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Pre-lock - buy 'em all!
Not pre-lock, definitely a Ruger!
Not pre-lock, definitely a Ruger!
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I have a 686+ (6 inch version) First gun I ever purchased. Made in the mid 90's. Still have it today.
It's an absolute tack driver. .38 or .357. Personally I like the weight and feel of the 4 inch version better. Once I get enough moola, I'll probably send it off to APEX Tactical (Randy Lee) and have him work it out.
But in all honesty, i'm sure you'll be happy with which ever model you ultimately decide upon.Aloha snackbar!Comment
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Ruger 3 inch GP100Comment
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As always, it depends... Range or HD gun? If HD....
I'd recommend a 4" 6-shot, pre-lock. Why pre-lock? Because there are documented cases where the IL locked and froze the gun.
Why 6-shot? Because a great way to improve your revo skills is to try IDPA at your local club, and the best place to start is Stock Service Revolver (SSR) division,
which has a 4" max barrel length rule. And while you can use a Plus in SSR, you can only load 6 rounds at a time, which is a total PITA...
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^^^
We would all love to have pre-lock.. but the lock malfunctioning is an extremely rare case. Majority of the documented cases (which is actually a very small amount) has to do with firing hotter rounds from a smaller frame. Mechanically, you have a much higher chance of other malfunctions in a revolver (like the cylinder seizing up), especially if you shoot a lot. I've fired the hottest rounds of "safe" 357 and 44 from my respective S&Ws and none have even come close to having the lock budge out of unlock. If given the choice of buying a brand new Smith with a lock vs an older model without and paying the same price.. I'd pick the new one any day for the condition and random additions like endurance packages implemented.
I'm a big fan of the 627 8 shooter (my Performance Center piece is in my avatar). I had a GP100 before in stainless 6" and regret ever selling it. As much as I like(d) my Smiths, I actually like the GP100 over the 686. GP100 is easier to work on (trigger) as well. Smiths have better grips going for them because its a larger market and my favorite grips happens to be modeled after their most famous sponsored shooter (ofcourse I'm talking about Miculek, love his grips - fit perfectly in my hands).Comment
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I wouldn't buy new guns at Reeds their sale prices are MSRPComment
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'Extremely rare'... While I'm sure that's true, I don't take chances with my HD guns.... YMMV.
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I had a 6" plus, 7 rounder, that I loved. Didn't realize they made an 8 shot now. Gonna have to check it out!!Comment
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The guy in the video isn't even 100% what happened though. I've had a GP100 lock up similarly and as we all know, they don't have locks like most newer S&Ws. I definitely understand your concerns and everyone obviously has their own level of comfort in variables.. but there are other things to worry about giving out more before the lock. The lock is just a much easier target for people to spit on (mainly because the implementation is almost like a spit in our faces to begin with). Just to clarify, I prob wouldn't buy a new Smith with a lock at full price (but I'd rarely do this with any other gun), its moreso I wouldn't let the lock stop me from passing by a good deal.'Extremely rare'... While I'm sure that's true, I don't take chances with my HD guns.... YMMV.
Last edited by gorenut; 12-29-2014, 2:51 PM.Comment
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Yup, they even come in a snubby. Was really tempted to get one, but couldn't justify it when my 5" Performance Piece was actually cheaper
An added benefit of an 8 shooter is that the double action is shorter than the average 6 shooter due to having less space between each hole in the cylinder. The con is that you're limited on speedloaders. You either got to get expensive $60 ones, cheap rubber ones that work questionably or the aluminum ones from 5-Star which work nice but I still prefer the Safariland Comp IIs (cartridges spring-load right into their chambers). Moonclips are luckily abundant for it, but I still prefer a solid speedloaderLast edited by gorenut; 12-29-2014, 2:49 PM.Comment
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May the Bridges I burn light the way.
Life Is Not About Waiting For The Storm To Pass - Its About Learning To Dance In The Rain.
Fewer people are killed with all rifles each year (323 in 2011) than with shotguns (356), hammers and clubs (496), and hands and feet (728).Comment
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Don't check it out.....just more money....haha
I want one..
May the Bridges I burn light the way.
Life Is Not About Waiting For The Storm To Pass - Its About Learning To Dance In The Rain.
Fewer people are killed with all rifles each year (323 in 2011) than with shotguns (356), hammers and clubs (496), and hands and feet (728).Comment
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One of the biggest things that stop me from getting something like the TR8 is that its a "scandium alloy" frame revolver. From what I've gathered.. Smith's scandium is actually aluminum with about a half percent scandium in it. It's not that I have zero faith in it, it's moreso I don't know enough about it. I'm used to steel guns and I know aluminum is more malleable (knew someone who had a scandium frame revolver that was bent due to slight over-torquing during manufacturing). Also I know the flame shield is steel in the revolver because aluminum is more prone to flame cutting.
I prefer the added strength of steel and I don't think the weight saving is worth the trade-off in going with the scandium revolvers.. especially because many times they cost more. Plus an N-Frame revolver is going to be a hefty affair regardless. Any weight saved won't really help you carry the thing better because its already so big. I find my 627 easy to handle and not really too heavy at all. If nothing else, the additional weight of steel will help tame recoil on follow-up shots.Last edited by gorenut; 12-29-2014, 3:44 PM.Comment
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True... however, the guy in the video (Robert Farago, publisher of 'The Truth About Guns') took it to his gunsmith (Dave Sunturri), who diagnosed the problem to be the Internal Lock.
Just something to be aware of if it's an HD gun....
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I wonder if he checked whether the lock was completely disengaged before taking it out to shoot.True... however, the guy in the video (Robert Farago, publisher of 'The Truth About Guns') took it to his gunsmith (Dave Sunturri), who diagnosed the problem to be the Internal Lock.
Just something to be aware of if it's an HD gun....
I've just seen so many other things that go wrong way before something like the lock and people never think twice about them. I'm just as guilty of it.. like not double checking even factory ammo.Comment
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