Most reliable revolver brands

C

chrisintexas

New member
Some say ruger others smith wesson. Some say both. what about taurus, rossi etc. Are they no good?
This is my last question today:D
 
I sent three revolvers in. A Ruger, A Smith, And a Rossi Two were still shootable, one was replaced completly. It starts with an R and has five letters in it's name.
 
For reliability, I do believe you've already put them in order... with the first 2 close enough to flip a coin, and the latter 2, truth be told, probably not too far off, especially with recently built guns.
This opinion is based on what I've read rather than personal experience with all 4 brands.

C
 
Well, gee whiz! Don't give out now!

As to reliability, I've shot mostly Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Ruger revolvers, plus a few Ubertis. Never had a hiccup out of any when new and un-tinkered with.

Had some breakdowns, but not before some 10,000 rounds or so had been fired through them.

Bob Wright
 
I like S&W's, have given up on Colts, and have limited experience with Taurus. For reliability, and MORE reliability, after 46 years of shooting handguns, Rugers are the first choice, be it double or single action. I still own some S&W's, but I would put money on the Rugers to be the last ones to break.
 
Ruger has established a solid tradition of being tough as nails and affordable. Taurus , Rossi etc, are not in the same class as Ruger and Smith. Check them out and handle a few and let us know what you think.
 
If I had to trust one revolver brand above any other I would definitely go with Ruger, but I will say that the one Rossi that I owned worked perfectly for me every time I shot it.
 
S&W and Colt ...especially the older revolvers...from the 60's, 70's and some models into the 80's are by far the best double action revolvers out there.

When I say older - I'm referring to the model 18's, 19's, 27's, 28's, 29's either blued or nickel ...and the newer guns in stainless 66's, 686's, 629's...pre-internal lock if you can find them.

Nothing really wrong with the newer S&W's ...especially the performance center guns.

S&W - of the two gets my nod ...because they fit my hands better.
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Ruger - to me would be a distant 3rd...but still a decent gun. My biggest issue with Rugers is the trigger...but you'd have to fire some Rugers...and some S&W's and some Colts to see what you like. To me - the triggers in both double action and single action are far superior in both Colt and S&W ...and to me, the edge goes to S&W especially in double action over Colt - but guns like the Colt Python are very nice guns.

Taurus, Rossi, etc....would not be in my top 5 - reliability, fit, finish, etc...
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I'd never buy a handgun online - unless it was a gun I could not get locally ...and only then I'd only buy it from a real brick and mortar dealer that happened to have exactly what I wanted.
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but Jmortimer is right too ....the best revolver I own is a Freedom Arms large frame in .357 mag....if your budget can handle it (new they're around $ 3K ) unless you can find a used one ....(they're all Single Action guns ) but the craftsmanship is 2nd to none, in my opinion.
 
My life-on-the-line sense has always been Ruger and Smith for revolvers and Colt for 1911s. However, I've owned a Colt Detective Special snub revolver for 40 years and it functions 100% reliably. Can't hit anything with it, but it will fire every time, holds 6, and as a leftie I like the pull-release for the cylinder.

At the range I shoot mostly Italian (CAS) guns, but if I were grabbing the nightstand gun to save my life, it would be one of the three all-Americans, at least of the vintages that I own.

Edit: to clarify, my Italian guns are all either single-action revolvers or lever/pump rifles, all in .45LC. They are outstanding, well-tuned guns and I would not hesitate to use them to defend myself, IF and only if I did not have access to my double action revolvers or 1911s. While I argue for single-shot rifles on a hunt, when a bad guy is in the house, the ability to fire and reload rapidly transcends.
 
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I've never owned a Smith...
However, I've owned three Rugers, and never once had a problem.
My logic is: If it ain't broke, don't fix it... Ruger has proven 100% reliable, so I'm stickin with Ruger.
 
I suppose someone, somewhere has built a bad revolver, but I've never owned one. I've owned Colts, Rugers, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson, Charter Arms, and Taurus. More than one of each.

The only problems I had with any of them were related to being dirty.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with Ruger or S&W. A 4"-6" GP100 or 686 would be a great home defense gun.
 
Ruger and S&W are tops in reliability.

Taurus and Rossi are not bad but simply not tops.

RG and Armitus are at the bottom.

Deaf
 
Disclaimer: You have to realize that all of the responses you get will be tainted by the biases and personal experiences of the respondents. That said:

A Ruger is a Jeep. Durable, go anywhere, but somewhat crude.

An S&W (especially pre-Lock) is a Mercedes. Without the prohibitive pricing or the expensive regular maintenance.

A Taurus is a 19 year old, $1800 Toyota. If you are short on money, and you need to get from point A to point B, roll the dice.

A Rossi is a copy of a Taurus. Some people have good luck with them. Of course, some people can eat poison ivy and be struck by lightning, and then win the lottery. I had one once, and once was all it took.

To continue the analogy, some will say that a Colt revolver is a Duesenberg, and they may be more right than they know. They don't make them any more, you will pay a lot for a nice one, and it is more suited to sitting in a museum than daily use. If it breaks, parts are not easy to find, and if you are looking for someone who actually understands how it works and can do quality work on it...well, most of those guys are dead. And a few more join those ranks each year.
 
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