I'm trying to find some grips for j frame revolvers that I like.
Stock S&W
The stock rubber boot grips are shorter than I like, and the finger bump is too low to allow me a high grip.
Hogue
I have a Hogue hardwood grip with no finger grooves. I like everything about it for an Airweight .38, but when I shoot a steel frame .357 with it, it bruises my palm by 50 rounds.
I looked at Hogue's rubber grips, but they all have finger grooves. I have large hands with thinner fingers, and with every grip with finger grooves I've ever tried, I get a finger and a half in the top groove.
Pachmayr
I bought a Pachmayr Compac grip. With this grip, I can shoot .357 without any bruising. It grabs my trousers too much to use it for ankle carry (where the smooth wood on the Airweight works better), but I like it for the pocket. It blocks speedloaders and often catches a shell on ejection. Nevertheless, the only real issue I have with it is the manufacturing defects.
The first one I bought was by my mistake for a square-frame. It can be fit to a round frame. Howver, the grip doesn't hold the screw head. The head just penetrates rubber side of the grip and it can never be tightened.
I bought a Pachmayr Compac for round J frames. It has a huge gap on the bottom, and the same problem with the screw. Also, the hole for the grip pin is off by a few mm, so it cannot be made to fit without making a new hole. I ordered a replacement for it and received another grip with the same problems. I inquired with a different seller of the grips and they indicated, "they're all like that." I've also read several other people report the problems with the gap on the bottom (an uneven slot big enough for a quarter), and the misalignment of the hole for the grip pin.
I thought about trying to fix the square-frame Pachmayr grips with Permatex The Right Stuff gasket maker, and a brass bushing for the screw head to bear on. I have some doubt the result will be good enough.
Altamont
I ordered Bateleur grips, but they advised me it will take many weeks and want to know if I would rather cancel.
Altamont's J frame grips are wood, not rubber, but they Bateleur cover the backstrap and I'm hoping I'll avoid bruising. They have finger grooves which means there's a good chance I'll have to grip lower or they won't work out.
I considered the Altai without the grooves, but I think they'll be insufficiently distinct from my Hogue.
Hideout
I've seen these online. No finger grooves, but the nylon looks hard, and the frame on the backstrap is exposed. I think they would work like my Hogue hardwood grips.
Crimson Trace
I've tried the LG405 at a store and thought they might work. They're softer rubber and they cover the backstrap with a cushion of grip material. There's also the LG305.
Stock S&W
The stock rubber boot grips are shorter than I like, and the finger bump is too low to allow me a high grip.
Hogue
I have a Hogue hardwood grip with no finger grooves. I like everything about it for an Airweight .38, but when I shoot a steel frame .357 with it, it bruises my palm by 50 rounds.
I looked at Hogue's rubber grips, but they all have finger grooves. I have large hands with thinner fingers, and with every grip with finger grooves I've ever tried, I get a finger and a half in the top groove.
Pachmayr
I bought a Pachmayr Compac grip. With this grip, I can shoot .357 without any bruising. It grabs my trousers too much to use it for ankle carry (where the smooth wood on the Airweight works better), but I like it for the pocket. It blocks speedloaders and often catches a shell on ejection. Nevertheless, the only real issue I have with it is the manufacturing defects.
The first one I bought was by my mistake for a square-frame. It can be fit to a round frame. Howver, the grip doesn't hold the screw head. The head just penetrates rubber side of the grip and it can never be tightened.
I bought a Pachmayr Compac for round J frames. It has a huge gap on the bottom, and the same problem with the screw. Also, the hole for the grip pin is off by a few mm, so it cannot be made to fit without making a new hole. I ordered a replacement for it and received another grip with the same problems. I inquired with a different seller of the grips and they indicated, "they're all like that." I've also read several other people report the problems with the gap on the bottom (an uneven slot big enough for a quarter), and the misalignment of the hole for the grip pin.
I thought about trying to fix the square-frame Pachmayr grips with Permatex The Right Stuff gasket maker, and a brass bushing for the screw head to bear on. I have some doubt the result will be good enough.
Altamont
I ordered Bateleur grips, but they advised me it will take many weeks and want to know if I would rather cancel.
Altamont's J frame grips are wood, not rubber, but they Bateleur cover the backstrap and I'm hoping I'll avoid bruising. They have finger grooves which means there's a good chance I'll have to grip lower or they won't work out.
I considered the Altai without the grooves, but I think they'll be insufficiently distinct from my Hogue.
Hideout
I've seen these online. No finger grooves, but the nylon looks hard, and the frame on the backstrap is exposed. I think they would work like my Hogue hardwood grips.
Crimson Trace
I've tried the LG405 at a store and thought they might work. They're softer rubber and they cover the backstrap with a cushion of grip material. There's also the LG305.