Thinking of replacing the rubber Hogue grips on my 686 with wood. Any thoughts? The look is a personal decision but anything (manufacturer) I should avoid?

 

Thanks!

check out ahrends grips buncha nice stuff

I've got the hogue wood grips & I like em!

Heard alot of good stuff about Ahrends, there's a seller on eBay who sells grips (from Thailand maybe?) that look really nice too..Duppie here on the forum has em & they look great

Here's mine:

I have some from Herrett's http://www.herrett-stocks.com and gungripsupply.com, happy with both!

Here is my 650 and 27-2 wearing wood grips I bought from Thailand. Both fit well and I am quite happy with the results and price.

www.pachmayr.com

I like the fingerless houge wooden grips.

 

for some reason the finger grooves on the houge grips dont line up with the way I want to hold the revolver, if i follow the finger grooves I am holding the gun too low.

Okay, follow up question; my current grip is one piece and attached with a single screw from the bottom of the grip, also, the back strap of the pistol is exposed. I noticed that some wood grips are two halves and have one screw that appears to hold the two sides together as well as covering that metal back strap. Are these all interchangeable? Please forgive the "newbie" question.

Thanks

Is yours a round but or square?

Like tony implied , it depends on wether your revolver is Square, or Round Butt to determine what grips will fit.

 

Just took my grip off, definitely Square Butt Frame. So that means???

Just took my grip off, definitely Square Butt Frame. So that means???

 

Just make sure that the replacement grips you purchase are for a K/L frame square-butt. All grips designated as such will fit your 686. Some may completely cover the backstrap, others may leave it exposed. If trigger reach is an issue, an exposed backstrap may work better for you. If you have large hands, you may want a grip that covers the backstrap thus increasing the grip to trigger face dimension.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

 

PS: Is that a Brittany or a NS Duck Tolling Retriever in your avatar?

Thanks everyone! And Bob, thanks for the info on covering the backstrap, my hands are on the smaller side so I can now make a more informed choice.

 

That's our Brittany, Toby, in my avatar. Happiest dog I've ever owned.

No matter which grips you decide upon, please buy them for functionality, and NOT looks. Nice lookin' grips don't mean a thing if you can't do a reload with a Speed Loader.

 

Look at those nice photos Duppie posted. Those 2-piece grips with the thinner wood at the top let you do a quick reload, AND they work GREAT for smaller hands like mine and his! Thanks Duppie for the good pix!

 

Dave

No matter which grips you decide upon, please buy them for functionality, and NOT looks. Nice lookin' grips don't mean a thing if you can't do a reload with a Speed Loader.

 

Look at those nice photos Duppie posted. Those 2-piece grips with the thinner wood at the top let you do a quick reload, AND they work GREAT for smaller hands like mine and his! Thanks Duppie for the good pix!

 

Dave

 

another great point.

 

 

While some feel the houge big butt grips are ugly, it's purly function over form, they are a great fit in your hands, have the large base for when prone, and they are properly recessed on the cylinder side so that moonclips / speed loaders can get in and out properly.

 

again, I personally dont like anything with finger grooves in them, I like the hold the revolver as high as I can and I feel the finger grooves are forcing me to hold the gun lower.

 

Great point! It had not occurred to me that some grips might interfere with speed loaders. To be honest I was looking for a new look. I purchased the 686 new in 1989 and haven't done a thing to it but shoot it and clean it. Function will now be added to my search criteria. Thanks again!!

You've got the right gun. You live in the right area. Hell, you're even a member of a pimary sponsoring club - why not shoot some IDPA with that 686? If you want to test function, there is no better proving ground than competition. All you need is three speedloaders (preferrably four), a legal holster and speedloader holders and you're GTG. Being a member of SCFGPA you can go to the Wednesday night practice (I think you are required to if you are new to IDPA & a member of SCFGPA). Somerset has grown so popular that the match (restricted to 30 people) routinely sells out almost a month in advance. Just a thought. BTW, those rubber Hougues are great for competition. Have some fun.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Thanks Bob,

 

It's on my list. Just need to find (make) the time. As my wife likes to remind me, I've got too many hobbies. Winter is a busy time of year, I volunteer at a local high school teaching and helping students design and build the sets for their Spring Musical. Once that is over I'm hoping to check out the IDPA deal. I have a 1911 too but, for me, the 686 is more accurate.

 

Chris