Share some of your knowledge and help a guy out...

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KilgorII

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I'm looking to buy my first "real" revolver. I've got a nice, stainless Ruger Super Single Six. I carry a Glock everyday.

I'm looking at .357 magnum revolvers. I'll get a .44 mag, but that'll be later.

I'm looking at:

(New or Used) Ruger GP-100

(Used) Dan Wesson w/ 2 and 6" barrels

(Used) S&W 686

My purpose for these is:

80% Range work
15% Woods carry and hunting
5% Concealed carry

I don't have another pistol suitable for CCW other than my Glock. I'd like to be able to conceal this pistol if my Glock should need service.

I'll probably use it most for killing paper and as a sidearm when deer hunting. I reload and plan to load up some hot 180 grain loads so I want this gun to be strong. I will probably attempt deer hunting with it at some point, so I want it to have enough barrel length to develop sufficient velocity for a clean kill provided ranges are kept short and placement is good.

I'm leaning to the GP-100 in 4" stainless as it is supposed to be stronger than the S&W. The 4" seems to be the best compromise of accuracy, concealability (with the least emphasis on this), and bullet speed.

The Dan Wesson has just come to my attention and is a very interesting idea.

So wheelgun gurus, if you were in my position which would you choose and is there something I overlooked?

Kilgor
 
Which One

Well Kilgore I just bought a 686 2 1/2 barrel, I like the triggers on Smiths and my 629 was lonely. I personaly don't think you could go wrong with a 686 4". Out of all my revolvers I have always liked the Smith & Wessons the best.
FWIW, Hope it helps ;)
 
I would, did, choose a used S&W 686. Plenty police turn ins available for a good price. I question why you think that the GP100 is stronger than a 686. The 686 uses a strong forged frame and I have not had any problem with mine. A GP100 uses a cast frame. I am not saying that you are not correct, but if you are making an assumption or heard something without seeing proof of the assertation by a qualified person I would question it.
 
Another vote for the 686

I just passed on a fair deal the other day: a used 686 that looked used, 4" version. Asking price was $225 & I would guess I could have beat that down. I am sure I could have cleaned that stainless up nice. It would have made a nice companion to my 6"...but another time. Too many $$ spent on guns over the last year!

Anyway, if you are thinking you might want to conceal this thing I definetly would go with 4" as a max length, & that won't be easy but it can be done. My opinion is a 6" is best for range work, woods carry & hunting but for any type of CCW carry it would be tough, the only real option being one of those big vertical shoulder holsters. I think there are a few carry holsters for 4" guns.

A Ruger is a "chunkier" gun. Probably stronger, where I think the streamlined Smith would handle better. Both good guns.

No experience with a DW.
 
I owned a S&W 686 and have now just purchased a SS 4" Ruger GP-100. I did like the 686 when I had it but I like the GP-100 a lot better. The strength of the Ruger isn't just limited to how the fram is made but also has to do with not having a side plate, all the components are pretty much solid pieces. As for CCW I can tote my GP (also would be able to do it with the 686) in an OWB holster just covered by a sweatshirt or untucked button down shirt.
 
Ruger

Gp100

That all that needs said.

Tony

25509_UN3.gif
 
I would avoid the Dan Wesson, unless you were

going to buy one later on down the line after your collection grows. Spare parts and service may be an issue. IIRC, they've went in and out of business more than twice(?).
I much prefer the inherent smoothness of the Smiths. As to strength, the 686 will handle all that you care to give it in the world of factory ammo. If you planned on exploring the outer limits of sanity with some Elmer Keith Memorial handloads, then the Ruger would likely be the superior choice.;) If you stick to anything published, then the Smith will be fine. IIRC, the 686 is also 'slightly' less bulky for your CCW needs then the Ruger.
 
Everyone has their favorite brand/flavor of gun. If you ask in one thread, 12 S&W fans might see it and tell you that S&W is the way to go. If you ask in a different thread, 10 Ruger fans might see it and tell you Ruger is the way to go. And so on...

Probably not too much ACTUAL quality differences between the major brands.

Personally, I like the Dan Wesson, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Ruger or a S&W.

Based upon your description of what you want the gun for, the used Dan Wesson with both a 2 inch and 6 inch barrel seems the right choice. Put the 2 incher on for CCW, put the 6 incher on for target and hunting. It takes all of 1 minute to change the barrels, and is easy as pie, provided you have the wrench and gap guage that come with the gun. If the gun is in good shape, I'd buy it for $400 if I was looking. I'd buy it for $300 if I wasn't looking. Price out the new ones for comparison.

As for Dan Wesson going out of business again, sure it is possible. But S&W might go out first, and a lot of the revolver business is being diverted from S&W to Dan Wesson because of the political muck (or so I have heard).
 
Although I will agree with most that the 686 has a much nicer trigger than the Ruger, I like the Ruger as an overall gun. I have a 6" version ,but love the thing!

Go Ruger!
 
Well I went gun shop hopping today...

I found:

2 Used GP-100 stainless 4" - $350
2 New GP-100 stainless 6" - $400 and $415

1 New 686 stainless 6"
2 New 686 stainless 8"
1 Used 676?? It was stainless 4" but had nonadjustable sights. I was told it was the same as the 686 except for the sights - $269

2 Dan Wesson stainless 6" - $299 and $315
1 Dan Wesson blued 6" - $299

1 Taurus chromed??? 8" 8 shot - $429

No spanking deals there, but I get to handle and dry fire all of them. The 4" stainless GP-100 felt the best. I did not notice a difference in triggers between the 686 and GP-100. Dry fired them side by side.

I'm still mulling it over, but I am still leaning towards the GP-100 stainless 4". There's a big gunshow in 2 1/2 weeks so I'll probably pick one up then.

Thank you everyone for sharing your opinions. I wish I could shoot the guns beforehand, but the shops around here don't have ranges attached to them.

Anyone else with an opinion on these let me know. I'd like to know what you guys think about the Taurus as well. That particular one was too big, but I might look at others.

Thanks fellas.

Kilgor
 
Re Taurus, after buying a new one, I read the manual, which said that dry firing would be harmful to the gun. So, I took my brand new Taurus Tracker back to the dealer and got a Ruger KGP-141, the manual for which encourages unlimited dry firing. And it's nice not to have a PC trigger lock built into the hammer, as is the case in the new Taurus models. There are many other things I prefer in the Ruger; these are just the easiest to articulate.
 
$350 is high for a used 4" SS Ruger GP-100 around here they sell for $339 to $369 new. I bought my KGP-141 (4"SS w/adj sites and full shroud) used but never fired for $269. If you have other shops in your area shop around.
 
buy a new Ruger Gp-100 stainless and it will last longer than you, 4 or 6 inch barrel, fixed or adjustable sights.
and you can trick them out just as good or better than Smiths,
 
From one Kilgore to another, I had a Dan Wesson and liked it a lot. On the plus side it was a strong accurate revolver. I bought it used and put a couple of thousand rounds through it. Took most of the bluing off the front of the cylinder, but it was still as tight as the day I bought it. I shot everything from 158 grain lead wad cutters to 180 grain XTP/hollow points. The latter I clocked at 1150 fps from my 6" barrel. I was always trying to find a 2" or 4" barrel to go with it but just could not seem to lay my hands on one. I did find a set of Pachmayr grips which made it very comfortable and managable to shoot. I should have never sold it, but I could not afford to keep it and get a .45 Colt.
The negative side was when I did go to sell it. Some dealers did not want to even consider a trade, and the one that did were honest in saying they could not offer me much for it. They said they were hard to unload because most buyers were looking for brand name mechandise and tended to shy away from the less common varieties.
I don't think you can go wrong with a Ruger, S&W, or even a Taurus (which now offers a life time guarantee). Pick the one that handles the way you like and has a decent price. If you think you might trade it off some day try to get on that is likely to hold its value.
If you are considering using it on deer better stick with a 6" barrel.

Good Luck,

Mark
 
RE: Dryfire of Taurus and Ruger revolvers. A gunsmith friend of mine used to tell everyone that you could dryfire a good quality gun as much as you like. Then he ran into a number of Ruger revolvers with broken transfer bars due to dryfiring them. Taurus also uses the transfer bar system. I would use snap caps to dryfire either one.
 
dry firing a ruger

will a Smith handle dry firing better?I got to say that
broken transfer bar on a Ruger is hard to beleive,not saying your a liar, but your smith might be full of it.not
just one Ruger , but a number of them?I could pound nails with a Ruger and it would still fire.
 
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