Rubber vs wood vs ... for AIWB/IWB

Hi Folks,

Would you please give some thoughts / ideas on this?

My snubby's rubber grip became soft and slightly mushy in some areas after +- ten years of edc - both IWB and AIWB. It was usually around the edges where it had much skin contact. Presumably, the combination of heat and sweat had a big influence. Cleaning fluids could have been involved as well.

Which materials would be better for edc purposes?

Does grip rubber have a certain life span?

The revolver is a Taurus Mod 606.

I carried a CZ75 for a couple of decades with rubber grips. The soft Hogue one got mushy around the edges after a time but the harder Pachmayr I replaced it with was sound, if a bit worn, after 10. I suspect your snubby has grips similar in composition to the Hogues. I'd try some nice Hogue wooden grips or A Pachmayr hard rubber version if you can track them down.

When I used to EDC a revolver, it was with the thinnest profile wooden grips.

I found those never stuck to clothing, giving a snag free draw and small footprint above the belt.

If you carried rubber grips for so long that you wore them out, then it makes sense for you to replace them with same.

These are low cost items in the scheme of things, so get yourself a few in different materials and try them out, maybe one of them works much better for you.

Wood is beautiful, can be diy'd, and carries easier because it is a natural product. It makes sense.

I have made some revolver grips but they are not up to standard yet.