MacTech
Member
First off, I like both guns, I've always wanted a Single Six, now I own one, a 1975 vintage 6" barreled New Model stainless gun in 96% of new condition, both the Magnum and LR cylinders are fluted, great gun
Tonight at the toy store, I spied a S&W 617 stainless 10-shooter, 4" barrel, rubber S&W grips, approx 94% of new, sort of a brushed stainless finish, not polished, sharp rifling, shiny chamfered holes on the cylinder, lockup is tight, no end shake, minimal side-shake (within spec even when compared against a new model), comes with the case and accesories, they're asking about $550, it's on 7 day hold for me to think about my options
the SA trigger pull on the S&W is gorgeous, light, crisp, breaks like a glass rod, DA is smooth but a tad heavy, probably around 6 LB, points naturally, and I like the swing-out cylinder for easy unload/reloading, the only things I'm slightly hesitant on is that first off, it's a safety-lock model, and I don't like the lock, and second, I've sort of heard in passing that S&W revolvers aren't as "overbuilt" and rugged as a Ruger single-action, I'm sure this isn't an issue with the .22 LR though, thirdly, how much accuracy does the 4" model lose when compared to a 6" S&W 617?
In order for me to get the S&W, a model I have always loved since one of the guys at the range let me shoot his, I'd have to trade in my Ruger to get the price below my self-induced spending cap
Things I like about the Ruger;
Single action design is incredibly simple, robust, and reliable
points naturally
long barrel
shoots S, L, LR, and WMR with the WMR cylinder
cheap practice that translates over perfectly to my Ruger NMBH .45 Convertible, same sighting, same action, same trigger pull, same load/unload
Pre-Warning barrel is only stamped with Ruger's Conneticut address, no stupid warning crap on it anywhere
Things I don't like about the Ruger;
slower to reload than a DA revolver (minor annoyance, really)
only six shots
barrel is bored for the WMR bullet so there is a slight theoretical accuracy drop
Aside from playing around, I don't see myself using the WMR cylinder much, if at all, so the LR cylinder is going to stay fitted 98% of the time anyway....
Things I like about the S&W
SA/DA
Great trigger feel in both SA and DA
10 shots
easy loading/unloading
if it's anything like the 617 I shot at the range, it should be incredibly accurate, that gun allowed me to shoot a 10 shot one-holer with the first cylinder I shot through it
Things I don't like about the S&W
locking system (I hate nannyware and other lawyer-proofing crap)
more expensive, and I'd have to trade at least one, maybe even two guns to get the price down as much as possible
So, basically, does the Ruger have any advantage (other than the WMR cylinder, and the fact I already own it right now) over the S&W, how reliable are the S&W 617 series anyway?
Tonight at the toy store, I spied a S&W 617 stainless 10-shooter, 4" barrel, rubber S&W grips, approx 94% of new, sort of a brushed stainless finish, not polished, sharp rifling, shiny chamfered holes on the cylinder, lockup is tight, no end shake, minimal side-shake (within spec even when compared against a new model), comes with the case and accesories, they're asking about $550, it's on 7 day hold for me to think about my options
the SA trigger pull on the S&W is gorgeous, light, crisp, breaks like a glass rod, DA is smooth but a tad heavy, probably around 6 LB, points naturally, and I like the swing-out cylinder for easy unload/reloading, the only things I'm slightly hesitant on is that first off, it's a safety-lock model, and I don't like the lock, and second, I've sort of heard in passing that S&W revolvers aren't as "overbuilt" and rugged as a Ruger single-action, I'm sure this isn't an issue with the .22 LR though, thirdly, how much accuracy does the 4" model lose when compared to a 6" S&W 617?
In order for me to get the S&W, a model I have always loved since one of the guys at the range let me shoot his, I'd have to trade in my Ruger to get the price below my self-induced spending cap
Things I like about the Ruger;
Single action design is incredibly simple, robust, and reliable
points naturally
long barrel
shoots S, L, LR, and WMR with the WMR cylinder
cheap practice that translates over perfectly to my Ruger NMBH .45 Convertible, same sighting, same action, same trigger pull, same load/unload
Pre-Warning barrel is only stamped with Ruger's Conneticut address, no stupid warning crap on it anywhere
Things I don't like about the Ruger;
slower to reload than a DA revolver (minor annoyance, really)
only six shots
barrel is bored for the WMR bullet so there is a slight theoretical accuracy drop
Aside from playing around, I don't see myself using the WMR cylinder much, if at all, so the LR cylinder is going to stay fitted 98% of the time anyway....
Things I like about the S&W
SA/DA
Great trigger feel in both SA and DA
10 shots
easy loading/unloading
if it's anything like the 617 I shot at the range, it should be incredibly accurate, that gun allowed me to shoot a 10 shot one-holer with the first cylinder I shot through it
Things I don't like about the S&W
locking system (I hate nannyware and other lawyer-proofing crap)
more expensive, and I'd have to trade at least one, maybe even two guns to get the price down as much as possible
So, basically, does the Ruger have any advantage (other than the WMR cylinder, and the fact I already own it right now) over the S&W, how reliable are the S&W 617 series anyway?