K & L frame S&W revolver grips

I had a Model 28 N frame that came with the tiny factor panel grips. I bought a Hogue rubber monogrip with finger grooves and loved it. I later aquired a round butt 686 that came with wooden grips made by Ahrens which were fingergrooved and round to square conversion type. I figured they would be great since they looked like the Hogues. Not so. Apparently the coke bottle shape from the rear view, which is called "palm swell" by Hogue, is somewhat unique to them and these Ahrens grips don't have it. I must really like palm swell. I bought a rubber set of Hogue rubber monogrips for the 686--round butt conversion without finger grooves and love them, except how they look. But I pause at putting up $125 for Hogue fancy hardwood. Does anyone know if that palm swell characteristic can be found elsewhere? Or if one can sand/file down grips to have the feature without damaging them?

I have a large number of Smiths in J,K,L and N frame and the Hogue monogrip is the only grip I will use. They are very consistent from frame to frame, even round to square butt.

better prices here https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Hogue+Fan...ref=nb_sb_noss

Are you guys feelin' what I'm feelin' when it comes to palm swell?

Any opinion on fingergrooves?

I never like a palm swell. Finger grooves I like. For S&W, K&L frame rubber grips I like Pachmayr Professional Gripper. For upscale wooden grips with finger grips I like Altamont.

I have small hands and the factory k targets are perfect for me. I have one pair of Cokes and don't like them.
I also don't like finger grooves or smooth grips. I only shoot SA aimed shots and two hand supported and that's what works for me. I bought a brand new set of match grips for Ks. Always thought they would be the ultimate.
Put them on K38, pointed them around room, took them off and put back in the box. To big for me.

Altamont has coke bottle grips if I remember correctly

I bought the hogue fancy hardwood grips for 70 or so, the kind without the different piece on the base. I just sanded and rasped them till I like the shape, they do have a palm swell but I mostly removed the left side, got it smooth to 400grit or so, wipe with wet rag to stand grain, dry , sand down to 1k and or burnish however smooth you want. carnauba car wax and buff it. looks the same as new. even the directions that come with it say something about carnauba wax cant remember exactly. but reshaping wood grips isn't very scary

I have several pairs of Altamont...none of them have had palm swell.

I have the Aherns cocobolos which are too large and have no swell. Maybe shaping them is what I should do.

Grips for revolvers are a very personal thing. They also can make a huge difference in how the gun performs for you. What works for one person may not work for someone else.
I have a few revolvers and all wear aftermarket grips. I can shoot them okay with stock grips but with the aftermarket grip, I shoot them much better.
I almost sold a very accurate revolver because I couldn't get it to shoot the way I knew it should. I changed the grips as a last resort and that was what it needed. Don't know why I waited so long now.
I can't make recommendations for someone else about grips. I can only tell you what works for me.
I use Pachmayr grips, either the presentation style or the grippers on my K and L frame S&W revolvers. Grippers on the K frames and Presentations on the L frames.

I agree with tazman, grips are a personal thing and what works for one person may not work for another.

I like the Pachmayr Gripper on my Ruger DA revolvers and I use one on a S&W model 10.

Altamonts have proven to be good replacements for S&W target style grips in my experience but everyone is different.

I still use Tyler T-grip adaptors on some guns, I have custom grips on a couple of guns and sometimes you just can't improve on the stock grips.

I think grips are like shoes, you have to buy what fits you.

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Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager

I never like a palm swell. Finger grooves I like. For S&W, K&L frame rubber grips I like Pachmayr Professional Gripper. For upscale wooden grips with finger grips I like Altamont.

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I agree, must be a matter of hand size. I also use Pachmayr Grippers on several of my J frames (not sure if they are also called Professional Grippers or not). I just got in a set of Professional Grippers for a Model 67 K frame, and when ordering I noticed that the regular Pachmayr Grippers are not cut back in the rear to show the back strap - but the Professional are. The Professional fit me perfectly.

Exactly as you have stated. The Professional Grippers are open down the back and a better fit for smaller hands.
Attachment 240063
Click to enlarge.

These Altamont grips are a black/silver laminate. They can be had checkered or smooth and in various other woods. They have a bit of a thumbrest, but no palm swell.

On the subject of palm swells, many grips sets have them on the right or left side depending on the hand favored by the owner. If on both sides, it makes for a very thick grip. If on one side only, it becomes a bit of a problem if a person customarily shoots one-handed and has to change hands and then the palm swell is on the wrong side and interferes with finger placement.
Attachment 240064


DG

Everybody’s hands are different. I have one pair of 1911 grips with a slight palm swell on the right side and small thumb shelf on the left side. Just about the ugliest grips I’ve ever seen but they came on the gun so I figured I’d test them out. They fit my hand like a glove and are one of my favorite grips. I also like finger grooves. I have average size hands so I guess average size grips fit well. I’ve heard numerous complaints about the finger grooves Hogue grips on GP100’s but they fit me perfectly.

All the factory grips I have had have been too large for my hands, although my glove size is XL. I have had Herrett, Hogue, Dan Wesson, and Smith &
Wesson grips, all of which I have had to rasp and sand to a final fit. The best fit out of the box I have ever had was with some Pachmayr Presentation small size rubber grips, and a set of Shooting Star grips from Herrett, I think, which I traded a pawn shop owner straight across for my 586 factory grips. Even then, they needed some reshaping. I ordered a set of old style Ruger GP 100 grips with the wood inserts to replace the large wood grips that came on my revolver, and the difference was amazing! I'd like some really handsome grips, but am sure I'd have to rasp some of the handsome off to get them to fit right.

I found these at a gun show. The fellow didn't know what to ask for them so he said if could use them I could have them. No Mfg ID and well used but they fit my hand like they were custom made. Hard, black, plastic.Attachment 240117

I like the houge have a pair on wifes sw642 and a couple others. But prefer to make my own to fit my hands. May take a little time and effort but they are not that hard to do.

The best fitting K frame grips I ever had were from a K38 that had been in a fire. They were scorched around the outside edges so I rasped and sanded them down till they fit my hand just right. On my first m15 they were a delight. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and I wish I had kept them when i sold that gun for something stupid like a car payment. The K38 was only cosmetically damaged; bead blast, KG Gunkote, and a set of Pachys and it was a bottle cap hitting beater! Yep; it's gone too[emoji58]

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Pachmayr signature that cover the back strap and fill in the back of the frame were my favourite on my 686 as I've got long fingers

I like the factory target grips