Grip recommendations for heavy recoiling sixgun

[Bill Schwab]

I am considering retiring my stock Hogue grips on my 4" 629 and am looking for something that can tame the recoil a bit. Or maybe, from a recoil point of view, the stock ones are the cats meow. What do you guys recommend? What I currently have as options are the Miculek grips, which my small hands love the feel of, or these Skeeter Skelton style grips: http://www.sixgunner.com/blumagnum/default.htm

I know I do NOT want any Pachmayr's, nor anything with a covered backstrap because I have small hands.

Thoughts? Are my stock grips the best already?

[scooterj]

I find that the stockers are too thin. Jerry's grips, which are wider, spread the recoil to more of the palm so the "percieved" recoil is much less. Grip shift is next to impossible with rubber also.

[spook]

Hmm, I don't think I can help you with this, because I have very large hands and I seem to love everything you hate

But...with small hands and big recoil, I'd probably go for one of the Hogue rubber grips (the stock ones)

[Bill Sahlberg]

It is ptretty hard to beat Hogue grips as I have several Mod 29s, 686, and 627s that I shoot. Hogue ergonomics are awesome, they are very affordable, and Hogue supports all the shooting sports (IPSC / IDPA / Steel Challenge / ICORE / Bianchi etc) This may sound condescending but it is not meant to "tweak" anybody as it is the most obvious answer...how about downloading your gun(s) to a less recoiling load?

[Bill Schwab]

This may sound condescending but it is not meant to "tweak" anybody as it is the most obvious answer...how about downloading your gun(s) to a less recoiling load?

I plan on doing that, with the intent of gradually increasing the powder charge. My ultimate goal is to eventually get used to the heavier recoil so I can take advantage of the power, but I want to do this in the most comfortable fashion possible

Don't get me wrong, the stock Hogue grips aren't bad, and my Miculek grips on my K & L frames feel beautiful , but I have little experience with heavy thumping revolvers and thought perhaps there was one clearly superior grip for the application. Maybe I'll just save the money I would have spent on grips and invest it into more bullets.

[Carmoney]

Everybody's different, but I find that the Miculek grips I have installed on most of my competition wheelguns are only comfortable up to about 180 p.f. Anything more than that and the inside base of my thumb really starts to hurt. For pin loads and heavier, I have always found the soft rubber Hogues to be the best. (Like you, I prefer not to have the backstrap covered.)

Mike

[bountyhunter]

Pachmayr Decelerator grips are the best for reducing recoil, and add more material between the backstrap and your hand. I have never found anything better.

[Carmoney]

The special rubber Hogues made for the .500 S&W are even better. They're sold only through S&W, and although they are not technically supposed to, they will fit and function fine on the N-frame round butt guns. I put a set of these on my 329 and it was the only way I could shoot the gun with magnum loads without absolutely killing my hand.

BUT--Bill says he doesn't want grips that cover the backstrap.

I think that leaves regular Hogues as the softest option.

Mike