S&W Target Grips

C

ckpj99

New member
Can someone describe what S&W Target grips are like? They appear to be two-piece grips that cover the front of the grip frame. Do they cover the backstrap? Do the cover the butt? Are they wider/fatter than regular grip panels? How do they compare to a regular grip with a Tyler-T.

I have Miculek grips on one of my revolvers and standard grips with a Tyler-T on another. I like narrow grips because I have rather small hands.

If the Target grips aren't too fat, I'd like to replace my Miculeks because they are so long. There's at least an inch of wasted space on the grip that I don't use. If I decide to get a set for that gun, I can see how they compare to the grip+Tyler-T.

Thanks! I'd love some comparison pics you have them
 
Also, would you recommend ordering target grips from Smith and Wesson or another company? Altamont seems to have nice grips that follow the tradition profiles.
 
Target grips are larger than standard grips and they do cover the straps. If you have small hands, you might want to try smaller standard grips such as Magna style grips which do not cover either the front or back strap.
 
Most older S&W Target grips I have seen do not cover the back strap. The new adapter type (square to round butt) do cover the bottom of the back strap though.
 
Wow. I lot of mixed information here. Maybe I just need to try to find a set on a gun at a local shop or something.
 
The reason for the conflicting information is that S&W target stocks have changed significantly over the years. The current target stocks, which are made for S&W by Altamont, are probably the thinnest. These are nice looking and don't feel too bad in the hand, but in my experience they get rather uncomfortable with anything much beyond .45 ACP +P recoil due to the fact that they have no palm swell and thus direct the force of the recoil into the web of your hand. I had a set of these on a M21-4 and quickly swapped them out for a set of smooth wood Hogues.

The type that most people probably think of when they envision S&W target stocks are those used during the 70's and 80's. These are well known because they were the type found on the S&W Model 29 used in the Dirty Harry films. These, IMHO, can only fit people with hands roughly the same size as those of a Yeti, Sasquatch, or other mythical primate as they are absolutely enormous. A set of these came on my M57 no-dash and despite my large hands (I wear XL gloves) and the weight of the gun (it has an 8 3/8" barrel), they were very uncomfortable and drew blood from my hand the first time I shot with them. The problem with these is that they are very wide at the bottom, much narrower at the top, and have no palm swell so they direct all the recoil into the web of your hand like the newer Altamonts. Compounding the problem, they are also rather squarish and thus don't fit the contours of my hand well thus making them even more uncomfortable with heavy-recoiling ammunition than the Altamonts. My M57 now wears a set of Culina Magnum Profile Targets which are much, much more comfortable.

Finally, you have the legendary "Coke Bottle" targets that S&W made in-house and used through the 50's and early 60's. I've never tried a set of these myself as they are rare and extremely expensive (a nice set will cost $300+ when they can be found). These had a flared butt and palm swell that gave them, if viewed from the back, a profile reminiscent of the old glass Coca-Cola Bottle hence their nickname. These are reputed to be very comfortable stocks and reproductions are made by Eagle, Culina, Nill, and other grip makers.
 
WebleyMK5
Thanks for putting all that together
I was struggling for a cohesive reply to the mixed data
 
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