[twoblink]

The GP100 is on my shopping list, and I was wondering, those who have a 6", do they find it a bit too front heavy or not? Anybody who has a 6" wish they bought a 4" instead?

Anybody who has a 4" wish they had a 6" instead?

[mtnbkr]

I have a 4" (GP100 you pervs) and wouldn't have it any other way. It carries well and shoots well.

Chris

[Jonesy9]

love my 4, wouldn't trade it for a 6

[Z_Infidel]

I have had both. I think for open carry when hunting, or for general field use the 6" is a good choice. However, I now own only the 4" and I prefer it overall. I like the balance of the 4" much better and I feel it has enough heft to make it a good choice for magnums and it is very versatile.

Choose the 6" if you want the benefit of slightly higher velocity and longer sight radius. It's hard to beat the 4" for overall versatility.

[Nightcrawler]

There are two kinds of GP100 six inch barrels, the full lug and the half lug.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/images/Products/52L.gif
Full Lug.

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/ruger_kgp161.jpg
Half Lug.

From handling both, I've found that the Half-Lug balances much better. Your mileage may vary, of course.

It also depends on what your'e going to do with it. For concealed carry, a 4" barrel will make it easier on you when sitting down and such. For open field carry and hunting, the 2" will give you a longer sight radius and improved ballistics.

[Mal H]

Got a 4", don't want a 6". The 4" looks, feels, and shoots just right.

[10-Ring]

I have shot both & prefer the 4" version.

[twoblink]

I like the look of the full shroud myself..

It would be mostly for target shooting; can't imagine the 4" being used for CCW!! I have an SP101 and so if a wheel gun got used for that purpose, the SP101 would be it..

I've never shot a 4", only the 6"ers..

Are 357's as pussycats out of the 4" ones as they are out of the 6"??

The 357's out of the SP101 are harsh...

[DAT]

I have both 4" and 6" full shroud GP100s. 357s out of the 4" have more noise, concussion, and flash than they do out of the 6". It is not as harsh as the SP101 but definetly not as gentle as the 6". The 4" is still very mild with 38spl. For target shooting I prefer the 6" since it has a longer sight radius and is more tame with 357.

You can't go wrong with either choice so you might as well buy both!

Enjoy
DAT

[Nightcrawler]

Or, if you really can't decide, you could get the new 5" barrel and split the difference. :D

[444]

I have the four inch and for my purposes I wouldn't trade it for a 6", but then I own other .357s with 6" and longer barrels. One of the primary purposes for my GP100 is for open carry while hunting or exploring the back country. IMO, the 6" is too long for actual carry. The big thing is that when you try to sit down to drive, the barrel either pokes into the seat and pulls your belt up around your neck or the whole gun twists causing your belt to cut you in two.
If I had no intention of ever carrying it, or carrying it in a shoulder rig, I would go with the 6". My tests have shown that the .357 really picks up speed fast as your barrel length increases. So, obviously, by choosing the longer barrel you are going to get much more performance out of your ammo along with the longer sight radius which will make the gun easier to shoot accurately.

[Ala Dan]

Well folk's, I don't own a Ruger GP-100; but I do own
and shoot a 6" barrel Smith & Wesson 686-5. Since
I don't use it for a CCW piece; it makes for an excellent
target weapon, with the longer sight radius. I just had a
WOLFF spring kit installed; and its one sweet shoot'in iron.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[twoblink]

I would like the opportunity to open carry it sometime. You say the 6" is difficult to carry? I'll have to look at the specs and see how long the total length is..

DAT, it's jerks like you that empty my wallet :p Get both!! Now you got me thinking it... Who cares about need right? We are a "want" oriented society..

[Border]

4. I bowhunt and I think it just perfect for a carry gun in that situation or general cold weather carry.

[twoblink]

Do I lose a lot of accuracy as far as the 4" as compared to 6"?

I wouldn't hunt with the handgun (Gonna get a Timberwolf for that) so velocity is not an issue. But recoil mildness and accuracy is..

[JohnKSa]

My first gun was a 4" Stainless GP100 with adjustable sights.

Now I have one to match it with in 6".

Another vote for BOTH.

I missed a chance at a 3" round butt model awhile back. Argh!

[Roger Williams]

Well, I have a 4" stainless and can't sell it because it is my wife's favorite gun! (hey, if it'll get her out to the range with me instead of griping at me when I go , then I'm all for it) If it wasn't her favorite, I'd trade it in a second for a blued 6".

I saw a blued 6" full lug at the last gun show I went to for $245. As my luck would have it I was flat broke. I have been looking for another one ever since then and they seem to be rare as hen's teeth! All anybody seems to have around here is the 4" stainless full lug model. :banghead:

[Shane]

Are 357's as pussycats out of the 4" ones as they are out of the 6"??

Yes and no.

Yes, the 4" GP 100 has very mild recoil even with relatively hot .357 magnums. Heck, even the 3" GP 100 doesn't recoil much with .357 magnums-->and I'm certainly not someone who gets jollies out of excessive recoil.

No, the 4" GP 100 is not going to recoil as softly as the 6". More mass implies less recoil. The 6" GPs do recoil less (the full-shrouded GP 100 6"ers recoil the least of all of them).

In practice, the difference is small, but there is a little difference.

What model do I prefer?

I like the 6" GP 100s, especially the now discontinued short shround KGP/GP160 series. I also like the full shroud 6" KGP/GP 161 series.

If I were to rank them on my preferences, it would be like this:

1. KGP/GP 160 (6" short-shroud)
2. KGP/GP 161 (6" full-shroud)
3. KGP/GP 141 (4" full-shroud)

YMMV.

[Jim March]

The 6" half-shroud balances like a 4" in the hand. It's really spectacular, if you can get past the look.

Holstering a 6" for CCW means shoulder rig, most of the time.

[twoblink]

I do see a 5" special edition on their website..

I like the 6" full shroud.. If it's not really a holsterable gun, then I guess I'll have to get BOTH.. the 4" and the 6"..

Evil evil men, ruining my finances....

[Rob96]

The 4" GP is probably the best all around revovler there is.

[gharsh]

I just bought a GP100 the other weekend and used it this past weekend at an NRA Action Pistol shoot. I was very impressed with the accuracy of the gun. It is a 6", blued, short lugged gun(GP-160). Thanks Shane for the insight. I did not know that the short lug had been discontinued. I got it for $299.

I use mostly .38s in it. I wanted to get faster shots without having a great deal of recoil. I think I'll use it mostly for NRA Action or I might try it in IPSC once I get used to reloading with speed loaders instead of magazines. :)

[standingbear]

i tried both before i bought the 6.the 4 would be ideal for ccw(lol..if we had it here)but being that i bought it for general purpose/hunting..i stuck with the 6 in stainless.i was able to get everything lined back up much easier for successive rapid fire shots in the 6 vs the 4.balances perfect for me and my bear sized hands.

[Slow]

I bought both.... traded the 4" and kept 6" full shroud for hunting, 6" seemed to have a better trigger and I liked the extra sight radius. No one complained about the 4" during shooting and I even used it as my CCW on occasion, both accurate guns in most hands.

[.41Dude]

I own one of the new 5" models, my first GP100.
I was lucky enough to walk into my local gunstore when they were un- boxing a big Ruger order.
BUT.
Now I am on the hunt for a nice 6" version.
AND.
A nice 4".
Not a lot of help am I?;)

[twoblink]

Seems like you should add a 3" version too. ;)

It seems the 6" is the preferred target pistol, but the 4" is more versatile for carrying..

Yep, gonna need both. I'm 99% convinced now..

[ReadyontheRight]

I have a 6" full lug GP100. It balances barrel-heavy, but I think that helps me shoot more accurately. Nice for the range, but a 4" would obviously be better to carry.

[Shane]

The 6" half-shroud balances like a 4" in the hand. It's really spectacular, if you can get past the look.

Yep, supurb balance the 6" half-shround has.


I think its good looking though.

[Kevinch]

My first ever firearm purchase was a 6" S&W 686-1. I still have that gun & probably will never part with it. Accurate, a really sweet trigger, & it has been meticulously cared for. Truly a sweet piece.

That said - if I had to do it all over again - I'd go with a 4". To me, a 4" just seems to balance & handle better. In fact, my last handgun hunt was for a 4" N-Frame, & I managed to kill 2 birds with 1 purchase when I found a clean Model 57. In addition to being my only 4" revolver, it is also my only .41Mag.

Either length will work for you, buy both if you can, & if it were me & I had to choose I'd go with the 4".

[Remander]

I have a 4". Never shot a 6". Love the 4. The recoil is not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. The thick grip soaks it up nicely.

I usually use a padded-palm bicycling (short-fingered) glove when shooting lots of .357 at the range. Mucho noise, but no hurt to hand.

[PawDaddy]

I have the 4" stainless GP100 and I like it alot. I would rather have the shorter, more compact gun. For me, it's easier to carry and handle.