Guns: J-Frame Monogrip review

My go-to pocket carry gun is the S&W 642, but it's not a soft-shooting gun. Most of that is because of the petite 15-ounce aluminum frame firing full power .38+P loads, but another culprit is the hard plastic "boot grip" that comes standard with the revolver.

I've heard it explained like this - originally, J-frames were steel only, so they had grips that didn't cover the area right behind the trigger guard, allowing most shooters to get three fingers on the gun.

As people desired more oomph from their .38 loads, and as lightweight revolvers came into vogue, that trigger guard starting ramming people's hands during recoil, so someone came up with the "boot" or "T" grip - that only allows two fingers on the gun, but doesn't allow the trigger guard to damage the shooter like before.

The Hogue Monogrip is a cheap ($20 or less), almost retro combination of these schools of thought. It has a longer stem than the default boot grips, so you can get a full grip, but it also covers the area behind the trigger guard.

While testing it, I tended to shoot low - I guess I'm used to choking up on the smaller grips. It was a bit more pleasant than the boot grips and would be aces for anyone with large hands. The one downside is that it's big, so the gun won't conceal as well. For anyone bringing a lightweight revolver to the range, it seems worth a try, though.