Contender grips need to be compatible with you hand size. Personally I hate the factory wood/rubber grips, they just don't feel comfortable even with low-recoiling loads. When I was more actively shooting silhouettes and firing about 400 heavy rounds a month, I found the Pachmayr "Gripper" rubber grips to work the best for me. Their "Presentation" grips work well for guys with larger hands. A few like custom wooden grips, it depends on hand size and recoil level I guess. I found that grips with finger grooves guaranteed consistant hand placement and better accuracy, particularly with heavily-recoiling loads. Even my .50-70 barrel didn't damage my hand with the rubber grips - but after 35 rounds of 750-grain loads my wrist was about gone.....
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