[jar]

Lately I've started to see more postings on Colt vs Smith and it is slightly troubling. Although this IS a Colt board, I would hate to see it degenerate into a "Mine is Bigger than Yours" board where anything different is knocked.

I happen to own several examples of fine guns from Colt, Smith & Wesson, Dan Wesson and others. And each has features that I like, and a few traits that wish were more like (pick another). The Colt Python and the Smith & Wesson M-27 are both great 357 Mag revolvers. No doubt about it. Is one better than the other? Yup, in some areas. But overall? Nope, both great.

Frankly, my old Monson DA 15-2V6 will outshoot ANY of my Colts or Smiths. But it also takes far more maintenance to shoot consistantly at that level.

Several people have commented that there is as much traffic related to Colts on the Smith Forum as there is here. I think that's probably true, and part of it is that I have never seen someone mock or denigrate a Colt there as being inferior to the Smith. There are many there that prefer the way the Smith Trigger feels over a Colt, but they then qualify the staement and give reasons for their choice. They acknowledge the difference, but do not say that one design is superior.

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I'm so worried about what's hapenin' today, in the middle east, you know.
And I'm worried about the baggage retrieval system they've got at Heathrow.
I'm so worried about the fashions today, I don't think they're good for your feet.
And I'm so worried about the shows on TV that sometimes they want to repeat.

 

[Michael Stern]

Good comments, jar. I, too, have some of everything, and like each for different reasons. I'm mostly an S&W collector, who has recently been getting into Colt D.A. revolvers, which have an allure all their own. It seems pretty silly when you encounter people with brand loyalty that verges on chauvinism.

 

[256M-S]

The argumentative approach to "what I own is best" seems more common with the internet.

I like "using guns" in 44 and 45 DA revolvers and as a result I have more Smiths than Colts but I'm increasing the number of New Services. I like Pythons but personal taste gives the edge to older model pre-27's. Prefer Colt D's to S&W J's for their feel in the hand and sight picture though I tend to give the edge to the S&W action. Like SAA's and Smith doesn't offer anything similar today though I've got a lovely old Smith 44 Russian I shoot from time to time. Would have like to have had a modern Smith Schofield but the one's I handled had problems. Was happy to pick up a brace of 2d Gen Colt Dragoons and of 1860 Army's--even with the Italian Clone connection. The quality is that of Colt at it's best and makes for good shooters in SASS matches. There's ALWAYS been something good from each maker.

Fortunately, during my shooting lifetime, Colt and S&W seemed to alternate periods of gross quality control so I have a mix of both in using guns. It seems to me that in my shooting life time, one or the other was doing good work while the other suffered from QC problems for at least 40 years. Limited experience with either at any given time could surely drive one to one side or the other. Got so bad that I wouldn't special order anything without a clear understanding that I could refuse it if it didn't meet standard and preferred to deal with a shop that had several items to choose from on hand.

With current production, I lost interest in Smith about the time they stopped Pinning and Recessing and Colt about the same time from grotesque pricing and poor quality control. Fortunately, by that time I had most of what I really wanted in using guns.

Now it seems like the pendulum is swinging again with Colt and that Gyrene General is pulling them out of a long slump while S&W continues to downslide with trigger locks and with modern production methods that offer incredible precision but without the quality controls to make use of it.

After seeing some of the lovely photos here, it's fortunate, I think, that I've killed the collector's bug that leads one to insanity--though apparently, I still suffer from serious bouts of the Accumulator's syndrome with 44 & 45 revolvers and 22's, pre-64 Winchesters, Mannlicher-Schoenauers, and pre-War Obendorf sporters....Hell, collector or accumulator or just being a user, the condition is one step from insanity...

Cheers...

 

[Majic]

But then isn't that the purpose of the Lounge? Everyone should be invited to sit and shoot the breeze. A little civil debate has never hurt and other opinions should be welcomed. There are specific rooms to talk about specific products, but this is the general area. If it wasn't for brand loyalty then these sites probably wouldn't exist as just one would suffice for all. Everyone has their opinions and I think here is the proper place to state them.
I am first and foremost a Colt fan, but also own Smiths, Rugers, DWs, Kimbers, Taurus, and High Standards. They all serve well at what they are intended for.
Sometimes a debate starts activity by generating thoughts and ideas which can sort out myths from truths. Pure research on specific questions or scrolling thru pics admiring firearms is great, but sitting back reading opinions allows posters to get to know one another.
BTW, if you think a statement is made and not qualified, then ask for qualifications. That's how threads lives. It has to generate interest or it dies. The only bad question is the one not asked!

 

[Cocked & Locked]

My opinions only:

Best Looking One Gun: Colt SAA 7.5"

Best Looking Overall Brand: S & W

Most Interesting: Colt

Most Durable: Ruger

Most Expensive/Least Available...my area: Colt

Best Blue: Colt or S & W (varies)

Worst Overall Finish: Ruger



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C&L

 

[scamper]

ford vs. chevy?whats new?

 

[rich]

i lust finished posting my opinions on the similar thread "shooters and collectors" here in this lounge. mostly to do with my doubts that colt provides a weapon that i could count on in a serious situation. here's where i am at,
my department authorizes a .38snub for backup (no brand or capacity but must be .38snub). we qualify in january so if i want to carry a backup this year i must have it by then. i have to qualify on the actual gun i will carry not someone else's.
i am considering smith and wessons, and the ruger,
the ruger is about400.00 solid as anything but heavy.
the stainless smith 300.00+is a little lighter but not much.
the airweight 300.00+is half stainless half alloy 15 oz.
the airlight is alloy with scandium? cylinder weighs 10.oz 500.00
I am leaning toward the airlight because i will be carrying this on the straps of my vest and don't want it dragging it down. i am told the vest can support a stainless gun (this gun will be sweated on quite a bit so blue finish is for the most part out of the question) and i could probably practice more with a gun that didn't hurt my hand so much. I would also really like a sixth shot and we all know who makes those, so here is my question what is available right now from Colt that will fit these criteria and can you honestly say it is of a quality that i could bet my life or the lives of others on it?

 

[Majic]

Rich,
If you are talking of brand new out of the factory then Colt offers none, but on the used market there is the latest edition of the Detective Special in SS.

 

[256M-S]

Rich,

Would argue with Colt not providing a useable duty gun. I'll stack my old first iteration Cobras and Agents against any of the new Titanium Scandium SuperMetal pieces. Matter of fact, I gave an old hard nickeled Cobra that I'd carried as a hideout for a number of years to one of my twins when he graduated from Police Academy along with a Null rig for his duty pistol and pocket rig for the Cobra.

Personally, I'll trust my older Smiths and Colts against over any of the current production pieces---and have for some years before I became a retarded gentleman of almost leisure. Don't personally trust much of any of the current pieces from either manufacturer from what I've seen of accuracy, fitting, and reliability.

I'm withholding some judgement on the current Govt Models from Colt, but since I have my older pre-Series 70 and Series 70 GM's & Commanders already set up, I'll likely never carry one seriously. Thought not duty pieces, same with the SAA's--and when I do add one of those, I look for older pieces, but I've heard good things about current production.

 

[jar]

Rich

Seriously consider a Detective Special. And you really might want to discount the Blued won'tr do as well.

First, the Detective Special or other D framed Colts has a larger grip and is easier to control than the Smith J frames. Second, I have several blued Smiths that spent 50+ years in the Amazon Jungle. They still haven't rusted away.

Editted to add required spelling error.

------------------
I'm so worried about what's hapenin' today, in the middle east, you know.
And I'm worried about the baggage retrieval system they've got at Heathrow.
I'm so worried about the fashions today, I don't think they're good for your feet.
And I'm so worried about the shows on TV that sometimes they want to repeat.

[This message has been edited by jar (edited 12-09-2003).]

 

[rich]

so heres what happened,
i went to buy the 337 pd "Airlite"(10 oz.)for $550.00. wound up buying the model 36 blued steel version for $150.00 the gun looks unfired and is 100% in the finish department. i want to practice a lot with this gun so i figure the extra weight will be comforting on the hand, we use federal 125 gr +p jhp's. Jar's testimony helped me not to be afraid of the blue finish.i guess i could always send it to Robar if it gets too ugly. i never even saw a D-Spl for sale in my search, and my brother still won't give back my old one. anyhow thanks fellas for the input

 

[Model520Fan]

The S&W-Colt comparison was mandatory for gun rags for the thirty years I read them, and for quite some time before. It sold magazines.

Both companies have or had extensive product lines and some general differences, with advantages and disadvantages to each, some even partly depending on the intended use. For example, most people dislike that most or all of the stock Colt revolvers "stack" in DA. Yet my 2.5" Diamondback was one of my favorites partly for that reason. It is nice to know that a defensive weapon necessarily pointed at a person with some slack taken up is not going to surprise you. The Colt will not surprise you. A Smith might. Of course, a stock S&W is likely nicer to shoot at targets than a stock Colt, unless accuracy is an issue.

It should be obvious that the Colt cylinder revolves in the right direction, the Smith wrong. A bent ejector rod on a Colt is just a bent ejector rod. On a Smith, it's a gun that doesn't work. On the other hand, I have heard that a Colt dropped hard on its butt may not work at all. Haven't confirmed this.

Many more differences, but both companies made fine guns. I have only learned this about Colts in the last couple of decades.

The Rugers are not usually quite in the same fit and finish class as the top two, but they are mostly very good designs.

Most people already know about Dan Wessons, and the Casull needs no intro.

No company yet has a monopoly on good handguns.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Very interesting....but....what's a Ruger?.....

 

[rich]

A ruger is gun, kind of like colts or smith and wessons but usually with a lot of extra metal left on it making it look somewhat less graceful. i think there is a forum...

 

[7tenz]

I'll settle this here. They're all good, but could be better, esp the Rugers. I prefer the S&W in a wheelgun. I never had a Colt revolver. And greatly prefer the Colt 1911 over the Smith. Something about a military style simplicity that makes my heart pang. I'm suspicious of the external extractor. Besides, with that the S&W 1911 is just another auto.