Gun Digest – August 2019

gundigest.com GunDigest the magazine AUGUST 2019 (^) | 23
generally just a matter of a few screw
turns and your old set is off ... and
your new one is in place.
Mounting it on an old Smith &
Wesson 642 did make the process a
bit more involved. The sticky point? A
roll pin at the bottom of the revolver’s
frame. Honestly, though, we’re talk-
ing a few extra minutes of work with a
mallet and punch.
At the range, it did, indeed, make
shooting more enjoyable with the
snubby .38 Spl.—and perhaps more
accurate (more on that in a moment).
The most noticeable asset the Guardian
grip brings to the table is more control
over the pistol. In part, this was par-
ticularly notable in recoil reduction.
That’s where the “perhaps more ac-
curate” mentioned above comes in.
With or without the grips, a slow-
fi re string would produce remarkably
similar results. Rapid fi re is a differ-
ent story. Follow-up shots came more
quickly with the Guardian Grip due
to more control over muzzle fl ip, and
this is what Pachmayr was aiming for
in the fi rst place.
Imagine this: The Guardian Grip
could prove a real boon on a snubnose
.357 Magnum. Yeah, shoot one long
enough, and a two-fi nger grip will suf-
fi ce. However, it’s doubtful you’ll con-
vince me that it’s better than all three
digits.
A Couple of Caveats
The glass-fi lled polymer upgrade isn’t
without its idiosyncrasies.
The most noteworthy: the deploy-
ment of the grip extension. First, it
deploys, no matter what, as a natural
function of gripping the pistol. This
makes sense, because if you’re buying
the grip for a self-defense gun, there
shouldn’t be any second thoughts
about putting it into action.
Secondly, if you grip your pistol
naturally, the extension can get hung
up on your pinky during deployment.
This is avoided by approaching the
draw slower and more deliberately.
Make sure the pinky is clear by de-
pressing the button with the revolver
in the holster. The result? The Guard-
ian Grip comes out as free and clear as
a fi nal mortgage payment. With prac-
tice comes speed using this technique.
There’s also the option of replacing
the lower fi nger after deploying the
extension.
Either way, if you believe the Guard-
ian Grip is the way to go, expect dedi-
cating time to mastering the system
(so, what else is new?).
Parting Shot
The Guardian Grip is available for
the J-frame Smith & Wesson, Ruger
LCR and Taurus 85/856 revolvers.
The catch with the J-frame is that
The Guardian Grip’s function is simple:
Actuate a button in the top fi nger
groove, and a grip extension deploys
out of the butt. It happens in a split
second and makes the smallest
revolver vastly more controllable.
the upgrade doesn’t play nice with
square-butt models—only round.
Nevertheless, Pachmayr has covered
a better part of the market with these
makes and models.
More importantly, it provides a
practical solution to gaining better
control of what are sometimes bucky
handguns. Sure, you’ll have to prac-
tice how you deploy the grip exten-
sion, but that doesn’t discount its
effectiveness, particularly if you hap-
pen to carry a snubby magnum or are
fond of snappy +P loads.
In the end, the Guardian Grip has
the potential to improve shot-to-
shot accuracy. No matter the fi rearm
or upgrade, that’s something always
worth getting in your clutches. GDTM