Wood...Combat grips, is anything better?

[357 Terms]

Not just a pretty face.
It's like I gripped a block of clay and someone carved a piece of wood from that clay.
Med/large hands.
Functionally I feel these are superior, I can grip the revolver on the grip frame, much higher than a Houge (rubber) for example, controlling muzzle rise.
This is an N frame


All revolvers are magnums, I don't shoot "full" magnums much, so med/light for the most part, including SD rounds.
More $$$ than rubber, but...
When something looks and (functionally) feels this good, why anything else?

 

[AzShooter1]

Nice selection of guns and grips. I too prefer wood and use Hogue Big Butts most of the time but I just lucked in to two pair of Miculek grips for my 617s.

 

[.38 Special]

I've always felt like "finger groove" grips would be ideal, if I ever could find some that fit my hand perfectly. I never have - they always have the ridges in a place that badly interferes with the way I want to grip the gun. C'est la vie...

 

[trackskippy]

Wood always looks so nice, and I really do like them, but for the heavy recoiling guns, I much prefer the Hogue rubber grips with the exposed backstraps. They also seem to have the best feel for filling my hand.

The wood just dont usually have the right shape in the right places and/or enough texture for me and are slippery. Dont see full checkered wood revolver grips too often, which would be better.

 

[mcb]

Wood is for show, Rubber if for go.

But most important is has to be comfortable in the hand and a grip you can get ahold of the same way with each draw. If that is wood so be it.

I have found the Hogue over molded round butt grip works best on my N-frames. The rubber absorbs a bit of recoil but more importantly gives me a good solid grip on the revolver in all weather and temperatures.



Hogue on all my N-frames and one of the two piece OEM grips off a friend's 617 on my Model 10.

 

[Jeff62]

I tried to like rubber grips in the 80’s and I have tried to like G10 in this century. I just don’t. But if you do it’s cool, I’ll still share my coffee with you.

 

[e rex]

I like Miculek grips without finger grooves on my 4" 686.

 

[.38 Special]

I will say that I like rubber grips from a recoil standpoint - I have wood grips on my .500 and they cause actual physical injury with any "real" loads - but I also will point out that rubber grips are just awful for concealed carry. Nothing catches and holds a light concealment garment like Hogue's "overmolded" grips.

 

[Pat Riot]

I like wood and I like rubber. A wood grip that fits my hands is way better than rubber grip that doesn’t. My K frames wear wood. My Rugers wear wood. My N frame, rubber. My GP100, rubber. My J frames have wood and rubber. For me it’s all about the fit. Lookin’ pretty is secondary.

 

[Walkalong]

There are many finger groove grips I don't like at all, but I really like the stock S&W ones.

 

[Riomouse911]

I love the look of wood, and your guns look fantastic with the grips you have on them. Great job .

For me, guns up to .38 Spl. and mid-range .357’s in K-frames usually wear wooden grips. I am partial to the ones from Thailand, these just fit me well. (Not all of mine that are in the safe, but a decent sampling.)



Small J-frame type revolvers almost always get rubber grips. Just makes them easier for me to hang onto. (Again not all, but another sample.)



The big boys wear rubber grips. .454, .41, .44 etc. Wood grips with these hard kickers just kill my palm and thumb joint.



The Mountain Gun and 686+ came with the Hogue grips, they’re my favorites. The Model 66-1 wears the retro Pachmayr grips for nostalgia purposes. The J-frame Model 34 kit gun at the bottom is the only J frame I have with wooden grips.



Again, I love the look and feel of nice wooden grips (and rifle stocks, too!) .

I just can’t take the whack the wood grips deliver my hands with magnum’s anymore.

Stay safe.

 

[Jonesy814]

I have never had nor held real S&W combat grips, but I have found some Thai grips on Ebay that really both like the looks of, and like the performance at the range

 

[Tallball]

I love the look of beautiful wooden grips. I'm lucky to have some nice ones.

Unfortunately, the gross black rubbery generic Pachmayr type grips usually fit my hand better.

This bad boy came with two sets of grips, the gorgeous Altamont wooden ones, and a set of meh black plastic ones.

After a few range trips, the ugly black grips stayed on.

Smith and Wesson Model 629-5

• Tallball
• May 25, 2019

 

[wcwhitey]

Different grips for different Frames but all wood. I try many combinations but generally like Hoque.

 

[357 Terms]

I have never had nor held real S&W combat grips, but I have found some Thai grips on Ebay that really both like the looks of, and like the performance at the range
View attachment 1096214 View attachment 1096215 View attachment 1096216 View attachment 1096217

I really like some of the Thai grips, I have some on my Security Six.
Well made, feel and look great.

 

[trackskippy]

Ive seen a number of grips from Thailand on eBay and they all look very nice (Ill pass on the pearl inlay versions though. ). Looks like they are replicating some of the older Magna style grips too.

Reasonably priced, for the most part, and they seem to have a good rep from those who have bought them too.

 

[Riomouse911]

Ive seen a number of grips from Thailand on eBay and they all look very nice (Ill pass on the pearl inlay versions though. ). Looks like they are replicating some of the older Magna style grips too.

Reasonably priced, for the most part, and they seem to have a good rep from those who have bought them too.

I have only had one pair out of the dozen or so Ive bought that needed a bit of sanding to make a slight ridge in the halves go flush. Other than this one instance, all have been very good.

Stay safe.

 

[bannockburn]

For "show" I put the factory target grips on my Model 686 but when it's time to go to the range it's wearing Pachmayr Gripper grips. With the J frames .38 Specials it's factory rubber boot grips, factory wood grips with a Tyler T-Grip, or else it's a Hogue MonoGrip for the Model 34 .22.

 

[DR505]

I always preferred Kim Ahrend's stocks. I wish he was still in business.

 

[nofendertom]

The only finger groove stocks I liked were Kim Ahrends stocks. I liked his smooth stocks as well. They felt great in my hand.

 

[Tallball]

These Thai grips fit my hands so well that this is one of my few service-type revolvers with wooden grips.

They were about 30 bucks on Ebay. It took a few weeks for them to arrive.

Taurus Model 689

• Tallball
• Jan 7, 2018
• 1

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I think checkered Magna-style grips are my favorites aesthetically and functionally, but I also don't shoot big-bore magnums or heavy loads much.

 

[v8stang289]

I'm partial to Ahrends fingergroove.
They just fit my hands well.

 

[csirre]

I always like short barrel revolver with boot grip. I have medium hand and I find this comfortable enough. It looks handsome too.

 

[Bayou52]

A few of my favorite replacement wooden grips:

Redhawk:



Security Six:



Taurus model 970 in 22 LR



Bayou52