Ruger Speed Six versus S&W Model 65?

J

Joe_Pike

New member
I have a S&W model 65 with a 3" barrel and love the feel and balance of the gun. I paid $359 for it last summer and thought I got a really good deal. I was in the same shop today and he had a really good looking Ruger Speed Six with the 2 3/4"(?) barrel for $395. It also feels pretty darn good in the hand.

How do these two guns compare to each other if anyone here owns both? I am guessing the Ruger can handle hotter .357 loads over an extended period of time. I probably would have put some money down on it today if I hadn't already found a 10/22 Takedown before hand.
 
You've got it the Ruger will handle full house 357s a bit better over theee long haul and the Smith has a bit smoother DA pull. Other than that they're pretty close. I have owned a 65 in the past and still own a 2 1/2" 19 I also own a 2 3/4" speed six. My 19 is my BBQ carry, it's niickel, the Ruger is more of a every day gun. I'm confident in both.
 
Buy it. Buy it, buy it buy it.

Then shoot the rugly alot with more powerful loads than you do in your S&W and see what you have been missing.
 
I've owned both. I've still got the S&W.

In theory the Ruger might hold up better to full house magnum use all the time, but I have no desire to shoot full house magnums all the time. YMMV.

They are both good guns.
 
Get the Speed Six for 357 and shoot 38s in the 65. In the time I shot my 66 loose the Rugers were barely broke in.
 
Joe Pike:


I keep hearing that the magnum K frame Smiths shoot loose. In all of my twenty pluss years selling guns, I have never seen a used magnum K frame that had been brought if for trade, shot loose.

Maybe your grandchildern's children might inherit a K frame that they will wear out. Take your pick both are good guns; however, I think that the Smiths are more attractive.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery Sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
Either revolver is a good choice. Most shooters will never wear out either the S&W 65 or the Ruger Speed Six in their lifetime. The Speed Six is a little more durable but the 65 will hold up well. Both will wear out sooner if a shooter uses alot of the light grain 125 gr full power "flame throwers". These rounds will wear out any revolvers forcing cone sooner.
Good luck,
Howard
 
I lived tru this history battle.

Make no mistake about it. K Frame S&Ws will shoot 10s of thousands of 38 spls, 158 flying apprx 825-850 feet per second, problem free. Start shooting real .357 thru a K Frame...good luck. K Frame high pressure performace opened the door for Ruger speed & security six(s) to walk thru.

\
 
Any modern made 357 revolver is perfectly capable of
safely firing ANY factory 357 mag. ammo.

Rugers are slightly beefier than S&Ws , so the S&Ws might
wear at a faster rate and require more maintainence sooner.

While Handloads can also be used , very little increase ln
power is gained in a short 3" barrel.
 
Ruger DAs are "beefier" than S&Ws and they are MUCH stronger. They can still be abused and worn out by using very hot loads. However a Ruger will never have as nice a DA trigger pull as a S&W because the trigger linkage geometry is completely different. They can be made very good but not as good as a S&W. Ask any revolversmith. Either can be blown by stupid handloads (with a Ruger though you have to get "really stupid"). With a 2 or 3 in. barrel you are limited to ammo power level by the length of the barrel, not the strength of the gun. Once the bullet clears the muzzle, that's as fast as it's going to go. Adding more propellant just makes lots of muzzle flash and erodes the forcing cone. Some people seem to like that sort of thing though. .357 ammo can be loaded to serious performance levels but not in a snub. Avoid regular use of 110-125 gr. .357 loads if you want the gun to last a long time. If you need more power get a different gun with a longer barrel. But don't take my word for it, read Kuhnhausen's Ruger DA shop manual. Lots of photos of Rugers that were beat to death by using "high performance" handloads. This is not "internet myth", I still have one that I ruined when I was young and stupid.
 
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Joe,

You would be wise to get them both.

I have the Speed Six and several M66 2 1/2 Combat Magnums (and I've owned a few 3 inch 65s to boot as well as 3 inch 66's.)


attachment.php


Speed Six is third from the right in this photo.

The 65 I'd just use +p .38s (as the FBI did with their 13s) and use Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWHPs in the Speed Six (1100 fps from that 2 3/4 inch barrel.. I know cause I chrono'ed them myself!)

Excellent guns both. So get them both!

Deaf
 
Excellent guns both. So get them both!
Click to expand...

Well, I already have the 65, but my fun money is depleted for the moment or I would have already jumped on it. I bought a Ruger 10/22 Takedown the day I found this Speed Six and found a CZ 452 LUX a couple a weeks ago, a gun I've been wanting for a long time.
 
It's often been said that most "average" handgun owners never shoot their guns very much.

I stopped being surprised long ago by the number of folks I've met who still owned the first box of ammunition they originally bought with some handgun, having only fired part of the box after first buying the gun.

I've seen more privately owned revolvers and semiauto pistols suffer neglect & abuse (especially poor maintenance) than I have those that have been shot enough to start wearing them out. (Of course, that doesn't include folks who enjoy sporting/competitive shooting pursuits.)

I've also come to regret having traded away many of the Ruger Security & Speed-Sixes I've owned and used over the years, too. I only have a single Service-Six 4" heavy barrel remaining.

I happen to think the S&W M65 is a great example of the K-frame Magnum series.

I also think the Ruger Security/Service/Speed-Sixes are generally more robust & durable revolvers ... if someone is going to be shooting heavy handloads, or even factory 125gr Magnums (forcing cone/ barrel throat design) ... for consistent, heavy & long-term use.

The triggers aren't usually as smooth as the S&W K-frame, but they're simpler.

I agree with the folks who have opined that owning both the 65 & the Speed-Six is a wise choice. ;)
 
If the only point is durability then just get an N Frame S&W. I've shot Smiths for years so that's what I like. A Ruger feels really funny in my hand and the trigger pull stinks but that may just be me. The whole idea behind the K Frame was to have a gun easier to carry than an N Frame but maybe not quite so robust. It was supposed to be a Cop's gun, practice mostly with .38s, carry .357s. This worked for thousands of Cops.
 
While I don't dispute that the Ruger is the stronger gun, the S&W is still plenty strong enough so long as one avoids .357 Magnum ammo with bullets lighter than 140gr. The primary issue with the K-Frame Magnums was erosion and eventually cracking of the forcing cone when fed a steady diet of lightweight magnums (the full power 125gr loadings are the most notable offenders). The reason for this is that the forcing cone on S&W K-Frames is thinner at the 6:00 position because its outside must be ground flat in that area in order to allow clearance for the yoke when the cylinder is closed.

As far a "shooting loose," that is a term most commonly applied to timing issues which, in reality, have very little to do with the power of the ammunition. What really causes timing issues more than anything is a lot of hard, fast DA shooting and no revolver is completely immune if shot that way. When a DA revolver is shot hard and fast, the parts which are responsible for timing (hand, ratchet, cylinder stop, and cylinder stop notches) take more of a beating because the cylinder's rotation is both started and halted very abruptly. Luckily, retiming a S&W revolver is a fairly easy and inexpensive repair that both the S&W factory or any good gunsmith can accomplish.

My own S&W M66-2 has probably seen enough rounds to fill a couple of five-gallon buckets with brass in the time I've owned it (it was bought used) and nearly all of them have been either factory full power 158gr Magnums or equivalent handloads. The revolver still locks up just as tight and has a forcing cone in just as good a shape as it was when I bought it about six years ago.
 
The Ruger is, in my opinion, a stronger and more rugged revolver than the S&W. However, it is heavier than the S&W. I have both the Speed Six and the 65 and will keep both.
 
Well, I already have the 65, but my fun money is depleted for the moment or I would have already jumped on it. I bought a Ruger 10/22 Takedown the day I found this Speed Six and found a CZ 452 LUX a couple a weeks ago, a gun I've been wanting for a long time.
Click to expand...

Lay-away Joe, just put a bit down on the Lay-away plan!

I do it all the time!

Deaf
 
I grew up shooting Smiths. I am absolutly dialed into the action of a Smith revolver. To the point that I think its a better trigger than anything else out there in the DA revolver world, including Pythons.

I own lots of Smiths, a few Colts (to include a Python) and, several Rugers.

Mechanically, and purpose wise, there is virtually no difference between the two guns you are choosing between (assuming the Speed Six is stainless, for a carry gun, that would be the deal breaker for me, I really appreciate stainless).

If you are happy with the Smith, I would hold onto what you have. If you can somehow swing the Ruger, get it.

Unless you really plan on just trying to wear it out with 125 GR full house Magnums, either will serve you well. If one does need a tune up, there are likely more parts and gunsmiths that can work on the Smith local to you than the Ruger.

I am so nuetral on this argument that if you told me you had a Speed six and thought about trading for a Smith 65, I would advise you to just stay with what you have.
 
Will the man who wore-out a Ruger speed six please step forward.........yea, that's what I thought.

90% of the revolvers at any PPC match are S&Ws. Those men whom post 1420 points or better know how S&W hold up.
 
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