I'm sure a few Ruger fans will chime in, which will be good as I don't have any experience with the convertibles in .45 acp. I have a 625 Smith that shot under 3" at 50 yds. right out of the box with no load development, and I have worked with a 586, (blued version of the 686), that would come closer to 2" at 50 yds. You are right about the price difference, but the generally better single action trigger pull may be worth it. For competition, I would replace the sights on either brand of gun, if that's legal for competition. Hope this helps.