Two different S&W 686 rubber grips?

Probably not, unless youre looking at the gun in person.

The second link shows a Houge grip, which I prefer, as they leave the backstrap open, and they spread recoil better and put my trigger finger in the right, or same place as the standard S&W service stocks do. Most of my S&W's wear something like that, or their Bantam grips.

The last couple of Smiths Ive bought (.44mag and .357) both came with something similar to the first link. If you look closely, you can see that they cover the backstrap and offset your grip from the trigger. Or at least they do for me. Makes things feel "off" when I shoot.

The other annoyance is, the way they come together, they form a sort of dull "knife edge" right down the back of the grip, and that focuses the recoil into a hot spot in the center of my palm. Which I find very annoying.
 
Either of these grips are inexpensive to replace. I wouldn't let it influence your decision too much. Besides if you are like me you will try many before finding the one :D
 
I originally got the wood grips with 3 5 7 on them with my 686+ 3"..

When I ordered the gun I already knew I would immediately swap to Pachmayr Diamond Pro Grips. Had the grips before the gun arrived at my FFL. I have them on my 627 Pro and they came on my 629.

The Pachmayrs fit my hands better than the stock grips and I do not care for wood grips or the exposed backstrap. They are more comfortable when shooting full load 357 and 44 Magnums.

My .02 cent and I can give you .01 cent change back..
 
The finger groove grip you show is a Hogue monogrip. If I'm not mistaken, it covers the backstrap with rubber and is generally a very recoil-absorbing grip that gives a lot of comfort and control. For the kind of grip it is, it is a high-performance one. On current production S&W, it is only featured on the Performance Center guns. Many people prefer not to have a squishy rubber grip. Many people's fingers and hands won't fit those grooves. Some people with medium or small hands will have to rotate their grip to reach the trigger on that fat rubber grip. So while it is a high-performance grip, it's not good for everyone.

The other rubber grip you linked that has smaller finger grooves does indeed still have finger grooves (and so it doesn't fit everyone). This grip is a fairly generic rubber finger groove grip. I think it's made by Uncle Mike's. It's sort of the epitome of a plain-jane, cheap rubber grip that S&W puts on most of their revolvers knowing buyers will swap them out. There's nothing terribly wrong with them, but they're not very exciting. They're kind of like the factory tires that come on an economy car. But in this case, their fitted on what is the handgun equivalent of a high-end Mustang or Camaro.
 
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labnoti said:
The finger groove grip you show is a Hogue monogrip. If I'm not mistaken, it covers the backstrap with rubber and is generally a very recoil-absorbing grip that gives a lot of comfort and control. For the kind of grip it is, it is a high-performance one. Many people prefer not to have a squishy rubber grip. Many people's fingers and hands won't fit those grooves. Some people with medium or small hands will have to rotate their grip to reach the trigger on that fat rubber grip. So while it is a high-performance grip, it's not good for everyone.

The other rubber grip you linked that has smaller finger grooves does indeed still have finger grooves (and so it doesn't fit everyone). This grip is a fairly generic rubber finger groove grip. I think it's made by Uncle Mike's. It's sort of the epitome of a plain-jane, cheap rubber grip that S&W puts on most of their revolvers knowing buyers will swap them out. There's nothing terribly wrong with them, but they're not very exciting. They're kind of like the factory tires that come on an economy car. But in this case, their fitted on what is the handgun equivalent of a high-end Mustang or Camaro.
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The Houge grip does not cover the backstrap. They arent "fat" either. They do have a nice "swell" in the palm, right where you want it, and give a nice, solid hold.

I have them on most of my revolvers and find them to be a very comfortable grip, especially if youre more concerned about shooting rather than looks. They are about butt ugly, but great to shoot with.

The fact that the backstrap is exposed on them, spreads the recoil out better, and across a wider surface compared to the factory rubber S&W grips Ive had. They come to that dull "knife-edge" at the seam I was explaining earlier, which concentrates the recoil into that hot spot of an edge, and drives it right into the middle of your palm. I found it to be very annoying.

The other thing with the Houges is, they put your trigger finger in the proper place. The grips that offset your palm rearward, covering the backstrap, actually pull your trigger finger rearward, and away from the trigger, making it feel off, especially if youre accustomed to shooting any of the older Smiths with the factory Magna stocks.
 
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