At least with the side plate it's possible to have a trigger that's wider than the slot in the frame. I like my GP-100, but the trigger feels a little bit svelte on a gun that otherwise is anything but.
I’m in the market for a .357 revolver (6 inch barrel). I’ve narrowed it down to two options. The Ruger GP100 and the Smith & Wesson 686. Anyone have experience with both of these that could lend an opinion ? I’ve shot the GP100, but I have not shot the Smith & Wesson. Any input is appreciated.
If you have the time for it (he's long winded), you might benefit from some of nutnfancy's videos on the GP-100 4". I mention those because they contain comparison info, or at least I know I've seen him discuss it, probably on multiple occasions. He slightly prefers the 686. Having spent a reasonable amount of time with both, I slightly prefer the 686, too. I don't know why, but I just seem to shoot the 686 more accurately. I've shot the 6" 686 but I'm mostly talking about the 4" ones. The trigger pull is longer on the GP. It will be rougher on the GP at first, most likely, but a thousand pulls later it will be like you got a trigger job. If it isn't, there's probably something wrong with it that Ruger will need to fix for you, which of late has not been rare enough. The adjustable sight is better-designed on the 686. Ruger's adjustable sight can move around slightly side-to-side in the channel, and the pin on it will need either bending or blue Loctite to keep it from working itself out of position in use. The 686 frame comes pre-drilled so that you can securely mount an optic if you want. There are some options for the Ruger that work with the single screw that the stock sight uses, but they're nowhere near as secure, and it's easier to change the 686 back to the stock sight, too, just slide the stock sight back into place and insert the sight screw. The Ruger isn't hard, but you've got to get two springs and pin in place in addition to the screw, and you'll have to take extra steps to restore the elevation adjustment to what it was before. OTOH, the GP wins on ease of replacing the front sight, e.g. if you want a fiber optic or something with a red ramp insert. Now that I think of it, the 686 front sight isn't all
that hard to replace, but the replacement will probably need some fitting. Now that I mention that, however, plan on dealing with the stock front sight on the Ruger in one way or another. The S&W comes standard with a red ramp insert, not the brightest thing in the world, but better than the GP's stock front sight, which will need painting, at least.
HTH
