New but Old S&W --- THEY're H-E-R-E-E-E-E

[alfsauve]

Well, first about that "iffy" 357.   It was a pig in a poke and even if I had been at the auction I couldn't have test fired it.  But it's easy to fix and was the result of somebody tampering with the internals.  Not S&W's fault.   Someone could as easily take a turn or two out of the main spring of the Ruger or a Colt.

Now about "cult" status.  Not really "cult" more "groupie".  [Along those lines, Harley Davidson wins, in my opinion, as the top "cult" product.....why?    What other product logo are people so willing to have permanently tattooed on on their body? ]

Why VHS over Beta?   Why Glock over SA?   Why 1911's  over P38?   I'm sure there are many studies done over why some brands attain "cult" status.  Why some products and brands who are superior lose out to other products and brands.   What makes people become "groupies"?   (Actually I can answer that one.....they want to belong.   I call it the "Cheers" syndrome. Everybody wants to be part of a group where everybody knows your name.)

Colt was late to the market and had a limited product range.  They were just introducing the Python in .357 when S&W was introducing the .44 Magnum.    They were late in the stainless steel market and didn't introduce a .44 magnum until 1990.   While I couldn't afford them,  I was rooting for them to suceed, but they were too far behind the curve with too little capital to ever catch up with S&W.   Colt always seemed more interested in the single action, the 1911 and the ARs than in DA revolvers.  DA revolvers always seemed an afterthought.   A "we must have, just so we can say we have it when we bid on government contracts" attitude.

Ruger's are good values, but nothing special.   I've owned a Blackhawk and a Security Six.  They were fine, but just.  I've gotten past my "chip on the shoulder" over their involvement with 10rd magazines and I do think their product quality has improved.   I even recommend Ruger products now.   They fulfill a certain market.   Just not mine.

[kmitch200]

They may be heavy and ugly

Which is why I don't own one, add to that a crappy trigger and I don't want it.
I refer to Rugers as 'farm equipment'.
Durable, yes - do I want to carry a boat anchor around just so it will stand up to 30,000 rounds I will never fire out of it - no.

I don't get the cult of Smith and Wesson. They aren't as smooth as a Colt or as sturdy as Ruger. Folks love them though. I just don't see why. I have a Smith .38 that's nice, but I would trade it for a Colt or Ruger in a heartbeat and not have a second's regret. The way I see it, you go to the old Colts for smooth, the Ruger for durability and Taurus for price.

I thought people bought Rugers because of price....

I have fired exactly 2 Colt DA's in my life.
They didn't have as smooth of a trigger pull as the Smiths I owned at the time, and the pull noticeably stacked at the end.
I was not impressed.
Now that was 2 out of tens of thousands made so it's not a fair comparison, just my experience. I have not sought out a Colt revo since.
The Ruger revos I've shot were OK, but they certainly didn't make me want one. The Redhawk had an OK trigger, but could have been better.
Ugly guns just don't make my heart pound faster.

If you saw the show on Outdoor Channel about the Revolver Championships that Jerry Miculek won yet again, there were 230(?) particpants.
ALL BUT ONE SHOT S&Ws. One Ruger in the bunch. Why people claim that Smiths don't hold up is beyond me. A competitor that made it to the Revo Championships didn't get there by not shooting their guns a lot.

Obviously, you won't find a Python, Cobra or Trooper anywhere in top level competitions. Logistics make it unsupportable.
(and who wants to spend $1400+ for a used revolver then shoot it in competition)

[billt]

All 3 are beautiful Alf. Enjoy them! Hopefully you'll have enough time off during the holidays to do just that. I'm headed off to the range tomorrow. I need to put some downrange.  Bill T.

[ellis4538]

fq, I'm glad I'm not a S&W FANATIC because mentioning S&W and Glock in the same sentence would draw some harsh words!  LOL  That being said, always owned S&W revos when I owned revos.  Never any S&W semis or Ruger semis or SA's and only 1 Colt revo.  Just how I spend my $$$$ for the type of shooting I do.

Oh yes.  Alf, nice collection.


Richard

PS:  Never owned a Glock either....but came close.

PPS:  Did MB ever post a range report on the Rhino?  If so can someone lead me to the thread.