A few months back, I reviewed the Ergo Grip Delta Grip for the Smith & Wesson J frame revolvers.
My review was positive, because it’s a good product.
Some people I’ve shown them to just can’t get past the looks of the grips. Truth be known they are not works of art. They are works of engineering, though, and ones that work very well.
On my New Years trip to visit my son and his family in Alabama, I brought along two hand guns. One was the J frame Model 642 that I carry from time to time. My son and I carved out a morning to go shooting and brought along the 642 and his Bersa Thunder .380. He likes the Bersa, even though like most blow back operated pistols the recoil is a bit snappy. At least I find it so. The 642, being an “Airweight” revolver chambered in .38 Special has even more felt recoil. My son shot the 642 about a year ago and didn’t like the recoil one bit. Neither did I using the wooden grips I bought because I didn’t like the rubber grips that came with the gun. That’s actually what made the Delta Grip concept so attractive to me.
After shooting the Bersa, we turned to the 642.
I fired the first chamber and then handed the firearm to my son and told him to give it a try.
After he shot the first cylinder of ammunition he remarked that not only was the recoil much easier to handled, the gun pointed more naturally and felt more comfortable in his hands.
Then, another shooter in the next lane over asked if he could try it. He had been shooting an almost identical Model 442 and commented that he didn’t like the recoil at all.
He put a cylinder full of rounds down range and commented favorably on the handling characteristics.
I know, this is very unscientific. I didn’t even take pictures of the targets to prove how well we did.
Well, reviews are more about perception than they are science anyway. So far, I haven’t found one person who doesn’t find that the Delta Grip improves their shooting experience.
I have one more new shooter that I want to get to try out the Delta Grip. We just have to synchronize our schedules and get the weather to cooperate.
Ergo has now added a version for the Ruger LCR series of pistols for people who own those models.
But they are ugly as hell… 🙂 Having said that, if they work WHO CARES???
It’s funny how many people on various gun forums comment on how ugly they are. Since the J frame guns are the quintessential pocket pistol, aesthetics don’t seem to be too important. At least to me. If I have to draw that gun in a serious situation, the last thing I’m going to worry about is how they look.