Best revolver between S&W, Ruger or Taurus

Alfonso

Alfonso

CGN Regular
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Okanagan
I have to choose between a model:
1) S&W snubby model 66-2
2) Taurus model 66 4inch bbl
3) S&W snubby model 19
4) Ruger GP100 in 4 inch bbl

I think the Ruger looks the coolest with the shrouded bbl but which is the best built and most reliable and more accurate of the bunch in your opinion?

Thanks
 
First question are you grandfathered for short barreled firearms, if so 2nd question what do you want it for? I have a 4 in. S&W 686 which is great for 25 yards and fun to shoot, a shorter barrel might not be so accurate on 25 yard targets. And of the 4 in barreled guns mentioned Taurus which may be a good gun, seems to have a poor reputation of service and parts availability in CANADA. Both S&W and RUGER are good guns and seem to have a dealer system in CANADA. I GUESS IT IS UP TO YOU TO MAKE THE DECISION OF:IS IT GOOD FOR WHAT YOU WANT IT FOR, HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO SPEND , HOW THE GUN FEELS , IS A POOR PARTS SYSTEM IMPORTANT TO YOU, THEN BUY WHAT YOU WANT.
 
Snubs

Yes Bearman,

I have my 12(6). Mostly for having fun at the range. I've had snubs and 4"bbl guns before, both in S&W and Ruger. Funny enough, the most acurate one I ever owned was a S&W model 12-2 that was very accurate but was in .38 special. I like the feel of the punch with a .357 and thus am looking between the ruger GP100 or the snubby S&W 19. Like I said, I like the look of the Ruger better but like the idea of the snubby in .357. I guess Im just getting a second opinion....

Alfonso
 
I just picked up a 2-1/2" model 19 earlier this year. It is every bit as accurate at 25m as my 4" 586. If blued is your thing, go for the 19. You won't be disappointed.

Auggie D.
 
ruger will be stronger but most likely the 19 and 66 will have a nicer trigger.

there should be no difference in the guns intrinsic accuracy with the shorter barrel (some even claim the shorter barrels are more accurate because they are stiffer). The accuracy difference comes from the shorter sighting plane and this is shooter related, not gun related. I have a taurus j-frame which at 7 yards came out more accurate than any of my other 38's.

of the ones above i would go with the 66 - I just bought one and the fun factor is incredible:D :D
 
John C is right. With the Ruger you can always beat a guy to death with it after you run out of bullets and not worry about damaging it. You pay for a smoother trigger with the S&W. All the Taurus stuff I have or have tried has performed admirably.
 
best built and reliable? by far its the Ruger. They are ugly, compared to smiths especially, but they are tanks, all ruger revolvers are. It is harder to get good trigger pulls on a ruger d.a., but it can be done.
 
Well there is no shortage of opinions and you must remember that they are only that:rolleyes: . We all have our preferences. Personally, I have both a S&W and the GP100. While the Smith may have a somewhat smoother trigger, I find the GP100 to be highly accurate and more robust that all the others:D . All that I did over the stock was to change the grips over to a rubber finger grooved grip(Hogue or Pachmayr) and I find it a real joy to shoot. Eats anything u feed it and strong enough to handle just about anything within the loading limtations. You wont go wrong with any of your options mentioned, but for durability and strength, I would stick with the Ruger.. ;)
Good luck
Cheers
dB:)
 
JohnC said:
ruger will be stronger but most likely the 19 and 66 will have a nicer trigger.

there should be no difference in the guns intrinsic accuracy with the shorter barrel (some even claim the shorter barrels are more accurate because they are stiffer). The accuracy difference comes from the shorter sighting plane and this is shooter related, not gun related. I have a taurus j-frame which at 7 yards came out more accurate than any of my other 38's.

of the ones above i would go with the 66 - I just bought one and the fun factor is incredible:D :D
Click to expand...

Ditto & I don't own a Ruger DA.

D
 
My 2 Cents...

I already have a Model 19 in 2 1/2" and 4"....

However, my preferences with your choices would be...

1. Model 66 [stainless is cool! :cool: ]

2. Model 19

3. Ruger

4. Taurus

You can't go wrong with either a S&W or Ruger. :cool:

If the Taurus is an older model I'd stay clear of it. Of the new Taurus wheelguns there are those that think the value/quality is there. 'Course there are also the parts/warranty issues with Taurus to consider as well. I'd want to be certain that I could get my wheelgun fixed & where if it ever needed it... ;)
 
Which one?

I think it would depend on what barrel length you would prefer. In a 4" configuration, I would go with the Ruger, good all around gun with excellent balance and strength to handle all 357's. In the shorter barrels the S&W 66 would be my first choice (stainless looks great) and the 19, a close third. Classic styling and typical Smith & Wesson smooth trigger action.
 
I have several Smiths & Colts.. One Ruger (Security-Six), and zero Tauri..

In the US Taurus has the reputation for having a crappy customer service division.. I don't want a firearm that the company won't stand behind.

All of my Smiths are J-frame snubby, so basically unavailable in Canada. The Ruger I've had for 30 years and it has been excellent. You can't beat the 357mag round for personal defense either.

I would put the Taurus at the bottom of my list. I don't think they make bad firearms, but poor customer service and poor resale value is a fact.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy
 
In my experience acuracy does not suffer as much as you'd think with a snubby - they're just a lot harder to hit with because of the sights and sight radius. That said, I've fired Smith K,L and N snubbies and Ruger's SP101, if you like Smith revolvers the Ruger will not give you any joy - totally different feel, and it will always feel wrong.
 
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