K-Frame 'Grip' Comparison: Keith Brown vs. Nill-Griffe

by FOG, Monday, August 05, 2013, 08:07 (4133 days ago)
edited by FOG, Monday, August 05, 2013, 08:20

[SPG Edit]

First, if it matters, Keith Brown calls them 'stocks, while Nill calls them 'grips', so I imagine both will do.

Next, I have to admit these aren't the best pics, but I think they suffice to illustrate a few of the differences well enough. In particular, though, the colors are not very accurate.

Both grips are mounted on S&W 617s, but one has a square-butt frame, and the other is a round-butt. The older gun also wears a dot scope, which limited safely mounting it in my small angle vise to just two positions.

On the upside, these two rear-view pics are pretty close to the same 'scale' and nearly the same angle.

Keith Brown 'Stocks' on Square-Butt Model 617

Nill-Griffe 'Grips' on Round-Butt Model 617-1 (Square-Butt 'Conversion' Type)

These two quartering views were much more difficult to match up, but I'd say they came out reasonably close.

Keith Brown

Nill-Griffe

Comments

The Keith Brown stocks are arguably nicer to look at, but I think the Nill grips beat them in just about every other respect.

The Nill grips fit the gun better, and because they have a tightly-fitted, stainless-steel dowl pin centered in their lowermost section, they absolutely do *NOT* rotate around the grip screw like most other stocks do − including these by Keith Brown. In addition, the 'fit line' between the two halves of the Nill grips is so close they feel like a single piece of wood (the Keith Brown stocks are pretty 'close', too − but not that close).

While many prefer smooth grips − and I often do − the checkering on the Nill grips feels just right, at least to me. There are a few overruns, and probably other flaws I haven't noticed yet, but none seem very likely to be fatal.

The Nill grips are also fatter, but they are nowhere square, so they do not feel blocky. Instead, they simply feel very solid in the hand, I think due in part to their girth. In particular, the much wider filler of the Nill grips provides a significantly more solid base of operations; both the gun and trigger pull feel lighter, an effect that is minimized by the skinnier filler of the Keith Brown stocks.

Returning to the looks department for a moment, while I greatly admire Keith Brown's ability and talent, I always thought his finishes looked a little too modern, especially considering the other elements of his style. To be honest,
I think the oil finish on the Nill grips might look even better on the Keith Brown stocks, but that's just my opinion.

The bottom line? If I could only have one, I would choose Nill grips.

Sources

• Keith Brown

• Nill-Griffe

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