The S&W new model #3 is a good target gun. But its not in same league as Colt.
Colt is so rugged and simple that even 150 years old they are still running and reliable. S&W cylinder unlocks when you release the trigger. Light trigger pull and a few rounds fired and the cylinder can rotate on you when you dont want it to and then your hammer comes down on a empty cylinder. You cant slip fire a S&W either. Plus the hammer isnt in the right spot for fast thumb cocking if you are shooting gunfighter with a gun in each hand.
Colt SAA parts are expensive but still availible with enough time and money. S&W you better be good with tig. files and have lots of time. With determination spaghetti parts can be made to fit.
Colts are also easier to work at than S&W.Think of P model colts as ak and s&w as m16. Colts simple and reliable. The hand on the colts with the double edge to engage the cylinders is a better set up than the hand on s&w revolvers.
Remington modern reproductions are way better than originals. Originals all over the place on cylinder and chamber dimensions a long with other parts . Sam Colts factory had way more experience producing big volumes of revolvers than Remington and colt parts way more closer tolerances and interchangability.
Here is a quick google search of famous guys who were killed when they should have been carrying a colt (grin) dont take me to serious. But Colts are awesome and everything else sucks. Double action is for Euroweenies
John Wesley Hardin (Smith & Wesson)
John Wesley Hardin, one of the deadliest and most prolific gunfighters in Western history, was shot and killed from behind by Constable John Selman at the Acme Saloon in El Paso, Texas, on August 19, 1895. At the exact moment he was gunned down, Hardin was carrying a nickel-plated
Smith & Wesson .44-40 Frontier Double Action revolver. The firearm was recovered from his body by law enforcement and eventually sold at a Bonhams Auction in 2021 for over $625,000. [
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2. James "Wild Bill" Hickok (Smith & Wesson)
While
Wild Bill Hickok was world-famous for his ivory-handled Colt 1851 Navy percussion revolvers, he had added a smaller backup gun to his person by the end of his life. When Jack McCall infamously shot Hickok in the back of the head during a poker game in Deadwood on August 2, 1876, Hickok was carrying a pocket-sized
Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Army (.32 rimfire cartridge revolver) tucked into his belt alongside his traditional Colts.
3. Jesse James (Smith & Wesson & Remington)
When
Jesse James was assassinated in his home by Robert Ford on April 3, 1882, his extensive personal arsenal was left behind, which featured multiple non-Colt models. Though he frequently used Colts, James was a major proponent of the
Smith & Wesson Schofield .45 caliber revolver and the
Remington Model 1875. Because he had unbuckled his gun belt just before he was shot, these exact non-Colt revolvers were the ones hanging on the wall or resting on the furniture when he was killed.
4. Bob Ollinger (Remington)
Bob Ollinger, a brutal deputy marshal and gunfighter, was famously blasted to death by Billy the Kid during the Kid's legendary escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse on April 28, 1881. Ollinger was a known devotee of Remington firearms. When Billy shot him from the courthouse window using Ollinger's own shotgun, Ollinger was actively carrying a
Remington Model 1875 single-action revolver sidearm in his holster. [
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5. Sam Bass (Smith & Wesson)
The notorious Texas train robber and gang leader
Sam Bass was ambushed by Texas Rangers and local lawmen in Round Rock, Texas, on July 19, 1878. He was mortally wounded in the shootout and died two days later on his 27th birthday. During the final months of his criminal career and the gunfight that claimed his life, Bass favored and carried a
Smith & Wesson Schofield .45 caliber revolver rather than a Colt Peacemaker.
