How do Ruger revolvers compare to Smith & Wesson?

Question

quality for the price?

Answer 1

I would not trade any of my Rugers for the S&W.
The only revolver that rides a touch above the Ruger is Colt.
The old S&W were good weapons, but the new stuff well I’m not impressed.
To me it looks as though S&W is going the way of Winchester.
Where as Ruger is only getting more popular every day and just as good as when they started.
I have had some of the new S&W and got rid of them with in a couple of months after buying them.

That my opinion and I have owned all 3 brands and still own Ruger and Colt.

D58

Answer 2

Bound's hubby here:

Personally, I feel Ruger revolvers rank below Smith & Wesson revolvers, but this is a matter of personal preference. I find that Ruger revolvers are thicker and bulkier than Smith & Wesson revolvers. Personally, I have yet to find a Ruger with an out of the box trigger that is as good as a bad out of the box Smith & Wesson trigger. These observations trace back many years when I was actively buying handguns and the early years of Ruger's revolver development. Personally, I find the products and the policies of Smith & Wesson more to my liking than the products and the political policies of Ruger.

Good luck.

Answer 3

From what i can tell s&w are a very good accurate and high Quality handguns. Rugers are also very accurate and high quality also. the big difference is price as s&w are slightly to moderatly more expensive and hold value slightly better than a Ruger. The ruger is a good gun if u are going to use it to hunt and the Smith is a good shooting and target but i personally wouldn't take one hunting for the simple reason that i wouldn't want to mark the gun up. That being said u really can't go wrong with either gun

Answer 4

It really depends on the model you're talking about. Ruger's single actions are nearly indestructable, and a favorite for hunters. Smith's double actions are perhaps a bit more refined. When I've filled in a spot among my revolvers, I haven't found a Smith that fits my hand well, so I have mostly Rugers and Colts.

Answer 5

I've owned both and still own both. S&W makes good revolvers but their auto-loaders, particularly the Sigma, leave much to be desired. Ruger makes a better auto-loader.

Ruger revolvers are excellent and very strong. S&W revolvers generally have a nicer finish but I'm not sure that they are stronger than Ruger's. I especially like the older S&W revolvers like the Model 27 & 28. The new Ruger revolvers are as nice as the Smiths. In fact, I'd buy Ruger over Smith any day of the week now.

H

Answer 6

Smith and Wessons are finer overall, but not as ruggedly designed. They have made engineering chnages to make their guns more durable over the last 25 years (the old guns were super-smooth,but got cylinder endshake REAL BAD-especially the magnums). I think that S&W revolvers like the 686 combine just enough durability with grace and beauty (especially the old 586 blue model). Ruger is mainly popular beause of guns like the Vaquero. Don't get me wrong, I have owned GP100s and SP101s. They are good, but kind of, well....."vanilla" (Like a S&W model 10 or 64). But on the balance, you cannot lose either way.
Colt's are good if they are treated right and not thrown out of time by abuse. ( I have come across horribly neglected Pythons)

Colt for action-quality/handsome (Python)
Ruger for durability(GP100/Sp101/Redhawk)
S&W for a little bit of both (L-frames)

Answer 7

I've found that Rugers are engineered to be tough and dependable, more so than the Smith's but the Smiths tend to be more refined. The Smith fits my hands far better than any Ruger I've tried but that is admittedly just personal preference. While some may whine that you pay for the name with a Smith, I will say tha you will get what you pay for. All in all I prefer a Smith for better fit and finish, better fit to my hands and a smoother, cleaner action.

Good luck

Answer 8

I have one of each. The Ruger 44Mag is a heavy framed gun. I love the fit, balance, and how it handles the recoil. Once the hammer is pulled back, it is a light trigger pull.

The S&W .38 chief's special feels slightly smoother but not as precise. The slight advantage in smoothness may be the age of the gun or the fact that the mechanisms are smaller due to much less recoil. I really don't think it is as precisely machined and fit together as the Ruger though.

Answer 9

This a tough one i prefer single action Rugers and own several but for double action i prefer S&W And Have several of them also i guess it's up to the person who wants too shoot them. Rugers tend to be heavy and have a hard trigger pull in double action.

Answer 10

If you want a well built, reliable, and practical gun, get a Ruger. If all you want is an overpriced over-hyped gun, get a Smith. Colt's aren't worth their exorbitant price and are just for collectors. Once you shoot a Colt, it devalues exponentially.
You can get a brand new Ruger for the price of a used Smith and still have a better gun.