Ruger P944 vs. S&W 4046

[novaDAK]

I'm looking to get my first 40 caliber pistol soon, and am stuck between these two. I have only 300 to spend, so I'm a bit limited. I have had very good luck with my P95 and KP90, so I'm leaning towards the Ruger I found at J&G for 299. But after looking more I found a 4046 for 275 at summit gun broker. This gun will be for mostly range and HD use, no carrying. I want the ruger, but I have the urge to try something different, like a "higher-end" handgun. New S&W's are damn expensive, but I think this is a good deal for an all stainless 4046. It's DAO, which I've never had one of before, so I'm not sure if it will be that great for the range. I heard that the 4046 is precocked, which gives it a shorter crisper trigger, but I still like traditional DA/SA with the exposed hammer. Also, I believe that the SW has a mag disconnect, which I dislike because I sometimes load single rounds into the chamber without the mag if I have an odd number of rounds on hand.
Ruger:
http://www.jgsales.com/product_info...g-vg-condition-/cPath/16_148/products_id/1257
S&W:
http://www.summitgunbroker.com/974939.html

 

[novaDAK]

Also, does the trigger on this smith work like a Glock, where when you dry fire the slide needs to be racked again, or does it go back to true DA after it's dry fired? The smith I believe is half-cocked when the slide is racked (I know it is pre-cocked, I just heard it is half).

 

[gandog56]

You dry fire the trigger on the Ruger and it is still full DA, for whatever that's worth. Why you would want to, though, is beyond me. You would still have to rack it to load a round. If you got the decocker, then you would have to rack it to load a round, then decock it. That way the hammer is down, but will still fire the round with a double action pull, after which the gun returns to single action.

 

[Srigs]

I use a 6946 for carry duty and the DAO trigger is very good. With the 4046 it will be a great shooter with the extra weight and Summit is a great company to do business with.