SP101 stock grip or hogue rubber

[kohana]

I realize the stock grip is more concealable but for shooting 357 at the range which do you prefer?

 

[eldon519]

The Pachmayr Compac is a great in-between option. Fills the hand a bit better than the stock grip but isn't as big/tacky as the Hogue making it great for concealed carry.

 

[vaalpens]

I prefer the Hogue grip.

http://www.amazon.com/Hogue-Rubber-Ruger-SP101-Monogrip/dp/B001AZJ08C?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

At Amazon it is now only $18.42. Try it and decide for yourself.

 

[Hondo 60]

Neither!

I have matching rubber & inserts on my SP101 & GP100
They're the "Snakeskin" combos in walnut from Altamont.

http://altamontco.com/experimental/products/pistol/ruger/#Ruger_gp100.php

 

[VA27]

I prefer the stock grips. Soft enough for full house loads, small enough for C/C.

 

[eldon519]

This might help. I tried to line them up with the wood line as best as I could to give you an idea of the height of each. They are Badger boot grips, a Hogue, the Pachmayr Compac, and factory.

 

[Compound8.0]

Hogue Monogrip on my 2 1/4 SP101 fits the hand , well mine at least , just right . Tames those factory .357 mag loads plus I load mousefart .38s and shoot em all day .
Conceals pretty well in a Simply Rugged pancake IWB convertible holster with the Hogues as well . Just a matter of what's best for you .

 

[stompah]

My SP101 came with both factory and Hogue grips. The Hogues fit better in my larger hands and they tame the full power .357 loads that I like to shoot.

The holster that I carry my SP101 in is not good at concealing, so either way I print.

Hondo's post is going to cost me some money

 

[DP03]

The Hogue Tamer grip on my Alaskan (snubby) lets me shoot .44 mag without any drama. I don't think I would be able to say that with wood grips. For CC? No. No grip on earth would make that gun a good CC

 

[markallen]

Trausch.
Personal opinion here, but the Trausch is the best grip I have had, and still have on my SP101.
I have tried all the others that have been talked about this thread. But, for me I'll take the Trausch.
They are out of business now. The founder died, and the family decided not to manufacture anymore. What a shame.
They are out still out there, but are getting harder to find.

 

[eldon519]

The Trausch grips always looked enticing to me, but they are pretty darn big for a SP101. Kinda defeats the purpose of a compact revolver to put a full-size grip on it for me.

 

[bradepb]

I cannot real'y use the stock grips. They put my knuckle right behind and up against the trigger guard. Not a huge deal until you fire a .357. The houges give the most comfort and I can shoot Magnums fine. Right now I have the Pachymr compac's on as a compromise between the two.

 

[Waveski]

Brad and I are in the same boat. I nearly sold my SP101 after a few hundred rounds because my knuckle was so bashed up. The stock grips are useless to me. I went with Hogue 1 piece wooden grips. A bit large for concealment , but excellent for shooting. (I carry IWB , and the SP is a bit bulky for that anyway...)

 

[Steve in PA]

I'm a bigger guy, so I prefer the Hogue grips on my SP101. I can also conceal the gun without any issues.

 

[beag_nut]

Hogue. 'Nuff said.

 

[Shane in MT]

The factory grip works pretty well, but seemed a little small for me.

I put the rubber Hogue on a 2.25" SP101. it was comfortable with magnum loads, and concealed well in a Bianchi Black Widow.

 

[Jim NE]

The stock grip isn't really usable for .357, in most cases. I put a hogue on mine, like almost every other SP owner, but that didn't quite feel right to me, either. They positioned my hand too far down on the gun to make the trigger feel comfortably accessible to my trigger finger. And I don't have small hands. They did improve the felt recoil, though.

I sold the gun before I found grips that felt right. See if the nearest Cabela's or Bass Pro will let you pull some grips out to try them before you buy them (I think the blister packs are resealable.) Best wishes.

 

[eldon519]

Jim, I have the same feeling with the Hogues. It moves my hand farther down than I'd like and also has a very upright geometry. Somehow I feel like I am holding onto the bottom of a banana. The Pachmayr is very similar in length and geometry to the stock grip, it is just a bit beefier so it fills the hand better, has a bit more padding, and a bit better texture.

I sometimes still alternate between the Badger and the Pachmayr, but since getting those two, I never go back to the stock grip or the Hogue.

Just my $.02

 

[TreeDoc]

I've tried almost all of them and keep coming back to OEM grip it came with. The only thing I changed was the plastic inserts for some burled maple inserts.

 

[Tallball]

For CC the factory grips are fine. That is what my small-handed buddy uses for his fixed-sight 3" 357.

I have the 4" barrel 327 and bought the exotic wood grips from eBay to fit my XL hands better. They are good for plinking and target shooting and possible HD.

 

[Bill4282]

Had a Rossi 2" snubnose .357. After 1 box of ammo with stock grips, my hand was in pain and red. Ordered Pachmeyer grips; able to shoot a box of ammo and have no pain or numbness. Best grips ever.

SgtUSMC, Viet Vet (in country), AmLegion, VFW, LifeNRA, DAV

 

[Drail]

The advantages of the Hogue grip are they absorb some recoil but most importantly they force you to place your hand on the grip the same way every time you grip the gun. Some people don't like that but a consistent grip WILL increase your accuracy. That was the whole idea behind their design. In my experience shooting competition that has proven to be true. (with handguns, rifles, shotguns and even bows)

 

[eldon519]

Once you get the grip sorted out, next thing to work on is filing some of the sharp edges off the trigger if you plan to shoot full-power .357 in volume.

 

[Drail]

No kidding. Ruger has perfected the art of honing a sharp edge on steel so well they really should consider getting into the knife business. A brand new Ruger out of the box will cut you good.

 

[gerrym526]

Uncle Mike's Grips work well

I've had my SP101 2 1/4" for over 10yrs now. The factory grips were too small for my hands (like to have all my fingers on the grip, factory model was too small for my pinkie).
I put on an Uncle Mike's rubber grip-pretty inexpensive, and it worked very well. Also didn't really add much bulk if you were going to carry.
As far as "taming the recoil of a 357"? You're going to be shooting that load out of a steel frame gun, which already has a recoil dampening effect. I've shot 100 round sessions with the gun, with no hand discomfort. However, I use hand grip exercisers frequently to keep my hand strong for shooting so that may also have a recoil reducing effect.
One thing I would recommend with the 2 1/4" fixed front site, is painting it with Testors iridescent orange (with a white undercoat). It really improved my ability to shoot accurately, because I picked up the site picture more easily.
Hope this helps.
Gerry