Next revolver...Ruger Match Champion or S&W 686?

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sailor723

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So,I've been into handguns for about 7 months now and although 8 of 9 guns I own are semi's I find I keep coming back to my revolver lately. It's a S&W 586 no dash and i really enjoy shooting it.. If I was to add another wheelgun what would be a logical choice? I don't think I'm keen on single action or a .22 so I was thinking about either a Ruger GP100 Match Champion or a S&W 686 Canadian edition ( 4.2"). The cost is about the same so is there a clear winner between the two? (I must say that I prefer the look of wood grips so that would be an added cost/hassle with the Smith.

I guess I'm asking would a tuned up Ruger be better than a basic S&W? (S&W's from the Performance Centre are more than I want to spend right now)
 
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I would try a different calibre. 44 maybe? The Ruger Redhawks and Blackhawks are tanks and the Smith 29 ... I mean come on , Dirty Harry.

On a side comment. I saw one of your earlier posts where you said you were going to try and stay within a set monthly budget for acquisitions. How's that working for you? ;)

I only joke because I told myself the same thing and I agree with a bunch of your purchases.

Edit: scratch the Blackhawk. Just reread your post about single actions.
 
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I'm not looking to get into reloading at this time so the cost of .44 is a negative.

One thing I wondered about was the Novak rear and fibre optic front sights on the Ruger. I spend the winter doing bullseye shooting indoors so I wonder if the partridge target sights on the Smith wouldn't be an advantage? Even in the summer it is still mostly paper with the occasional steel plate or general plinking.

As to the 'budget"...well, preliminary estimates are often optimistic.:d
 
Fair enough. I wasn't thinking 44 either until my son got a screaming deal on a Rossi M92 lever. I think reloading equipment will be my next "budgeted" purchase.
 
Don't know what the trigger is like on that ruger match gun but, even after a trigger job, my gp100 could never hold a candle to my Smiths for a silky trigger. Nothing wrong with the Ruger, great gun, but if you're shooting bullseye, imho, the smoothest trigger should be a major consideration.
 
I know I'm a little off subject with this onswer but my first revolver was a S&W M&P R8 and most recent was a pair of tuned up old Ruger Bisley Vaqueros and in my opinion , at least for the fun factor , the Bisleys are WAY better than the R8. Most fun I've had with guns ever!!
 
One thing about the smith's, their trigger out of the box is better than anything ruger puts out, but I still like my new Redhawk
 
sailor723 said:
I'm not looking to get into reloading at this time so the cost of .44 is a negative.

One thing I wondered about was the Novak rear and fibre optic front sights on the Ruger. I spend the winter doing bullseye shooting indoors so I wonder if the partridge target sights on the Smith wouldn't be an advantage? Even in the summer it is still mostly paper with the occasional steel plate or general plinking.

As to the 'budget"...well, preliminary estimates are often optimistic.:d
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Fixed sights on a gun intended for competition seem like a rather silly choice to me. I know you can get adjustable installed by a gunsmith but given the price on the Match Champion, I'd rather buy a used GP100 and get it worked over by a skilled gunsmith instead.

I recommend the 686 over the Ruger. Wait to pick up a used one on the EE and you can save a lot of money for an older gun that will be broken in a little already. If you really want to do some target shooting, sometimes you can pick one up with the adjustable front sight or even a PPC modified gun with the BoMar or other exotic sight ribs... but stock 5/686s are available pretty routinely.
 
ive got a lot of semi's and when i finally decided to get a wheel gun i picked up a GP100.
love the gun.
not as nice as my dads PC S&W but it was half the price and a nice introduction to the wheel guns.
i dont regret buying it and ill never sell it, really like it.
i will pick up one more wheel gun and that will be a nice PC S&W but that wont be for a couple more years, the GP100 will fill that need until then.

it looks nice, it feels nice, it shoots great and it goes bang and hits the bull every time i want it too, what more could a fella ask for?
even my wife likes it!
 
sailor723 said:
So,I've been into handguns for about 7 months now and although 8 of 9 guns I own are semi's I find I keep coming back to my revolver lately. It's a S&W 586 no dash and i really enjoy shooting it.. If I was to add another wheelgun what would be a logical choice? I don't think I'm keen on single action or a .22 so I was thinking about either a Ruger GP100 Match Champion or a S&W 686 Canadian edition ( 4.2"). The cost is about the same so is there a clear winner between the two? (I must say that I prefer the look of wood grips so that would be an added cost/hassle with the Smith.

I guess I'm asking would a tuned up Ruger be better than a basic S&W? (S&W's from the Performance Centre are more than I want to spend right now)
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I've kept 5 of 5 of my S&W and sold 3 of 3 of my Rugers, but don't let my anecdotal evidence get in the way. I had an itch that I had to scratch and being in my thirties allows me to buy and sell as often as I please. If you are nearing retirement I would say choose wisely, otherwise scratch any itch you feel like. Who cares? This isn't your last purchase, right? Regardless, having at least two .357 magnum revolvers for use throughout the post-apocalyptic world is forward thinking in my opinion. LOL.
 
New Smiths now have that really silly lock by the cylinder slide lever. So as far as I'm concerned the Ruger is the way to go. And now Ruger inscribes its owners manual instructions under the barrel where its not as noticeable. Rugers are a lot stronger guns. Yes the Smith has a better trigger though.
 
SUPER TENERE said:
New Smiths now have that really silly lock by the cylinder slide lever. So as far as I'm concerned the Ruger is the way to go. And now Ruger inscribes its owners manual instructions under the barrel where its not as noticeable. Rugers are a lot stronger guns. Yes the Smith has a better trigger though.
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Rugers are not "stronger guns". They are cast whereas S&W's are forged.

Both gp's and 686's are good guns. The trigger on the smith makes it the better gun.
 
You have a 586 now, so the answer might be as easy as getting the Ruger to try something new.

The Match Champion looks like Ruger has addressed most of the concerns that keep them out of competition so it looks like a reasonable choice to try another manufacturer. And if you don't like it, it's unlikely you'll lose any more money if you decide to change your mind on one versus the other.

For target shooting the Ruger has a fibre optic sight that is excellent for quick acquisition, but might prove to be a little chunky for precision work.

And changing out the grips on a Smith is pretty easily done with pretty much any wood and design you can imagine.
 
sailor723 said:
So,I've been into handguns for about 7 months now and although 8 of 9 guns I own are semi's I find I keep coming back to my revolver lately. It's a S&W 586 no dash and i really enjoy shooting it.. If I was to add another wheelgun what would be a logical choice? I don't think I'm keen on single action or a .22 so I was thinking about either a Ruger GP100 Match Champion or a S&W 686 Canadian edition ( 4.2"). The cost is about the same so is there a clear winner between the two? (I must say that I prefer the look of wood grips so that would be an added cost/hassle with the Smith.

I guess I'm asking would a tuned up Ruger be better than a basic S&W? (S&W's from the Performance Centre are more than I want to spend right now)
Click to expand...

I really like my trigger on my GP, especially in single action, I still have the factory spring in it, (they are in the mail) but I think I got lucky as I don't need to do anything to it, but I do anyway. I added trigger and hammer shims too. As posted earlier I would not sell this gun either.
 
I have the Match Champion. Love the gun for what it is, a IDPA or IPSC gun. The trigger out of the box needs a spring kit which takes only minutes to install and makes the trigger much better.
 
SUPER TENERE said:
New Smiths now have that really silly lock by the cylinder slide lever. So as far as I'm concerned the Ruger is the way to go. And now Ruger inscribes its owners manual instructions under the barrel where its not as noticeable. Rugers are a lot stronger guns. Yes the Smith has a better trigger though.
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So what is with the lock? Is it just a cosmetic thing or does it actually detract from the trigger pull/feel? Everyone seems to complain about them but no one says why. just curious.
 
gdawg said:
So what is with the lock? Is it just a cosmetic thing or does it actually detract from the trigger pull/feel? Everyone seems to complain about them but no one says why. just curious.
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I bought my wife a S&W Target Champion, sweet gun. The nicest fit and finish compared with any other revolver I've seen. It has adjustable sights, and small wooden grips that fit her hand perfectly. I don't see the lock as an issue, it's not in the way and locks both trigger and hammer, you don't have to use it unless you want to, and might be a good thing in case someone you don't want to gets their hands on it!
 
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