I just got a 629-6, much easier to shoot higher power loads with the new rubber grips. So much so that I'm going to do be exploring 296 based loads.

I don't think much of them ascetically, but they feel good in my hand.

Yeah, they aren't a pair of Target Footballs.

My hand wasn't sore after the 100+ rounds on Sunday, I had my 29-2 along too with a Pachmayr Gripper, the Smith is much more comfortable.

I have a 629 Classic Deluxe (wood grips) currently "in jail".
I've shopped rubber grips for the 629 and the consensus seems to be that the new S&W rubber grips are the best.
I wanted the pretty wood grips for show, but the rubber grips (which I now have in hand) will be for dough.

I was dismayed that the Pachmayr offerings got less desirable field reports.

Rubber grips almost always feel better in the hand and are much nicer to shoot but they just look terrible in comparison to wood grips.

I have to agree, the new rubber grips are a vast improvement for actually controlling the gun in recoil and virtually eliminating that 2nd knuckle rap from the trigger guard. I've got a 629 5" bbl'd, full lug Classic that makes full house load practice...well practicable! While they're fugly as all get out, they sure work well.

The same grips are on my M69, the 4.25" bbl'd, five-shot .44 Mag Smith came out with several years ago. With it's 38 oz. unloaded weight,(within an oz. of my M19), it's not much fun with full house loads but a real joy to carry while stomping around. I've got some fancy wood grips on it now, but that's only because I've been carrying it with Skeeter Skelton's old, but famous load (7.5 gr of Unique with any good 240 gr LSWC for 950 fps)...an entirely different proposition from the same bullet at 1350 fps!. For the latter, the rubber grips come out of storage for a day or two, when I'm ready for the punishment. Best Regards, Rod

quote:

Originally posted by DirectDrive:
I was dismayed that the Pachmayr offerings got less desirable field reports.

I've never cared for any of the Pachmayr grips besides the Compac, and even them I've had issues with. They're sure not for everyone and serve a certain purpose. The two issues being I had a set I used for many years. I bought another set for a different gun and they feel completely different? They look the same, but the new set was fatter/rounder and I couldn't get used to it and stopped using them. I've wondered if I bought another set, which one would it feel like.

The other is a big issue. I did a wonderful action job on my Mountain Gun, and when I put on my then new Pachmayr grips, I noticed it went to hell. I took the grips off, took the side plate off, everything looked fine. Felt fine. Put the grips on and awful. After a few cycles of this it hit me. The grip screw runs right close behind the main spring. When the action is cycled, the spring bows and hits the screw. So instead of the whole spring bending, only half or less can flex.
So for the last 25+ years the grips on my Mountain Gun have been held on with clear silicone. (the thinking man's duct tape)

In this very old low res picture you can see there's no screw, just the hole filed in with clear silicone to keep gunk out. lol

I'm a fan of the grips used on the X-frame Smiths. Hogue Tamers. You used to only be able to get them from Smith, but I guess their licensing agreement with Hogue ran out. Now you can buy them from Hogue, or even on Amazon. The other-than-black grips bring stupid money. I have three sets of yellow ones purchased before the stupidity set in.


Adios,

Pizza Bob

Had em on my 625 for years before I went to Nills.