Posted: 12/17/2008 6:30:21 PM EDT
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Looking to pick up a .357 and cannot decide between the two. They both seem to be well loved and respected. Each one has a few gripes that come with it, but which one???
This will be my Christmas present to myself. |
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Looking to pick up a .357 and cannot decide between the two. They both seem to be well loved and respected. Each one has a few gripes that come with it, but which one??? This will be my Christmas present to myself. If you want a "tough" gun: Ruger If you want a "fine" gun: S&W 686 I own a 686 w/6 inch bbl: Fine, smooth and very well balanced. Rugers are a bit chunky and clunky, IMHO. |
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GP100 is build like a tank. And I don't think that the trigger is bad at all but maybe I got lucky with mine.... You didn't. My trigger is nice too, and yes, the Ruger is built like a brick shithouse. 
The Smith is nice as well, but I refuse to buy one with the lock on it. If I come across a nice older one w/o the stupid lock, I'll probably pick it up. |
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This is a never ending debate. I own both and this is what I think about the two model.
S&W 686: Great factory sa/da trigger, nice finish, lightweight, accurate, good CS. I don't like the ILS, harder to take apart than the gp100 and cost more than the gp100. GP100: Weight which help recoil when shooting hot loads, many front sight option, easy to take apart, goog CS, cheaper than 686. GP100 finish is a little rough which can be polish using mothers polishing compound, sa/da is ok but a lot better with wolff spring kit. I own a GP100 in 3", 4", 5", 6" and a S&W 686+ pre-lock in 6". I'm a Ruger guy You should handle both model or even try to shoot both before buying.
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I've owned both now, and the 686 is definitely my choice. I consider both of the equally strong, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a factory load that will bother either one. The 686 feels much better to me, and I shoot it better. Edit: You can keep that 686+ crap. My revolvers hold 6 rounds. |
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I have a GP100 and a 686SSR. I like both. The GP100 is an anvil. Very tough. After the trigger has been smoothed up a bit, it has a nice trigger.
The 686SSR is a more sophisticated gun. Possibly a bit more delicate, but very tough. The trigger is easy to tune and results in a truly nice trigger. Which you pick will be your personal preference. |
We need a photo of the Russian arms dealer from Snatch, "You can trust a heavy gun" 
I picked the GP100 because of the internal locks on the newer Smiths. I have a number of "older" Smiths that I love but won't own one with a lock (or without a hammer mounted firing pin for that matter.) The Smiths will generally have better triggers and can be shot a little faster but very skilled shooters but for most of us the Rugers are fine. If you have found a pre-lock 686+ you should buy it if only for the collectors value, they will only go up in price... |
| I asked the forum about which revolver .357 magnum I should consider as my first wheel gun. The majority mentioned S&W 686 but the Ruger GP100 wasn't far behind. I did a bit more research and found a new 686 Plus with a 4" barrel and ILS for a great price. I went for it and I'm glad I did. I liked this revolver so much that I acquired a 2.5" model recently. |
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GP100 is build like a tank. And I don't think that the trigger is bad at all but maybe I got lucky with mine.... You didn't. My trigger is nice too, and yes, the Ruger is built like a brick shithouse.
The Smith is nice as well, but I refuse to buy one with the lock on it. If I come across a nice older one w/o the stupid lock, I'll probably pick it up. I broke my GP-100. The cylinder stop pin is unsupported on one side and will break off sometimes if you have a monday gun. So much for the brick shithouse, eh? Maybe they should attach the toilet paper dispenser with longer bolts? |
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I just got a GP100 4" a couple of months ago. I have always been a S&W nut, and have had a 686 4" for several years. I don't know about the new Smiths, because I don't care for the frame mounted firing pin and lawyer lock. THey may be great and probably are, but I like to collect the "true" Smiths.
To me the 686 is like a classy lady, you wine and dine her and treat her with a soft hand, not because you have to , but because she's so perfect you feel like you need to. The Ruger on the other hand, is more like a drunk slut. You don't mind trying something nasty with her, because you know her history and she out ranks you on the kinky scale by at least 3-4 notches. The smith is well finished and smooth as glass, and still tough enough for what ever you need to do. The ruger is not nearly as well finished nor anywhere close to as smooth, but it is accurate and dependable and beefy as hell. I got the 100 so I could carry it in the field without worry. The Smith gets shot, cleaned and returned to the safe. I like to keep her pretty. Both are good, take your pick, |
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I dont like the transfer on my 100 it jingles a little, sure I could put some grease in there or somethng.......
And my budies 686's factory trigger is better, but for carring around in the woods the gp 100 is good to go. I would do a 686 if I could olny have one, but the looks of the 100 got me back in the late 80's so I had to get one. |
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In true ARFCOM fashion, get both!
I have a 4" SS GP100 and a 4" 586. The Ruger locks up tighter which should lead to better accuracy, not so. The 586 groups better in my hands, possibly due to the lighter and smoother trigger. The action is a no contest win for the Smith, but I believe it was worked on before I got it. I think the Smith looks better, but blue steel wearing Ahrends cocobolo grips is hard to beat IMO. Some of the unseen(under grips, inside action)tool and casting marks on the Ruger are hideous, none on the Smith. In the real world there is statistically no difference in these guns. Smith will probably have a better action and be better finished, there's your price difference. Buy a Smith and shoot it or a Ruger and have the action tuned and a fine bead blast job. Similar money, similar gun. Buy the one YOU like best that has the features YOU want. ETA, I voted 686, but find one without the lock preferrably with a hammer mounted firing pin. |
| I bought the S&W 686 +1 about 3 months ago (2 1/2 inch), excellent gun, the trigger was the best out of all that I tried (including ruger). I like the xtra round, nothing wrong with one more bullet!! All in all both me and the wife love the gun and I would not hesitate to buy another one. |
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GP100 is build like a tank. And I don't think that the trigger is bad at all but maybe I got lucky with mine.... You didn't. My trigger is nice too, and yes, the Ruger is built like a brick shithouse.
The Smith is nice as well, but I refuse to buy one with the lock on it. If I come across a nice older one w/o the stupid lock, I'll probably pick it up. I broke my GP-100. The cylinder stop pin is unsupported on one side and will break off sometimes if you have a monday gun. So much for the brick shithouse, eh? Maybe they should attach the toilet paper dispenser with longer bolts? There's no disputing that GPs are tough guns, but nothing made by men is indestructible. Get it fixed, and move on. |
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I have accumulated a few revolvers over the decades and am particular to some. Among the revolvers of one maker I find big differences, for instance I have a S&W 19-2 in four inch and a 19-3 in four inch. The 19-2 is a whole lot nicer in its accuracy and finish.
The debate of the GP100 versus the S&W 686 is going on in every forum and it is clear that there is no consensus on any open forum, but PPC guns were almost exclusively built on S&W actions and for every Ruger that you see at competitions, you see manytimes more S&W revolvers. Miculek made his choice, I made mine and none of my S&W and Rugers are bone stock actionwise. You have to make up your mind according to your financial situation and expectations from a gun. For the average shooter there will be no difference, nor will he ever wear a gun out from shooting it. The ammo is the biggest cost factor and purchasing price, tuning, and repairs are the smallest part in the cost of running a revolver. |
I'd go with the S&W 686 Plus. Mine is the 2 1/2 inch barrel.  http://jet-jackson.smugmug.com/photos/429133396_3Coot-L.jpg http://jet-jackson.smugmug.com/photos/429580331_eSjUK-L.jpg http://jet-jackson.smugmug.com/photos/435319071_rQEW3-L.jpg |
| FWIW I would go with the S&W. I don't like all the "lawyerese" on the Ruger barrel and the S&W's are easier to tune up if that needs to be done. I have some older S&W's and my department's armorer was able to do a real nice job on all of them. I carried a S&W as my service revolver when I first started in police work and have always been partial to them. With all of that being said, Rugers are tough and usually accurate enough. |