Which way to go

If you don't want a Colt or S&W, but want a quality revolver, buy the Ruger. They are very solid and reliable, and Ruger has excellent customer service. I'm not a fan of Taurus, I consider them cheap S&W knockoffs. I am both a S&W and a Ruger fan, but all my Rugers (four of them) are semiautos. All but two (nine in all) of my revolvers are S&W, and older ones at that, nothing newer than 1981. I also have an old Rossi revolver that belonged to my Dad, and a Taurus .38 Spl snubnose that belongs to my wife (she had it before she married me). Three of my S&W's are .357 Magnum, two are .41 Magnum, one is .44 Magnum and one is .22rimfire Magnum.

Don't know what bad experiences you've had with S&W, but you won't find a revolver with a smoother action, IMO. I only own one Colt firearm, but it's a semiauto, and have never cared to buy one of their revolvers.

As an owner of both Ruger and Taurus, I'd pick Ruger. I've had better experience with Rugers than Taurus. My customer service experience with Taurus has basically been poor, but that's been nearly a decade ago.

Going with a Ruger, I'd pick a GP100. 6" barrel if you really will never carry and don't mind a heavy muzzle feel. 4" barrel if you think you'd ever carry or just want less muzzle heaviness.

Now, occasionally I'll come across a classic Taurus made in the '80s or '90s that sure is tempting though. But, I'd be really looking at a .38 Special in a classic Taurus.

I’d take the Ruger every day. And it would be a Redhawk. But, Taurus has come a long ways. For me, the ability to shoot “Ruger only” loads and their warranty reputation, is the deciding factor.

You were wise to seek counsel, I agree with our friends, steer clear of taurus. I've had two; one good, one bad.

Most of my handguns are Ruger, they are the working man's company. Built like a t........truck. a one ton truck...that you use as a daily driver.....in traffic.
The Colt and S&W guns are leaner, meaner, more athletic and balanced than the Rugers, imho.

My suggestion would be a Ruger Redhawk but good luck finding one and when you do you will be paying for it, no doubt about it. With that said, you will be paying more than its worth for anything in today’s ludricousy.

Targa said:

My suggestion would be a Ruger Redhawk but good luck finding one and when you do you will be paying for it, no doubt about it. With that said, you will be paying more than its worth for anything in today’s ludricousy.

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I gotta admit, the 8-shot .357 magnum Redhawk sure is a tempting piece.
https://www.ruger.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5051.html

The last Taurus I had was about 15 years ago. It was a .22lr tracker, which is essentially the same gun you would be looking at just in a different caliber. It had to go back to the factory for repair right after purchase. They did repair it to be functional and the gun was quite accurate and worked fine after that, but the fit and finish was definitely a step down from Ruger. I own and like both Ruger and Smith, but no longer have anything from Taurus.

You are looking for a GP100, fantastic revolvers that will last your lifetime and several after that, even with a steady diet of .357. The cost difference between that and a Taurus is minimal in the grand scale of the cost of feeding them. I guess there is a place for the Taurus guns, but in my experience the Rugers are so much nicer for just a little more.

One warning - the GP100 is a gateway. It was my first revolver. Suffice it to say it was not my last... You will need a .22lr to go with it, and SP101 (or j-frame) to carry. And no collection is complete without a single action, which should definitely be in .44 or .45 colt. Once you do that, you will realize how enjoyable large bore revolvers are.... and so on.

Get a Ruger for the reasons already posted. Since it's for "range fun" you might consider the 5" model 1740. I've seen a lot of them lately online usually through Davidson's. The 5" isn't as muzzle heavy as the 6".

You can’t go wrong with a Ruger GP-100, I have a 6” stainless and it has been just perfect for me for over 10,000 rounds. It is just a fun gun for the range as it will easily handle from mild to wild, and should you choose to hunt with it, it will handle that as well. If you may want to carry it, definitely go with the 4”. I have concealed the 6” full underlug, and it is doable, but not very comfortable to do all day.
I have had a couple Taurus revolvers and had no problems with them, but they are not built as solid as the Ruger. They worked fine, but the Ruger will be passed down for generations. The only Smith revolver I have is a 1974 4” 67 no dash and it is perfection in my eyes.

The new Colts are nice though.

If not S&W, then Ruger, hands down. Taurus pairs poor quality control with awful and infuriating customer service. It's not that Ruger doesn't have quality control issues of their own -- they certainly do. (S&W and Colt do as well.) But Ruger's customer service is widely known for being fast, effective, and usually cost-free.

Sounds like you're looking for a GP100.

bangswitch said:

Don't know what bad experiences you've had with S&W, but you won't find a revolver with a smoother action, IMO.

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You certainly can. It's just that you'll need to pay at least four times the cost of a new 686 to get one.

Ruger GP100 in a DA/SA or a Blackhawk in SA.

sfl_gunner said:

It’s official, I’m looking for a GP100. I’ll search around to see if I can find a good deal.

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Good call.

Academy near me recently had a GP100.

Out of curiosity, may I ask what were the issues with the S&W's? Thanks.

I have more Ruger firearms than any other make... but more S&W revolvers than any other. To me, nothing means shooting fun more than a double fistful of .38’s and a smoooooth K-38 (In my case, Model 14.)

You can’t go wrong with either, IMHO. I think you’ll find the GP is a rugged, well made .357 that you can shoot a ton... and your grandchildren will enjoy shooting it someday, too.

Only downsides involve the trigger. It’s sometimes a bit gritty and heavy out of the box, something that can be easily improved a bit with a good cleaning and couple of swapped springs.

Good luck with your search!

Stay safe.

A medium-framed 4" or 6" 357 is a nice choice. For several years that was my only "real" firearm. I never felt unarmed with it.

That was when I was a young man. Over the years I've accumulated a number or semiautomatic pistols and revolvers. I tend to prefer the revolvers.

My best DA revolvers are my S&W's. I have some old K frames and N frames with excellent triggers. They are a joy to shoot. With the right grips and reasonable barrel lengths, they all balance in my hands well.

I also have a Super Redhawk and a couple of SP101's. My FiL has a nice GP100. The SR and GP100 have pretty nice triggers, just not as good as the best Smiths. The Rugers don't balance in my hand quite as well, either, but they are good revolvers.

I've had good, bad, and mediocre Taurus revolvers. Just one had mechanical problems. Several went bang every time but had objectional triggers. Several went bang every time and had nice triggers. I still own a couple of the latter.

For a range toy, my Ruger single actions might be my favorites. I grew up shooting a Single Six, and a plowhandle grip always feels right to me. My Blackhawk in 357 is every bit as accurate as my best DA revolvers.

Colts are cool. I couldn't afford a modern one, so I bought an old Army Special just to have a Colt in my "collection". Its sights and trigger are just slightly better than my "M&P" from the same era. If I could afford a modern Colt (and Kimber), I would have one.

I'm glad I don't have to choose.

Even if the budget allowed a colt, I'd still get the ruger.

I would go with Ruger , If you live close to Huntsville Al the LGS has two counters full of Ruger revolvers

Im a Colt man. Not that i dont like S&W, I just dig colts. Both of the S&W revolvers I have are pretty well perfect in every way. The issue is they are both $1500 guns, pre-covid. That seems to be double your intended spending limit.

I have a few Taurus semi autos that are fine shooters, but nothing special. I do like rugers. They are simple and robust.