Jim March, thanks for the valuable explanation. I should add that of the 30 or so Rugers I've checked out (admittedly a small sample), while none lokced up like a bank vault, none had an excessive amount of play either. Out of the approximately 60 Smiths I've checked out, whereas about 8 locked up like a bank vault, I remember 3 that had a lot of slop and 2 out of these 3 had endshake. Admittedly, these 2 were 50 years old or more, but the other one with a lot of slop, but no endshake was a 586.
Perhaps they're a little like golf clubs, something I know a little more about (though still not a lot). A cast club is generally stronger and resists scratching, dents, etc. more so than a forged club. A cast club is also easier to distribute weight thoughout the club head to wherever needed. Whereas a forged club is softer, it is also generally prettier and more appealing to the eye. Also the tolerances on a well-made forged club are tighter. For example, a well-struck shot with a cast club may go 170 yards one time and 173 the next, whereas a well struck shot with a forged club will go 172 yards one time and 173 the next. There's great examples of both types and great players can be found using both, or even switching from one to the other and back again.
Tamara, I think another reason is the 'coolness' factor. When you're out shooting your revolver, and someone else comes along who is also shooting a revolver, you think,"hey that's cool." You don't care if they're shooting a Ruger, Smith, Colt, or Taurus. Whereas someone who's shooting a $600 + semi, when they hear someone else popping off 10-15 rounds at a time, they may be thinking,"there's no way his/her pistol is better than mine." Perhaps this carries over a bit to the forums.
