Most reliable revolver brands

I understand that Colt is selling New Frontier Revolvers even as we speak. It's death is apparently greatly exaggerated here?
 
Well they sure don't make the Detective Special, Cobra, Lawman III, Offical Police, etc...

And forget the Python... way way overpriced (and being a snub fan I'd get the 2 1/2 stainless one that goes now for over $2000 bucks.)

Sad really cause I always wanted a Magnum Carry Colt revolver.

Deaf
 
Of all the revolvers I've ever fired, RG's were the most reliable. All were reliably terrible. At least that makes for brand consistency. LOL
 
Ruger and or S&W are certainly your top two in my order of preference. Both make top flight revolvers.

Taurus and Rossi are not close in terms quality or reliability.
 
S&W revolvers are only a small step behind Ruger in reliability, and usually ahead on final fit'n'finish and trigger feel, although Ruger is trying to catch up of late.

Ruger has the most modern DA revolver designs of anybody - period, end of discussion. Also the easiest to work on and field-strip - if you dip a Ruger in gunk out in the boonies you can take it completely down with teh smallest Swiss Army Knife made - the only tool you need is a single screwdriver on the grip panels and you can improvise out of damn near anything - grind the back end of a car key on a rock if you have to.

Basic mechanical accuracy between S&W and Ruger is pretty similar.

The only S&Ws that are (in my opinion) NOT reliable enough to trust my life to are the full-size Scandium models in 44Magnum and to a lesser degree, the 357 variants.
 
I've shot and tuned many revolvers over the years, shooting a 6" Colt Python for years, but find the S&W best for DA shooting and can have the best single-action trigger out there. They do require a bit more TLC than Rugers, but are more "refined" and the choice of many competitors.

Ruger DAs are harder to tune well, but very rugged. A novice would be hard pressed to screw one up.

Ruger SA triggers can be tuned and balanced to provide a light pull with no backlash. I've done many for metallic silhouette competitions, etc. We did find that, using a lot of heavy magnum loads, Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk cylinders would eventually bulge a bit at the chambers (diameter measured with a micrometer), but everything held together.
 
I own/owned 3 Taurus revolvers. All have given me zero problems, except the .357 needed a little bit of tune up at the gunsmiths, it wasn't locking up right. 5 yrs later, never had another problem. Cost me a case of Coors light to get my problem fixed.
 
The S&W and the Ruger are the best today. Taurus and Rossi are both iffy. Some good some bad. I would buy a Taurus or Rossi if allowed to shoot them before the purchase. S&W or Ruger if you plan to shoot them a lot.
 
I've got seven Ruger revolvers. Only one has gone back to the factory, and that one, only once.

I've got four S&W revolvers. Two have gone back to the factory, the 586 just returned from its second trip.

I've also got a Python that I shot a lot 30 years ago. These days it's a safe queen. Never had a problem beyond keeping it clean.

My money's on Ruger. Security Sixes are by far my favorites; in comparison the GP100 has the balance of a brick. The Redhawks and Blackhawks are tanks. The SP101 is pretty nice once you swap the original front sight for an XS Big Dot.
 
I was very upset after buying a slightly-used Ruger Stainless Bearcat and it wouldn't group better than 6" at 20 yards from a solid rest. Each chamber would print to a different point, and none in the center. I felt like I was shooting the numbers of a clock instead of a bullseye. After shooting three cylinders, I had six nice groups of three shots each.

It was returned to the store.
 
I've owned many many revolvers. The only two I had issues with were a Rossi and a Taurus. The Rossi was a total piece of crap. The Taurus just had a horrible ultra heavy trigger that I couldn't do anything about.
 
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