Ruger GP 100

[5ontarget]

As some of you know, I have been looking for a .357mag for a while. I finally found one that was on my list. Obviously, by the subject line, it is a GP100. These are very plentiful guns and relatively easy to find, unless you want a blue 6" version. I contacted my dealer, and he said he could order one. Only one of his distributers had one in stock and it would cost me more than stainless. I didn't go for it.

When I go to the range, I make the mandatory pass by the gun counter. The first gun I see in the first used case is this blue Ruger GP100. It appears to be in great shape, it locks up solid, barely has any wear on it, and so I pack it up and take it home.

Alright, on with some of the details. The model I bought had adjsutable sights on it. My first outing with it revealed it to be right on target. The single action trigger is not bad, a little hard for a SA, but it breaks nice and clean. The DA is pretty hard, and a little nasty. I plan on doing a little work to it sometime to smooth it out a little. I wish I had brought more ammo to the range that first day. I had a great time shooting it. With that big chunk of metal and the wood/rubber grips .38spl was really easy to shoot. I could have shot it all day, if I had the ammo. .357 as you would expect was substaintially more noticable, even if you don't include the fireball. Out of courtesy to the poor guy shooting a .22 next to me, I only shot ~18rds. I had been shooting the .38s and when I switched to the .357, I think he about dropped his gun and wet himself. This also violated my general shooting routine, of start with the larger recoil and work down. I shoot better that way. I didn't shoot the magnum rounds as well as the specials, but on the whole I did better than I thought I'd do with a new gun.

Ah, 4:00am, maybe I can get to sleep now....

[TMan]

We feel very honored that you would share your experiences with us prior to going to bed. That kind of dedication is rare these days. ;D

My GP-100 is stainless and it must be the 4" barrel. I do remember putting a spring kit in it, and it improved the SA considerably. This was prior to my stoning and polishing days, so if I ever work on it again, it will be even better when I finish.

Wolff has the reduced power springs available for it. I went with the lowest power, and never had a problem with it. www.gunsprings.com/Revolver/Ruger_Rv.html#GP-100

What is really cool about the GP-100 is the screws that hold it together. You never have to worry about losing a screw or stripping the heads on them.

For those of you not familiar with the GP-100 here is a picture of the stainless version (you can see it better than the blued version):



Where are the screws? It is a neat design. All you have to do is remove the single screw that holds on the grips.

Being that yours is blued vs stainless, I doubt if you will be as anal about getting the inside of the cylinder clean as I was. However, if you do get a build up and want to get it out, a friend of mine told me to use 357 Maximum brass to scrape it out.

www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=755699

DA will be disappointed that you didn't get a S&W. ;D However, I think you did well with the Ruger and won't be disappointed with the performance of it.

Hey, the guy next to you was lucky that you were shooting it in a long barrel. I have a 357 Magnum barrel for my Bond Arms derringer. When I was shooting it, it cleared out the range. Between it, the Bushmaster 97S and the 460 XVR I wouldn't win any popularity contests at the range. "Boy, that little ole guy sure-nuf makes a lot of noise."

["DoubleAction"]

5on; Thanks for this range review on the GP100; We do not get enough on these revolvers which they truly deserve. First time I ever laid eyes on the GP 100s was at a Gun Store called "Gunslinger", and my first thought was how sturdy the gun was built. This was during the eighties when S&W was going strong with the full lug barrel L-Frames and Colt was doing things with the more reasonably priced King Cobra. The concept of offering reasonably priced .357 magnum strengthened mid frame revolvers seemed to be of one of competitiveness between S&W, Ruger, and Colt at the time.
Since I was born into an era where S&W and Colt dominated the revolver markets, I was already into those long before Ruger had introduced their lineup of double actions. However, my very first time to fire a .357 magnum came from a Ruger, and same with the 44 magnum. I then went on to revolvers which fitted toward more conventional applications for personnal defense than the single actions offered.
Buying on the used markets is by far one way to take advantage of acquiring a good magnum revolver at a time when many wants something which might seem less fearful to shoot.
My favorite all round barrel length on a combat revolver is four inches, with a single stage double action trigger stroke of around 8 lbs or less. The Ruger GP 100 is one which has become a highly prized revolver among many serious handgun enthuasists, and one which ranks high on attention from highly noted pistolsmiths. Jack Weigand once did a good defensive package on the GP 100, as did many others. For a mid frame carry revolver; I would give alot more thought to the GP 100 than I would a Python. There is alot you can do with the GP 100.

[5ontarget]

Tman,
Thanks for the link on the springs. I have read from others that the lighter springs lead to some ignition problems. Glad to hear yours did not. The springs were the first place I was going to start.
I've got a couple of books, and done some internetting on some easy trigger mods for the Ruger. I'll have to re-rig my poor man's trigger gauge for some before and after measurments. Stay tuned this summer....

DA,
I prefer the 6" barrel for the type of shooting that this gun will do. I have no intention of trying to make this a daily carry piece. This is going to be a range gun, and serve as an occasional camp gun. Plus, if I ever decide to hunt with it, Ohio has a 6" barrel minimum.
If it were for carry, I'd probably lean toward the stainless 4" in .357. However, I usually like the looks of blue over stainless, and I like the extra length and weight for more pleasurable shooting.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I've been looking for an appropriately priced blue 6" .357 for over a year.
The next closest I found were a couple of overpriced S&W 28's. For the condition of the two I found, ~$450 (if I remember correctly) was a bit steep.

Someday when I have my camera out again, I'll try to take some pictures. Keep two things in mind, I am a bad photographer, and getting blued guns to behave is a bit of a challenge. So, in the meantime, enjoy pic in Tman's post, even if it is stainless.