going to shoot them anyway, right?) Especially those original S&W "Combat Grips" they put on the N frames. I thought they were cool until I shot with them on a hot day. Kind of like trying to hold on to a greased hitch ball on a bumpy road. They went away the first week I had them.

 

[roaddog28]

Like Drail said, there are sorts of aftermarket grips to fit K frame S&W revolvers. Most of mine K frames have aftermarket grips I have installed and I keep the original grips. Only exception is my old M&P pre-10 38 special. I still have the original grips on it. But I don't shoot the "old lady" much anymore. I you get a model 10 invest in some aftermarket grips.
Good luck,
Howard

 

[MrBorland]

Are the grips like these? Replace them, or add a Tyler T-grip...


...then grip it high. The hammer will establish your upper limit.


If you can see grip frame above your strong hand, you're gripping too low.

 

[BCRider]

Sergie, notice how the guy in the picture in MrBorland's post appears to be reaching down to the trigger? I know it feels odd to do this coming from a life of semi autos where the trigger lines up with the finger but this sort of reach down and pull back actually works well for S&W revolvers. And stock Magna grips or magna with Tyler filler or even the S&W target grips all have us reaching down to the trigger when our had is correctly up high on the back strap with the web of our hand at or slightly bulging above the point of the backstrap.

The grips in MrBorland's first pic are what is known as Magna grips. And yes, they don't fit folks with larger size hands at all well. The S&W target grips or some other option from some aftermarket outfit such as Hogue or Arrends might turn the gun into a "custom" which fits you like the proverbial glove.

The 10's are nice guns. But they ARE ammo sensitive due to their fixed sights. They need a diet of 158gn regular pressure rounds if you want them to hit at the fixed sight point of aim. It's either that or the classic load of target 147gn wadcutters.

A better "one and only" wheelgun option for you may well be a Model 19. The adjustable sights give you a wider degree of ammo options.

 

[wanderinwalker]

The problem is the stock Magna stocks ("grips"). I have "K-frame" size hands but even the Magnas are entirely too small and hard to establish a proper hold on.

My Model 19 has a Hogue monogrip, with finger grooves and checkering, while my 18 and 586 have Ahrends smooth combats. A Tyler T-grip or any number of rubber grips are also options.

This picture isn't current, but it does show the stock options I've tried, bottom to top: Magnas (put on because it came with a set of Pachmyer rubber grips that I hated, but now flipped to a set of Ahrends), Hogue Monogrip and Ahrends smooth combats.

 

[BCRider]

Come to think of it I wonder if the stock Magna stocks without any filler or anything else fit anyone at all other than some 89lb woman or a 12 year old kid. They really are too small and oddly shaped to get any sort of decent grip on the gun.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

MrBorland, that's exactly what the grips look like. Thanks the illustration of how it should look when I hold it.

BCRider, thanks for the advice. You're right, it does feel odd when you're used to automatics, but if that's how it's supposed to be done, I'll learn to do it that way.

What difference, if any, does the round butt make to gripping a Model 10?

 

[TexAg]

I actually prefer magnas and I'm 5'10" 185 lbs. I grew up shooting single actions primarily, so maybe that's why.

 

[murf]

suggestion:

if you are shooting double-action, hold the pistol as in mrborland's picture.

if shooting single-action, grip the pistol lower and put your pinky finger underneath the grip.

with both methods, use only the tip of the trigger finger when pulling the trigger (trigger should end up right at the base of the fingernail).

murf

 

[MrBorland]

the guy in the picture in MrBorland's post

That would be Yours Truly .

The photo was taken earlier this year at the S&W IDPA Indoor Nationals. If you look closely, you can see a ghost outline of the gun itself, created by the gun returning from recoil for the follow-up shot. A high grip gives the shooter more control by getting the bore axis lower. It also shortens the distance to the trigger, so it allows you to get more than just the end of your trigger finger on the trigger, something else that may feel weird for a semi-auto shooter.

What difference, if any, does the round butt make to gripping a Model 10?

Though they're easier to conceal, I personally find RB grips harder to shoot. Less material at the bottom of the grip just makes it feel (and act) mushier. The difference being at the bottom of the grip, I haven't changed my grip, but swapped out the RB grips for (RB to SB) conversion grips.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

There are so many good options from the T-Grips to rubber grips to middle and high end wood grips. Badger Custom and Eagle Grips make good aftermarket wood grips at a fair price. Pachmayr makes very good rubber grips and Hogue makes both rubber and wood mono-grips. For just a little more cash Craig Spegel and Altamont Grips are outstanding choices for wood grips. Just a note, Craig Spegel has many grades of wood so you can get K frame grips ranging from $45 to $150 and higher.

 

[Remllez]

TexAg represents the other end of the magna grip debacle. The Magnas don't feel that all out of place for him coming from shooting single actions with plow handle grips, which don't feel comfortable to double actionshooters.

So it's six of one half a dozen of the other. Don't automatically assume you won't like the stock grips on your new to you model 10, at least until you try them. Mr Borland shows excellent form for DA shooting.

Don't be afraid to try all manner of grips until you find "the ones". Most of us have a shoebox full of grips that we no longer use and there's certainly no shortage of aftermarket grips available for the 10.

 

[BCRider]

I shoot a fair number of SA guns as well as my S&W's. While I'm no stranger to the smaller neck of the SA gun stocks I found that the Magnas are just too small and round'ish to get a proper feel at all regardless of shooting in SA or DA mode. But then I've got larger size hands and had to make a "fat" set of scales for my Super Blackhawk and Single Six to let me get a grip that provided more consistent accuracy and in the case of the SBH to give me more contact area to avoid the dreaded "Dragoon Guard Bite".

So yeah, no doubt some folks like TexAg find the Magnas to work well for them. But I suspect it's folks with big meat hooks like I have which kept Tyler, Hogue and the other companies busy all these years....

For the trigger I found I get my best accuracy on my S&W's by putting the trigger in the fold of the last joint. Yep, right in the fold. It gives me the most neutral trigger pull in DA or SA. If I try using it out towards the beginning of the nail bed as Murf suggests above I end up pushing the shots to the left badly. Again though this may be due to the "big meat hook syndrome"... All I know is that it works well for me in both draw and shoot action matchs as well as slow bullseye shooting.

 

[MrBorland]

Yeah, I'd like to know who was smokin' what at S&W HQ back when those Magnas were designed . If you relax your hand, and look towards your palm, you'll see that your hand naturally favors something relatively small at the bottom and bigger at the top, and the Magnas are exactly opposite of that.

Whether shooting SA or DA, I recommend always gripping a DA revolver high. One may use a lower grip on cowboy SA guns, but it's not because it's shot SA per se, but because the gun's designed that way. Much different that a DA revolver.

As far as trigger finger placement, the correct finger placement is that which allows you to shoot your best. It may be the tip for some, 1st joint for others. DA pulls are relatively long and hard, so 1st joint can help one pull smoothly without straining. Experiment to find what works best for you.

Like BCRider, I use my 1st joint (see pics). As you can see, I also use an Isosceles stance, and a thumbs-forward grip*:


A high grip & 1st joint on trigger gives me plenty of control:



*I'll pre-empt caterwaul about thumb injury from hot gases by agreeing it's something to be aware of with hot magnums, but it's not a problem with standard pressure rounds.

 

[murf]

sergei,

i hope everyone here has convinced you to go ahead and purchase that fine weapon.

if not, we'll try harder!

murf

 

[CDawg]

Just picked up my first Model 10, 10-7 actually. They're great revolvers that have everything you need and nothing that you don't. This example is in like new condition with the box and paperwork and perfect grips numbered to the gun. First thing was to take those perfect grips off and put them in the box with the papers and mount Pachmayr Presentation grips on it. I like the small size presentation grips and have them on my S&W Model 15 and Dan Wesson .44 They work well for me and my wife too! Not as pretty as the wood, but I'm not really worried about making a fashion statement. Now for a cleaning and off to the range to start breaking this weapon in properly.

 

[Drail]

That McBorland guy, he's not messin' around. Thank God for revolver junkies.

 

[MCgunner]

One of the reasons I own a lot of revolvers is that they can be MADE to fit the hand. I love Hogue products.

 

[BCRider]

That's a great point. Revolvers are FAR more adaptable by changing grip scales than semi autos. And if by some chance NONE of the aftermarket scales work for a given shooter they are often "just" wood which can be custom shaped to suit perfectly.

EDIT; By the way, I shot my first IDPA monthly club match last weekend with my 66 for the first time. Up to this I'd used my various revolvers for matches but they were all Speed Steel club stuff. What this past weekend taught me is that I REALLY need to work on my reloads..... That and I doubt I was as serious looking as MrBorland in that pic a few posts above. I gotta work on my looking serious since it looks so right in that picture....

 

[MrBorland]

Don't be afraid to try all manner of grips until you find "the ones". Most of us have a shoebox full of grips that we no longer use and there's certainly no shortage of aftermarket grips available for the 10.

That's a great point. Revolvers are FAR more adaptable by changing grip scales than semi autos. And if by some chance NONE of the aftermarket scales work for a given shooter they are often "just" wood which can be custom shaped to suit perfectly.

Good points here, Sergei. I, too, have a shoebox of grips. Right now, I'm using Uncle Mikes. The bottom finger groove doesn't quite line up the way I like it, but grips aren't immutable, so it got trimmed off.

If you know other revolver shooters, it's possible they have shoebox grips they can loan out so you can evaluate them before buying.

I shot my first IDPA monthly club match last weekend with my 66 for the first time. Up to this I'd used my various revolvers for matches but they were all Speed Steel club stuff. What this past weekend taught me is that I REALLY need to work on my reloads.....

That's great to hear, BC. Hope you had fun. And yep, revo shooters who Run&Gun, live or die by the reload. Fortunately, it's a skill that can be practiced at home, but that's another thread.

I gotta work on my looking serious since it looks so right in that picture....

Unfortunately, the stern look didn't intimidate the targets, nor did I get any style points.

 

[Drail]

DON"T ever give up the stern look.

 

[2zulu1]

Nice informative thread, but I did do a double take on the thumbs forward pic. I'm also a big fan of the Hogue Monogrips as they fit my hand well. With grips that fit the shooter's hands, S&W ergonomics and pointability are enhanced.

M10 is a nice shooter, congratulations and enjoy your range time.