affordable alternative to s&w?

[cali_armz]

I have been entertaining the idea of purchasing a stainless steel .44 mag revolver for awhile now, having specific interest in the s&w 629, however, they are rather expensive. I was wondering if anyone here knew of any other revolvers which are just as high quality as the s&w, but with a more affordable price tag

[NapaCountyShooter]

Ruger Redhawk/Super Redhawk

/Thread

[jdg30]

I would recommend a Ruger. I have a SP101 and GP100 and they are great guns. They aren't quite as refined as a S&W out of the box but if you work on them a bit they can be made very nice. They are very well made and cost a reasonable price. My favorite gun is my SP101. I've shot thousands of rounds through it and it has never given me a single problem. I haven't gotten into .44 mag revolvers yet but I know you can't go wrong with a Ruger. They're all basically the same construction in different calibers.

If it were me personally, I would rather have a S&W 629, but either the S&W or Ruger would serve you fine.

[davek8s]

I own 4 s&w revolvers. In my opinion, nothing compares to a smith. I have shot my friends Ruger sp101 in 357 and i rented a tarus once. Both quality fire arms, but not a nice as a smith

[cali_armz]

I would recommend a Ruger. I have a SP101 and GP100 and they are great guns. They aren't quite as refined as a S&W out of the box but if you work on them a bit they can be made very nice. They are very well made and cost a reasonable price. My favorite gun is my SP101. I've shot thousands of rounds through it and it has never given me a single problem. I haven't gotten into .44 mag revolvers yet but I know you can't go wrong with a Ruger. They're all basically the same construction in different calibers.

If it were me personally, I would rather have a S&W 629, but either the S&W or Ruger would serve you fine.

im glad to hear that about rugers, because in the past ive heard people say that ruger pistols werent always 100% reliable,although, its possible that was implied about their semi autos. its hard to say because i havent had much experience with them.

but that s&w 629 is incredibly appealing. it would be really cool to get a colt anaconda, but i doubt id find one in my price range

[kayaker]

Ruger revolvers are good, reliable guns. They are a tad heavier than comparable Smiths. I'd pass on a Taurus.

[cali_armz]

its possible, maybe even more than likely il just go with the 629. any firearm i buy will be a fair amount of money. i might as well buy what i really want rather than get something cheaper

[cali_armz]

Ruger revolvers are good, reliable guns. They are a tad heavier than comparable Smiths. I'd pass on a Taurus.

yea i agree. ive heard a substantial amount of negative comments about taurus firearms

[cali_armz]

now this, is absolutely beautiful. stainless with a 5" barrel. absolutely perfect

[NapaCountyShooter]

im glad to hear that about rugers, because in the past ive heard people say that ruger pistols werent always 100% reliable,although, its possible that was implied about their semi autos. its hard to say because i havent had much experience with them.

but that s&w 629 is incredibly appealing. it would be really cool to get a colt anaconda, but i doubt id find one in my price range

Ruger revolvers are built like a brick you know what house. You can blast away with them with max power loads all day long every day and you won't hurt them. If you want a nice, refined revolver, get the Smith. If you want a quality, utilitarian revolver that you'll never have to send back to get retimed after those thermonuclear handloads you made, get the Ruger.

[cali_armz]

Ruger revolvers are built like a brick you know what house. You can blast away with them with max power loads all day long every day and you won't hurt them. If you want a nice, refined revolver, get the Smith. If you want a quality, utilitarian revolver that you'll never have to send back to get retimed after those thermonuclear handloads you made, get the Ruger.

geez, really? thats awesome. im just curious though, how do the s&w revolvers hold up? the timing issue is what discouraged me from buying any revolver in the past.

[bsg]

its possible, maybe even more than likely il just go with the 629. any firearm i buy will be a fair amount of money. i might as well buy what i really want rather than get something cheaper

get the one you want and don't look back.

[PutTogether]

its possible, maybe even more than likely il just go with the 629. any firearm i buy will be a fair amount of money. i might as well buy what i really want rather than get something cheaper

This. If you look at the grand scheme of cost of ownership/use of a firearm....the cost of the actual gun is minimal. If you own a .44 for thirty years (which should be easy with a good one) you'll end up shooting thousands and thousands of dollars worth of ammo, spending hundreds of dollars on gas to go shooting, potentially a lot of money hunting with it, etc etc etc.

Spending the extra few hundred to get the gun you really want is only a fraction of the grand total.


I like this one: (out of the lineup of new guns) with that 5" full underlug 629 you showed a picture of as a very very close second.

[cali_armz]

get the one you want and don't look back.

yea, thats what il end up doing. i am leaning towards the s&w. but i really like the idea of having a revolver that wont come out of alignment, even after i put thousands of rounds through it. id assume that s&w is just as reliable, but i need to find out more on the issue.

i really dont like the idea of needing to get my pistol serviced on a regular basis. i think im too used to the reliability of my glocks.

[PutTogether]

i really dont like the idea of needing to get my pistol serviced on a regular basis. i think im too used to the reliability of my glocks.

It is very, very, likely that 'regular basis' will equate to either never, or once, over the lifetime of that gun.

Unless you are constantly blasting away hard core .44 mag loads, I don't think you'll run into an issue. Losing timing on an S&W .44 is one of those things you read about a lot on the internet, but very VERY rarely encounter someone in real life who has had the same issue.