S&W66 or Ruger speed six ???

S

shreder26

Inactive
Hello shooters ..to cut a long story sort, I am between a Smith & Wesson 66 in .357 mag and Ruger speed six.. in terms of durability, performance and accuracy which of the two guns wins ?? price is not an issue .. I have a perfect offer for both .
 
I've had both and both were fine guns,with the 66 you have adjustable sights and the Smith lockwork,with the Ruger you have the strength and I believe a little more compact firearm,not lighter,but without the adjustable sight a smoother contour,I still have my Ruger but not the Smith just my $.02 worth. Melvin
 
Both are excellent choices; however I prefer the adjustable sight's, when I can get them as these old eye's ain't what
they use to be:(:D:)The Ruger is definitely stronger, thus
more durable.:eek::rolleyes: Accuracy wise, the nod would
have to go to the Smith; on account of the aforementioned
adjustable sight's.:)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
I never owned a Speed Six but I currently own a S&W 66 2.5 inch and I have owned a Ruger SP101. I kept the 66 because the action was smoother and I was more accurate with it. As for durability, the Ruger will last longer than the S&W. However, the S&W will most likely outlast you! Unless you put thousands of Corbon's or some other hot loads through your 66. Even then it might be a tie on who outlasts who :).

Bottom line: both are good guns, so get the one that shoots and feels the best. Have you had a chance to shoot both?

Miles
 
Can't go wrong with either. My dad bought a Speed-Six about 15-20 years ago. It sat in a drawer at least 10 years. I put in some fresh ammo and it shot fine. No rust, no nothing. It does seem a little bit heavier than 66's I've handled, but is probably a little stonger.
 
As far as durability goes, I have a M686 with right about 100,000 rounds through it, plus innumerable dry firings. It's still one of my primary competition guns. Still accurate, tight, and timed in.
 
The Ruger's stronger but the 66 has a much nicer trigger. If you shoot a lot of full-house .357s, the 66 will shoot itself out of time faster than the Ruger. Personally, I rarely shoot .357s (usually my wimpy .38 reloads), so it's not an issue for me. I prefer the 66 over 686, as I think the 19/66 balances better than the 686. YMMV

M1911
 
For me the choice would be easy.I would go with a fine American company that supports the 2nd amendment.That would be Sturm Ruger.
 
pot calling the kettle black

where's the 'sporting' clause in the 2nd ammendment? why do they still refuse to make dedicated conceal carry weapons? where are the 10round mini magazines? where were all the high caps they purposely didn't market with the mini before the bans? pro-2nd ammendment - HA! at least the other traitor, SMITH and WESSON, believes/provides dedicated concealed carry firearms.
 
The Ruger is very durable. Its grip is slightly greater in circumference than the Smith and wears my right thumb knuckle regardless of the grips I use on it. That is a function of my hand size and may have no effect on you. In the 2 3/4 inch version, it has a slightly longer extractor stroke than a 2 1/2 M66, which can be helpful.

The biggest disadvantage that the Ruger has for me is that the trigger has a "false reset" as it returns to firing position. If you slowly let the trigger go forward, you will feel a click before you can pull the trigger again. The Smith does not have this characteristic. The false reset will only be noticed in very fast double action fire, such as IDPA, IPSC, or shooting at some moron to save your life. I talked to the Ruger people at the SHOT show about it and they said it can be minimized but will always be present. A gunsmith friend explained that it has something to do with the way the Ruger timing works. This was unacceptable to me but you might not notice it. I went back to a Smith Model 66 as a result.

Also, Bill Ruger is no friend of the Second Amendment and his recent statement at the SHOT show point that out again, even if he was "rehabilitated" by the NRA for giving them a million bucks.
 
I like both; the 66 will probably have a nicer trigger pull.
Lot of good info above. Best regards.
 
Both companies are sellouts.
S&W just sold out again to the city of Boston.
Bill Ruger sold us out on the magazine issue long before S&W stabbed us in the back. You can thank Bill for the 10 round limit we enjoy now.

Having said that, I think S&W makes much better revolvers than Ruger does. I've owned some of each over the years and still have a drawer full of Smiths but not one single Ruger.
I don't think you have to worry about wearing the Model 66 out. I've been shooting mine over 20 years and it's still tight and accurate.

I'd go with the Smith.

My humble opinion

Bottom Gun
 
get the ruger if you want a stronger more modern gun. they just always balanced better for me and the rounded recoil shield is easier on your thumb.

the shape of the speed-six is also more conducive to CCW if you are thinking about carrying it. maryland gunworks used to do an awesome trigger job on the ruger if you don't like the stock pull.
 
Don't condem Ruger for not making the style of gun you want.Most companys make those decisions based on market research and I am sure Ruger is no exception.As for Ruger being responsible for the 10 round limit I ain't buyin it. If you can't hit it with ten then you better buy a few spare mags. or yet spend some time and ammo learning to shoot.
 
I'd go with a Smith and Wesson 66. I have one, and it's trigger and action are lovely.
I will never buy a Ruger - IMO they hurt gunowners more than did Smith and Wesson. I won't buy another new Smith product either, until they change those contracts.

Wildcat - a friendly question - you said if you can't hit it with 10 etc.; what if there are 4 or 5 its? ;-)


Bowser
 
Well I personaly won't buy a Smith And Wesson.
clownspin.gif
The 66 is a good gun, but the Ruger speed-six is a better Gun in my opinion. Just get a trigger job and a set of crimson laser grips and you'll have one hell of a CCW.:)


Best
 
I like the Ruger better than smith, I have 2 security sixes and I put bulls-eye spring kits in them and the trigger pull is great. I have had mine since the early 80's and have shot alot of rounds thru them both and have had no problems and have installed Pacmire finger grips on them.
 
I agree with bottom gun.
Both companies are known as sell-outs.
If both are used guns it does not matter, but don't buy anything new from either.
I would go with the S&W66.
But I like the smooth action.
 
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