S&W 686 vs Ruger GP100: The .357 Service Revolver Showdown

Two answers to one 1980s problem

By the late 1970s, American police were shooting a lot of .357 Magnum through revolvers that had been designed around the .38 Special. Smith & Wesson's K-frame, the backbone of police holsters since the Military & Police of 1899, was slim and lovely, and it did not love a steady diet of hot magnums. Its forcing cone, the funnel at the back of the barrel, was a known weak point under that use.

Both companies answered within a few years of each other.

Smith & Wesson built a new medium frame between the K and the big N: the L-frame. The stainless Model 686 arrived in 1981 as the stainless sibling of the blued 586. Ruger, which had been selling the Security-Six, started over with the GP100 in 1985 and built it heavier, simpler and with fewer places to fail.

Forty years later, both are still in production, both are still the default answer to "what .357 should I buy," and owners of each are still mildly smug about it.

Quick spec snapshot

Specs vary by barrel length and variant, so treat this as a frame-level comparison and check the maker's sheet for the exact model you want.

Frame and construction: watch versus anvil

The 686: a classic Smith built bigger

Pull the stocks off a 686 and you will see a lineage that goes back more than a century: a frame with a removable sideplate on the right that lets a gunsmith reach the lockwork, and a grip frame shaped for traditional stocks. The L-frame's cylinder is larger in diameter than the K-frame's, and the barrel carries a full-length underlug that adds weight up front where it calms muzzle rise.

The design has been refined many times, which is why 686s carry dash numbers. The -5 of 1997 brought metal-injection-molded hammer and trigger and a redesigned frame. The -6 of 2001 is where the internal key lock arrived, and current S&W revolvers, the 686 Plus included, have a key lock integral to the frame.

The GP100: no sideplate, no apologies

Ruger went the other way. The GP100 frame is solid: there is no sideplate to remove because the lockwork drops out of the bottom as modules. The gun breaks down into three major assemblies with very little need for tools, which home gunsmiths appreciate and gunsmiths who charge by the hour do not.

The cylinder locks up at three points: at the rear, at the front of the crane, and at the bottom where the cylinder stop engages. That triple lock, inherited from the larger Redhawk, is part of why the GP100 has a reputation as one of the strongest medium-frame revolvers ever built.

The other quiet innovation is the grip frame. Instead of a full steel grip frame, the GP100 has a small rectangular peg that encloses the hammer spring and strut. Grips simply have to wrap around that peg, which is why GP100 grips come in almost any shape and why the factory rubber grip feels so cushy.

Trigger: the 686's home field

If you ask a room of revolver shooters which gun has the nicer double-action pull out of the box, the majority answer will be the Smith. S&W revolver triggers have a long-standing reputation for a smooth, even stroke, and the 686 is one of the reasons why. It is also why so many competition revolvers wear the S&W logo.

The GP100's trigger is heavier-feeling and more variable from gun to gun. Many owners report that it smooths noticeably with dry practice and shooting. A competent gunsmith can improve either, but read our piece on what action work helps and what hurts before anyone starts swapping springs, because a lighter mainspring can cause light primer strikes.

Single-action, both break cleanly enough for target work.

Capacity: six, seven, and the Plus problem

The original 686 is a six-shooter. The 686 Plus, introduced in 1996, fits seven rounds into the same L-frame cylinder diameter, and it is now the version most buyers see on shelves. Ruger answered with seven-shot GP100 models of its own.

Seven-shot guns need seven-shot speedloaders and moon clips. That sounds obvious until you own one of each and grab the wrong loader on the way to a match. Our speedloader guide sorts out what fits which.

Grips, holsters and the ecosystem

The 686 shares its grip frame with the K-frame family, so the universe of S&W K/L round-butt grips fits. That gives you factory wood, Hogue rubber, G10 and custom wood from a dozen makers. Holsters are also plentiful, though an L-frame with a full lug is not the same shape as a K-frame, so buy holsters labeled for the L-frame and your barrel length.

The GP100's peg-style grip frame means only GP100-specific grips fit, but there are plenty of them, from Hogue rubber to hardwood inserts. Holster support is excellent because the gun has been a staple for decades.

Maintenance and long-term ownership

Both clean the same way: open, scrub chambers and bore, clean the cylinder face and the frame window, wipe under the extractor. Neither needs disassembly for routine care. See our cleaning routine.

Where they differ is deeper service. A GP100's modular lockwork comes out without removing a sideplate, so detail cleaning or a spring swap is less intimidating. A 686 sideplate should be removed carefully with properly fitted screwdrivers; prying it off is how people damage finish and fit. Our list of detail-strip tools explains why that matters.

Ammunition: the same diet

Both are .357 Magnums, so both will fire .38 Special, .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum. That flexibility is the core of the service-revolver appeal: soft .38 Special for practice, full-power .357 Magnum when you want it.

A practical tip: after a lot of shorter .38 Special cases, clean the chambers before loading .357 Magnum. The carbon ring left by the shorter case can make longer magnum cases tight to chamber.

The guns to look at

If you want the seven-shot Smith in a handier length, Ammunition Depot also lists a 686 Plus with a 5-inch barrel.

Who should buy which

The high-volume magnum shooter. If you will shoot a lot of full-power .357, especially heavy bullets, the GP100's mass and lockup are a comfort, and its modular internals make it easy to keep running. Our GP100 review goes deeper.

The trigger-first shooter. If you care most about double-action feel, or you are heading toward revolver competition, the 686 is the traditional choice, and the aftermarket for competition parts and holsters is enormous.

The hiker. Both are on the heavy side for the trail. The 686 Plus Mountain Gun variant exists precisely for that. The GP100's softness under recoil is its counterargument.

The collector-minded. Older 686s with no dash, and guns carrying the "M" stamp from S&W's 1987 cylinder-binding rework, interest collectors. GP100s are typically bought to be shot.

The lock-averse. If the S&W internal lock bothers you on principle, the GP100 doesn't have one. Plenty of owners never think about it; some won't buy a gun that has one.

The verdict

This is the rare matchup with no wrong answer. The GP100 is the tougher, simpler, more modular revolver. The 686 is the more refined one, with the better reputation for trigger feel and a deeper bench of grips and holsters.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.