Wood versus Rubber Grips

Wood versus Rubber Grips for Comfort

  • Rubber much more comfortable

    Votes: 28 49.1%

  • Rubber somewhat more comfortable

    Votes: 10 17.5%

  • They're about the same

    Votes: 3 5.3%

  • Wood somewhat more comfortable

    Votes: 8 14.0%

  • Wood much more comfortable

    Votes: 8 14.0%
  • Total voters
    57
C

CarbineCaleb

New member
I am considering wood grips for a S&W revolver that comes with Hogue soft rubber grips - I know that I like the looks of wood better, but am wondering about comfort. It seems that the more rigid wood would transmit more vibration and possibly more recoil. Anyone shot the same revolver with both wooden and rubber grips?
 
Hi Cal! Yup. Been there, done that :rolleyes: . My 6" 586 was comfortable with the wood grips while shooting .38's, but the heavy load .357's had me running for Pachmyars. Definitely made a difference. Still, nothing beats the beauty of wood. But why not have the best of both worlds? Check out Pachmyar's "American Legend" grips for revolvers. I have them on my 1911 and I love 'em.
 
I've never liked the look or feel of rubber grips. I had an 3" SP101 .357 that was very rough with factory grips. I purchased a set of Houge Rubber Grips, and it really didn't change anything.

I bought this one with rubber grips. Changed to wood Eagles. I like the looks and the feel better. No change in the recoil....
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It depends on the caliber and what you are going to do with the pistol. My advice would be a lot different for a 22 that you were shooting in a Wednessday night league and a 44mag you had as a back-up gun on a hunting trip.



-tINY

 
It depends on the design of the grip and well it fits your hand more than the material. I definitely prefer wood grips for concealed carry.
 
I currently have a S&W 617 4" (.22LR), and will soon buy a matching S&W 686 4" (.357Mag) - I want to set them both up the same way.
 
Although I much prefer rubber grips for shooting, I think wood grips are better for a concealed weapon. Rubber grips tend to catch clothing and cause your shirt or jacket to sometimes ride up. And, from a looks standpoint, rubber may be business-like, but wood is very pretty especially on a blued or black pistol.
 
I have a redahwk .44 mag and tried the hogue grips thinking it would be more comfortable than the wood factory grips. What I found, is that the rubber grips actually pull down on the skin just below the web between the thumb and forefinger when firing fullhouse loads. the rubber grips the skin so when the grip is forced down the skin goes with it. The wood on the other hand will slide through the hand rolling upward. Much more comfortable on the palm of the hand. The rubber grips will however keep your fingers from getting smashed behind the trigger guard. personally I enjoy having both types and switch them out from time to time.
 
kingudaroad: Interesting - do your Redhawk grips have an open backstrap (back of grip frame shows through and fits flush with back of grips)? If not, I can see that happening more readily than if the polished metal gripframe contacts the hand web.

Back view of Hogue rubber grip on a S&W revolver:
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You still haven't said what you are doing with them. I will assume that you shoot bullseye competition and suggest a set of Herret wood grips with a thumb-rest for each of them.



-tINY

 
For heavy recoiling cartridges, or handguns that are very lightweight with small frames, Hogue monogrips are the way to go. For a gun that you intend to carry however, i stear clear of rubber is they grab on to everything and can make it uncomfortable to carry and difficult to draw.
 
Man, so of you folks are really really good with a camera!

I like wood but because rubber just doesn't look right to me. The Ruger GP's are really cool looking since they are both rubber and wood.

Wayne
 
Now for the flipside of exposed backstraps and rubber grips.

I think that once one gets to a caliber worth worrying about recoil, the wood v. rubber discussion has more to do with design of the revolver and the grip itself than anything else.

I have a 4" Ruger with the factory rubber grip, a Hogue rubber mono and a Hogue wood mono. I actually prefer the wood one, even in extended shooting, because the rubber mono only comes fully contoured with finger grooves. My wood one deletes the bottom finger groove which offends my large hand, making it more comfortable. The shock absorption difference isn't worth noting for reasons I more fully explain below.

I have also fired a couple of recoil worthy S&W and Colt revolvers in my day that had exposed backstraps. Put anything you want on the sides, but if exposed steel is slapping your palm over and over it tends to suck eventually. In those cases I again prefered wood grips because they allow the revolver to "roll" in the hand better than rubber. Same principle generally works on SA revolvers, where rubber grips are for "sissies only."

Then again. I have shot some S&Ws that would have been exposed but for the Pachmyr Decelerators on them. For rubber grips at the range, those rock. For a concealed carry piece, I wouldn't touch them.

I'd really like to try a new Ruger Alaskan or a S&W 500 with wood and rubber grips to see if the comparison holds. I tend to think that on a revolver with a grip stud, it really matters less what the grip material is, because one's hand is better isolated from the shock and vibration present than on any revolver exposing its backstrap.

My "real world" analogy would be fully taping the handle of a bat and wearing a batting glove compared to using some pitch and hitting barehanded. The latter hurts way more during marginal contact with a fastball than does the former.
 
Tiny: These are range guns. I typically shoot 100-200 rounds per session. They are not carry guns. If the need ever arose, the 686 would be a home defense gun, and I would obviously want it to work real well for that (in terms of control).

Boats: I was looking at potential Hogue checkered wood replacements that had the single finger groove, sounds similar to your description. The Hogue catalogue said that they offered a compromise between a full grooved grip, which places fingers same way each time, but may not fit well for smaller/larger hands, and a smooth grip, which fits all sizes pretty well, but doesn't provide any positioning reference. For my size at least (6 foot) I have small hands.
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I like the way these look a lot, but they are not cheap, so I don't want to spend $110+ (incl shipping) to find out that I liked my factory grips better! So, I am trying to plumb the TFL knowledge base of experts :) .

I appreciate looks, but will only go for that as a deciding factor if they don't compromise function.

USP45usp: I'd like to take the credit, but the rear view of the Hogue rubber grips is off their online catalog. :o

So far, 17/25 like the rubber grips better for shooting comfort in the poll - that is pretty impressive. Mebbe I have saved myself $110? :D
 
Comparison Bill Davis & Hogue

My favorite grip is the Bill Davis BD-3. The reason is that it has only one finger groove and a good and consistent grip is easy to acquire. Also it is larger than the Hogue and has a flat base which great for rested shooting.
I agree that wooden grips can look pretty,but, I'm a shooter first so function gets the nod.
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Since the rubber grips are always mass-produced, there are fewer varieties and they cost less. If you find a set that you like the feel of, go for it.

If you want "looks" (either for bragging rights or for picking-up range chicks) then be prepaired to spend some money and even consider having a custom set made that looks good and fits.



-tINY

 
Wood grips...

Rubber grips do cushion some recoil more than wood.

However, for overall ability to draw, manuever, shoot and control, properly designed wood grips are the answer.

Reminds of the C&W song, "Don't Give Me No Plastic Saddle (I Want to Feel Real Leather When I Ride)"

Rubber is better than plastic, unless you can find a set of Fitz grips (now a dang near collector's item.) But wood functions better, hot, wet, cold, dry, fast or slow.
 
For shootin, I like rubber. I have relatively small hands and they both fit better and don't slide around in my hand when shooting the larger bore stuff.

For looks, always wood! I just take the wood grips off and save them until I sell the gun (which is rare).
 
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