Looking for rubber grips for a square butt K frame

[mustang_steve]

Well, I've finally decided that I love the S&W target grips feel, but the wood is just too slippery for my sweaty palms.....so time to get some grips.

Problem: I want rubber grips that feel like the target grips, just rubber.

Is there anything like this out there? I've looked at the Hogue and Pachmayr grips, but both of them look like they are dimensionally different from the factory grips.

Which of these offers the S&W target grip feel or is the closest to that? I have to ask since I can't really afford to buy 3 sets of grips just to discover what's what.

Thanks folks.

 

[Black Knight]

I have used Pachmayr Presentation grips on a few as well as their Gripper models. Both are very good grips for shooting. On my S&W 686 I use the Gripper model and it would be the closest that Pachmayr has to the S&W target grips. On my S&W K-frames I use the Presentation model grips. I even use the Presntation grip on my S&W 28 from time to time. I have had Pachmayrs on some of my guns for nearly 30 years and for street use they are very decent. I do keep my original grips for when I want to change off. If you don't want to spend money trying them out try to find a gunshop that has a good selection and see if they will let you fit them before you buy them. If not they aren't all that expensive and can be re-sold relatively quickly.

 

[wnycollector]

+1 on the Pachmayr Presentation grips. I also have a set on my S&W 28-2, they are great grips for a workin gun.

 

[Black_Talon]

I use Pachmayr Presentations on all my K and N frame Smiths. They are the closest thing you can get (in rubber) to the S&W target-style grips.

And you can generally get used Pachmayrs pretty cheap from Gunbroker, ebay or even in gun stores.

 

[rcmodel]

You should at least try some Hogue rubber grips.

If you look at your hand, you might notice your last three fingers get much shorter as you get to the bottom pinky finger.

S&W Target grips on the otherhand, keep getting bigger just where your fingers keep getting shorter.

The Hogues account for that to some extent, and allow more fingers a better grip to prevent slippage in the hand.

rc

 

[Schofield3]

I'll chime in for Hogue as well,
Not the S&W facotry grip size but for me at least they greatly help grip and control the pistol.

 

[Racinbob]

I agree with all of the above. The Presentations are the closest to the S&W target style but RC is right on what he's saying. If you like the factory target go with the presentations. For me, I don't like Hogues. My favorites are the S&W combat or better yet, the Pachmayr American Legends. Great looking and feel great in my hand. Problem is, they are very hard to find as they aren't made for S&W revolvers anymore. I got lucky on evil bay for my K square and J round. Love them.

 

[Racinbob]

Here they are on my 66.

 

[Black_Talon]

I don't like the Hogues, or other "finger-groove" grips because they force your hand into a certain position on the gun. My hands look normal, and are of average size, but I've never found a finger-grove style of grip (revolver or pistol) that is comfortable for me.

 

[rcmodel]

It's interesting to note that the fastest & best revolver shooter in the world uses smooth hardwood Hogue grips without finger grooves.

He doesn't seem to have a gun slippage problem.

http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/revptmicgrip.htm

Again, most of the problem with S&W Target grips slipping is because they are wedge shaped the further down they go, and pry your shorter fingers loose under recoil.

They were great back in the day for shooting .38 Special target wad-cutters.
But not so much on hard kicking guns.

rc

 

[earplug]

Cut and sand the finger groves off

On my match guns I have cut and sanded the Hogue finger groves and some of the palm swell off.
Makes them easy to draw and adjust your grip.

 

[mustang_steve]

I was hoping for no grooves, just rubber. The shifting in my case is not recoil related (it's a K22 for pete's sake)....it's slippage when I'm cocking the hammer to fire SA or from squeezing the trigger in DA. Like I also said, I have very sweaty palms, it's just how I am....my sweat and the surface on those target grips combines to become a super slick surface.



This thread was a result of lack of local availibility amongst other things. It seems square butt K frames are the oddball in this area.

edit: here's a shot of my grip so you can see how I hold it. My hand was bent over at a weird angle though since I was taking the shot myself. Special thanks go to fluorescent lightbulbs in the living room for screwing up the shot a little.

 

[ArmedBear]

Note that the FINISH on the wood has a lot to do with how slippery it is.

I have Ahrends Tactical Smooth cocobolo grips on a square-butt L-frame (same grips as a K) and they're great. They just don't have the shiny finish of the old Smith grips.

I also have some old Pachmayrs for a square-butt K-frame. I put on some original-style wood service grips, because an old standard-barrel Model 10 just looks wrong with anything else. But the Pachmayrs work well.

 

[mustang_steve]

Good point on the finish. The factory service grips offer better grip, but my hand keeps riding UP with service grips....so maybe I should look into finding some target grips I can remove the finish on and do them up like the factory service grips.

 

[Brian Dale]

Ahrends Retro Revolver Stocks (Link) are on my "buy soon" list. They have a tung oil finish available and, for geeks like me, they'll even leave them unfinished so that I can apply my own tung oil finish. The Retro Target Stocks at the page I've linked might be the sort of thing that you're looking for.

 

[mustang_steve]

Thanks for all the good advice folks. Today I hit up a gunshop that I like but is a bit out of the way for me, and turns out they had a used grip stockpile...I found a pair of rubber target style K frame grips, just thinner and deeper for $5.

They also had some yummy ham sandwiches as a christmas thing.....hey, if one of the staff is reading this, you all rock!

All I had to do was cut out some of the back of the grip to clear the target hammer, and now excellent grip is mine. I thought the cutout the previous owner put on the side was a bad thing, but it clears my trigger finger just fine....so double upgrade.

 

[Brian Dale]

I love happy endings. It looks like you made a good find.

 

[KevininPa]

I might just cry.

"I love happy endings. It looks like you made a good find. "

Truly a Christmas Miracle!

Just kidding. I'm hoping to find the right combo for my 686. It only has a 4" barrel so I decided that I want to use it as a carrier. But the rubber Hogues are just too bulky. The wife is getting me some laminated rosewood square-butt magnas, and I'm adding a Tyler T Grip to it. Hopefully it will be a good cold season CC combo.
I'm glad you made the find you wanted! Merry Christmas!

 

[mustang_steve]

I found out mine are either knock-off pachmayrs or pachmayrs without the medallion on them.

they seem to the their "presentation" grip, which is slightly smaller, but has the same feel as the target grip...it is slimmer than the S&W target grips by a long shot. For carry, you might want to give it a look.

 

[Starter52]

$5 for a set of grips that fit your hand? You did well.

Your $5 grips might be Sile grips. They made "Pachmayr-like" grips back in the day. I've used Sile grips. Decent quality stuff.

 

[Black_Talon]

I found out mine are either knock-off pachmayrs or pachmayrs without the medallion on them.

Earlier Pachmayrs had no medallion. Even earlier ones had no exposed grip screw nut on the left side grip, it was molded into the grip. Even earlier Pachamyrs were marked "Mershon", the company that originated them back in the 1950's. I forget if Pachmayr legally obtained the manufacturing rights on not.

 

[mustang_steve]

The Pachmayrs I got had the hidden nut. It's nice to know what these were, as they are pretty comfortable and grippy. Later on, I may get a new set of them, since the revolver is too nice to have cut up grips....or I may keep them on since they're just there for range use....I have the factory grips and the shiny target grips to look pretty wth.