Oft repeated thread Ruger & S&W 38/357

[MCgunner]

I would NOT buy a K frame if you're going to feed a lot of hot .357 in it. However, an L frame or the GP100 will last a couple of lifetimes for the average shooter. Think about an N frame, too, M28 maybe.

I've fed quite he steady diet of hot .357 heavy bullet loads in my Ruger Blackhawk and it is like new. No, it's not a DA gun. I love the thing, though, unreal strong for a .357 and quite the accurate shooter.

 

[craig_o]

I blame Ruger and boycott their firearms simply for the opinions of a certain deceased Bill Ruger. I also blame and boycott Volkswagon's vehicles because the company was the brainchild of Adolf Hitler.

Snore.

 

[stevegc]

Very Good Fisherman. Thanks

 

[shooter429]

Try both, buy the one that fits you best

I would get the Ruger if I were on a tight budget. I would get the Smith if I was spending a lot of time shooting targets at distance and wanted to do so out of the box. Either gun is good and can be made great with a little work. You won't go wrong.

Shooter429

 

[Fishman777]

Pro-Ruger...

I must have sounded like a real Ruger fan-boy in my last few posts. I do prefer Rugers over Smiths, but that is not to say that I wouldn't love to have a pre-lock, pre-MIM 686. Older Smiths are very nice, but are not as durable as Rugers. I just get a little miffed when I hear people say Smiths are as rugged, because they are not. Smiths and Rugers are both great guns, but they excel in different areas.

 

[cp1969]

If there is a wear issue with the Smith, I've yet to see it.

My 586 has digested a boatload of full bore 173 gr SWC, 13.5 gr 2400 or 14.0 gr AA9C loads and is still as tight as it was when new and shoots just as good.

The K models might be another story. I've never owned a .357 K frame. But I can vouch for the L and N frames.

 

[ravencon]

An NIB Ruger is unlikely to have a trigger that I would consider adequate for double action self-defense purposes. A new S&W may or may not have an adequate trigger and it will have the dreaded lock.

As others have suggested. Get a good pre-lock S&W. If the trigger isn't quite up to par, S&W's Performance Center can smooth out the action with a quick turn around time.

Of course, if you have a gun smith you have confidence in who works on Rugers and who has a decent turn around time...

 

[243_shooter]

I'm very fond of my 686-5.. It's been very good to me over the course of the few years I've owned it (picked it up NIB in ~03). Wouldn't sell it for 3x's what I payed for it. If I had to sell all my guns, save one, this would be the one I'd keep.

The GP100 is also a fine gun, and I wouldn't hesitate to put one in the safe should I happen upon a good deal, you can never have to many .357's I say.

I've got a 66-1 that's going away soon, along with a pre-rollmark new model single six.. I've come to appreciate the single six as being one of the poorest guns I own. Not to say either was built poorly, both were my own fault for not reading the 'how to check out a used revolver' thread. Going the used route can save you some serious cash, but be educated first.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. Fondle 'em both and decide for yourself which one you want to take home. Get a press and a set of dies, and shoot the crap out of it... Either way you'll have a gun that'll serve you well for many years.

Leo

 

[Fishman777]

Great thread on the Ruger forum...

There is a great thread currently running on Rugerforum.com. It is basically covering this same topic. I would strongly encourage people to check it out.

http://www.rugerforum.net/showthread.php?t=6179

What makes this thread so good are the responses from Iowegan. He is one of the moderators of the forum and is a retired gunsmith. He probably knows more about Ruger revolvers than most people at Ruger. He also knows Smith and Wesson revolvers very well, so he is highly qualified to compare the two brands. He has a great response to the question about the difference between the Ruger trigger and the Smith and Wesoon trigger. It is a great read and very fair to both brands.

 

[practical]

The Ruger is coming with a lock this year isn't it?

Ruger is suppposed to be adding locks to all their guns.

ALL the new models have locks and the old models are getting them added in model by model this year...

Don't wine about the S&W lock, you are assuming the lock isn't already on the shelf for the Ruger. It's under the grip they don't even bother with a hole.

Ruger expects you to REMOVE THE GRIP PLATE then lock your revolver.

You can't even tell it's locked after you reinstall the grip plate...

Worse than S&W in my opinion.

 

[Fishman777]

Ruger lock...

I really doubt "locks" are going to be added to all Rugers this year. Don't believe everything that you read on internet gun forums.

Ruger's 2008 catalog is available for download online. I went looking for it on Ruger's website after wondering why I haven't seen it at the local range. All Ruger SA models that contain locks have an "L" in the serial number. No too many "L"s in the 2008 catalog. None of the DA revovlers have them according to the catalog.

Some of their Single action revolver models have locks, but unlike Smith and Wesson, the locks appear to be **optional** on every model that they are available on. Ruger may eventually add locks to everything, but I doubt that we'll wake up and find locks on everything in 2008. Hopefully they'll wait until I get my 4" RedHawk, my SP101, and a second GP100.