GP-100 or Smith 686

[Walkingwolf]

Thanks for the replies,
Won't be scoping the gun, open sights only for 50yd steel silhouettte targets the size of small chickens.
Do either have issues with the barrels being choked like the Ruger 44's and 45 colts ?

Has not been a problem with my GP's, but I never checked as mine are accurate, and they don't lead up the barrels. You will not get that with the new Smiths, as they are no longer a crush fit. I believe that S&W is now using a sleeve barrel similar to DW. If you are concerned with a choked barrel go with the Smith.

BTW both my N Frame Smiths have the Hillary Hole. I do not use the internal safety, but it has not affected my guns function at all. They are both smooth as silk, though I have never checked the trigger pull weight. I am not a TPW queen, if the gun goes boom when I pull the trigger it is good to go.

Most people talk of the old Smiths wonderful triggers(they were very smooth) compared to today. But the actual pull weight of older Smiths was 12 to 15 pounds. If a person wanted out of the box 8 pound they went with a Python. My Colt Police Positive has a extremely smooth 17 pound trigger, and it is a joy to shoot. Older guns, especially Colts were not designed for slow pulls, they were designed for quick deliberate pulls that a police officer would use in combat.

[gwpercle]

The GP100 is built like a tank , Ruger builds them to hold up , a little beefy but closing the action is like closing a bank vault door.

The S&W is sexier, slimmer , trimmer, svelte clean lines. Feels good in the hand , looks good to the eye.

Best advice is to actually hold , examine and if possible , shoot both ....then buy the one your gut tells you is the one!

Gary

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Lots of good information here.
The question is which one are you going to buy first.

[rugerdude]

Or you could go for the best of both worlds and get a Dan Wesson 715!

[Floydster]

Just got a new 686 plus, it's nice, accurate, but I still like my Rugers just as much.
Smokeyloads

[Wasalmonslayer]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the ruger gp100 match Champion.
I had a chance to shoot the Match champ and the 686 side by side and needless to say I bought the Ruger.

The match champion is a butter smooth tank that will outlast most shooters.
Oh and I did not have to send mine back!!
I have shot well over 500 38 special loads and atleast 250 357 loads and it has just shot better and smoothed up even more!

[Lloyd Smale]

Id say if price wasn't a consideration or someone gave you your choice for free youd be about nuts to take the ruger. But then for some price is a consideration. I owned two gp100s back when they switched from the securtity sixs to the gps. I wasn't impressed. I though the older guns were fit better. most of the gp100s ive handled sounded like a baby rattle when you shook them. They are a stout inexpensive gun though. But make mine a smith.

[6bg6ga]

A few years back I pondered the 686 or the GP100. I bought the 686. When faced with a shoot off with a GP100 I smoked its butt. We used my hand loads in both guns and well my 686 was far more accurate. I will admit the Ruger was over $100 cheaper so it wasn't a cost factor for me. The trigger was far better in my 686 than several GP100's I was looking at the same time. Side by side the 686 is far better looking.

[Bigslug]

Big GP fan. Have a 1993 specimen that influenced my mother into picking up a new one last year - which is even better. All we did for "trigger work" was break the gun in with a little extra oil in the guts. The result is not quite a Python, but it leaves nothing to be desired. I like the "non-sideplate" frame format, and the front lockup on the cylinder A LOT.

I have nothing against the standard S&W mechanism, but as a charter member of DLLEF - Don't Let Lawyers Engineer Firearms - I will not own one of the Idiot Lock models as a matter of consumer protest.

[Petrol & Powder]

Smith & Wesson L-Frame vs. Ruger GP-100 = Ford vs. Chevy pickup truck

I've owned, shot and worked on both.

Both designs are strong. Both designs are accurate. Both designs have pros and cons.


PICK THE ONE YOU LIKE.

[jmort]

Lots of good information here.
The question is which one are you going to buy first.

There you go

[jimb16]

I'd buy the Ruger and use the extra money for reloading components! (Sorry....I really do like both. {I own both})

[Art in Colorado]

S&W 686 -3 or 686-4 are the best 357's that I have ever owened in my long life. I have a 686-3 that is spoken for after I am done. Would not own a new S&W ever again. I have tried and was sadly un-impressed. Just my opinion,

[gtrpickr]

ruger fan here. no longer fond of any new stuff from S&W.

I agree with that, but if I could get my hands on an older 686 I would take.

[hylander]

Thanks all,
Money is not an issue, but I am going with a Ruger.

[Teddy (punchie)]

ruger fan here. no longer fond of any new stuff from S&W.

I'm hearing the same something happened, S&W It was just a few weeks ago I was told they just don't make then as good as before ?? Just what I was told, Have to shop and do what your doing maybe model or type specific.

[Walkingwolf]

I'm hearing the same something happened, S&W It was just a few weeks ago I was told they just don't make then as good as before ?? Just what I was told, Have to shop and do what your doing maybe model or type specific.

I have two Smith N Frames that are relatively new, with the Hillary Hole. Outside the hole which is unneeded, I have been ecstatic with their purchase. Exceptional trigger, IMO better than the police revolvers I was issued. Though one would expect great triggers from the Performance Center, but that is only one of them, the other is one of the Classic models, I would almost guarantee the gun is better built than the original model 21.

I understand the dislike of the hole, I don't like it either, it takes away from the beauty of the firearm, but does not interfere with function. I own two GP's, and love one, the other just not as much. Not because it is a ruger or does not function, but for the same reason I don't care much for the 6 inch 686. It is just more weight than is necessary for a six inch 357. As soon as Smith does a 6 inch model 66 I am ordering one, until that time I keep my eye for a used one.

[6bg6ga]

Like I mentioned I own a newer 686-6 and while I don't like Hitleys hole it has absolutely no effect on the guns function. Like I mentioned the trigger is superior to any GP100 straight off the counter at your local gun shop. I absolutely will not pay the extra money just to purchase a 686 without the Hitlery hole.

[Forrest r]

Don't know if 1 brand is better than the other. I will say this:

Anyone that thinks the l-frames aren't up to the task or strong is just spitting into the wind. I bought a new 586-1 in 1987, put 275,000+ rounds down the tube of that revolver with loads ranging from mild to wild. Heck use to buy cases (32#/4 8# jugs) of ww820 from pat's reloading and burn it up in that 586. At the 100,000 round mark I sent it back to s&w to have the timing rebuilt. At the 200,000 round mark I sent it back to s&w to have the timing rebuilt. At the 275,000+ mark the same loads I used/shot for decades were getting 50ft/60ft less velocity. The bbl was giving up the ghost. I took the old bbl and cylinder off that 586 and put another bbl & cylinder on the frame that I picked up for $100. This time a 4" bbl, ended up selling it for $400 to help fund a new 686 with a 6" bbl. I just like the 6" bbl's
[IMG][/IMG]

These are not cherry/hand picked targets. They are the actual test targets from testing loads for the new 686. I wanted a load to shoot nra bullseye @ 50ft. Along with shooting shotgun shells @ 50ft. We setup shotgun shells on the bowling pin table and use the same rules that bowling pin shoots use. The only difference is we use shotgun shells instead of bowling pins and shoot @ 50ft instead of 25ft.
[IMG][/IMG]

I have no problem buying from s&w, bought that 686 2 years ago and shoot it box stock. No new springs, mods, tweaking the strain screw, noting but pulling the trigger. I've only put 20,000 rounds down the tube so far. Quality range time is huge & if that 2 year old 686 didn't preform at high levels it would of been down the road in the 1st month.

I do know a little bit about custom revolvers and have a couple to compare that 686 to. This ppc revolvers sets the bar pretty high.
[IMG][/IMG]

That 686 will give my dw's all they can handle. I sent the dw's out and had the trigger work done on them. Couple that with the custom 1-10 bbl's with heavy bbl shrouds and muzzle breaks on them, they flat out race!!!
[IMG][/IMG]

What ever you do don't let your wallet make the decision for you, you'll regret it and always wonder what if.

[Walkingwolf]

Ruger, and Smith have sometimes problems. That is pretty much everything. I think where they cut corners is quality control/inspection. CNC machining is better than hand machining, human error and all what it is. When I was young, a couple centuries ago, cars were expected to get 100 thousand miles, there was much hand labor in a car. Today some cars built with computer controlled robots, and machines easily go over 100 thousand miles. Our 96 Nissan has 275,000, and still never needs oil added between changes, still gets 30mpg. Our 2008 Grand Prix has over 150,000 still running like it came off the show room floor.

It sucks that machines have put people out of work, but as far as quality I call BS when people make the claims they do. I also call BS on trigger pull of guns originally designed to be law enforcement sidearms before trigger pull queens started putting on uniforms. Funny nobody minded a 15# trigger pull as long as the gun went boom.

Besides the fact that the warranties of both Ruger, or Smith are golden. This was not the case 20/30 years ago, usually you were on your own after one year. Now if you do have a problem with your new gun, even if it is in your mind, they will try to rectify it.

My only complaint with Smith is models were dropped that many people would still buy. Same complaint for Ruger, they should have never dropped the Security Six, Smith probably thanks them for that since they still make K frame models. Another annoying gripe is the availability of custom grips for the GP, I would really like service grips for the wife with smaller hands. One of the reasons she likes my Colt Police Positive with the 17 # trigger.

There is a company that makes a grip that is closer to the target grip for the GP100, it is almost 200 dollars. That is about the difference between a GP, and a Smith, and they still are not service grips. IRC Altamont makes service grips for the L/K frame for less than 50 bucks. The model 10 classic comes with service grips. Somewhere down the line I probably will get a new model 10 with the hole. If not the 10, then the 64, and buy the Altmont grips.