Smith M686 vs. Ruger GP-100 Which is better?

Y

Yanus

New member
Fellow pistoleros,
I'm in the market for a .357 revolver with
either a 4" or 6" barrel for all around use.
I want it to be accurate and rugged. I've shot many different .357's over the years, but I've never owned either one of these pieces. Comments, as always, are welcome and appreciated.

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Never do an enemy a minor injury. Machiavelli
"Stay alive with a 45"
 
The ruger is a very strong weapon but!The trigger pull is incapable of being tuned to the point that an out of the box smith is at.The second thing is the ruger barrel is higher above the grip therefor giving it more muzzle rise with a slower recovery time.
Bob
 
I was in the same position as you about a year ago...being torn between those 2 revolvers. Both are very strong, durable, and well made. The Ruger's frame is incredibly strong and probably the most durable of all revolver frames (possibly over-engineered). I chose the S&W 686 because of the trigger pull. The Ruger's tends to be a bit heavy.
Can't go wrong with either one.
 
Yanus,

I just made this decision about a month ago and went with the Smith. They're both great guns, but the quality of the Smith trigger out of the box is just wonderful. I'm sure the frame of the Ruger is ultra strong, but I can't imagine how many rounds I'd have to put through my Smith to notice any real wear.


Horny Toad




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NRA Life Member
SAF Member
GOA Member
 
How weird, I was just getting ready to post the same question. Anyone have a S&W model 65P? They carry seven and I was wondering if they're too heavy for CC.
 
When posters are saying trigger pull do they mean double action or single action? Shooting Times (I think) compared the two revolvers and found that, after break in, the double action pull of the GP100 was slighly lighter than that of the Smith, and the GP100's pull was more consistant. The Smith starts out heavy then lightens during the pull. The 686 they used had room for only six shots but my seven shot 686+ behaves the same way. Most of the resistance is right at the start and then the pull lightens as it progresses. My 686 is a wonderful gun, but the Ruger may be equivalent.
 
The reason I was interested in these two is
that I already have a Redhawk that is 10 yrs
old. It has one of smoothest DA triggers I
have ever experienced. Maybme mine is just
a fluke. So I figured that I would look at
both. Back in '06', I had a Ruger speed six
2 3/4" barrel that also had a good DA trigger. Like an idiot, I sold it! How is
the accuracy of the the M686 vs. the GP-100?

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Never do an enemy a minor injury. Machiavelli
"Stay alive with a 45"
 
Yanus,

Recently I decided to buy a revolver, after many first-quality semiautomatic purchases. I received lots of truly sound advice from TFL members. After much consideration, I thought I'd refined my options to either a four-inch, all-stainless Smith 686 or a four-inch, all-stainless Ruger GP-100. I am convinced that both are excellent revolvers, with a general feeling that the 686 might have marginally better trigger pull/feel while the GP-100 might be slightly more durable.

However, I then discovered the Smith "N" frame revolvers. These -- like Ruggers -- have greater density/mass and are supposedly more durable than the 686 ("K" or "L" Frame, I believe), but still have the "sweet" trigger pull generally associated with S&W. In sum, they provide the best of both the Smith and the Ruger worlds. In addition, they are available in a wide variety of barrel lengths and calibers.

I selected the S&W 627: all stainless, five-inch barrel with full under-lug, "Special Edition", gold-dot sight, in .357 magnum/.38 Special. It is a WONDERFUL firearm -- very accurate (by far the best groups at 50 feet I've ever shot), great grip, beautifully manufactured, stainless steel forgings that are superbly machined, extremely reliable and durable, rock solid, easy to maintain, and guaranteed for life by S&W. In addition, the .357 magnum/.38 Special accommodates a very wide variety of rounds for many purposes.

Therefore, I recommend you consider Smith "N" frame revolvers, specifically the 627 since you're interested in .357mag/.38 Special. I believe it is the best of the lot.
 
I have shot both as well as the S&W .357 Magnum N frame. I would select the one that feels best in your hand. You will be very well armed with any of the three.

Good luck, Hard Ball
 
If I remember correctly the Shooting Times article I mentioned in an earlier post compared the accurace of the SW 686 with the Ruger GP100. They found that the Ruger had slightly better accuracy, but the difference was so small it probably represented variation from gun to gun more than type of gun to type of gun. The two guns are basically equivalent.
 
Accuracy between the GP100 and 686 is about even.

But, as far as velocity is concerned, Ruger has the advantage. Ruger builds their guns
to tighter tolerences than S&W. The cylinder to forcing cone gap on the GP100 is much tighter than on the S&W 686. Advantage Ruger.

The trigger pull on a GP100, (double and single action) can be improved with a Wolff reduced power spring kit. If you're going by trigger pull alone, keep that in mind. Advantage Ruger.

Also, S&W seems to be using MIM triggers on their current production revolvers. There is a noticable "groove" in the back of the their triggers that was not there in a couple years ago. Drop in quality? Advantage Ruger.

Ruger's are more durable. The front sight is also replaceable. Advantage Ruger.

Hmm... I'd buy a Ruger.

[This message has been edited by dvc (edited March 08, 2000).]
 
Having recently made the same choice, I chose the Ruger. I liked the feel of the grip--the walnut insert felt just right. I went with a 4" Stainless with a fully lugged barrel. I could appreciate the trigger pull difference in the 686 on double action, however, I almost always shoot single action and the difference was negligible in that mode.

I saved $100 buying the Ruger and after two trips to the range have no regrets. Shooting .38's through the gun is like shooting .22magnums in other guns. There's almost no recoil. Shooting .357's is more lively but by no means uncontrollable. The gun seems to be perfectly balanced in my hand and the accuracy is the equal of any revolver I have ever shot (that cost less than a thousand bucks--the Colt Python was the best...).

I have no regrets at all. Especially since I went ahead and put the extra hundred I saved down on an S&W .44 magnum to round out my collection.

Ruger's are great guns at a great price straight out of the box.
 
My personal experience is between a Ruger KGP141 (stainless 4") and S&W 686 (stainless 6" powerport). I kept the Ruger. The S&W has a hugh muzzle blast and actually generated more recoil than the Ruger. And the Ruger is more accurate out-of-the-box. Also, the Ruger's cylinder latch is much better.
 
Glock Doc,

I have that Shooting Times article and the Ruger was more durable and shot MUCH tighter groups. Ruger by a mile... I've always been a Ruger fan anyways.

Save some money and get a better gunwith the Ruger. Besides, the S&W looks ancient even when it's NEW.

Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
Both are great choices; both will satisfy you, so buy the one YOU like.

Ruger is stronger. S&W 'may' have a better trigger. Both are great values.

Own matching 4" stainless GP100's, 4 stainless Redhawks (all have decent triggers), wife carries a S&W.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Well both are great guns.
I´ve shot the 686, and I liked it.
I´ve shot the 627 and I liked it even more.
I´ve shot the GP-100, loved it and bought it.

I have the KGP-141, and will never give it away.
The grip feels great, durability is great, and the recoil ... which recoil ???
The rubber grip reduces the recoil to a minimum.
.38 Spcl. feels like a .22, and even .357 Magnum handloads with maximum powdercharges feel nice.
No chance for the 686, this piece hurts with such loads.
And the trigger can easily be improved by a gunsmith and by using teflon-products.

Accuracy of my Ruger is phantastic, so who needs S&W ???


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Remington 870 rocks !
 
I got to confess that I've never shot S&W.

I own Ruger GP161 (6" barrel), and I think it's a masterpiece of engineering and sample of quality work. It is built like a tank,
and I really like its grips. It's also pretty from my point of view. Trigger pull in DA and SA was really good right out of the box. Also, this "second click" when you
shoot it in DA helps me to know when it's ready to fire...

Can't compare it to S&W, but Ruger is great.
 
About a month ago I had to decide between a used 686 and a new Ruger GP100. The 686 was more comfortable in my hand, had a smoother trigger pull, and was more accurate. These differences were minute however, and ultimately it came down to a "brand" thing. S&W just rolls off the tongue much better than Ruger.
 
A friend and I both shoot PPC using stock revolvers. He uses a 6" Ruger GP-100, I use a 6" S&W M-686-4. We have each shot the course using both guns.

After putting several thousand rounds through both guns, my friend and I agree that the Smith trigger beats the Ruger hands down. The Smith points more naturally for us (we are of completely different body types). The Smith is faster back on target.

Both of us shoot better scores with the Smith. I lose about 30 pints every time I use the Ruger.

My buddy wishes he had chosen the Smith.

As for strength and recoil...

This year I used Cor-Bon 180gr bonded core soft points in my 686 for deer hunting. I never got a shot at a deer (got one with a bow though!), but I did spend time at the range getting a feel for this heavy hunting round. The Smith was very controllable, and while the recoil was certainly sharp, it was perfectly managable.

I like Rugers in general, and I enjoy shooting the GP-100. But given a choice, I'd go with the M-686 every time.

Hope this helps, and tell us what you choose.

--Rich

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Nothing threatens freedom so much as self rightous ignorance.
 
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