Ruger GP-100 vs. Smith 586 and 686 both in .357 with 6 inch barrels.

Status
Not open for further replies.
anothernewb said:
i ran some hot buffalo bore loads in my gp100 when i got it. I wouldn't call them smoky... But i will say you certainly know you're shooting something a little hotter than a 38....
Click to expand...
yes well i shot the .357 load and never felt recoil like that before for that caliber.
 
Have both. If possible it would be worth your time to go to gunshops and handle both to help in your decision. The S&W has a better trigger, but the Ruger is the one I would pick to take out in the woods and carry around. I would also pick the ruger if I was handloading really hot 357 ammo.

DA_6_1_zps5c244a16.jpg
 
dakota1911 said:
Have both. If possible it would be worth your time to go to gunshops and handle both to help in your decision. The S&W has a better trigger, but the Ruger is the one I would pick to take out in the woods and carry around. I would also pick the ruger if I was handloading really hot 357 ammo.

View attachment 723768
Click to expand...
both of those are beautiful.
 
In the past year and a half. We have purchased 3 ruger sp101 3 inch 357 mags and 1 S&W 686 no dash 4 inch and 2 S&W 686P one a 6 inch and one a 3 inch. All of the rugers had to have new springs and trigger work to get to a 10 pound pull. All of the rugers had metal shavings left in them. All of the rugers had to have different grips put on them (stock grips tore our hands up). After all of the work the rugers work great one I carry most of the time. The smiths well we just shot them and still do.
Since rifles are not part of this discussion I wont tell you about the problems with 2 of rugers rifles. I do not think that I will buy anything else from ruger.
 
wolfe2701 said:
In the past year and a half. We have purchased 3 ruger sp101 3 inch 357 mags and 1 S&W 686 no dash 4 inch and 2 S&W 686P one a 6 inch and one a 3 inch. All of the rugers had to have new springs and trigger work to get to a 10 pound pull. All of the rugers had metal shavings left in them. All of the rugers had to have different grips put on them (stock grips tore our hands up). After all of the work the rugers work great one I carry most of the time. The smiths well we just shot them and still do.
Since rifles are not part of this discussion I wont tell you about the problems with 2 of rugers rifles. I do not think that I will buy anything else from ruger.
Click to expand...
fyi: I had a Mini-14 bought in 1994 with Nikon scope. Sold it couldn't get groupings after 6 to 10 shots. Heard it was the barrel heating up. New ones are suppose to be better.
10/22 rifle is a great rifle to me.
 
Caswell Ranch said:
If you are set on 8 shot then go for the S&W 627, they come in 4" , 5" and 6"
Click to expand...
This is from S & W Performance center must be considered a custom type of gun?
EXPENSIVE:

Which Smith model does the 627 originate from?:confused:
I'll have to look at this in person and or a better pic. Being an 8 shot revolver it is probably alot larger than the lower capacity 6-shot revolvers in .357.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...5660_775655_757896_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y#
 
Last edited:
If you haven't already, get the Ruger... Do the trigger job yourself if you fell it needs it.
Save the extra $ for ammo to practice with or to but quality defence rounds if you don't make your own!!!
 
First, we should compare the facts on similar 6-shot .357 Magnum chambered 6" barrel Ruger GP-100 vs S&W 686 - from their websites.

Model Stock # Weight MSRP
GP-100 1707 45 oz $779
686 164224 44.9 oz $819

Where is the 'massive' difference in mass? 0.1 oz isn't much. Additionally, Rugers are cast steel, while S&W's are hammer-forged and heat-treated. Both are SAAMI rated for .357 Magnums and both take the same HKS Speedloader (#586A). I quit buying Rugers over a decade ago due to their sloppy machining and finishing, not to mention their poor internal QC. They have improved since then - no doubt. Still, my DA revolvers (SRH, RH, & SP-101) and myriad of SA revolvers, from SS-SBH, were all delivered new as 'works in action'... the .45 Colt RH had to go back to have another new cylinder, pawl, hammer, trigger, and springs fitted. I did get it back within a month. I own fewer S&W's - but love everyone of them. One, a 351PD 7-shot .22 WMR, had a bad extractor - it would leave two rounds every cylinder full. I had it back in a few weeks - and the calls, s&h, etc, were on them, too - a welcome change from some makers.

I don't believe in 'over' charging my homebrew ammo, so the question of which one is more stout has no meaning to me. IF I need 'hotter' ammo, I go to a hotter caliber. Oddly, my still fondest memories of a Ruger are of my 7.5" .454 Casull SRH. I no longer have the need for so much muzzle energy, however. If I had not 'discovered' S&W revolvers 9/02, when my wife bought me my first S&W, a new 4" 625MG in .45 Colt, I likely would have remained a Ruger guy. She started my S&W-lust, so blame her - I will continue to thank her, however!

If you want a great .357M x8 shooter - try out the 4" 627 Pro, see below. It's a bit larger - an N-frame - and has a spring-loaded front sight, easily changed without tools. Mine is a close second to my 2 5/8" PC627 UDR, also below.

IMG_4599-1.jpg

Stainz
 
Ex said:
If you haven't already, get the Ruger... Do the trigger job yourself if you fell it needs it.
Save the extra $ for ammo to practice with or to but quality defence rounds if you don't make your own!!!
Click to expand...
What's a trigger job typically cost if you send it to a gunsmith?
 
Stainz said:
First, we should compare the facts on similar 6-shot .357 Magnum chambered 6" barrel Ruger GP-100 vs S&W 686 - from their websites.

Model Stock # Weight MSRP
GP-100 1707 45 oz $779
686 164224 44.9 oz $819

Where is the 'massive' difference in mass? 0.1 oz isn't much. Additionally, Rugers are cast steel, while S&W's are hammer-forged and heat-treated. Both are SAAMI rated for .357 Magnums and both take the same HKS Speedloader (#586A). I quit buying Rugers over a decade ago due to their sloppy machining and finishing, not to mention their poor internal QC. They have improved since then - no doubt. Still, my DA revolvers (SRH, RH, & SP-101) and myriad of SA revolvers, from SS-SBH, were all delivered new as 'works in action'... the .45 Colt RH had to go back to have another new cylinder, pawl, hammer, trigger, and springs fitted. I did get it back within a month. I own fewer S&W's - but love everyone of them. One, a 351PD 7-shot .22 WMR, had a bad extractor - it would leave two rounds every cylinder full. I had it back in a few weeks - and the calls, s&h, etc, were on them, too - a welcome change from some makers.

I don't believe in 'over' charging my homebrew ammo, so the question of which one is more stout has no meaning to me. IF I need 'hotter' ammo, I go to a hotter caliber. Oddly, my still fondest memories of a Ruger are of my 7.5" .454 Casull SRH. I no longer have the need for so much muzzle energy, however. If I had not 'discovered' S&W revolvers 9/02, when my wife bought me my first S&W, a new 4" 625MG in .45 Colt, I likely would have remained a Ruger guy. She started my S&W-lust, so blame her - I will continue to thank her, however!

If you want a great .357M x8 shooter - try out the 4" 627 Pro, see below. It's a bit larger - an N-frame - and has a spring-loaded front sight, easily changed without tools. Mine is a close second to my 2 5/8" PC627 UDR, also below.

View attachment 723842

Stainz
Click to expand...
On the 627 what is the purpose of having that extra metal under the barrel that runs from the extractor to the front of barrel?
Is that an 8 speed loader?
 
Stinger, that SS is really a beautiful pistol!!! Enjoy the crap out of it!!!
 
I own both, and they are fairly new. The action on the 686 is good but not great. The Ruger action is a bit clunky. Both actions will improve over time. The guns are sturdy but the Ruger feels a little better engineered. The 686 gets the nod for sight design. Sliiight edge to Smith Wesson...in my opinion. 20161130_125135.jpg
 
gotboostvr said:
Interesting fact: since the cylinder notch cuts in the 7 shot 686P cylinder are offset from the chambers due to the odd number of rounds, the 6 shot cylinder actually has thinner walls. There's still more "meat" between the chambers in the 7 shot, than the 6 shots chambers to the cylinder notch cut.
Click to expand...

This is true. A lot of people seem to assume that just because a revolver is chambered for an extra round it means there must be some sacrifice in strength whereas, in the case of the 686 vs the Plus version, just the opposite is true. Also, contrary to what was claimed in an earlier post, the cylinder notches in the Plus variant are not cut any shallower than the ones in the six shot version.
 
My very first handgun was a 6" S&W 686. Shot many, many rounds through that gun. Very nice, but.....I much prefer Rugers now. I have a 4" GP100 and love it. But, both are great.
 
stinger 327 said:
Yes I agree I will have to compare when I find them both together at the same place the 6 inch GP-101 to the 6 inch 686. I will usually go with the one that feels better in my hand, handles good and has a nice trigger on it.
Click to expand...
In terms of new guns, neither one has grips I would want to keep, so initial feel would have to be a judgment of balance, where I think the 5" guns really shine.

My experience with your question of which to pick is that i have a lot of gunsmithing invested in my 686-6 and it has been actually shot very little. It leads like crazy. The rifling is different. It is very accurate and at this point has a marvelous custom action. The GP100, like all the Rugers I have but one, had to go back for a new cylinder, but that was always fast and at no expense. I gather that others have had better luck than I.

You seem to be talking about guns that are actually out of your price range, real or emotional. Of all of them bought new these days I favor the Ruger GP100 Match Champion with adjustable sights. It does away with all that heavy underlug and front heavy business, available 4" only.
 
I've owned both, I got out of .357's completely for several years but fairly recently picked up a 4" GP100 at a LGS that was going out of business. Wasn't really looking for one but simply couldn't turn down the price. Both are nice guns, the trigger on the Ruger is surprisingly good both DA and SA, better than I remember the 686 being; I was not expecting it to be so good, just going on internet talk. Both were/are very accurate. Shooting .38 target loads is like shooting a .22 with these revolvers, but some people (especially my youngest daughter, she despises the gun) who shoot with me don't care for them simply because of their weight. Personally, I'd prefer a K frame if I was going to carry a .357, I don't do a lot of revolver shooting, and if I was going to use a gun this heavy for a woods gun I'd just go ahead and get a .44. Just me though. I think either one of these guns would be worthwhile if this is the kind of handgun you're looking for, both are well made and I'm sure would hold up for a very long time.
 
The S&W Mdl. 27 .357 started all this in 1935. These were custom shop only made to each customers spec. These were called the "Registered" Models. These were "S" Frames later "N" Frames.
The modern S&W 686 is my favorite in today's offerings. These are great holster guns. My old Mdl. 27 3.5 used to be my side kick. It now lives in retirement and in many special memories.

IMG_0315.JPG
 
I like the 686+. I'd choose a 4" barrel before a 6".

Between the two it's just a matter of preference.
 
The only way to make an informed decision is to get your hands on one of each at a shooting range and make a comparison yourself.

I relied on a Ruger Security Six as a primary duty weapon for many years and it served me well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Smith & Wesson Model 65 vs Ruger Model GP-100
Replies
8
Views
1K
Fatelvis
Fatelvis
Confederate
  • Locked
Smith 686 Durability?
Replies
6
Views
2K
YodaVader
Y
If1HitU
  • Locked
Ruger GP 100.357 Mag.4" & S&W .686 .357 Mag.4" your choice why?
Replies
14
Views
2K
Tallball
Tallball
T
  • Locked
Bought my 2nd S&W 686 today...
Replies
14
Views
1K
YodaVader
Y
D
  • Locked
Looking to buy quality 357 magnum revolver
2 3
Replies
52
Views
4K
BCRider
BCRider
Back
Top