GP100 vs S&W 686

[warf73]

I've wanted another 357mag but this one will be for heavy duty target shooting (25 yards and in) and of course hunting if the chance comes along.

I've narrowed it down to the GP 100 and S&W 686 (or equivalent if a nice used one comes along) in SS with 4" barrel and adjustable rear sight.

Is one better than the other as in durability, which one will be like new after 20,000 rounds of 158gr swc @ 1100~1200fps.

Thanks Robert

[GP100man]

I`ve shot em all & the Rugers stayed in time & no screws lost the longest , that`s why they stayed .

As far as accuracy all of em shot better than I could hold !!

As far as caring & maintaining the lockworks , no simplier than the Ruger, no more complicated than the Colt with S&W in the middle.

The colt turns clockwise bassakwards from anything else & may cause first up ammo mishaps & has a cyl latch you pull (no likey)

The S&W is better at least the cyl turns the rite way , & ya can push the cyl release but it bites!!

BUT , I`m not biased ,Ilike ALL Rugers !!!

[Wheeler]

Take a look in the show off sticky at my 686 after 20,000 rounds of shooting plus about the same amount of dryfire. Timing is still good and a little blue loctite handles the loose screw issue. Most of my shooting has been +P. 38s with about 2000 .357s.

[subsonic]

The Ruger is probably more durable if you think the book max loads are merely a suggestion, but on average the s&w will have a smoother/lighter DA trigger pull. I haven't heard any complaints about 686 longevity. The Ruger is easier to detail strip and get back together, but only slightly.
From what I have seen, the Ruger could possibly have a slight accuracy edge over the 686, but it is tough to call, and I would not base my purchase on that.

[DragoonDrake]

I have worked on Smiths and I own Rugers. I think out of the box, Smiths are a little better as far as trigger goes. Rugers are a heck of a lot easier to work on though. I have also seen what a hot load that is Ruger safe has done to a Smith.

I would go Ruger, but that is just my opinion from a durability and ease of repair stand point, also because I shoot some max+ loads on the occasion.

[VA Shooter]

Ruger is my vote

[fecmech]

I faced that decision back in the early 90's and bought the gp100 but that was based on the fact that it weighed less (mine has no lug on the barrel). I would look at them and pick what I liked best, they are both excellent .357 revolvers that will last a lifetime. I prefer the blued guns so if S&W was my choice the 586 would get the nod.

[Wheeler]

Speaking of durability, when I first started to reload I double charged a .38 case as I was working up an IDPA load to shoot. Eleven grains of W231 to be precise. After I opened my eyes and determined my hands were still attached I started looking for the bits that just had to have come off the gun. The 686 showed no adverse effects. The .38 case on the other hand, was split from mouth to rim and the primer was balooned out. The cylinder was a little tough to open as you might imagine.

For the longest time I had that case taped to the powder hopper of my press, as a not-so-subtle reminder to PAY ATTENTION.

[MtGun44]

Early 686s used too soft alloy for the cranes and they would develop end shake after about
5000 heavy .357 loads. A smith can stretch the crane about 2 or 3 times before it must
be replaced.

Later 686s like from around the -4 or -5 models are harder alloy and have no problems
like this.

I have a 585 of recent manufacture and it is wonderfully accurate and a delight to shoot.
It is a 7 shooter, too.

Bill

[Lizard333]

I would go with the gp100. I just got a six inch stainless for Christmas. The trigger is better than those I own I got a few years ago. The finish is great and the gun has performed superbly.

I must admit I am biased as I have an aunt that worked for them in Prescott for 15 years.

[Mk42gunner]

It is hard to go wrong with either choice, but I think the Ruger will outlast the S&W.

I have had multiple versions of both, when it came time to select a keeper I wwent with a blued 4" GP-100. I like a 6" better for shooting, but the 4" is handier.

Robert

[shooting on a shoestring]

So the OP says he's looking to shoot 158 grains at 1100 to 1200. Gee, barely hotter than .38s. Either gun should run forever on those light loads. Heck even a K Frame should digest those in massive quantities.

[Texnmidwest]

I have owned S&W 586 and recently bought a GP100. I will have to say that the Ruger is a better firearm IMHO!!!! I am not a gunsmith nor an expert pistolero, but the Ruger is a solid revolver and I find it more accurate than my Smith was....notice I said was?

Both are great firearms but for the money Ruger is a much better deal. S&W's name commands too high a price.

[stubshaft]

S&W for me have owned both and although the Ruger is a stout pistol I hate it's trigger!

[subsonic]

Definitely dry fire both before you have them do the nics check. I know we are all pushing you to the Ruger, but the action feel of the S&Ws are pretty silky. I own a 686, and will probably own a GP100 eventually. I have shot a couple GP100s quite a bit and dry fired many others, as a couple of friends own them and I tend to finger any revolver I can while I'm in a gun shop.

[Wheeler]

Early 686s used too soft alloy for the cranes and they would develop end shake after about
5000 heavy .357 loads. A smith can stretch the crane about 2 or 3 times before it must
be replaced.

Later 686s like from around the -4 or -5 models are harder alloy and have no problems
like this.

I have a 585 of recent manufacture and it is wonderfully accurate and a delight to shoot.
It is a 7 shooter, too.

Bill

S&W did a recall on those guns. As long as there is the letter 'M' stamped at the yoke or on the butt the gun has been through the recall and should be good to go.

[LGH]

S&W for me have owned both and although the Ruger is a stout pistol I hate it's trigger!

I agree with the trigger in DA but in SA my GP100 is awesome. I was on the fence between a 686 and GP100 until last week, when I purchased my new
SS GP100 4" and the thing is a sweet shooter, the trigger is smooth but a little long in DA, but not so long that I notice after shooting for a while. SA is hard to beat, once I get some more rounds through it, Im sure it will get even smoother.
Dollar for dollar, you would be hard pressed to find a better revolver than the GP100. JMO

I got my brand new Ruger for $532.00 out the door. Try and get a 686 for that. This Ruger will outlive me, and probably my grandkids.

[wellfedirishman]

The GP100 is a stouter revolver than the S&W 686, IMO. I own both. The stock Ruger trigger can be a little heavy on some guns, but if you put a $7 set of Wolff springs in the GP100 the trigger improves immensely.

Both are equally accurate in my opinion. I have never seen a Ruger go out of time, but I do own a S&W 629 that has gone out loose from shooting.

[hornsurgeon]

gp100 gets my vote. mine is so accurate that i never shoot it closer than 50yards. i feed it a steady diet of 190-200gr cast with 12.5-13.0gr h110. i have several thousand rounds thru it with absolutely no issues. i have never seen a ruger that has been worn out. the DA trigger is better on the smith, but using it in SA the ruger trigger is excellent.

but the biggest thing is to try the feel of each and get what fits you best. you can buy the best revolver made, but it won't shoot well if it doesn't fit you correctly.

[hornsurgeon]

another thing, check out the cylinder throats. rugers are typically all the same size, and sized appropriately. i've heard (not seen) that the smiths are not as consistent. this makes a big difference for shooting cast boolits.

[garym1a2]

I like my Ex-WVA state trooper S&W 686. Its nickel plated 4 inch and is very accurate. Plus its super cast boolit friendly. A 158SWC boolit and5-6 grains of Unique and its a good all around gun. Plus super accurate with 3 grains of bullesye.

[warf73]

I've been leaning to the GP but used ones are within a few bucks of new. The 686's are everywere and don't seem to hold there value very well. Used 686 run around 200 less than new maybe the market can't support all the 686's out there.
If I do get the GP who does good trigger work? I want it slicked up and smooth as glass.

[Mk42gunner]

I like my Ex-WVA state trooper S&W 686. Its nickel plated 4 inch and is very accurate. Plus its super cast boolit friendly. A 158SWC boolit and5-6 grains of Unique and its a good all around gun. Plus super accurate with 3 grains of bullesye.

They nickle plated a Stainless gun????? Please tell me you are kidding.

No wonder there are about nine million variuations of S&W's. Although some of their gun of the week variants were neat.

Robert

[NickSS]

I have owned a lot of smiths and still have a few but I mostly shoot Ruger Security Six revolvers. I have a 4 inch blues one that I bought in the early 70s and a Six inch stainless one I got used in the early 90s. I also have a GP 100 that I bought just because it had the best trigger I ever felt on a DA revolver new out of the box except for a Colt Python I had at one time. I have done trigger jobs on all my rugers except for the GP 100 as it did not need it. My Blued Security Six has at last check over 75,000 rounds through it. They were a mix of 38 spl and 357 mags. The gun is still as tight as the day I bought it and the timing is still right one. I have replace no parts and except for some wear on the blue from holsters it is as new as near as I can tell. The only S&W I have fired near as much was a Model 15 38 spl and after some 30,000 rounds I had to send it back to Smith to get it tightened up and retimed. By the way I fired no +P loads in it at all.

[Wheeler]

I've been leaning to the GP but used ones are within a few bucks of new. The 686's are everywere and don't seem to hold there value very well. Used 686 run around 200 less than new maybe the market can't support all the 686's out there.
If I do get the GP who does good trigger work? I want it slicked up and smooth as glass.

If you can get used 686's for less than $200 I'd like to know where so I can stock up on them. :)

[warf73]

If you can get used 686's for less than $200 I'd like to know where so I can stock up on them. :)

LOL read my post a little closer it says 200 less than new not 200 if it was 200 I would buy one :)

[fecmech]

If I do get the GP who does good trigger work? I want it slicked up and smooth as glass.

I'm not sure you can get there from here. IMO a GP (and I own one) will never be as smooth in DA as a Smith. OTOH with wolf reduced power trigger return spring my GP SA is as good as my K-38 SA trigger. They both are nice, clean and break at 2 lbs.
In the years I shot PPC (mainly a DA game) I rarely if ever saw a GP on the line, 99% S&W

[Mk42gunner]

A GP-100 trigger can be made smooth, it won't feel like a S&W, but niether does a Colt DA trigger. A Ruger Security-Six can have a decent trigger, too. If you read the guys that were familiar with the pre-war long double action S&W's, they weren't very impressed with the short double action that most people seem to like these days.

IMO the reason that just about everybody compares double action triggers to S&W is the fact that S&W made and sold so many revolvers that they are everywhere.

A mechanical action that does the same job, with different engineering will not feel the same even if it takes the same amount of effort.

Its all in what you get used to. If a person put 25,000 rounds through an RG, (if it would last that long) I bet they could do some amazing shooting with that particular gun.

Robert

[tuckerdog]

friend of mine has abused a gp100 ALOT!!! and it is still a great shooter. he has bib'd and let'er bang stuck a jacket in the forcing cone and fired several rounds and his gunsmith wanted to slap him but the revolver is still in service and a great shooter. gp100 is one stout gun and can be had for less than most smiths

[Lizard333]

I have to agree with the triggers on the new GP100. I have several security sixes and the all got some polishing and new spring kits. They are much better now. I'm not even going to touch my new GP 100. It has been dry fired about 500 times and has that much in ammo through it and it is a joy to shoot.

[warf73]

We have a gun show coming up next weekend, I'll be looking high and low for a nice GP in the price range I think a used one should be at.

[MakeMineA10mm]

I`ve shot em all & the Rugers stayed in time & no screws lost the longest , that`s why they stayed .

As far as accuracy all of em shot better than I could hold !!

As far as caring & maintaining the lockworks , no simplier than the Ruger, no more complicated than the Colt with S&W in the middle.

The colt turns clockwise bassakwards from anything else & may cause first up ammo mishaps & has a cyl latch you pull (no likey)

The S&W is better at least the cyl turns the rite way , & ya can push the cyl release but it bites!!

BUT , I`m not biased ,Ilike ALL Rugers !!!


I'm not sure you can get there from here. IMO a GP (and I own one) will never be as smooth in DA as a Smith. OTOH with wolf reduced power trigger return spring my GP SA is as good as my K-38 SA trigger. They both are nice, clean and break at 2 lbs.
In the years I shot PPC (mainly a DA game) I rarely if ever saw a GP on the line, 99% S&W

Warf,
These guys said it all. I carried a blued S&W 686 (yes, they made them, but only in 1989 and only about 7500 were ever made) for my first 5 years at the Sheriff's Ofc., and in spite of it being stainless, winter-time, rain, regular/constant cold-to-warm air transitions (causing condensation), did lead to some corrosion, but that would have happened to any revolver of that era.

Interestingly, I had a friend challenge me to a duel (on paper targets...) with my S&W vs. his Ruger GP-100. We shot at ranges to 100 yards. He held in pretty tight to what I was shooting with my S&W, but I beat him. We switched guns, and I still beat him in the shoot-off, shooting his gun while he was shooting mine... So, I'd say the shooter has a lot more to do with the accuracy than the potential built into each gun (which both are fantastically accurate).

I'd say the GP does have a slight durability edge over the 686, but it's pretty small for the use most people put their handguns. IHMSA shooters would see a benefit in durability to the GP, I believe - but most of us will just never shoot them hard enough. I have over 10k rounds through my 686, and it's still quite tight.

The S&W DA trigger blows the Ruger out of the water, right from the factory. I HAVE felt a few GP-100 triggers that are LIGHT, but they are not as smooth, because the Ruger trigger system has a built-in catch or click about 2/3 of the way through the pull. Even on a light trigger that doesn't go away.

[warf73]

The S&W DA trigger blows the Ruger out of the water, right from the factory. I HAVE felt a few GP-100 triggers that are LIGHT, but they are not as smooth, because the Ruger trigger system has a built-in catch or click about 2/3 of the way through the pull. Even on a light trigger that doesn't go away.

Must be all rugers as my sp101 has that same catch/click which does drive me nutty in slow fire but isn't noticeable during normal fire.

[Wheeler]

There's a reason you don't see many Rugers in competitions like IDPA, USPSA, IPSC, and ICORE. The lengthy double action trigger, the false reset, and the catch described above make the guns difficult at best to be competitive with.

About the best double action Ruger trigger (besides my LCR) that I've ever shot was my GPNY. Perhaps it was the double action only mechanism but the false reset and the catch were not nearly as noticeable, although they were still present.

[bigted]

now ive heard of and seen the 586 smiths that are blue but never seen nor heard of a blue 686. i had...[ i know huh] an 8 inch 686 and boy was it a shooter. ive currently got a gp100 in 6 inch that i really like. if i find a 8 inch ruger think ill have to snatch it up as well.......i like em!!!!

[Dframe]

If you have only those two to choose from I'd take the S&W product. But then I have little interest in Rugers.

[Recluse]

I'm a Smith man all the way and for decades.

However, if I could only have ONE gun for the rest of my life, it would be a SIX-INCH GP100.

The trigger can be smoothed on the Rugers and I'm also of the opinion that a GP100 is dang near indestructible.

I love my Smiths, but I'm also a realist.

:coffee:

[txbirdman]

I've owned several of each but now have neither. My choice in .357 is the S&W Model 27. It's got the strength of the Ruger with the refinements of the Smith and weighs about the same.

[jr545]

I've got probably close to 12,000 rounds through my 6" Stainless GP and I'm looking for another in case I ever wear this one out.....

[Lizard333]

This thread is starting to look whether Ford is better than Chevy. We all know Ford is better!!!

[MtGun44]

A "blued 686" is a 586. I have a 586 and like it very well, recent production batch in the +1
7 shot setup. VERY accurate gun.

Bill

[MakeMineA10mm]

A "blued 686" is a 586. I have a 586 and like it very well, recent production batch in the +1
7 shot setup. VERY accurate gun.

Bill

Don't be too sure there, Bill! :grin:

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=275&pictureid=1928

In the back is my 629-4 to show the matte stainless finish. In the foreground is my 586 (no dash) to show standard blue finish on carbon steel. In the middle is my "Midnight Black" "blued" stainless 686. S&W only made them in 1989 in 4" & 6" variety, to the tune of about 7500. (I believe the 6" was the higher-production number of the two.) I've got more (close-up) pics of it in my album, if you want to look. Alledgedly, S&W quit making them, because the blue didn't hold up well, but I carried mine on-duty for five years through midwestern weather swings and LOTS of shooting, dry-firing, and drawing practice, and I think it held up just fine. I think the sales just weren't there is why they really quit making them...

[Frank]

Smith's are drilled and tapped. I know what brand I would go with. :D

[MtGun44]

So the gun says 686 on the frame? I have never heard of any dark/blued finish on any
factory SS revolver.

So - if it really is a stainless blue finish gun, I stand corrected and have learned something
today.

Bill