Precision Bullseye Capable Revolvers....curious to learn about the most highly regarded.

Trying to learn the art and skill of shooting a revolver having spent most of my years shooting semiautomatic handguns and long range rifle. A dear friend is a Naval Aviator (retired) who carried a small colt revolver with him in the service of our nation and now shoots mainly old lever action rifles and revolvers....so It's time i learned revolver. I purchased a SW 686 plus which was pretty but disappointingly assembled. One of my closest friends is a famed and brilliant gunsmith is spending a significant amount of time and effort to reconstruct and repair it. The hammer was maligned and hit the frame among other inadequacies. I don't want to state that i'd never purchase a new SW revolver and understand that perhaps this was a rare lemon.... but sadly i no longer pine for new generation SW products. 

When i was a child i vividly recall riding my bicycle on the way to the library, most days passing by a shop that displayed in the window the Dan Wesson line of revolvers, they sure looked wonderful to a 10 year old.

These experiences have led me to consider other reasonably available, accurate, SA/DA revolver options...at least academically. 

The Korth and Manurhin revolvers seem to call to me of late though prices remain beyond reach. I only today read about a new revolver out of Germany called Spohr that sounds well made. 

It seems that Taurus, while prolific, is generally not a brand that one might associate with meticulous quality. That said, their new target revolver sounds somewhat promising. 

I've never seen a Freedom Arms and rarely a Ruger revolver at our local range but i heard the former were wonderful.

Curious as to which revolvers you might dream of one day owning and shooting.

Well, I own a bunch of revolvers.  So there aren’t many I covet at this point.  With revolvers it seems that Colt 1960s-1970s era revolvers were the most accurate out-of-the-box because of their barrel and cylinder throat geometry.  S&W revolvers had way better triggers and DA mechanisms.  Since trigger is the most important thing in pistol shooting, most people shoot S&W.  A lot of people seem to swap different individual S&W revolvers trying to find one that shoots “better” than the one they have.   Others have their revolvers reworked to improve the cylinder and barrel geometry.

I've owned many S&W revolvers and a couple Colts.  My current target revolver is a Manurhin MR38, it's phenomenal...
Wish I had it when I was pursuing NRA's DR badge, but the S&W M14 got me there in about 5 or 6 matches.  The most accurate stock revolver out there will be the Manurhin.  I've talked with Spohr, they are using .355 barrels for the 38 and 357 guns.  You'd want to shoot .355 or .356 jacketed bullets for that bore size which may be an issue with brass.
Like Wobbley mentioned you can always have a S&W reworked to correct their very poor cylinder throat, forcing cones, and off center crowns.  That'll do a lot for accuracy.

thank you both....i very much look forward to learning more of the art and optimization of this format.... ultimately developing the skill of shooting a revolver well

My scores really improved when I forced myself to shoot DA in TF and RF.  Trying to cock the hammer in those stages always messed up my grip.

i too am focusing primarily on DA. i find it a bit more challenging and yet rewarding

I have used various S&W revolvers, Colt Officers Match Python equivalent, Manurhin and Korth Ratzburg. 
Korth and Colt felt very tight due to hand spinning cylinder clockwise, locking it into the direction of the frame. 
Manurhin and SW had more movement in the cylinder when cocked. 
DA - Korth sucked bigtime and that was using the least stacking bushing. Colt was harder and non adjustable due to V spring. SW infinitely adjustable with a BUT. Models using firing pin on a hammer reach a point when primer no longer ignites, so a softer primer needed. Models with a frame mounted firing pin can can be replaced with longer nose firing pin which ignites primes well into 6-7lbs. Manurhin was SAO, so I dont know, but supposedly DA capable models are awesome. 
SA - they are all good. SW and Manurhin can be adjusted to a hair trigger that feels dangerous. 
Sights - Manurhin > Colt > Korth > SW. Sorry but SW factory sights suck bigtime in my opinion. 
Fit and finish - Korth is just soooo precise on the outside. Bluing is exceptiinal. Until you open it and there are tons of tooling marks on the frame and cover. However all components were very well machined. Manurhin bluing is exceptional but finish does not look as precise. Never opened it. Components look very well machined. Colt and SW about equal. I would say Colt felt better made. SW components are just not as well tooled as others. 
Gunsmithing - SW trigger action is super easy to work on. You can tune the action to be very smooth and light. Parts are abundant if you mess up. Colt not so much. Parts availability for older guns is limited. Tuning action is limited. Korth Ratzeburg was terrible. Not hard, but not pleasant at all. That precise finish lent to super tight tolerances where any small shift and you cannot put cover back on. Manurhin you never need to open it. Ever. Tune action via screws on the outside and leave it alone. 
Memorable points - Colt action felt good, but that's because trigger return was too light from the factory. Felt like a snail next to factory SW. Manurhin target sights were some of the best I ever used on any pistol. 
Accuracy - they all did very very well without a particular distinction. 
Real world use - there is very small distinction when using these in single action. They are all good. 
Bottom line - all my revolvers are now SW. Biggest bang for the buck and I can smith them if I want to. When the feel of novelty subsides you realize that SW are very well built, have nice finish, have great trigger, have great accuracy...at a fraction of the price. I would keep Colt, but cylinder direction was faking me out sometimes. Else it is also great. 

Caveats - new Korths may be very different than Ratzburg. I did not do any lockup work as none needed it. Law of diminishing returns is very strong in the revolver world as the inherent accuracy is too great.

Wow, i really appreciate your post...lots of really great information. thank you for taking the time

Brand-new,

If you do not have much revolver experience, my advice would be to buy a S&W K 14 to begin with. If you can find one that a Bullseye shooter has had tuned and used, that would be be the perfect quick solution. Failing that, as an example, last year I bought three k14's off GunBroker, sight unseen except for photo's, all were in the $400 to $500 range. All looked good on receipt, all had decent triggers, one had obviously been worked on and the trigger is excellent for both SA and DA - a keeper. Another also had a very good trigger, but did not shoot well (fitted with a Performance Center shotgun barrel I guess ), back on to GB for a very modest loss. The third shoots well, but the trigger and springs needed a bit of tweaking and is also now excellent, put a red dot on that one for Harry Reeves.

I have tried Ruger and other cheaper brands - did not work for me.

I tried a new Korth, beautifully made, accurate, great SA trigger, but I could not get on with the DA (impossible to "stage" for TF/RF), so I sold it on. I have also tried several Manurhin's, also beautiful, great triggers, both SA and DA. The target models have excellent superior sights. But, so far, for me, at least, I am not seeing better scores with those very expensive revolvers compared to my <$500 K14's.

The best S&W 14 that I owned was a full underlug K14-4, they are usually well over $1,000 if you can find one. I stupidly sold mine on when I bought the "superior" Korth. Ho hum!!!!

^^^ Yes, that! I am also shooting K14. Mine was great from the get go, unmolested. I decided not to molest it as I shoot SA anyway. There is really no work needed to be done if you want to shoot SA. Just back out leaf spring screw enough to lighten up the trigger and while still setting primers off. I usually set at around 2.5-3lb. In a (good) revolver 3lb will feel like 1.5 in 1911.  2lb in a revolver is scary. At some point I may change the return spring as I am not a fan of stiff springy return, but neither a fan of sluggish return. 
In SW the trigger pull weight is a function of return (rebound slide) spring and hammer leaf spring.  Adjusting hammer spring is easy. Back out screw until primers no longer ignite, then back in half or 3/4 turn. Other universal rule of thumb for all primers is place trigger pull gauge onto hammer (yes, hammer) and work same screw until hammer is 3.5lb. 
Rebound spring gets tricky if you want very light DA. If certain areas contacting all return components are not well stoned and polished then the lightest return springs will not be able to push the rebound slide and trigger back into place. Heavier return spring will need to be used and hence heavier DA. In the past I went down as light as under 11lb with great snappy return. Just too lazy to do it nowadays as I find myself shooting SA. 
Trigger dynamic (not weight) is a function of getting right engaging areas to good angles and polish. 
Now a tricky part of working on SW is that components are only surface hardened, so you have to take that into consideration. Else fairly easy. 
Timing is another story and usually never easy on any revolver. 
Little trick I learned - if and when you search used revolvers (blued) look at the ejector rod and frame on the cartridge side. Those are #1 indicators of use. Amount of loss of bluing on the rod is an indicator of aount of use. As is imprint of cartridges on the frame. 
Second indicator is screw finish. If they are not nice and straight dont bother. Unless a highly modified gun like PPC. Reason is that people or smiths who do a good job will know not to f@ck up the screws. Highly modified guns usually go through tons of tuneup through opening and closing. It used to be always preferred to keep original screws, so they may be slightly printed.  Also pray to gun Gods and cross your fingers and toes.

Oh and to completely answer the question of exactly which revolvers:
SW K14 for 38spl
SW K17 for 22lr
SW 25 for 45
SW 27 for 357...and 38spl but then K14 is still better for 38. 
Above models in pinned barrel variants usually preferred before quality started to shift. 
610 (pre-lock) for 10mm and 40s&w...what...I have one and it rocks!

Else easy rule of thumb for SW is anything before lock should be pretty good (just stay away from aluminum cylinder 617).

I am probably more of a smith guy, but I know of a few examples of Rugers and Colts that I like as well. When  I started shooting/playing with revolvers, I started with a borrowed 28-2, got a 586, and more recently acquired a 14. 
I personally have not been impressed with Korth or Manurhin examples that I have handled/shot. They have their fans but, they didn't do it for me.  

One thing to keep in mind, the grips can make or break how well you shoot a particular revolver. As an example my 586 and 14 share the same grip sizes but I shoot each revolver better with different style grips on them.

really interesting...i had expected the Korth, Manurhin revolvers to be the creme de la creme.

i have larger hands and can get by with the pachmayr presentation grips but i would love to be able to find a reasonably priced even larger/more supportive grip for my SW 686 plus

Manurhin is a refined S&W design and the best IMO.  Do a little research on durability between the 2 brands, no comparison.

Nill makes larger grips for both Smith and Manurhin that may work better in your hand.

Spohr is also a refined SW. If you look at the exploded pics it looks yummy on the inside. Manurhin still takes top due to superior metal used to withstand long term use (of 357 nevertheless) and of course rebound slide and spring design which is not only adjustable but has angular tension. However, for regular person SW is more than enough. God bless you if you wear down SW ))

You did not specify what caliber but if you start with a 22 you would be hard pressed to do better than a S&W model 17.  I have a 17-4 that has had an action job done on it back in the mid 1980's and I have put over 10k rounds through it.  The best 30 round score I ever got was 291 out of 300 at 25 yards.  As others have pointed out the prices for S&W's is reasonable and there are quite a few gunsmiths that can tune them.

I have a SW .38/357 that disappointed me so greatly that i thought i should sell it, albeit with full disclosure. It was really terribly made and not inexpensive.

.. my dear friend however was so kind, he offered to repair and optimize the revolver, he's a pretty amazing person and a very well known and respected gunsmith. 

In the coming year, if i can save enough and if my better half is on board, I will focus my efforts on finding an accurate, well designed and well constructed .22lr. 

I've got a little cache of .22LR left over from my rifle days.

Steve B wrote:Manurhin is a refined S&W design and the best IMO.  Do a little research on durability between the 2 brands, no comparison.

Nill makes larger grips for both Smith and Manurhin that may work better in your hand.

Well aware that the origin of the MR 73 harkens back to the French Gendarmerie with the intent to handle high pressure 357 magnum loads.... 

My recommendation is for bullseye use, as many bullseye shooters would be extremely frustrated and potentially irate if the guy next to them was shooting full house magnum loads.  The other consideration from my recommendation is cost, hop on gunbroker and the MR73s are untouchable for under a grand, with most listings in the 2-3K range. As previously mentioned a good Smith can be found under a 1000 regularly. From the examples I have seen, for bullseye use you are not getting 1-2K of benefit with a MR 73 over a good Smith for our game. I have never heard of someone wearing out a Model 14 shooting bullseye loads.

The absolute best bullseye scores I have witnessed have been shot with Smiths and the occasional Colt, if the Manurhin indeed had any significant advantage, there would be more on the line at any given match. I don't personally have the data but I would bet that Manurhin's make up less than 5% of the revolvers' used on the line at either the CMP National Matches or NRA nationals.

great information and insight. thank you

too old and much too hurt to enjoy anything more than a gentle powder puff load.

" if the Manurhin indeed had any significant advantage, there would be more on the line at any given match. I don't personally have the data but I would bet that Manurhin's make up less than 5% of the revolvers' used on the line"

Whilst Chiz is almost certainly correct, there is another factor worthy of mention. Generally, the best DR or SR scores are shot by the top shooters who, typically, have very good eyesight (unlike Chiz and myself!). 

The Manurhin MR Target 32 and 38 revolvers have very nice sights - rear blade can be easily swapped out to best suit shooter preferences. My eyes need a wider and deeper notch - easily fixed with an MR. I have been able to get a better sight picture with K14's by having a skilled gunsmith mill the rear sight blade (a very deft hand could do it with a file) to achieve my preferred width and maximise the depth (limited by the sight base). The result is not quite as nice as an MR, but much better than stock for my eyes.

This point does not, IMHO, change the overall conclusion, but, if your eyes are less than perfect and you have money to burn, a Manurhin MR is a very good choice. YMMV!

chiz1180 wrote:My recommendation is for bullseye use, as many bullseye shooters would be extremely frustrated and potentially irate if the guy next to them was shooting full house magnum loads. 

What really makes me irate is the guy next to me left of me doing a mag dump on an AR or AK.  Dealing with the blast from the muzzle brakes and pelted with brass!  Fun!….

Look at Cabelas/Bass Pro as they have a pretty good online used gun listing service, and they'll ship to your nearest store for you. They have a fair supply of S&W and Colt revolvers. You pay $20 or something like that to have it shipped, if necessary, but you do not have to purchase it. I found a S&W K38 (made in '73-'74) a few months ago at my local store, but I saw its photos online. Like new, original box, cleaning kit (still in the plastic), and instruction sheet, for a very good price. A few years ago they had a nice 25-2, I regret not buying it.

The S&W revolvers in K frame are probably the most popular. The K frames have shorter actions than Colts. They also have less cylinder mass to operate than the L frames and N frames. Don't forget, in addition to the model 14, the models chambered in .357 Magnum, i.e. model 19 and 66, are very accurate. There is plenty of griping about recent production models of S&W products and poor customer service on the Smith & Wesson forum. Then you also have those people who dump problem used guns on unsuspecting consumers.

https://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sale-trade/732247-superb-full-lug-14-6-offered-sale.html

Well loved, shot often, cleaned? Not so much. You can tell I use a lot of Bullseye powder. All you need to shoot a 2700 and a Reeves match. The 38 needed some cylinder reaming for consistency but the 22 and 45 were never touched and are very accurate. More important at my age they are fun and reliable. 17-4, 14-6 and 25-2