New GP100 vs new 686

[Jared]

Okay, this is not a S&W lock thread. It's not.

Last time I was revo shopping, I coonfingered a 686 and a GP100, both brand new. I came away very impressed with the Ruger, especially compared to my memory of the rather gritty action and trigger feel I remembered from years ago. The Smith 686's though (I handled 3) something in the way they felt when dry fired, they didn't seem as solid and crisp as the older examples I've handled.

I've always been a Smith guy. I'm kind of in the market for a 4" example of one of these two. I'm really leaning hard toward the Ruger right now.

Has anybody else handled any of the newer S&W's and came away thinking the actions weren't what they used to be?

[revchuck]

I've got about a dozen S&W revolvers in K, L and N frame sizes, including two newer ones, a M21-4 and a M22-4. They do feel different, but I don't think the newer ones are bad, just different. I had the factory do action jobs on a M10-8, a M681-2 and the M22-4, and the newer one feels as good as the older ones, even though the trigger's a bit heavier due to its being a .45 ACP. I've heard the current GP100s are pretty sweet, so I wouldn't necessarily avoid them.

[Wheeler]

I thought I had come up with a winner of an idea regarding Ruger revolvers. Beef up and place the same trigger group of the LCR in the GP series and you'd have one heck of a DA setup. I even got in touch with Grant Cunningham who is, to my knowledge one of the best known revolver instructors who is a proponent of the Ruger revolvers.
Much to my chagrin Grant informed me that the newer GP revolvers did indeed have a similar system, actually more along the lines of the Speed Six trigger group.

I said all that to say the new Rugers impress me much more than the new S&W's, this is coming from a diehard S&W resolver shooter.

[Hizzie]

I was always a die hard Smith guy. Picked up a Ruger GP100 Wiley Clapp II and was really impressed. Impressed enough I bought a second and have my 681PC up for sale. Take a good look at the Match Champion. The new Smiths just don't impress me.

[RevolverRob]

Almost dollar for dollar, I feel the GP100 is a better bargain and better gun than current production 686s. The triggers are a bit heavy, but smooth and the returns on Rugers are better than Smiths (more positive and smoother). The current production Smiths do not feel like old K-Frames or N-Frames. Not as evenly weighted through the stroke and the returns are gritty. If I wanted to buy a new 4" in .357, I'd look really hard at the GP100 Match Champion.

-Rob

[WDW]

Man, if you look around you can find a nice vintage 19,13, 686 or similar smith .357 for around $400. I just bought a mint, near unfired 19-5 for around that. I've just been burned by Ruger revolvers too many times. For me, it's Smith or nothing.

[Jared]

Man, if you look around you can find a nice vintage 19,13, 686 or similar smith .357 for around $400. I just bought a mint, near unfired 19-5 for around that. I've just been burned by Ruger revolvers too many times. For me, it's Smith or nothing.

Not at any of my local shops you can't. Any no-lock Smith commands a premium around here. A mint, near unfired 19-5 at either of the shops I do business with would probably cost 150 bucks more than what you paid. These are the same two shops where a 92FS or a Glock or the like can be brought home a quite reasonable prices, so I'm left to believe that the supply/demand thing with them old S&W's is leaning toward the demand side around here.

[revchuck]

<Glances at his safe with ~12 pre-lock S&Ws, smiles>

I haven't kept up with the current (last ten years or so) production S&Ws, and it sounds like going with a GP100 might be the better idea.

[Dagga Boy]

Man, if you look around you can find a nice vintage 19,13, 686 or similar smith .357 for around $400. I just bought a mint, near unfired 19-5 for around that. I've just been burned by Ruger revolvers too many times. For me, it's Smith or nothing.

I am really curious about "burned by Ruger revolvers too many times". Could you elaborate. One thing I have found with a VERY long history with Rugers in a wide variety of applications is that their revolvers work and work well. While their trigger actions have usually not been as good as the Smith's, their reliability has been without issue, and the Ruger factory has always been good about fixing things that are broken (unless modified outside of the factory).

I like both for different reasons, but when it comes to digesting heavy modern ammunition, and reliability under adverse conditions, the Rugers have always gotten the nod. For pure aesthetics, trigger feel, and some neat variants, then its the Smith's.

[JAD]

Aimsurplus just got a load of 10s and 13s in. I have too many other things going on, or I would also be looking at these.