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High end revolvers


theogre

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I am still in the debate on which manufacture's revolver to get. I am pretty set on the KGP-141. I want a 6 shot 357 mag with a 4.2" barrel for shooting IDPA. I have spent alot of time reading and looking around, and it seems that alot of people shoot the S&W. I was wondering if there was a higher end vendor.... What I mean by high end is something like STI. I bought my STI eagle a couple years ago, and am in love with the quality and balance of the STI's, in fact I got 2 more since (my wife really loves me).

Thanks for any input

Thegore

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Hard to beat a S&W.....cheers.gif

True statement.

There are a number of gunsmiths that specialize in revolver work that will tune up a S&W just like there are a number of them who will take a factory 1911 and turn it into a competition machine.

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S&W revolvers are the Chevy engines of the shooting games. Easy to soup up, lots of speed equipment available and hard to beat. + they come in small block and big block. What's not to like? :cheers:

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In my opinion S&W is the STI of revolvers. A high end production gun. While STI does make some fine guns, my son and I each own a Trojan, they are nowhere near being in the same league as some of the custom guns, and are not even in the same league as Les Baer which is considered a semi-custom gun. Again, I'm not trying to knock your STI, I'm just saying it's still a production gun. More importantly, there is a reason there was only one non S&W at the International Revolver Championship, they are the best tool for the job.

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Both S&W and Ruger make a product that will provide a solid performance and meet your requirement: "a 6 shot 357 mag with a 4.2" barrel for shooting IDPA"

The cylinder release on either gun, while not identical, is reasonably ergonomic and similar enough that reloading times with speedloaders are about the same.

If you get to the point that you want to improve the way the action feels, the Smith is the revolver to have. The way the Ruger is built, it limits what can be done to adjust it.

With that said, the off the shelf Ruger can be run pretty hard and it holds up well to the punishment of racing.

I've used a Ruger KGP-161 for many years at local steel plate matches and for general plinking. It continues to be a good performer but if I had to start over, I'd be looking for a S&W 686. The Smith has more potential.

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Not many people will agree with me but my choice for a high end revolver is still the Colt python. I have been shooting them since 1975 and have had them mooncliped since since 2001. Just my choice. I won my class during the 3rd IDPA championship in Jefferson mo. with a four inch Pyton.

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I was wondering if there was a higher end vendor.... What I mean by high end is something like STI.

A Python, Manurhin, Korth or a vintage blued S&W (e.g. pre-27) all come to mind, but I don't think I'd want to subject any of them to the abuse they'd be seeing in competition. Besides, more important than Rolls Royce-like lock-up, fit & finish is compatibility with good speedloaders (CompIIIs or JetLoaders), and holsters, reliability (even when dirty), sights (and ease with which they can be changed if need be), and how easily they can be tuned and/or repaired. In this regard, a good S&W or GP100 is tough to beat. Get an action job, fiber optic front sight and chamfer the cylinders and the rest is up to you.

All said, though, I do feel it'd be cool if there were more quality DA revo makers. The start-up costs would be high, as would the cost of the gun, and demand would be low, but a Freedom Arms DA revo, for example, would likely be a very fine piece indeed.

Tom

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It doesn’t take much to make a S&W feel reasonable well. You can do a lot to a S&W by polishing and honing the guts, bob the hammer and profile a trigger to your liking all without needing to know anything about gunsmithing. Put grips on you like swap out sights and you have one sweet ride. All this can be done on the kitchen table. This gets you on the range cheep with a good gun.

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Hi,

Be carefull of the "higher end " ego trap. I've owned Mercedez, Porches, Jags, a 1996 Impalla SS,4 Suburbans and my favorite was the Impala. When it comes to the shooting sports it is much the same.

I use my 610 in IPSC/USPSA with Hearthco clips on a speed e rack and a BMT moonclip loader and fiber optics on the front and rear sights ( red green red) and an Apex competition extended firing pin and a Trausch grip (Paris France) and a Hogue long cylinder release. I shoot 180 grain .40s&w fmj on Federal primers to make major PF. All the springs have been replaced and the cam faces stoned by my gunsmith. DA pull is 2.5 pounds and SA is .5 pounds. The 6.5 inch barrel makes for a very helpfull sight radius for medium and far distance plates and popers; it also keeps muzzel flip to almost nil resulting in super tight and fast double taps. The N frame makes it difficult to notice any recoile with .40s&w ammo. ( however full 10mm ammo kicks like a 44magnum )

I've been shooting IPSC/USPSA 17 years and own guns and shot in Open, Production, Single Stack and Revolver. I also compete in open three gun with a Bennelli and AR-15 (both are super tricked out). While I will continue to shoot three gun matches as they become available, I have decided that my S&W 610 is my most favorite gun ever and will continue with it in competition for many years to come.

As always, it is the shooter ( driver? ) that makes the difference, not the equipment. Have fun and good shooting. 

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  • 3 months later...

Hi if you look at high end revolvers i have to say that Korth is in my mind the best.

A have been shooting with Manurhin MR32 and S&W 686 (tuned) and the korth revolver, i think that the S&w is the revolvers BigMac most bang for the buck.

When comming to the feel of the trigger and handling of the revolvers i think Manurhin and Korth is about the same.

Build quality and finish the Korth revolver is truely a state of art, i have never seen any gun so well made.

With that in mind i bought a korth .357 4" sport and i just love it :).

Sorry for my bad spelling.

Regards Mansson

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Welcome to the Forums Mansson! Thanks for your comparison! :cheers: I have been shooting revos since about 1970 but have never seen or shot a Korth or Manhurin. I have always wondered about them though. I have a decent stable of S&W, they work pretty good.

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DA pull is 2.5 pounds and SA is .5 pounds.

That is the lightest I have ever seen claimed. Can you provide details, and maybe the name of your gunsmith?

Is it possible to make it fire with so low trigger weight in DA mode?

My experience is that you can't go below about 6 pounds in DA and make federal 100 ignite, and that is one of the softest starters.

Regards M

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I have 6 S&W revolovers that have DA trigger pulls at 4 3/4 to 5 lbs. They are all 100% reliable with Federal primers. Mike Carmoney did the work on all of them.

Sumbitch has been sandbagging me, my Carmoney revolvers are 6 pounds!

J/K

Matt

Hee-hee-hee!!! :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

He likely means 2.5kg (5.5lbs), which is still very light but not implausible.

I tried Randy's Open gun about two years ago when he was running it in competition sub 3 lbs. He said it took some getting used to to shoot fast because you need to get off the trigger quickly. The rebound spring doesn't have much 'rebound' in it. He wanted to see how light he could go and keep it reliable w/Fed 100's. I don't know how much lighter he got it. Mine and my wife's 627's that he did are 100% reliable and are at 4.5lbs.

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