Ruger triggers, try one!

[18DAI]

I was smoking and joking at the local LGS this past weekend. The shop is a S&W dealer and also has a nice selection of new Ruger revolvers as well.

Saturday, they had in the new gun case the following revolvers. 3" GP100, 3" SP101, S&W plastic "new bodyguard", 3" S&W IL 60-?? with a funky looking barrel, S&W IL 640-??? and a 4" IL 686- whatever dash number they are currently up to.

While examining all of these revolvers I noticed something about the triggers. The new Rugers had the best triggers out of all the new revolvers. Very close to the trigger on a new in box pre lock 66 or a NIB 681. Smooth, a very slight bit heavy with a clean break in DA. In SA the proverbial glass rod. Excellent triggers. After Christmas if the 3" GP100 is still there its mine.

Out of all the S&W revolvers the plastic "new bodyguard" had the best trigger. Thats not saying much though as it was not a good trigger pull by any stretch of the imagination. There was a distinct hitch or catch in the middle of the heavy pull.

The S&W IL model 60 was the worst. LONG, HEAVY and gritty in DA. Must have been 12 pounds. LOUSY trigger only a lawyer could love. In SA it was at least 8 pounds, I spit you not. For a moment while pulling it I thought it had either locked itself up or broken. What a POS. The IL 640 and IL 686 were not much better. All lawyer triggers as well. And the 686 had a canted barrel too!

So the often repeated tale of S&W having better triggers than Ruger, while perhaps true in the past, is now a thing of the past. Don't take my word for it, go to your LGS and try it for yourself! Regards 18DAI

 

[Gman56]

Ruger has been working on getting a S&W smooth trigger I guess they are gettin close!I know my GP100 that I got in August has got smoother with use and dry firing.It still is not as smooth as my 28 but that is S&W old school!It is a shame that time has made S&W grow old and not better!

 

[dennis228]

I had a similar experience at my LGS. He had a new GP100 with 3 inch bbl. and the trigger in either DA or SA was as smooth or smoother than any of the S&W's in the case. I was a bit surprised. Tried a new GP100 with 4 inch and it was the same.

My 3 year old SP101 is finally starting to smooth out after use. But I think it is likely that Ruger is working hard to improve the GP's, at least it seemed that way with the two I handled. Wonder how the trigger in the new SP101 4 inch 357 will be?

 

[GUNSNGOLD]

i have an sp101 and dont think the trigger is that great. i also have an lcr on the way and from what ive felt on it so far it feels like one of the best revolver triggers ive ever felt.

 

[drail]

While S&W's triggers are nowhere near as nice as the older ones were (for the most part) a Ruger's trigger will never feel like a S&W because the trigger linkage's geometry is completely different. I used to do trigger jobs on both brands and while a Ruger could be improved a lot over the factory trigger they never even got close to the feel of a tuned S&W revolver's trigger pull in SA or in DA. Rugers tend to have noticeable creep in SA (out of the box) while S&Ws really do break like the proverbial thin glass rod.(out of the box) When a trigger job is performed on a S&W you don't touch the SA engagement. It doesn't need anything. You only smooth and lighten the DA pull.

 

[HighValleyRanch]

because the trigger linkage's geometry is completely different.

I completely agree with Drail this time!

The rugers have a totally different feel to them. The cylinder locks up way before the final break on the DA. Comparing my smith 19-3, the smith locks the cylinder right before the trigger break. The ruger has a definite two stage feel, and then there is quite some movement past the second click (cylinder lockup) before the trigger break.

I believe that due to the trigger and hammer shape, that this "hump" is there. I read that a smith like Grant Cunningham could reduce this hump by changing the geometry, but it ain't a task for the home smith!

There is a great video of Terry G (impactguns smith, "yoda") doing a trigger job on a Ruger GP100 put out by "nutfancy".
Interesting that you can see that the trigger has a rounded hump where the hammer DA dog rides on, but on the security six, this place is flat?
Terry is polishing this area, so I don't know if that being rounded or flat makes any difference in the feel of the trigger.

But I have come to accept both trigger systems as apples and oranges.
Whereas the Smith feels like butter and smooth all the way through, the ruger has that point that you can stage to, and then do the final pull.
I like both of them, but they are different.

 

[leathermarshmallow]

This past summer I shot a GP100 that belonged to my cousin. It had the best trigger I have ever felt on a revolver. He shoots it alot and I am sure that it has improved as he has shot the revolver. I have dreamed of that trigger on a revolver for me. I still haven't gotten that revolver yet.

 

[Niner4Tango]

J Frames have always had long heavy triggers, haven't they? Probably a good idea for pocket or purse.

Surprised to hear about the 686, though. Ruger triggers are respectable enough, but a NIB L Frame should blow it away. Huh.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

From my experience, GP100s seem to have a very good trigger right out of the box. Not S&W good, but very, very close.

I own a SP and the trigger right out of the box was very gritty. Dry firing the hell out of it really helped smooth it out but it will never be as nice as my S&W 637.

I hope Ruger improves their triggers, but even with the SP's gritty trigger, the gun is still an excellent weapon.

 

[SIGSHR]

My 6" Stainless Security Six had way too heavy a trigger pull, an aftermarket trigger spring set solved that problem, and the Ruger design made it a mere drop in part.

 

[1-UP]

I shot a friend's single six a few years ago and fell in love with it. Finally got my very own just this last month. I was very impressed by the trigger. It was better then I remembered, and I remembered a very enjoyable gun!

 

[Dragline45]

i also have an lcr on the way and from what ive felt on it so far it feels like one of the best revolver triggers ive ever felt.

No offense to you at all but if that's the case you need to try out some more revolvers. It is technically impossible to get small size revolvers like J frames and LCR's to have as smooth and light a trigger as their larger counterparts. The smaller revolvers require heavier mainsprings to function reliably and cannot use leaf springs like in the larger frames models. Nothing beats the trigger on my uncles old model 19 service revolver, that thing is buttery smooth. Even with stoning and a 14lb rebound spring on my 640 the 19 puts it to shame.

 

[Jim March]

Ruger had a dip in the quality control around the time of the "Great Obama Gun Rush" of 2008/2009 or so. They realized it, and worked on it, and as far as I can tell looking at new specimens and noting a distinct lack of complaints lately, it appears the 2011 production guns are back up there matching the superb Ruger 2004-2007 production years and possibly better still.

The LCR series showed that they know they needed to focus on triggers, and it appears they've put some effort into the rest.

 

[Duke City Six]

I handled a new 4" GP 100 just the other day. I was very impressed with the DA trigger, and I'm a Smith & Wesson guy.

 

[Laker]

I own my share of S&W revolvers. My EDC is a 3" Ruger SP101. The SP's trigger is as smooth as any Smith that I own.

 

[fsmitka]

My new sp 101 has a heavy trigger pull that's on the rough side. I put in a Wolf 12 lb mainspring and that helped a little. My 20 year old 686 has a trigger that is unbelievable. My old 60-9 is nice and smooth.

 

[WildBill45]

So the often repeated tale of S&W having better triggers than Ruger, while perhaps true in the past, is now a thing of the past. Don't take my word for it, go to your LGS and try it for yourself! Regards 18DAI

Let me tell you where I sit before telling you where I stand.

As some of you know I am a big S&W fan! I have not tried many of the new Ruger models, but I did try the new hybrid .38/357 LCR, and the trigger was quite nice. My notorious model 325 that will put your lights out at 100 yards has a very heavy trigger, and I keep it that way. I crank the spring screw down all the way for CCW safety reasons only. I still shoot standard Police qualifying targets at 100 yards, and great groups at speed at self defense ranges with my 325, but it is not my best S&W trigger for sure. My old Model 14, stock out of the box, is the still the best trigger in this household.

The next time I go my local firearm emporium I will check out the new Ruger triggers. I like to keep an open mind, and would be happy to see that the new triggers are so nice.

In most cases a great trigger makes for a great gun!

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

I haven't tried many of the newer smith triggers. The older Smith's have a well deserved reputation. My dad has a new 617 and it has an awesome trigger. But the sp101s and Ruger SAs I've felt are crap out of the box. Even after a trigger job the sp101s are mediocre at best. I love the sp101, but the trigger will never be on par with a 686. The Ruger SAs can be made spectacular with a little work. The LCRs are spectacular right out of the box.

The bottom line is, except for the LCR, don't expect a decent trigger from Ruger. I'm sure there are exceptions.

 

[johnbt]

"...Security Six had way too heavy a trigger pull, an aftermarket trigger spring set solved that problem"

I have a 1985 Service-Six that I bought new and the trigger is great. It's so nice that experienced shooters with tuned S&Ws have asked about where I had the trigger job done. It's so nice that after I ordered a reduced-pull spring kit for the heck of it from Brownell's the kit made the pull a lot worse. Go figure. It made it really bad.

My 1972 Single-Six Convertible came with a 2-pound & 7/10ths of an ounce trigger pull. (I have a Lyman digital gauge.)

I would hope Ruger could make triggers that are consistently good and not just good by accident when the tolerances stack up just the right way. I like gun shopping, but it takes a whole lot of looking to find a mass produced gun with an excellent trigger.

 

[Walklightly]

Ruger vs ???

My stock 44 Red Hawk has just as nice of a DA trigger pull as my two S&W performance center N-frame .357s. SA? Forget about it, I knew I paid $600 more for a reason.