Who makes the best revolvers now-a-days?

[L-Frame]

So many people hate S&W for the lock today that it colors everything else about them. Every time a "big" change occurs there is a huge outcry that everything new sucks. When S&W stopped making wheelguns with pinned barrels and recessed cylinders you would have thought the Russians were invading. During the Bangor-Punta era the world was coming to an end. Now it's MIM and The Lock.

If there is one hard and fast rule in the world it is this: "Things were always better back then" whether they actually were or not.

Personally, I can't stand the lock but the guns I've seen look/work fine. I think Rugers are great guns. Decent actions that can be worked on to be nice actions, very accurate. The only reason competition shooters don't use them is that their actions simply don't work as well for the warp speed shooting necessary to be a Miculek, but in every other sense they are excellent. I even think that the fixed sight models are quite elegant (the adj. models are clunky).

 

[gspn]

Thanks to all for the replies. I currently own about a dozen of the older s&w wheel guns and i really like them a lot. As others have pointed out they are not perfect. As i type this my beloved model 29 sits useless with a front sight that flew away after its retaining pin broke. I also had a 625 whose bolt broke and sent the cylinder release latch flying through the air. While they have had a few malfunctionsn i still like them a lot...they look and feel like works of art.

Having said that...it sounds like the new guns are worth a look too. I think ill just always be on the lookout for older models and when i cant find a deal on one i like then ill just go buy a new model.

I think theyll all get along just fine in the safe when i shut the door at night.

 

[Guillermo]

Mr Boreland,

Surely you are gentleman enough to mean it. If I get in your direction I will bring a couple of toys that just might make you change your mind.

A range day with an expert is always a pleasure.

 

[Guillermo]

Perhaps then I will join you on the MIM/new S&W bandwagon.

Now BM...you did note the first word of that sentence...didn't you?

But send me the bill...I am liable for the damage

The very idea is shocking

 

[Guillermo]

I can't stand the lock but the guns I've seen look/work fine

while one can say that it is just internet blather...it seems the quality is not what it once was.

Until the 442 I handled the other day, the last 3 new S&Ws (all686s) I handled ALL had factory defects.

MIM, CNC, IL, no QC...the list is long.

But all that said...Mr. Boreland is in a unique situation. He finds that for competition the new guns, if tuned and modified, are the bee's knees. And he appreciates that minor gunsmithing can be done on the tailgate of his Navigator. For those specialized purposes, I see his point. They are not MY purposes, so I have arrived at a different conclusion.

 

[Cosmoline]

So many people hate S&W for the lock today that it colors everything else about them. Every time a "big" change occurs there is a huge outcry that everything new sucks

Actually I don't care about the locks. But S&W's wheelguns have NOT impressed me of late. I find they are cheaply made and designed as range toys, not practical weapons. Compared with modern Rugers.. there is no comparison. For revolvers S&W is down where Taurus once was in my book, and Taurus has come up a notch or two. Granted, the Performance Center still makes good wheelguns, but they charge an arm and leg for them. And they are fully of silly gimmicks. The only thing S&W has over Ruger is their faster, smoother trigger. But personally I don't mind the Ruger finger exerciser, and for CCW I positively prefer it. I'm not shooting in any competition.

Even with more modern designs, Ruger is better. Compare the LCR with the Bodyguard. I tried out two of the Smiths at the store before getting the LCR. Even without live ammo they were choking. Cylinders were binding up, the laser was oddly placed and the whole thing felt like it was liable to crumble in my hand. The LCR is new fangled, but it's holding up and shooting like a Ruger. I can't say I've shot a lot of newer Smiths simply because almost all of them fail my gun store tests. Some were almost frighteningly bad, with all the indications of having been rushed out the factory doors.

For Single Actions, you have the Cadillac makers like FA and some others. But having just shot my brand new Ruger small frame Blackhawk in .45 ACP and .45 Colt, I would NOT HESITATE to recommend it. It's skookum. The balance is excellent, the cylinder loading is much improved, and it's exceptionally accurate with iron sights at point of aim for BOTH rounds. That takes some doing, folks. Someone at Ruger took the time with this revolver to test it and line it all up before shipping it out, and I really appreciate that.

 

[L-Frame]

Well Guillermo,

I guess one person's reality is another's internet blather. The 3 new 686's you shot obviously weren't good, but the 2 I recently shot (not mine) did just fine and they certainly did not, like Cosmoline suggested, seem like "range toys". I admit to having limited experience with new ones because, like I said, can't stand the lock and won't own one. I do prefer Rugers, owning 3 GP-100's and dearly love my 686-5, but my experience with new S&W revolvers has been positive. S&W quality may well be dropping but I can only speak of my own experiences and not about what I've heard or read. Now that would be internet blather.

 

[Hotshot10]

I've not been impressed with either Ruger's or S&W's current offerings, but the real reason that I wanted to comment was to see if anyone knew what happened with CZ's attempt to resurrect the Dan Wesson line of revolvers. I can't find any revolvers listed on CZ's website, although I know the company tried making some several years ago. What happened?

 

[Guillermo]

I guess one person's reality is another's internet blather.

True, your and my experiences are reality and became internet blather.

Please note that I try for full disclosure. The 442 I handled the other day had a great fitting sideplate and only one thing which could be considered a flaw. While MIM guns do not have the silky actions of forged guns, this one was fine...especially for a J-Frame

 

[David E]

But personally I don't mind the Ruger finger exerciser, and for CCW I positively prefer it. I'm not shooting in any competition.

Shooting for your life IS a competitive activity.

 

[robhof]

robhof

Hotshot10, check out the danwessonforums, the new model 15 DW is out and a great gun, unfortunately it has a price to match, but you pay for quality and the new DW is a work of art and as with all the older Dans, a great very accurate shooter. Look for Dan Wesson/CZ, they're still separate from the main CZ offerings.

 

[Mr.357Sig]

I'm so tired of the "Ruger's are built like tanks" sentiment. Tanks are built like tanks. Ruger wheelguns are tough, but it's no M1A1.

As far as good revolvers, Ruger is up there. The S&W PC line is nice, but I prefer the older Smiths. They have smoother triggers and are just constructed better. Colts are great too.

Not a fan of Charter Arms or Taurus revolvers.

 

[bikemutt]

Hotshot10, check out the danwessonforums, the new model 15 DW is out and a great gun, unfortunately it has a price to match, but you pay for quality and the new DW is a work of art and as with all the older Dans, a great very accurate shooter. Look for Dan Wesson/CZ, they're still separate from the main CZ offerings.

Well, I've handled two of the DW latest 715 specimens and I'm not seeing the value proposition, even at half the asking price. I'll grant they probably inherited the accuracy of their progenitors, but fit and finish? No way. The Monson, MA made model 15 I have in the safe puts the new 715 to shame. Admittedly I'm talking about minor points but, if one is asked to part with over $1000 for a 6-shot 356 magnum revolver, the least the manufacturer should be expected to do, particularly on a stainless gun, is to take down the sharp points. In my view CZ has a long road to my house, the good news is the door is open.

 

[CraigC]

Suggestions on the internet abound that top wheelgunners are "all" sponsored, and given their guns, and have no choice in the matter.

Uh, no one referenced "all" sponsored shooters. Jerry Miculek was mentioned specifically. He is on the S&W team and I seriously doubt he would be shooting a Ruger, if one were appplicable.

No, but heck, I have a few vintage blued guns, and even I wouldn't dream of putting them through what my match gun goes through in a single session.

And assume that we who own older S&W's store them in a diaper and only shoot them on our birthday.

So many people hate S&W for the lock today that it colors everything else about them.

Don't paint me with that brush. I don't care for new S&W's (hate is a strong word, I simply disregard them) because they look and feel cheap and yet prices only go up. Bottom line is that they have not made any of the recent changes because it results in a better product. They have made them because they make the guns easier and less expensive to produce. Not to even mention the hole in the side. When I behold an older S&W with gorgeous deep bluing, it stirs my soul and echoes from the distant past when everything was touched by a craftsman's hands and fitted with care. When I hold a newer stainless S&W with black rubber grips and fiber optic sights, it's just a cold, soul-less tool. It does absolutely nothing for me, to say nothing of the jacked-up prices. Life is too short for that foolishness.

 

[Guillermo]

So many people hate S&W for the lock today that it colors everything else about them.

should not a company that ignores what it's customers want be colored by that arrogance?

That they have a near-monopoly on new double action revolvers makes for a company of jerks

 

[Cosmoline]

I'll admit most of my thoughts on new Smiths is spidey sense. But my spidey sense is pretty danged good. I've held, bought and shot so many handguns at this point I can tell quality from junk. If I were to go into competition and needed an ultra-smooth trigger, I would by a Smith and Wesson... from about 40 years ago ;-)

 

[18DAI]

Guillermo the owner of a Safety Wesson wind up gun? Seriously?

Who divided by zero?? Are dogs now going to sleep with cats??

Guillermo at least buy one from CDNN. That way you will at least pay closer to what one of those is worth. CDNN buys up all the unwanted wind up guns so they have.......just about all of them.

 

[Guillermo]

Thaddeus,

The earth did not swap poles. It is all still in order.

What I said was that if I was going to play the gun games, my priorities might change as Mr. Boreland's have.

If I was playing IDPA a gun that can be fixed "in the pits" might be an advantage.

I have a 4inch Diamondback on my hip right now and am scouring the web for a 38/44

All is well

 

[Doc3402]

Go older. The last three Smith revolvers I worked on left much to be desired. All three were J frames which may or may not have something to do with it, but fit and finish was terrible. Inside was MIM junk full of rough spots.

 

[buck460XVR]

Ruger....

Their GP100's and Redhawk's will eat anything you care to feed them.

Sure they will. Just keep talkin'.........

 

[Hotshot10]

Hotshot10, check out the danwessonforums, the new model 15 DW is out and a great gun, unfortunately it has a price to match, but you pay for quality and the new DW is a work of art and as with all the older Dans, a great very accurate shooter. Look for Dan Wesson/CZ, they're still separate from the main CZ offerings.

Thanks, I will do that. One of the grizzled veterans at my LGS swears that the current DW 1911s are the best at their price point, and I'm curious what the new revolvers look like.

I'm so tired of the "Ruger's are built like tanks" sentiment. Tanks are built like tanks. Ruger wheelguns are tough, but it's no M1A1.

+ 1 (And I own a Ruger. It's solid, but that phrase is so hackneyed.)

 

[JM Browning]

Cosmo I owned a early 80s 586 6"er had trigger work done is smooth, still have access,still in my family. I rescentley acquired a pre mark III Colt Trooper on the cheap. No comparison
Trooper wins.

 

[Halal Pork]

A few of us here might not realize that we're actually living in a Golden Age of revolver technology. At least that is the idea I get reading some of the comments here. Anyway, consider the Taurus Judge and the Ruger LCR if you have any doubt. Surely they're "different" from what some are used to, but I defy anyone to put up their old Colt/S&W/Ruger wheel guns head to head against their predecessors and not admit the superiority of the new, cutting edge technologies. There's just going to be a fair amount of sour grapes out there. Can't stop that.





Edit to add:

Just pulling your leg.

 

[ljnowell]

While Smith and Wessons quality has slid in recent years, Ruger still makes a fine DA revolver. However, if you truly want the best, only a Korth will do.

 

[bikemutt]

A few of us here might not realize that we're actually living in a Golden Age of revolver technology. At least that is the idea I get reading some of the comments here. Anyway, consider the Taurus Judge and the Ruger LCR if you have any doubt. Surely they're "different" from what some are used to, but I defy anyone to put up their old Colt/S&W/Ruger wheel guns head to head against their predecessors and not admit the superiority of the new, cutting edge technologies. There's just going to be a fair amount of sour grapes out there. Can't stop that.

I'll grant you that metallurgy has come a long way. It's now possible to make revolvers that are impossibly lightweight and still strong enough to handle the full house loads.

Beyond that dimension, revolvers have already seen their zenith I'm afraid.