Classic attire: Tyler's T-Grip

Guns Magazine, July, 2002 by Jim Gardner

Spend enough time at the range or the pistol matches and you'll learn to spot these guys. They probably aren't sporting a $2,500 custom pistol from some currently fashionable pistolsmith. Dark and soft looking, their leather gear shows the effects of long hours of use.

These are the salty guys. Real pistol shooters who have patiently honed their skills over the years. Old timers of my acquaintance refer to these guys as "gun-snakes." These are the men you don't want to shoot against for money -- or your life.

Odds are they'll sport a revolver. It may be blue-worn and carry a bountiful collection of nicks and scratches, because it hasn't spent much time in the dresser drawer. Look closely, and you're likely to notice their wheelgun wears a grip adapter.

That Hollow Feeling

Double-action revolvers -- Colts, Smith & Wessons and others -- have a hollow behind their trigger guards. Sure, you can shoot them fine as is. But a far better grip is achieved if you fill that hollow such that the second finger carries a portion of the weight of the gun. This can be done by ordering custom stocks, and certainly many shooters take this approach. But a better option in several respects is the use of a grip adapter.

Pachmayr, Mershon, and for a brief time S&W, all offered grip adapters. While you may still see these on vintage guns, they are no longer commercially available. But the best of the breed, the Tyler T-Grip, thankfully still is.

Melvin Tyler introduced his T-Grip adapter in 1952. Cast from pure No. 1 grade aluminum, it is significantly more durable than the Pachmayr or Mershon equivalents. It also feels better. Tyler's design not only perfectly fills that hollow behind the trigger guard, a swell on the T-Grip gives a finger groove effect for a more sure and comfortable grip.

Finger groove pistol stocks have been made for ages, but unless made to your specific hand size, they tend to feel extremely uncomfortable. I've seldom found a pair I could tolerate. And yet I do not have that objection with the T-Grip. The gentle swell of Tyler's design seems to accommodate a wide range of hand shapes and sizes.

No Muss, No Fuss

The Tyler T requires no modification to your revolver. If you've selected the correct model, it will closely mate with the contour of your revolver's front strap, retained in place by a pair of thin copper tabs. Simply loosen your stock screw and draw the stocks slightly away from the frame. Slip the labs between the frame and the stocks and tighten your stock screw. It's just that simple, and takes only a moment.

The Tyler T-Grip is made to fit all S&W frame sizes, as well as the Colt "D","I" and "J" frames. A special version is still in production to fit the old pre-war Colt Police Positive family with its very narrow frame. Ruger revolvers built with a conventional grip frame are not neglected. You can order a Tyler adapter to fit the excellent Security Six and Speed Six, as well as the Redhawk with conventional frame.

Available in three finishes, you can order a T-grip to match or contrast with the finish of your revolver. The black version is low-profile and looks good on a blued gun. In my experience, the finish holds up well to long use. For your stainless or nickel plated guns, there's a brightly polished aluminum version. For what John Taffin would describe as a "barbecue gun," you can order a snazzy gold anodized version.

A High-Speed Improvement

In slow-fire target work, you may not find much to admire about the T-Grip. Yes, it's extremely comfortable and will help to stabilize your grip, but you're unlikely to notice a night and day difference. The T-Grip really comes into its own when you turn to fast double-action work with a large caliber wheelgun.

You'll find greatly improved control and the revolver will tend to stay in place during a fast string of fire -- not bury itself deeper into your grip. On hard kicking guns, the tendency of the trigger guard to deliver a sharp rap to the knuckle of your second finger will be gone. Obviously these things are subjective, but I find a revolver equipped with the T-Grip to be significantly more pleasant to shoot.

Carry Gun Perfect

Certainly these same advantages can be had with a pair of rubber stocks from Pachmayr, Houge, Uncle Mike's, etc. These are all good and comfortable alternatives, and for a recreational revolver I've used all of the above with satisfaction. But for a carry gun, the Tyler adapter is preferable for a couple of reasons.

First, Tyler adapters add no unnecessary bulk to the revolver. My old shooting pard Marc Halcon is certainly one of the saltiest gunmen I've ever come across. Regardless of whether or not he's wearing a large gun, Halcon is usually in possession of a S&W Model 642. It wears a pair of smooth stocks and -- you guessed it -- a Tyler T-Grip.

"It fills up that grip frame just where I need it," Halcon explained. "Rather than making the grip larger and hampering concealability."

Halcon's little airweight J-frame .38 is simple and businesslike. The internal hammer and smooth contours allow it to slip easily into a pocket. That's the second advantage the T-Grip holds over rubber grips for a carry gun.