I read the entire thread. Who has a low opinion of the Smith and Wesson?
I'll start. I have a low opinion of the Smith and Wesson because they once were something great. Now they are all MIM internals and they have some stupid internal lock that can cause issues if left in place. I'm pretty low mileage on my S&Ws though at about 200,000 rounds so don't mind me. Unfortunately they are still the best game in town for double action revolvers and I stick with them because I can tune them. I don't know anything about a Ruger double action except the tunes ones I have handled did not impress me.
The Ruger and the BFR are very similar. I'm going with the Ruger single action since I know exactly what's under the hood. Don't like end shake? Ron Power at Power Custom makes shims to eliminate it. You can also fit your own pawls and cylinder stops if you really want to play with it. God bless anyone who loves those adjustable sights. I would want that front blade gone so fast...it's hideous. No thank you. I prefer the clean lines of the fixed sights. They require a little more effort to sight in, but when they are done all is right in the world.
I change the hammer and trigger springs out for a kit from Long Hunter Shooting Supply. Works out to be a 15# hammer spring and a 30 ounce trigger spring. The gun becomes very smooth and fully functional with Federal, Winchester, and CCI large pistol magnum primers. That's a very low mileage test though maybe about 15,000 rounds over eight or ten pistols without a click when I needed a bang.