Aftermarket Revolver Grips: We Pick A Pair of Pachmayrs

We liked the $20 Presentation Grip for plinking, and the $24 Gripper Professional and $13 Bill Davis Large Synthetic Grip models for competition.

Although they must fit someone, the finger grooves on Smith & Wesson's Smooth Combat Grips hit our shooters’ fingers improperly. However, the mismatch wasn’t a problem during shooting.

Smith & Wesson discovered through surveys what many individuals already knew: That up to 70 percent of the company’s revolver customers preferred synthetic grips over factory-installed wood ones S&W traditionally offered. As a result of this finding, in 1994 the company started offering some of its revolvers with a synthetic grip installed at the factory. In 1995, the turnaround became more evident when the S&W catalog showed only two of 19 revolvers offered with wood grips.

The company’s conversion to synthetic grips reflects what many revolver purchasers had been doing for years—taking a new, boxed handgun and proceeding to the accessories aisle to inspect the options in aftermarket grips. The primary reason was because the design of the grips commonly offered on the medium- and large-frame S&W revolvers left a lot to be desired. They were overly wide and long, exposed the knuckle of the middle finger to abuse from the trigger guard during recoil, and flared absurdly toward the base of the grip. One method of handling these problems was to file and sand them as necessary, but replacing them was easier.

Though the company has broadened its grip offerings, many shooters who have purchased a used, older S&W revolver or who still don’t like the factory-supplied grips may want to add aftermarket grips to their wheelgun. To see which of the current aftermarket grips are worth the time and money to install, we purchased six synthetic grips and two wood offerings to replace the original wood grips supplied on a S&W 4-inch Model 686. To make our judgments and recommendations, we made detailed observations on the grips’ appearance, workmanship, and, most important, handfit.

The nine products ranged in suggested retail price from just under $20 to over $60. We tested four grips from Pachmayr, two from Smith & Wesson, and one each from Hogue, Uncle Mike’s, and Davis. From Pachmayr, we picked the $24.95 Gripper, the $24.50 Professional Gripper, the $20 Bill Jordan Combat, and the $20 Presentation products. The S&W grips were the $35.54 Smooth Combat model and factory-supplied target stocks. The other products were Hogue’s $57.95 Checkered Wood grip, Uncle Mike’s $13.36 Boot Grip, and Bill Davis’ $15.95 Large Synthetic grip.

Here’s what we found:

Smith & Wesson Factory Grips
The gun’s original grip set was nicely machined with smoothly fitting seams, which hugged the gun frame well. They sported small S&W logo medallions and deep checkering on both sides. The upper portion of the grip felt wide and measured 11/4 inches at the top and 11/2 inches at the bottom.

During shooting we noted that the portion of the left panel, where the cut is made to facilitate loading, hit uncomfortably behind the first joint of the thumb. Also, the trumpet flare, measuring measured 21/2 inches front to back at the bottom of the grip, tended to angle the heel of the strong hand away from the centerline of the gun. Allowing for a high grip on the frame, there are no finger grooves cut into the forward portion of the grip.

Firing the gun with the original set of stocks reminded us why we always bought aftermarket grips along with the gun. Even while shooting a comfortable .38 load, we were aware of the aggressive checkering and the breadth of the top of the grip along with the sharp angle, which hit the thumb just in front of the base joint. Shooting the .357 load punished the thumb joint. When we made an adjustment to the grip technique to hold the strong-side thumb away from the grip, the recoil punch was then transferred to the second knuckle of the middle finger via the trigger guard.

Smith & Wesson Smooth Combat Grips
The Smith & Wesson Smooth Combat grips share many of the features we noticed in the factory set. They were nicely machined of attractive wood, they fit smoothly and cleanly, and sported the medallions. Also, several dimensions and cuts were shared. The tops of the Smooth Combat panels are cut the same as the factory stocks, and the fit of the grip along the exposed frame, the length, and the width at the top the grip is the same. The front to rear dimensions are also the same with the exception that the Combat grips have well-rounded finger grooves with the forward flared edge of the lower grip removed. They measured about 11/8 inch by 17/8 inch at the bottom. Some of the edges were rounded, however, making the grip feel comfortable in the hand.

Though the grooves of the S&W Smooth Combat grips didn’t mesh perfectly with our finger placement, this wasn’t a noticeable problem while shooting. The Smooth Combat grips proved to be very comfortable when shooting the .38 Special. Still, under the .357 ammo’s recoil, they caused the same discomfort to the shooter’s thumb as had the original stocks, but not as severe. We thought the smoothly sanded surface felt better under the .357’s recoil than the checkered grips.

Hogue Monogrip
Though both S&W grips were composed of two separate pieces of wood, the Hogue is fashioned from two pieces of wood that have been joined along the centerline. Hogue refers to this as the Monogrip. The attractively finished wood is nicely sanded and finished, has comfortable contours, distinct finger grooves that fit my hand well, and mirror-image palm swells.

The most obvious difference between the Hogue and S&W products was the amount of wood left on the forward, upper edge of the grip, the area immediately behind the trigger guard. This forced the fingers of the strong hand to fall lower on the grip, resulting in a more comfortable wrist angle when holding the gun.

When we used them with .38 Special loads, the Hogue Monogrips were very comfortable to shoot because of the increased depth in the area behind the trigger guard. This advantage was even more apparent with the .357 rounds; it offers protection to the gripping fingers of the strong hand by keeping them away from the trigger guard. Shooting the .357s, we noticed the checkering created extra resistance on the skin of the palms, but the sensation was not distracting.

Bill Davis’ Large Synthetic Grip
The unpretentious grips from Bill Davis arrived in an unmarked plastic bag. Their stand-out feature was length; they are 5/16 inch longer than the original stocks, which frequently makes them the choice of the NRA/Bianchi Cup shooters who take advantage of the additional length in the grip. The grip can be rested on the ground when shooting from the prone position to relieve neck strain while lowering the eye to the line of sight.

The black Davis grips have molded, checkered panels on each side. The two-piece grips secure to the frame with two screws, which expose the serrations of the back strap. They lowered the grip of the fingers, like the Hogue product, and have a single finger groove. The fit to the gun wasn’t particularly pretty, with the tops of the panels extending beyond the shoulder of the frame and obvious gaps behind the trigger guard and at the base of the rear grip frame. Overall, though, the combination of the design and the material employed yielded a very firm feel in the hand.

The .38 loads were shot with comfort and good control with the Davis grips, even though the ring finger centered on the point below the single finger groove. Also, they offered complete comfort with the .357 loads. The rubber evidently compresses to a certain extent, absorbing some of the rearward thrust even though no give is perceivable. The push seemed to be evenly dispersed through the entire hand with no area taking a particular beating. As the first rubber grips we tested, we found the Davis grips to be much more comfortable to shoot than the wood stocks.

Pachmayr Presentation Grip
The Pachmayr Presentation Grip is a one-piece sleeve with the opening on the forward part of the grip. The grips shielded the hand from the back strap of the frame, but it almost felt too full and rounded. The top of the left panel extends forward, toward the cylinder release. A subtle contour made it feel that it would provide more protection to the side of the thumb and to the web of the hand during recoil. As with all the Pachmayr rubber grips, the finish has attractive details, such as the areas toward the tops of the panels that have a sandblasted appearance, which are delineated by inset grooves. The molded checkering, while not deep, contributes to the eye appeal and to the comfort of the grip. This grip also forced the fingers of the strong hand down, so the middle finger was placed almost below the trigger guard. There are no finger grooves in this model. All the Pachmayr grips sported inset logo medallions on both sides of the panels.

Though we liked the Davis grips, the Pachmayr Presentation grips offered even more protection, significantly reducing the awareness of recoil with both loads. Besides the material, the broader grip design helped distribute recoil impact. It was actually enjoyable to shoot the high-pressure .357 Magnum load with this grip.

Pachmayr Combat Gripper
The Pachmayr Gripper is similar to the Presentation model. It is a single unit with the opening in the front and sports a pair of medallions and a similar finish. Differences include the molded and contoured finger grooves and the narrowing of the front to rear dimension at the base. Also, the cut which facilitates loading on the top left panel is lower and ends sooner than on the Presentation Grip, providing less of a distinct rest for the thumb. It has very slight palm swells and flares slightly at the base.

In our view, the Combat Gripper was as comfortable to shoot as the Presentation. It should be noted that both of these models covered the back strap of the grip frame with about 1/8 inch of rubber.

Pachmayr Gripper Professional
The Pachmayr Gripper Professional is another popular model among action shooters because of its slimmer lines, the fully recessed area that facilitates the use of speed loaders, and a well-planned combination of molded finger grooves and molded checkering. This single-piece sleeve exposes the back strap, allowing for a shorter reach to the trigger than most grips and is less than 1 inch wide at the top. It has subtle palm swells and flares mildly at the base to lightly cup the lower edge of the palm. As with all Pachmayr offerings tested, the rubber had a pleasingly tacky, but not sticky, feel.

Switching to the Pachmayr Gripper Professional exposes the back strap, which made shooting the punishing .357 loads painful. If you are interested in productive and concentrated practice sessions, you must protect your hand from the serrated metal of the frame. Also, though it offered comfort and control with the .38 loads, the .357s produced a sore spot on the inside of the thumb when shot with the Professional.

Pachmayr Bill Jordan Grips
The Bill Jordan Grips by Pachmayr are made of molded plastic, which are very smooth and comfortable in the hand. Formed by two pieces of smoothly-joined plastic, they appear to be a single, hollow form. As with all of the previously mentioned grips, with the exception of the Smith & Wesson models, this one also lowered the placement of the fingers that form the grip of the strong hand. Beneath the loading recess is a built-in thumb rest that is contrasted on the opposite side by a smooth continuation of the line of the side of the grip, with a gradual tapering toward the top.

The Bill Jordan signature grips from Pachmayr were comfortable in live fire; however, the smooth, rounded grips taper toward the top of the stock, encouraging the gun to rock in the hand during recoil, even with the .38 Special. By the fifth .38 round and by the second .357 round, the hammer touched the web of the hand as it came back during the double-action pull. This problem occurred even when the grip strength was increased significantly. Also, the hard, plastic shell yielded a rattling, hollow sound during shooting.

Uncle Mike’s Boot Grip
The Boot Grip by Uncle Mike’s differed from the other grips in many apparent ways. It exposes the back, bottom, and front of the grip frame, and it is less than 1 inch across at the top. Overall, it is a slim, neat package obviously meant for better concealment capabilities and a reduction in weight. Like all but one of other synthetic grips (the Bill Jordans) the Boot Grip has a steel liner over which the rubber is molded.

The compact Boot Grip by Uncle Mike’s, as mentioned, is more for carry purposes than for extended practice sessions. As slight as the grips seemed when compared to the other grips, the Boot Grip still offered good protection from the recoil of the .38. The narrow, slim grip was uncomfortable, however, while shooting the .357. The thumb position was so close to the cylinder release that during recoil, the release came back and hit the thumb, and the recoil punch felt accentuated in the web of the hand.

Performance Shooter Picks
For appearance, it is difficult to pass up nicely contoured wood grips like the original factory models and the Hogue Checkered Wood Grip and Smith & Wesson Smooth Combat Grips. For comfort’s sake, however, the rubber grips are head and shoulders above the wood products.

If we were buying grips for plinking practice, we would pick the $20 Pachmayr Presentation Grip. We thought it offered the most protection and comfort under heavy recoil. For various competition disciplines, the Pachmayr Gripper Professional ($24.50) and the Bill Davis Large Synthetic Grip ($15.95) were the standouts, in our view. For carry-only purposes, the $13.36 Boot Grip from Uncle Mike’s was the easy pick.

Also With This Article
Click here to view "Installation."
Click here to view "S&W Model 686 Revolver."
Click here to view "Contacts."
Click here to view "Using Loaders."

-By Charles Woolley