.357: ruger gp100 or Smith 686?

[CDR_Glock]

I have the lock on many revolvers. Where over 2000 rounds on most of them and I have never had to lock engage.

As a comment/aside to the 1911 comment:
I have had 2 Kimber 1911s. Both were unreliable. I have phoned Wilson, and Brown, gun crafter and colt without issues though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Uni-Vibe]

It sounds almost like flip-a-coin between the two. I'll just see what's available and what the prices are.

[amd5007]

I was in your shoes about 4 months ago. I bought the Ruger Match Champion. The stock trigger wasn't great but it wasn't bad. However, with a 10 lb hammer spring and 10 lb trigger return spring it rivals any of my friends' S&Ws and I don't have to worry about longer firing pins or using Federal primers. My vote would be Ruger.

[jaholder]

Rugers are built like a tank and those heavy lugs really tame recoil, but Smith's have better triggers.

Ruger triggers can be made almost as smooth as a Smith if you consult the Iowegian's Book of Knowledge.

[shadowrider]

It depends on how many rounds you intend to shoot. L frames will shoot loose just like a K frame, it just takes longer. If your volume is going to be typical, it will do just fine. If you intend to shoot a lot of rounds you'd be better off with the GP100. As others have said they are built like tanks and have a much better cylinder locking system. Their triggers can be worked into a perfectly suitable action but the one thing it will never match a S&W on is lock time. Also you have the transfer bar that must be overcome to hit the firing pin hard enough. After shooting Smiths for so long I just couldn't get over how long it took for that hammer to hit. Note: I was shooting DA in USPSA matches. For bench work the Ruger will be fine. I ended up selling both of my GPs but they are good guns. Have you considered the N Frame?

[Uni-Vibe]

I went ahead and got the Smith. $125 difference. I'm not going to be shooting a steady diet of red-line loads. Probably load up fairly mild most of the time.

[1986s4]

Good choice. The Smith will hold up for as many years as you can hold a pistol. I can't remember the last time I shot full patch magnums in mine.

[Uni-Vibe]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I haven't fired it yet, but just handling it, it feels pretty awesome. If Dirty Harry'd had a girlfriend, she'd have carried the six-inch 686. This is going to be a range toy and reloading platform. I've been shooting for decades, but this is the first revolver I've actually gone out and purchased. It's in a different orbit than the plastic striker fired 9mm.


Bullets and brass are on their way.

So here's what I'm thinking:

Lubrication on this should be much lighter than on a semi-auto, no? A drop of CLP goes a long way?

I should fire a couple hundred jacketed bullets first, to smooth the bore, before getting into hard-cast lead?

[Arik]

I've never opened up my revolvers for lubrication. Not even ones from almost a 100 years ago. And some have definitely been worked hard. They're still working fine.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[1986s4]

Revolvers withstand neglect well but not abuse. I'll go 2000+ rounds between cleaning with my Colt government but I lightly clean and oil my revolvers after every shooting session. The side plate should not be opened unless one knows what one is doing. I use Balistol and Mobil 1 as my go to oils. Use clean burning powder as unburnt powder can build up between the forcing cone and front of the cylinder and bind up the action.