20yearvet
Member
You cannot go wrong with a Ruger GP-100
A good 357mag
- Thread starter The Burnside Ninja
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countryrebel
Member
You cant beat taurus if you are on a budget,I have owned a bunch of them and they have had great triggers and no problems to speak of,and also the ruger gp100 is also a great gun and I never had any problems with that one either.My preference is to buy taurus or ruger over smith because you get a gun that will do the same job with less money,take that extra money and equip it.
AStone
Member
LOP and smithing for smoothness
OK, I'm in.
A bit late, I see,
but here nonetheless...and I've got more questions.
Since I'm in the market for a 4" .357 mag wheel gun ("why" is a whole nuther topic that I've discussed at length elsewhere, and a story I may share here, but it seems irrelevant for now), I'm going to surf between this thread and another related one. Both are addressing topics I'm interested in, but they have different foci (focuses?), so I'll not mix and match my questions.
<ahem>
So, here's the lead in to the questions I'd like to pose in this one.
I'm focusing on SW 620, SW 686 and Ruger GP100.
Being a SW owner now (642), and knowing the quality, I'm leaning in the direction of 620 or 686. Today, I handled (but did not shoot) a GP 100 and a 686+ (7). (There's not a 620 or 619 in any store in my town.)
Today, in one of the 7 or 39 threads I've read on .357 mag revolvers, I found a link to a blog by a "renowned gunsmith" (his name was new to me, but that says nothing) who addresses the question, "which {revolver} should I buy" regularly, and answers "Ruger". (Note: the blog entry is at the very bottom of that page; scroll all the way down, or just see below in this post.)
When I first read that, I confess that my SW bias crept out
and I read his post with less enthusiasm.
And yet, as I read the entire post, it began to make sense. I'm open that it could be true, at least for me.
Here's why. I have smaller hands than the average person. My 642 with Hogue monogrips fit me perfectly. (As does the K9 that I'll be selling to fund this wheel gun addiction.)
So the 686 and GP101 are just a tad large for me. They'll work, I think, but if the LOP was just a twidgen shorter, it'd be more comfortable.
Of the two today, the SW fit slightly better.
But if what our gunsmith blogger writes is true, that could change.
Please focus on two aspects of his thesis (below).
1) He asserts that by replacing the standard grips on the GP100 with Ruger's "compact" grips (which I do NOT find on their web page), the Ruger's LOP will be smaller than the SW 620/686 which "is great news for those of us with smaller-than-average mitts". Indeed. Is this a true statement?
2) He asserts, "Fit and finish on Ruger revolvers is not up to the level of, say, older S&W guns....Rugers have lots of sharp edges, and their finishes are not terribly pretty - but, if you're having custom work done anyhow, these are things that can be easily rectified." Is this a true statement? If so, given that the Ruger is over $100 less than a SW 620, I could afford to have it smithed and end up with revolver that fit me better.
What say you?
Blog post below. (Bold emphasis mine.)
Thanks.
Nem
OK, I'm in.
A bit late, I see,
but here nonetheless...and I've got more questions. Since I'm in the market for a 4" .357 mag wheel gun ("why" is a whole nuther topic that I've discussed at length elsewhere, and a story I may share here, but it seems irrelevant for now), I'm going to surf between this thread and another related one. Both are addressing topics I'm interested in, but they have different foci (focuses?), so I'll not mix and match my questions.
<ahem>
So, here's the lead in to the questions I'd like to pose in this one.
I'm focusing on SW 620, SW 686 and Ruger GP100.
Being a SW owner now (642), and knowing the quality, I'm leaning in the direction of 620 or 686. Today, I handled (but did not shoot) a GP 100 and a 686+ (7). (There's not a 620 or 619 in any store in my town.)
Today, in one of the 7 or 39 threads I've read on .357 mag revolvers, I found a link to a blog by a "renowned gunsmith" (his name was new to me, but that says nothing) who addresses the question, "which {revolver} should I buy" regularly, and answers "Ruger". (Note: the blog entry is at the very bottom of that page; scroll all the way down, or just see below in this post.)
When I first read that, I confess that my SW bias crept out
and I read his post with less enthusiasm.And yet, as I read the entire post, it began to make sense. I'm open that it could be true, at least for me.
Here's why. I have smaller hands than the average person. My 642 with Hogue monogrips fit me perfectly. (As does the K9 that I'll be selling to fund this wheel gun addiction.)
So the 686 and GP101 are just a tad large for me. They'll work, I think, but if the LOP was just a twidgen shorter, it'd be more comfortable.
Of the two today, the SW fit slightly better.
But if what our gunsmith blogger writes is true, that could change.
Please focus on two aspects of his thesis (below).
1) He asserts that by replacing the standard grips on the GP100 with Ruger's "compact" grips (which I do NOT find on their web page), the Ruger's LOP will be smaller than the SW 620/686 which "is great news for those of us with smaller-than-average mitts". Indeed. Is this a true statement?
2) He asserts, "Fit and finish on Ruger revolvers is not up to the level of, say, older S&W guns....Rugers have lots of sharp edges, and their finishes are not terribly pretty - but, if you're having custom work done anyhow, these are things that can be easily rectified." Is this a true statement? If so, given that the Ruger is over $100 less than a SW 620, I could afford to have it smithed and end up with revolver that fit me better.
What say you?
Blog post below. (Bold emphasis mine.)
Thanks.
Nem
Both are true statements. I dont have a problem with the so called sharp edges but it depends on the owner I suppose. The grips you seek are found at Lettgrips.com I do believe they are the OEM for ruger grips. For what its worth I own the GP100 as well as the SP101. They both have served their purpose well and will for a few generations.
AStone
Member
Ahhhh. If so, then that is significant for me,
because the stock grips on the 686 fit better than those on the GP100.
I was under the impression that there were smaller than OEM grips of the GP 100
that would make it fit me better.
AStone
Member
Jad, please clarify this for me: is the 686 frame exactly the same as the 620?jad0110 said:
(Asks a guy with smaller than average hands, where every half mm counts.)
So true.
There's no turning back now. I'm hooked.
Nem, who loves his 642, and wants a .357 mag
Nematocycst- The GP-100 has two different sizes of factory grips for it. The larger grip comes on all adjustable sighted models, and the compact comes on the fixed sight versions. Both versions are completely interchangeable with either type gun and the smaller grip is dramatically smaller. I use the smaller grip on my 4" adjustable sighted gun and it instantly became my favorite double action gun. Fits me perfectly.
The smaller grip can be ordered directly from ruger and costs around ten or twelve bucks. It comes without grip inserts however so you'll need to buy them separately or pay th eextra and get the grip with them which runs I believe about $20.00 for the plastic inserts. On the inserts, just to add confusion the small GP-100 grip takes the inserts from the SP-101 but the grip does not fit the SP.
The smaller grip can be ordered directly from ruger and costs around ten or twelve bucks. It comes without grip inserts however so you'll need to buy them separately or pay th eextra and get the grip with them which runs I believe about $20.00 for the plastic inserts. On the inserts, just to add confusion the small GP-100 grip takes the inserts from the SP-101 but the grip does not fit the SP.
AStone
Member
461, thanks very much for that clarification. Makes good sense.
Now I know what to ask about at the gun shop. I'll see if they've got one of the fixed-sight GP-100s to handle. (I doubt it; they don't seem to like to carry fixed sighted guns for some reason, at least in the 686's.)
This could well make my decision for me.
Now if somebody will comment on this part of my post from last night, all the smoke will clear away.
Quoting a gunsmith who favors Rugers: "Rugers have lots of sharp edges, and their finishes are not terribly pretty - but, if you're having custom work done anyhow, these are things that can be easily rectified."
Nem
Now I know what to ask about at the gun shop. I'll see if they've got one of the fixed-sight GP-100s to handle. (I doubt it; they don't seem to like to carry fixed sighted guns for some reason, at least in the 686's.)
This could well make my decision for me.
Now if somebody will comment on this part of my post from last night, all the smoke will clear away.
Quoting a gunsmith who favors Rugers: "Rugers have lots of sharp edges, and their finishes are not terribly pretty - but, if you're having custom work done anyhow, these are things that can be easily rectified."
Nem
Glad to, the guy you're quoting would be Grant Cunningham if I'm not mistaken. His thoughts are that Ruger saves money in manufacturing by not concentrating so much on the "Finish" work as they do the basic functioning department. Absolutely true, a Ruger will be well known for shooting and functioning at or above the level of any other makers product but may have soem tool marks here or there and possibly a rough edge on a hammer or trigger to be dealt with.
Ruger triggers are well known for needing to be broken in with about a thousand dry fires and then settling in very nicely, this is because the inner workings deburr themselves in use.
A Ruger responds very well to gunsmithing as it is a quality product made from quality materials. It's a bit cheaper to get in the door to a Ruger than a Smith, but you are not sacrificing quality or durability, if anything you are simply getting a more durable product at a lower level of finish.
Ruger triggers are well known for needing to be broken in with about a thousand dry fires and then settling in very nicely, this is because the inner workings deburr themselves in use.
A Ruger responds very well to gunsmithing as it is a quality product made from quality materials. It's a bit cheaper to get in the door to a Ruger than a Smith, but you are not sacrificing quality or durability, if anything you are simply getting a more durable product at a lower level of finish.
michiganfan
Member
I have a Ruger Secuirty Six I love to shoot.
jad0110
Member
Yep, they are both L Frame.
I don't think anyone has mentioned the S&W Model 681. It is the fixed sight version of the 686. I have a 4" that was my first revolver and it is still the gun that sees the most range time.
There is also a blued version, the Model 581.
Great guns.
There is also a blued version, the Model 581.
Great guns.
AStone
Member
Which raises an interesting question.
On those adjustable sight models,
does anyone every really adjust them?
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I bought the Model 619 instead of the Model 620 because I thought I would spend so much time adjusting the sights I wouldn't do any shooting. I figured I would make the adjustment in POA depending upon what weight bullet I was shooting. The 158 gr rounds are dead on like they should be and the 125 gr shoot low at 25 yards out.
AStone
Member
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I already read that thread and posted in it too. I don't know why he thinks the barrel is bad or not accurate but he's wrong. I own one, have shot A LOT of rounds through it and it's very accurate. I'm not a expert shooter, only shooting about a year now but I can "sometimes" shoot 4" groups at 25 yards. 2"/2.5" groups are no problem at all 15 yards out. I know you better shooters can do better but the point is, there's nothing wrong with this model. It is up to S&W standards and I am totally happy with my choice.
svtruth
Member
My GP-100
is fun and I'm confident I won't break it.
That said, my Model 19 is a joy to shoot.
Both were bought used and were <$350.00
Now I'm looking for a carbine in .357 to keep them company.
is fun and I'm confident I won't break it.
That said, my Model 19 is a joy to shoot.
Both were bought used and were <$350.00
Now I'm looking for a carbine in .357 to keep them company.
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