S&W 686 vs Ruger GP100 Revisited

On reading this post one thing that I find a little worrying is this : -
What I have also seen is that the ruger's trigger is able to be worked on by the gun's owner while a smith's trigger is to be only worked on by a gunsmith.
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I think I would feel a lot safer with a gun that had been worked on by a reputable, authorized technician with years of experience than one worked on by someone who did it because it was easy to do.

No disrespect intended to people who do work on their own guns, just that all amateurs are not equal in their abilities.
It's a bit like buying a car with a fully stamped dealer service book to buying one that the guy has serviced himself... And while I agree that most amateur car enthusiasts can do a far more thorough job than a dealer, this doesn't apply to all of them.

Just a point that sprung to mind.

Cheers
G
 
Gaz,

There are no angles to mess with or metal hardness to worry about. Only springs are being changed. Shims are added around the trigger and hammer pins. The only time I touched the sear was to lube it with grease. Ruger designed it to be easy. It is so simple that anyone who can do an oil change can watch the video and copy what was done.

The same can be done with APEX Tactical J-Frame trigger kits. The J-Frame is a bit more complex, but the video walks you through installing the springs and firing pin. They cover the common problems. If you can change your car's oil, change the filters, clean the battery connections, and check the air in the tires, you're good to go for the APEX trigger kit installation.
 
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Only springs are being changed. Shims are added around the trigger and hammer pins. It is not difficult; Ruger designed it to be easy. It is so simple that anyone who can do an oil change can watch the video and copy what was done.
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Thanks for clearing that up, I was rather worried about buying a used gun and wondering if someone had been sat with it, under a bench light with a load of files and screwdrivers.

It's living in NZ for 5 years that made that scenario spring to mind because All Kiwis believe they have the ability to fix anything provided you use the right size hammer. They are great believers in "percussive maintenance" i.e. beat the crap out of it 'till it starts working again, if it still doesn't work get a bigger hammer.
The worst Kiwi phrase that when said you know it's had a botch job done on it is "No worries, she'll be right mate".

They will never use screws on wood, cost to much, they still use nails for everything.

Cheers
G
 
These two revolvers have been compared time and time again on gun forums. Both are good mass produced medium frame revolvers. But both are nothing special. I have owned two S&W 686s and two GP100s. I still have one GP100. Both are good for shooting factory 357 magnums. But both will wear out sooner if one pounds either revolver with lots of 125 gr "flame throwers". These rounds erode the forcing cones faster.
Which one of the two are the best? Neither. It comes down to user choice.
Regards.
Howard
 
warningshot wrote

<< If Ruger DA revolver triggers were anywhere nearly as good as a S&W triggers, then Ruger would have put S&W out of business 25 years ago. >>


lol


If S&W revolvers were so much nicer than Ruger revolvers (as so many S&W fans claim), Ruger would have been out of business 22 years ago.
 
Quote:
Only springs are being changed. Shims are added around the trigger and hammer pins. It is not difficult; Ruger designed it to be easy. It is so simple that anyone who can do an oil change can watch the video and copy what was done.
Thanks for clearing that up, I was rather worried about buying a used gun and wondering if someone had been sat with it, under a bench light with a load of files and screwdrivers.

It's living in NZ for 5 years that made that scenario spring to mind because All Kiwis believe they have the ability to fix anything provided you use the right size hammer. They are great believers in "percussive maintenance" i.e. beat the crap out of it 'till it starts working again, if it still doesn't work get a bigger hammer.
The worst Kiwi phrase that when said you know it's had a botch job done on it is "No worries, she'll be right mate".

They will never use screws on wood, cost to much, they still use nails for everything.
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Oh, too funny!! I remember one of our kiwi sys admins who maintained the Windows servers at work. I am convinced he kept a hammer in the server room.
 
I am convinced he kept a hammer in the server room. :D
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Having been in Server and Desktop Support and Admin, a hammer is the only way to deal with some problems in Vista.... and some with users too.

Why is it that every time a new Microsoft operating system comes out it always makes the old one look good?

Ever noticed that the clients of an IT department and the clients of a drug dealer are both called Users...

Cheers
G
 
To stormyone

Oh yeah. That's right.

Life sure is tuff when you have go to your Ruger DA revolver when the S&W K frame is in the shop for repairs. Their just comes a time when you get tired or the reliability of a Ruger Speed Six. In 82' & 88, you couldn't give a Security & Speed Six away. Everybody had to have a GP 100.
 
I have a GP100 4" FS 38spl
And a S&W 65-5 3" 357 FS full lugged

If they had a 65-5 full under lugged FS 4" model today I would have bought it instead of the GP100
Love the way the 65-5 fits my hand

GP100 is nice but for me not as nice as the 65-5
 
stuckincali,

That is a fantastic pic of your kid. I hope you send it to a shooting magazine for publication.

I'm taking my 12 year-old daughter shooting a lot this summer. She has her own 94/22 that she has yet to fire and her own Browning 1911-22. I'm sure that she can shoot my GP-100. I have about a thousand 158 grain LSWCHP loaded with about 3 grains of Titegroup, which ought to produce no recoil. In fact, all of my target reloads (At least 90% of my handgun hand loads are target loads, which means they're as close to minimum load as I can get them.) at on the gentle side of the recoil continuum. I want kids to have fun shooting them.
 
I used to own a 586 that was manufactured during S&W junk era. That thing failed to fired at least twice. It had gone back to the factory at least twice. I've never trusted my life with it. I eventually gave it away. I do own a GP-100 that is fast becoming my favorite gun.
 
Solved it by owning both. Don't know quite what to comment otherwise, when both guns have needed corrective work (bought new). Now they are both outstanding shooters. The 686 gets carried because it is 4", while the GP100 would at best be a crossdraw at 5". Also have a 3" .38 Special, GP100 I bought for a .41 Special conversion.
 
GP100 design wins

Add to the other reasons sited here:
10. More metal in and around forcing cone

11. Off-set cylinder notches allow me to stage trigger and fight off going out of timing issues and they add strength.

12.Easy to change out front sight on adj models

13.NO SCREWS TO LOOSEN DURING SHOOTING AND LOCKING UP CYLINDER Hate that about smith and colts..urgh

14. Grip inserts can be cool and functional

15. grip has covered backstrap vs S&W

I think I could go on and on and some of the points may be just opinion or preference.

7 shot 686-plus will go out of timing faster than 686...so, if you get a 686, get the 6 shooter.
 
I like them both so much that I have one of each. They're both outstanding revolvers IMHO.

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