But that was because at the time I spent a lot more time holding handguns than shooting or carrying them. I quickly learned that when I put them on a CCW gun, the tacky texture of the soft rubber would bind against the cloth of many cover garments. It was also tacky enough to the touch that it could be difficult to shift the gun in your grip even if you wanted to.
In the early Aughties, as I read more detailed accounts of shooting technique, and studied more about revolvers specifically, I learned that noted authorities like Bill Jordan and Jerry Miculek preferred smooth stocks on their wheelguns, so I ditched the soft santoprene and got more into the uncheckered Hogue hardwood Monogrips, like the Pau Ferro ones on this Model 19 Combat Magnum.
The stated reason for Jordan and Miculek preferring these smooth grips is that they could adjust their grip as they were acquiring a sight picture, if it were necessary to compensate for a less-than-prefect initial grip on the draw. Then they could just clamp down and start shooting.
Thing is, dudes like Bill Jordan and Jerry Miculek could probably crack walnuts between thumb and forefinger. They could clamp down on a set of smooth revolver stocks and keep the gun from shifting via brute grip strength. Alas, this was not an option available to me*.
I needed a material that was itself hard and relatively low friction, but which could be textured such that when I clamped down on it it wouldn't shift in my grip. You know, like normal checkered hardwood grips. Huh.
The Spegels on this K-22 Combat Masterpiece are, bar none, the nicest revolver stocks I've used. Enough so that I wish my Model 19 were a square-butt so I could swap them over. Maybe I'll hunt down a 4" Model 65 or 681...
If one prefers something a little more rugged and ugly than wood, there are numerous textured offerings in G10 or Micarta these days that accomplish the same thing. My 1911s, for example, pretty much all use VZ Grips, except for the Wilson, which came with Wilson's own pretty decent G10 "Sunburst" textured grip panels.
*At least, not without a little cheating.
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