Smith & Wesson or Ruger?

Smith & Wesson or Ruger?

  • Smith & Wesson

    Votes: 74 52.5%

  • Strum Ruger

    Votes: 69 48.9%
  • Total voters
    141
I like both and recommend both of them as top of the line gun makers. Over all I give the edge to S&W on typically more refined finished product. Ruger gets the edge in a lower overall price point.

My preference is S&W but not by much. One really can't go wrong buying a gun from either maker.
 
I carry my own personal ruger P95 for duty so I perfer them. Ive got a ruger P85 that was about 5 years old when i bought it and ive had it for 10 years and never had a problem with it
 
What's the question?

Rifle? Shotgun? Auto pistol? DA revolver? SA Revolver (I guess that let's out Smith though)

Large frame/medium frame/small ?
 
For me S&W

I prefer Smith's
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LF
 
If only considering the two, I am going to go with Ruger. Built like tanks, for less money. One can always have the trigger improved if that is a big factor. (And oftentimes for relatively little expense.) And Ruger in recent years has been moving into the more "svelte" auto line.

May not like all of the lawyer influence seen on many guns these days, but one often overlooked .45 is the Ruger P345. Mine are great shooters, thin like a 1911, and did I mention great accuracy?

Smith has given us the IL, with some issues, and autos with a very different trigger. (Personally don't like either addition.)

Ruger has given use a new, much more concealable auto line, with some issues - issues that they have bent over backward to take care of/fix/preemptively for the most part on their dime and on their call.

I still buy used pre-lock S&W revolvers, but my last new semi-auto purchase was a Ruger. And that is what I am currently considering adding, another Ruger.

As a parting thought, I still have to give a thumbs up to Colt. Still American made and made well.
 
Rugers are my choice. Stronger guns, Smiths trigers are better but you can replace springs in Rugers and clean up the pull. If you are planning on shooting a lot with full blowen loads go ruger. If you don't shoot much it dosnt matter.
 
For beauty of finish and wonderful trigger control (the old ones) S&W would be the winner. For shear strength Ruger is the winner. The Smith's are much lighter and the Ruger is heavy so if I were to carry all day, the Smith would be my choice. For hunting, I would choose the Ruger. You have to use each for the proper purpose.

BTW, the keyed safties on the Smith are ugly and useless. So are the safety signs on the barrels of the Ruger.
 
I hated checking the Ruger box. But the fact is that while five or ten years ago I don't think it would have been even close (S&W ahead by a long shot), today Ruger edges ahead. I think both still make a good product, but with the exception of the lawyer puke all over the ruger barrels, they are pretty much still as good as they were ten years ago (in my opinion, of course). S&W on the other hand has gone towards cost saving production and bowing to lawyers with the MIM parts and the internal locks.

It comes down to the fact that if I were to buy a new to me S&W today, I would look to buy an older production model (and I do this often). If I were looking for a Ruger, I would not care if it was ten years old or ten days old.

I think if S&W drops the internal lock, they could regain some grip on the market share they've lost to Ruger. Even with the MIM parts, they are a slightly better product for MOST purposes than the Ruger (again, in my opinion). The Ruger's are beautifully over-engineered workhorses. They are built like tanks. Unfortunately, tanks are too heavy to be worn on the belt without pulling down your pants.
 
Ruger, Ruger, Ruger all the way.
After blowing the top strap off two S&W model 29's I was done with S&W revolvers!!!
I have put 1,000's of rounds down my Ruger's and they still shoot like new.
I've loaded Ruger's with hunting loads that would damage a Smith and the Ruger never let me down.
I own a few S&W and they are fine guns but not the TANK a Ruger is.
Now for the twist!!
One of my carry guns is a S&W model 908 9mm compact. A very fine gun as I trust my life with it.
 
Rugers blow up as well. A few photos I've collected off the internet...

Most failures are due to problems with reloads. Not saying you screwed anything up with your 29's, its just what the numbers say...
 

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Sturm Ruger gets my vote. My brothers Smith has a nicer factory trigger, but I love my tank of a GP100. Good accuracy, fit and finish, shoots anything I can cram in the cylinder all day long, has had zero problems.............just cant go wrong with Sturm, Ruger & Co.
 
my take on the issue is, toyota vs. honda....


they both are great cars, but the toyota is just slightly more solid, and the hondas are more stylish.
 
but who can afford a $700 revolver?
Click to expand...
Seriously?

All of the S&Ws I buy are older, pre-lock relovers. Most don't cost $700, but recently, some have.

They are still worth what I pay for them. FWIW, I won't pay a dime for an ILS S&W, and it's been a long time since I've bought a Ruger revolver...and there are none in my immediate future.

To the OP--its STURM Ruger, not STRUM Ruger.

my take on the issue is, toyota vs. honda....
they both are great cars, but the toyota is just slightly more solid, and the hondas are more stylish.
Click to expand...
As far as Toyota vs. Honda, it is generally accepted that Toyota builds a solid car, but Honda has better technology/engineering (especially engine-wise). And I'm a 25-plus year Toyota driver.
 
Revolvers: They both are great

Semi autos: If the choice is between the 2 -- Ruger. I just don't care for smith semis.

--Dave
 
Both Are Great

I go with S&W for double action.
Ruger owns single action,although S&W doesn't make any,so there's no way to compare.
S&W DA's from the pre-lock days,preferably the pinned/recessed days,are my favorites.
Ruger DA's are rugged,excellent service weapons,but lack the esthetics of S&W.
 
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