The goon tape wrapped around the Hogue Tamers that come on the LCR is always coming loose. The tape makes the rubber slick enough not to drag on clothing, but is sticky enough for good handling qualities. I have been carrying the LCR as a primary more as I work around the place. Revolvers work better for me with leather work gloves. I like carrying an N-Frame, but if I am on the tractor, I tend to want the gun covered to avoid caking it with dirt. The more I carry a gun, the more I dry practice with it, and it has led to the tape being more of a nuisance than usual.
I saw the Recoil Rider https://recoilrider.com grips advertised and liked the look of them. I ordered them with no consideration from the company. When I got them, I thought that they felt like high quality, hard foam. They were slick to the touch, but any pressure gave more than enough friction.
Once they were installed, I greatly admired the way I could get a very high grip on the gun. One of the LCR’s draw backs is how high the barrel is above the natural grip line. I can get high enough to make me happy with the Tamers, but the Recoil Riders seem to give me just a bit more height.
To test the grips, I wanted to do some cold runs on different days with multiple shot strings. I started with a modified version of Justin Dyal’s 5-Yard Roundup. All strings in 2.5 seconds at 5 yards; 2 to the B8 from the holster, 2 B8 and 1 to the 3″ square from ready, 3 B8 strong hand only, and 2 weak hand only.
A few days later, I ran the Dobbs/ Bolke Advanced Super Snubby Test. From concealment, 5 rounds in 8 seconds at 10 yards, 5 rounds in 5 seconds at 5 yards, and 5 rounds in 3.5 seconds at 3 yards strong hand only.
My performance was significantly better on the Super Snubby Test, primarily due to the recency of the previous practice session. After the Roundup and the 25 yard timed group, I shot another 35 rounds of practice, I was not fatigued and would have shot more if I had not run out of time.
After the 15 rounds of Super Snubby, I shot another 85 rounds of practice. I did not suffer the normal maladies from long stubby sessions and am happy with the performance of the grips.
It was a reminder that I need to spend more time with the LCR. It does not require long range sessions. If I shot 10-20 rounds per week along with some significant dry practice, I would be much better off. With that in mind, we shall see how these Recoil Riders hold up long term.