Round Butt Question ?

[Bob96]

  I am considering a Model 97 in 44Spl. with 4 1/4" Brl. I have interest in the round butt option but will never be able to handle one prior to ordering. For those who have handled one are they thinner in addition to having the rear strap rounded?  Any comments on comparison between round and standard in shooting or handling?  I was also looking at the 3 1/2" Brl. option but read that you need to remove the ejector tube when removing the cylinder. Don't know if the extra cost and trouble to clean is worth it?

[revo]

I handled the round butt a few times but never shot one. When I handled the round and non-round side by side, the non-round felt better. To my hand the rounded butt felt like something was missing. The round butt did look really nice though. This is so subjective. Each person will feel something different. Kinda stinks you can't handle some before deciding.

The round butt wasn't any thinner on the models I handled. Not sure if that's an option or not.
EDIT -- I did some surfing around quick and found pics that show the round butt is indeed a bit thinner. Hmmm...I never noticed. Maybe that's what I felt missing??

I'm thinking along the same lines as you about the 3 1/2". They look really nice but the extra step for disassembly (along with balance and slight gain in sight radius) has me thinking 4 1/4".

[STJ]

A few topics down...

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,128137.0.html

[MarkH]

Depends what you want.  The point of the 3-1/2" is to have a smaller gun in a shorter holster.  You do have to remove the housing to disassemble the gun - but no more often than I clean the darn thing, so?  The downside is that you have to remove the housing to pull the cylinder if a bullet jumps crimp, but you need to have those issues resolved before going afield with it.

Personally?  I like my 3-1/2" round butt for what it is.  Next I will get a 4-3/4" standard butt as I prefer it for general use.

[Bob Baker]

As mentioned, the round butt is thinner at the bottom than the standard grip.  Basically we just removed the flare on the sides at the bottom.  We tried the round butt without removing the side flare and it just didn't work.  For the shorter barrels the round butt is a really good feature.

Usually I don't recommend the shortened barrel option unless someone needs the gun as compact as possible.  Removing the ejector tube isn't a big deal but it is one extra step to do when cleaning and as Mark said, if you have a bullet pull under recoil it just adds a little more PIB factor.  But it is good if a person just wants the gun as small and light as possible.

[kennisondan]

I am hoping someone addresses the difference in felt recoil with the round butted option..  the question was : shooting and handling differences.
dk