Some people are just set in their ways or let a bad experience from 30 years ago ruin them from a certain brand.
I bought a brand new 617-7 that was complete junk, spit lead and had bad timing. I sold it off for a loss, recently bought a Ruger .22 SP101 that's flawless.
My Dad bought a brand new PC 629 3" that had a galled up action that was filled with graphite lube, fresh out of the factory wrap, NIB. Luckily it was only a mis-fit hammer block, that I replaced myself. It seems a S&W tech tried to "mask" the sticky hammer block with graphite. Gun works fine now.
That said I have a GP100 I bought NIB packed and ready to be dropped off at Fedex in a couple hours, the b/c gap is about .001 and the gun locked up after 6 rounds. I had to cajole Ruger CS into paying for shipping but they did. It's a beautiful 3" GP with adjustable sights, with probably the best action I've experienced in a Ruger. It's the gun I bought instead of a 3" 686, so I hope they get it fixed and back to me.
They're all made by humans and neither a S&W nor Ruger comes out of a magical palace where guns are produced by perfect beings, or are they made by robots who make them all perfect and the same.
There's a debate on the Ruger forum about drops in QC with all gunmakers, the fact is, workers have bills to pay and need jobs, and when management tells them to get guns out, they get them out.
It almost seems that if you want "perfection" you have to pay for it. It seems these days that a gun isn't even considered "expensive" unless you're paying $2000 plus for it.
A "base model" GP100 for $550 NIB or a 686+ for $700 is almost a bargain in todays world, but gun makers seem to be cutting corners to keep the prices the same.
If you want the "best" Single Action you need to buy a Freedom Arms, apparently.If you want a "perfect" double action you need to take out a 2nd mortgage and find a Korth.
I hate to be the wet blanket , but these days when a good night out for 2 costs $100 if you actually want to eat or drink anything good...i.e. not burgers and PBR but a good dinner and top shelf drinks....$5-600 for a brand new GP100 or $650-750 for a NIB 686 seems like they're giving them away. I've spent $1,000 on 3 day mini-vacations and had to spend the rest of the week and a half until I got paid eating bologna sandwiches, but then I gripe about gun prices.......that $1,000 would have bought me a nice gun
If people want old ones, I've never been to a larger gun show where you didn't see at least a few older Smiths for fair prices. Or get a trade in Model 10 for $300 that will probably last a lifetime of shooting .38's.
People pay $450 for Taurus revolvers that don't even work out of the box and then get the headache of a lifetime trying to get them serviced, by that time they could have had a S&W or Ruger. I guess my point is try to buy "hands on"anymore, my strong theory is that SOME, not all but some, online gun dealers push the lesser finished or crappy action turds out to the online buyers and sell the "cream" to local regular customers. These large gun shops order Ruger and S&W wheelguns 10 or more at a time, and they let regulars "cherry pick". Faceless online buyers 20 states away get the "culls".
I want to get a Ruger Match Champion but fought the urge to use one of the large online GunBroker dealers having a "sale" on them.......I want to see it in person before I lay down nearly 7 bills on one. Be a consumer, be picky, don't accept S&W's or Rugers that appear to have been fitted with a wood rasp. I believe I am done buying online, new or used.
