Choose only one!

[Hi Ball]

RUGER-22.......Sir, please prove to me that "single action" revolvers are more accurate than Double Action!!! I am all hears OK.

[FourCornerm'n]

I think you're faced with two important questons: 1. Which style of shooting do you really want to be doing - SA or DA? Can do both with the S&W, though it's not as cowboy friendly in a way. 2. What is the truth about the quality of current productions of each?

Ruger reputed for ruggedness and reliability and I believe its manufacturing standards have not slipped. Others may know. Haven't owned a Ruger revolver, but I've worked long and hard with 3 competition S&W L frames bought in the 80's. All I needed to have done was crown the muzzle to make sure it was 'true', open up the angle of the barrel forcing cone, have a good smith do an action job - and these three guns were world class. Only the action job (by an EXPERT) really needed by most folks. One of these put 6 shots into 3/4" at 50 yards the last practice day before a big match. Either a good S&W or the Ruger should last several lifetimes and sub par accuracy just isn't an issue.

I've shot one of mine almost to pieces. Over 120,000 rounds of medium power .38 Spcl, plus hundreds of thousands of dry fires. I over cleaned it with a horrible device, a Clymer de-leading tool, that ate out 80% of the cylinder forcing cones. The hammer swivel pin broke in two after so much wear. I had that fixed. Yet, I know the gun so well, and know its continuing functioning potential, that now this large 6" L is still sometimes used as primary self defense weapon. In one of my last competitions, I cleaned 47 or 48 Bianchi plates iron sighted. It's not a PPC accurate gun anymore, yet certainly dependable with good combat accuracy.

But, there is a potential problem. Others know better than me, since I'm outside the loop these days. My most reliable shooting friend here tells me that S&W manufacturing standards have dipped. This guy is fanatical and objective. Willing to change his opinion. He's seen the large caliber S&W (500 something?) being brought back to local gun store, broken within the first 50 rounds. He says newer L frames have poor SA triggers, cylinders that don't lock up tightly, and have too large a gap between cylinder and barrel. None of these things were sloppy before and I hope this isn't so. None in stock here for me to check out. I love and would recommend over any other, the half dozen S&W revolvers I still own. But, my friend has always gotten to the core of these things and this would be first time he was wrong. Check them out if you think you can get the kind of quality I did in S&W revolvers. They and the Rugers are about the best available, certainly better in real use than Pythons.

The best of luck, and good shooting.

[greener]

The new Blackhawks have a lock under the left grip panel. You have to remove the grips to lock the revolver. At least you can't see the lock.

[bearandoldman]

The new Blackhawks have a lock under the left grip panel. You have to remove the grips to lock the revolver. At least you can't see the lock.

My 0th Anny .357/.38 is like that, they show you where to put a hole in the grip to use the lock, I have locks on a lot of guns but have never used them. Guy at the club one dy after we walk about 250 yard out into the woodto the sporting clays course, discovers he does not have the key, must never have been a Boy Scout.

[greener]

I have a key for the 442 on my key chain, just in case. I'm sure the BG will wait for me to unlock the revolver. I haven't tried it on my other lockable handguns. I never use the locks. No young children in the house and Maw and I can remember to keep fingers off triggers until it's shooting time.

[bearandoldman]

I have a key for the 442 on my key chain, just in case. I'm sure the BG will wait for me to unlock the revolver. I haven't tried it on my other lockable handguns. I never use the locks. No young children in the house and Maw and I can remember to keep fingers off triggers until it's shooting time.

Hey there Mr BG, can you wait util I unlock my gun so I can blow your butt away?

[greener]

RUGER-22.......Sir, please prove to me that "single action" revolvers are more accurate than Double Action!!! I am all hears OK.

I think ruger22 said that for him SA revolvers were more accurate. I think you can generally get better precision and accuracy with a DA/SA revolver in SA. The trigger is usually lighter, crisper and has a much shorter travel. Most of the folks I see shooting DA's shoot them in SA. I decided some time ago that the only way I was going to get proficient shooting DA was to shoot that exclusively. I've fired my GP100 DA so much that I have to remind myself that I can shoot it SA. I'm close to the same accuracy and precision with DA as I get SA, but it has taken a while.

As my mentor might say it is a combination of shooter, revolver and shooter.

[FourCornerm'n]

Thanks, Greener. WYP (with your permission) I hope to honor you and your mentor by discovering times to repeat that insight to students or friends? Certainly take it with me, for my use, next time out.

FourCornerm'n

[ruger22]

RUGER-22.......Sir, please prove to me that "single action" revolvers are more accurate than Double Action!!! I am all hears OK.

Yes, I did say that for me they are. It seems the grip just holds steadier in my hand, compared to pistols. I don't have a DA revolver right now, but in years back DAs (fired in SA mode) came in second to SAs, and autos were third so far as how small my groups were.

[Hakaman]

The S&W will have that ugly lock in the sideplate. That's enough to make me move on.

I have all kind of Blackhawks and Vaqs that I love but also have a great 686 S&W so it depends on how you intend to use it.

The decisiion was made a while ago, and it was the S&W 357. I have been very happy with it, it shoots great. I like target shooting with light loads so I don't get bothered by recoil. It is such a beefy gun that it doesn't really matter anyway.
h

[greener]

Thanks, Greener. WYP (with your permission) I hope to honor you and your mentor by discovering times to repeat that insight to students or friends? Certainly take it with me, for my use, next time out.

FourCornerm'n

Be my guest. You can even file the serial numbers off and put your own on it.

A very high percentage of the times my guns have accuracy problems all I need to find the cause is a mirror.

From your post, sounds like you do a pretty good job with your revolvers.

[bearandoldman]

A very high percentage of the times my guns have accuracy problems all I need to find the cause is a mirror.

Now you're looking in the right place friend. When I have problems, the cause of them is usually found there also.

[arizona-hermit]

There really is no choice for me... Ruger all the way.

Why? I have owned over a hundred Ruger weapons over the past 5 decades and never had a problem with ANY of them.

I have owned three S&W revolvers and two pistols in the same five decades and had problems with each and every one of them. The absolute worst revolver I ever owned was a S&W model 29 in 44 magnum. After less than 1,000 rounds down the tube, the rifling was completely gone (no joke). The tube looked just like a shotgun barrel. Took me nearly a year to get the Rod and Gun (Germany) folks to get it replaced by S&W. The week the replacement arrived, I traded it off for a very nice Ruger side by side 12.

Just my .02

[bearandoldman]

There really is no choice for me... Ruger all the way.

Why? I have owned over a hundred Ruger weapons over the past 5 decades and never had a problem with ANY of them.

I have owned three S&W revolvers and two pistols in the same five decades and had problems with each and every one of them. The absolute worst revolver I ever owned was a S&W model 29 in 44 magnum. After less than 1,000 rounds down the tube, the rifling was completely gone (no joke). The tube looked just like a shotgun barrel. Took me nearly a year to get the Rod and Gun (Germany) folks to get it replaced by S&W. The week the replacement arrived, I traded it off for a very nice Ruger side by side 12.

Just my .02

Good to hear from you again Hermit, it has beeb a while , eh?

[arizona-hermit]

Good to hear from you again Hermit, it has beeb a while , eh?

I have been so 'busy' with things (you know - "Do this do that... no I meant to say do this...") that my forum browsing has suffered.

The wife and I have made several new shooting friends lately, so the fun time at the range has been dramatically extended.

SO much to do... so little time.