N frame fans, what are your favorite grips, your "fighting grips" as DB calls 'em

[Tennessee Jed]

My n-frames only fire magnum ammo. While I hate the way they look, there's no getting around the fact that rubber Pachmayrs that cover the back strap are the most comfortable. Any grips or stocks that leave the back strap exposed hurt after a while. In my case, I have long fingers and I much prefer Pachmayr Grippers.

[03RN]

On square butts I'd go VZ until you can find Ahrends.

[Malamute]

I like the factory target in smooth rosewood worked down to feel right. I copied the best feeling 1950s set I had found at the time and copied the outline on my factory smooth rosewoods for the 4" 29. Ive basically copied that on a few sets of factory checkered targets with mostly good results, though the checkering sometimes limits how much you can modify them. Getting rid of the square or blocky feel is the biggest improvement, and making as smooth of a transition from metal to wood at the upper rear where the recoil is felt most.

Pachmayrs feel too narrow to me at the back, the top of the back being the worst part, as its where the recoil is felt the most. The compacs on RB Ks, Js and Colt Ds feel OK.

[Bruce Cartwright]

Fatdog:

I use Pachmayr Presentation stocks (small size if possible) when I am running lots of heavy kicking magnum ammo or a modified Hogue rubber stock with the damn finger grooves ground off.

For general use, mya favorite N frame stocks are Craig Spegel checkered, extended boot stocks. They are truly worth the wait. It may be heresy, but I run my Spegels all the time. My thinking is that you only go through life once and may as well enjoy things like this.

Cheers!

Bruce

[revchuck38]

For general use, mya favorite N frame stocks are Craig Spegel checkered, extended boot stocks. They are truly worth the wait. It may be heresy, but I run my Spegels all the time. My thinking is that you only go through life once and may as well enjoy things like this.

I've got smooth, extended Spegel boot grips on my M57 and M22-4, and checkered round-to-square ones on my M21-4. I'm probably going to swap the Spegels onto the M27-3 and put the Hogues on the M57.

[mtnbkr]

On square butts I'd go VZ until you can find Ahrends.

I remember when Ahrends was the inexpensive option for good grips. I think I bought my first pair for about $50 direct from them.

I have 4 pairs now, but all for K-frames.

Chris

[FNFAN]

I like the Eagle 'Secret Service' grips and the Ahrends boot grips for concealment "N" frames with square butts. I was fortunate to find a set of the Compac Pachmayr's that were NOS from eBay for my Carry Comp. Now I just need to find a set of the S&W grip medallions that are the right size to replace the Pachmayr generic medallion.

[BobM]

My only N frame is a 5” 629 Classic I bought in the early nineties. I’ve tried a few grips but came back to the factory Hogues that I whittled the finger grooves away.

[entropy]

I’ve tried just about everything. Factory Targets. Magnas. Magnas with a Tyler. Arhends. Pachmayr Grippers. Hogues. None quite right. The Magnas with the T are about the best, but they make the gun too top heavy and whippy.

[Rex G]

I bought pre-owned Herretts, probably a Jordan Trooper set, at a gun show, and whittled them down, radically, in an attempt to make them work for me, while shooting DA. (They were a superb fit, with my finger on the trigger face, if the hammer was cocked.) By the time I had removed enough material for an ergonomically-correct fit, that allowed me to get enough of my index finger on the face of the trigger, for DA shooting, there was not enough material left to mitigate recoil. Everything that covered the back strap had to be removed. I doubt that I still have these, so, cannot take a pic of them.

Somewhere, there may still exist a newspaper photo of me, in uniform, with the Troopers on my Model 58, in my duty holster. A newspaper reporter and photographer covered my squad doing a planned cantina raid.

S&W factory Magnas work well enough. That became my eventual default, but a Tyler T-grip raised the center of gravity too high, which left me looking for an actual rare S&W factory grip adapter, which I was never able to find.

The next time I buy an N-Frame, I will not be shooting it double-action, so, can opt for a more hand-filling grip/stock set. Another set of Herretts Troopers would be nice, if still available. I will not shoot an N-Frame DA, for the simple reason that my long-ish hands enjoy the feel of an N-Frame grip, but I have K-/L-Frame-sized fingers.