Wood vs. Rubber Stocks... Why do I have to choose between comfort and appearance?

[CraigC]

IMHO, utility/function/comfort and appearance are mutually exclusive.

I choose the design and shape for utility, function and comfort.

I choose the material for appearance. Pachmayr and Hogue rubbers have none of the above. People like them because they're cheap and they 'think' that rubber softens the blow. A hardwood grip that fits your hand will be far more comfortable than a rubber one that doesn't.

 

[S&Wfan]

I've been using Hogue "Rubbers" for competition and practice for years now on my various S&W revolvers.

However, I started deer hunting back in the '90s mainly with my S&W 29-5 6" .44 magnum w/1st gen. Bushnell Holosight, and discovered that it shot really comfortably with the Hogue wood grips . . . even with the .300 grain hunting ammo that I prefer. It looks GREAT too on a blued M29. I've lost count of how many deer that have fallen to this combination . . . and it looks great in the woods or in the holster.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I prefer a smooth wood or horn grip on a large heavy recoil gun so that it rolls in my hand. Small frame guns I prefer finger grooves or rubber grips.

One exception: Dan Wesson revolvers factory wood grips are awful, For the Model 15 Pachmayrs are about all you can find for them that I find comfortable. For the big frame "Maximums" the Hogue rubber finger groove grips give good leverage on the heavy guns.

 

[bannockburn]

Dr.Rob

One exception: Dan Wesson revolvers factory wood grips are awful,

I tend to agree with that statement. The only grip for the Dan Wesson Model 15 that I thought was halfway comfortable was the Sacramento design.

 

[RealGun]

I've been using Hogue "Rubbers" for competition and practice for years now on my various S&W revolvers.

However, I started deer hunting back in the '90s mainly with my S&W 29-5 6" .44 magnum w/1st gen. Bushnell Holosight, and discovered that it shot really comfortably with the Hogue wood grips . . . even with the .300 grain hunting ammo that I prefer. It looks GREAT too on a blued M29. I've lost count of how many deer that have fallen to this combination . . . and it looks great in the woods or in the holster.

Gotta have a picture.

 

[45_auto]

People like them because they're cheap and they 'think' that rubber softens the blow.

Yeah, those rubber grips on handguns are a joke just like rubber recoil pads on rifles and shotguns and the rubber pads on shooting jackets. All of us real shooters know that handguns are a special case and only we know the secret of grips, everyone else is wrong no way a softer material would spread any of the force.

A hardwood grip that fits your hand will be far more comfortable than a rubber one that doesn't.

My experience has been that a grip that fits your hand is more comfortable than one that doesn't, no matter what they're made of.

 

[Sam1911]

No reason to get snarky over this. Folks who really enjoy wood stocks and can afford to pay to have them custom made to spec, find them to be very comfortable for shooting even heavy recoiling revolvers.

For the rest of us, rubber/neoprene grips offer a workable solution. Different strokes, as they say.

 

[MaxP]

I wasn't going to enter this fray, but here it goes. I have quite a few revolvers that recoil considerably more than a .44 Magnum loaded hot. I have equipped all of them with grips that were made to fit my hand specifically, and it is a game changer. The key is always fitment rather than material in my humble opinion. For a long time I have liked the Hogue Tamers on Super Redhawks because they work really well with my hands. They are rubber with a neopreme insert in the back where the web of your hand makes contact. I personally think they work so well because they are about the perfect size for my hand -- inadvertently. With big kicking custom single-actions in .475, .500 Linebaugh, .500 JRH etc. you will more often then not see them equipped with wood or micarta grips. If they fit your hand properly, they will mitigate the negative effects of recoil.

 

[Sam1911]

And single actions generally roll (in other words, slip) in the hand to waste away some of the energy of recoil. DA's don't roll and may need either even more careful fitting, or some recoil-absorbing material, or both.

 

[MaxP]

And single actions generally roll (in other words, slip) in the hand to waste away some of the energy of recoil. DA's don't roll and may need either even more careful fitting, or some recoil-absorbing material, or both.

Not Bisleys, and all of my heavy kickers are Bisleys.

 

[Drail]

Recoil absorbing grips were invented for a reason - and the reason was not "looks".

 

[CraigC]

Recoil pads and handgun grips are nothing alike. You can't fit a rubber buttpad to your shoulder and rifle recoil is mostly straight back into the core of the body. The entire body is able to absorb the recoil. On a handgun, recoil is transmitted back to a narrow portion of the palm, then absorbed through the wrists, elbows and shoulders. Just as with rifle stocks, the way a revolver's grips fit the shooter is the most important factor.

There will be no further responses from me to unnecessary snark.

And single actions generally roll (in other words, slip) in the hand to waste away some of the energy of recoil.

They shouldn't be slipping in the hand.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I've been using Hogue "Rubbers" ..............

The one set of rubber grips that do fit me well are the Hogues on my 460 magnum. My hand doesn't get beat up, but I'm pretty sure it's because the grip fits me reasonably well. I still want to put a nice set of wood on it, I just haven't gotten around to it. Too many different priorities. Of course, using proper technique with heavy recoiling handguns helps too. Allowing some flex in my elbows and letting my entire upper body absorb the recoil helps a lot.

Locked wrists and elbows are not your friend when shooting hand held nuclear weapons.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Three things I'm still waiting for:
1. Functional wood grips.

They do exist, you just need to try a bunch on, and spend some money. Or get some made for you.

Or don't. Your business. Just saying that functional wood grips are out there, and a functional grip that works for you is equally as important as the actual gun and chambering being used for a desired application. Proper grip fit = better shooting, in my experience

 

[Sam1911]

They shouldn't be slipping in the hand.

Ok, bad choice of term.

 

[RugRev]

Having a grip to fit the hand well is a solution. With respect to wood grips both Hogue and Herretts will make a grip sized to your hand. You send them a hand tracing. In the case of Herretts they recommended the Roper style as best suited for my hand out of the various styles they offer. The last set of Hogue wood grips I had made for a Redhawk cost I think $30-35 extra which is not that much considering the cost of the wood grip itself. In the past I have had a set of Herretts Ropers made for my hand on another Redhawk. They are narrower, true, but the girth had to be reduced somewhat for proper finger placement on the trigger (I have a size 10 hand) as I have the guns setup for double action shooting.

 

[Varminterror]

One thing I have never seen cited anywhere, but have experienced myself as a pitfall of rubberized grips: exposed back straps.

When shooting a Super Blackhawk, Redhawk, 629, etc with an exposed steel backstrap, rubberized grips are little more than mental comfort. Under recoil, the rubberized side panels yield, leaving the thin, hard, steel backstrap standing proud to punch you in the web of the hand, magnifying the recoil impact into a narrow strip of your hand.

Pain in the palm under recoil is nothing more than a result of pressure - force acting over an area - and impulse - effectively how fast that force is applied. A well fit wood stock won't yield under recoil, and will better distribute the recoil force over a larger area, decreasing the felt pressure. Rubberized grips, especially the Hogues with internal pads, reduce the impulse, effectively acting like a crumple zone, as well as maintaining consistent area during recoil, as the entire grip yields together.

 

[Fiv3r]

Grips are one of those things that I fret over a bit. I don't have overly large hands. So "hand-filling" isn't usually what I am looking for regarding comfort. Aggressive finger-grooves are another thing I don't like. I'm another fan of the Diamond Pro grips over the stock GP-100 grips.

Now as far as wooden grips go, I have never had a custom or even an aftermarket set put on a revolver. I think if I were spending high dollar on a gun and shooting heavy hitting/high recoil rounds then I would most likely spend extra money to make it fit me better.

For day to day self defense carry, rubber is fine. It's the same reason I carry a Glock. It's not pretty, but it works. Sweat doesn't hurt it and I don't mind if it gets a few dings. A stainless revolver wearing rubber grips tends to hold up better for carry needs. Then again, I'm usually sporting a Ruger GP100 with .38 +P, so the need for form-fitting grips isn't as severe as it is with a .44 magnum.

 

[RealGun]

One thing I have never seen cited anywhere, but have experienced myself as a pitfall of rubberized grips: exposed back straps.

When shooting a Super Blackhawk, Redhawk, 629, etc with an exposed steel backstrap, rubberized grips are little more than mental comfort. Under recoil, the rubberized side panels yield, leaving the thin, hard, steel backstrap standing proud to punch you in the web of the hand, magnifying the recoil impact into a narrow strip of your hand.

Pain in the palm under recoil is nothing more than a result of pressure - force acting over an area - and impulse - effectively how fast that force is applied. A well fit wood stock won't yield under recoil, and will better distribute the recoil force over a larger area, decreasing the felt pressure. Rubberized grips, especially the Hogues with internal pads, reduce the impulse, effectively acting like a crumple zone, as well as maintaining consistent area during recoil, as the entire grip yields together.

I have to compromise on the Redhawk because of the long trigger reach with that grip frame. The exposed backstrap rubber grip that came on the gun works very well for me. I tried others and came back to it. I think it overly dramatic to describe the rubber portion as giving enough under recoil to have the frame injure the hand. That rubber is not that soft. What seems to matter is the palm swell. I think with aging, tender hands, wearing a glove is a respectable option to consider rather than eschew magnums and the like altogether. Personally, with all my guns I adapt to the trigger and the grip along with everything about the guns. It is on the few very favorite, most often used guns that I try to optimize. Mostly I like to shoot Blackhawks and Colt SAA style which are far from custom grips. You just learn how to shoot them.

 

[jwp475]

Look into G10 grips. Not all grip makers DO make from it, but any grip maker CAN make from it, just have to be more careful about dust mitigation and tool sharpness than most woods (note: most woods).

Have you tried a more hand filling wood grip for the 29? I tend to favor wood grips, even in punishing cartridges like 475Linebaugh or .460S&W, but with a standard grip, relatively "mid-sized," the recoil sucks. Throw a little more junk in the trunk and that pain at the web of my thumb and forefinger completely disappears. The 29's a heavy revolver, and only chambered for the relatively manageable 44mag; even with 300's, I'd be surprised if you wouldn't be happy with a hand filling wood grip like a Hogue wrap around.

The downside to rubberized grips in the 29 is the exposed backstrap. You may consider throwing a Limbsaver Bow Insulator down the backstrap to provide a bit extra grip and extra cushion under recoil. I use them on my own 629's, SBH's, and SRH's, really brings the palm pain down, and they're remarkably cheap, even if they aren't hugely attractive.

 

[Tallball]

I have huge hands. Grips which fit my hands poorly hurt my hands with heavy loads, regardless of what they're made of. Checkered wood are the worst. If they can slip around in my hand a bit during recoil, the checkering acts like a file and rubs my hands raw. For me what works are big smooth wooden grips that are large enough to fill my hand. I have no problems once I put on some grips like that. And, as others have posted, SA revolvers are, for me, much easier on the recoil. My Ruger Super Blackhawk is easy on my hands no matter what absurd loads I shoot out of it.

I just look for the biggest smooth wooden grips I can find, like these:

Or these:

 

[340PD]

Personally, wood looks nice and mostly sits in the safe. Rubber is for shooting and sits on the gun.

 

[MaxP]

Personally, wood looks nice and mostly sits in the safe. Rubber is for shooting and sits on the gun.

I have hunted extensively (meaning they get dragged out into the field under all kinds of conditions -- not just range time) with the revolver wearing these custom Circasian walnut grips:

As well as the revolver wearing these custom Claro walnut grips:

Oh, and this one as well:

 

[fireman 9731]

As a few others have said, Its about fit, not material.
The rubber K-Frame Houge monogrip fits my hand like a glove. I cant imagine a better fitting grip for me. But by golly, those things are ugly!
Surely modern technology could provide a more attractive option.

 

[RealGun]

As a few others have said, Its about fit, not material.
The rubber K-Frame Houge monogrip fits my hand like a glove. I cant imagine a better fitting grip for me. But by golly, those things are ugly!
Surely modern technology could provide a more attractive option.

Since I like the nylon Hogues better than the rubber, I am inclined to think it is the fit more than the material. We forget that synthetic rubber or nylon is relatively cheap to mold, while quite aware that cut materials are more involved. We may be swearing to use of rubber, when in reality we are simply happy with our compromise.