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Thread: G10 Grips for GP100?

  1. #11
    I actually bought the full-size Altamont grip. My GP100 is primarily a woodsbumming gun. I'll sometimes engage in some "covered up" carry if I stop at the Trading Post on my way back from hunting, out of politeness, but even if I were to openly carry it would be unlikely to cause consternation.

    I do have a Simply Rugged holster with the IWB loops, and I'm contemplating taking the GP100 on this weekend's eastern WA road trip. The fullsize Letts style grips hide better than the Match Champion grips, but its is still quite a bit of gun to cover up.

    So @JohnInWA will have the compacts, and I'll have the full-size from Altamont. MOAR SCIENCE!
    I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.

  2. #12
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    I'm interested in hearing the results.
    "It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
    -Maple Syrup Actual

  3. #13
    I will post my results.

    The GP100 is the first full-size revolver I've ever owned. I'm having a tremendous amount of fun driving out to the National Forest a mile from my house, sticking a target at 50 to 75 yards and trying to hit it. This may be my new hobby. I'm reloading .357 for about .15 a round, so it's cheap fun.

    It just occurred to me that I should have just bought a set of the compacts to try them out too, as I've considered a 3" GP100 as well...
    I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.

  4. #14
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    Definitely also interested in hearing about the rubber Altamonts for the GP100. I’ll eventually have a 3”-4” .357 wheelgun at somepoint and right now it’s kind of between some flavor of the GP100 and a S&W 66.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  5. #15
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonInWA View Post
    In the past several years, they've made a quiet resurgence. I suspect that Lett's manufactured the wood inserts, and there was another 3rd party manufacturer that actually made the rubber grip itself, but I'm frankly guessing on that one.
    Unless there's been a fairly recent change, the wood is from Altamont and the rubber is from Hogue.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  6. #16
    Member Hizzie's Avatar
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    The only full sized Lett I have personally used is the Altamont. All of the compact Lett grips I have are oem Ruger. Guess I need to try the Altamont compact.
    Quote Originally Posted by caleb View Post
    Oh man, that's right. I forgot that some people feel like they need light SA triggers in DA guns instead of just learning to shoot the gun better. You can get a Redhawk DA trigger pull down to 10 lbs, and if you can't manage that you suck and should probably just practice more.
    *RS Regulate Affiliate*

  7. #17
    Site Supporter entropy's Avatar
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    Appreciate all the insight. Ordered a pair of the Altamont Compacts. For the price paid, it’s worth the experiment.

  8. #18
    Member JonInWA's Avatar
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    I received the Altamont Compact. I chose the one with the snakeskin scale checkering on the backstrap, and it also came with some conventional checkering molded into the frontstrap. The grip was nicely molded, with the correct holes and channel to store the takedown pin.

    Fit was excellent. It may be very slightly wider than the OEM Ruger one, as the screw that secures the insert plates didn't protrude out quite as far as it when installed on the Altamont grip, which was a minor plus. The molded checkering on the Altamont's frontstrap does bald out a little towards the bottom, but that's of little consequence. The checkering on the Altamont (especially on the backstrap) does seem to anchor the grip in your hand a bit better than the totally uncheckered Ruger grip.

    Frankly, I can't discern any differences whatsoever between the rubber feel, quality, flex, and absorption between the Altamont and the Ruger-they're both excellent. Since they're pretty much priced the same (Ruger is $44.95, Altamont is $44 (or without panel inserts and hardware, $20 just for the rubber grip itself). Which you choose really is just a matter of aesthetics and convenience. With Ruger, your insert is the smooth Rosewood panel, with Altamont you can choose between Rosewood or Walnut, and in several patterns. There are also several outfits making exceptionally nice GP100 insert panels, such as Chig's Grips, in which case just getting the Altamont rubber without insert makes the best sense (Chig can also emplace a set of Ruger emblems in the grip inserts as desired, for a nominal fee). I'm running my Altamont with a set of Lett's smooth Silver Black laminate inserts; my Ruger Compact grip is being run with a set of Lett's smooth Winewood laminates.

    I do believe that the checkering/snakescale patterning, particularly on the grip backstrap of the Altamonts provides a little better grip anchoring, but I've never had any problems with the smooth Ruger grip with full-house .357 magnum loads either. So again, for most buyers it'll likely boil down to aesthetics and convenience-either Ruger or Altamont offerings are excellent, in my opinion. I haven't had a chance to fire my GP100 with the Altamonts yet, but I'm not anticipating any surprises or blinding revelations.

    Best, Jon
    Last edited by JonInWA; 04-10-2019 at 01:30 PM.

  9. #19
    So I received my Altamont, full size, Letts style grips for my GP100.

    Previously, I've used a Ruger branded Letts style grip that I received from Chigs grips, along with some excellent quilted maple panels. The Ruger branded grips and the Chigs panels fit together quite well and looked good. The problem with them is that I have above average sized hands and a high grip. The gun recoils back right into the web of my hand, and after about 50 rounds, I'm done. Often my hand would be noticeably sore the next day. Aside from discomfort, I'm concerned that I have some arthritis in my hands from previous injuries.

    The Altamont grips don't feel noticeably stiffer to me. The Chigs panels didn't fit quite as snugly, and the bottom of the left panel would sit a little proud of the grip if I tightened the panel down too much. The fit well enough though and looked good. Here are pictures of the grips, and the area on the backstrap that is of concern.

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    I put fifty rounds through the gun and had the same issues. The load is a 158-grain hard cast SWC over 10.2 grains of Blue Dot. It's not a complete rhino roller, but it is certainly a magnum load. I was not able to discern a difference in recoil management between the Ruger branded grips and the Altamont grips.

    The solution has been a set of Match Champion grips. As you can see in the picture below, there's quite a bit more material in the web of my hand. I experience no discomfort when shooting with these grips. .357 is a much more fatiguing cartridge to shoot than 9mm, but I can put a hundred rounds through the gun with these grips without pain.

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    I think this reinforces the truism that revolver fit is individual. When researching these grips, I found a post by BehindBlueIs where he talked about how the Match Champion grips were too big in exactly the same area where I needed more material. Fortunately, I don't have a huge amount of money tied up in any of these grips. The Match Champions work well for me, however, they do make the gun less concealable than the Letts. This isn't a huge concern for me as the GP100 is primarily a woods bumming and hunting revolver.

    .38 Special +p loads work fine with the Letts. I would also bet that some more sedate magnum loadings like the 125 grain Golden Saber or 135 grain Speer Gold Dot short barrel, would work ok, although I've not had a chance to try them.
    I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.

  10. #20
    Site Supporter entropy's Avatar
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    Thanks for the update.

    Looking forward to trying them out on my .44spl GP100. I tend to run some stiffer loads in this (255gr Keith/7.5 Unique) so hope they provide approximately equal absorbtion over the stock grips. The G10s I have on other guns generally fit me better than stock, so I accept the tradeoff in recoil.

    FWIW, Ruger is out of stock on the compacts as of last evening.

    Edit to add: LP, thanks for yours as well. We kinda “cross posted”.
    Last edited by entropy; 04-10-2019 at 02:04 PM.

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