Coonan or GP-100 .357

Where are you reading your GP will need an overhaul? Rugers are built pretty stoutly and everything I've read says they'll last a very, very long time.

I would like to hear more about this needed overhaul.

The ruger is cheaper and will outlast the coonan round for round.
But the ruger is not nearly as cool as the coonan and wont hold the colectors value that the coonan will.

The ruger would surely outlast the Coonan in my humble opinion, especially if the recoil spring etc in the coonan is not maintained well. It is embarrassing for me to say it though considering I am the revolverguy that if I had the money. I would surely purchase the coonan because I believe either one will outlast you.

The GP100 will last with a diet of nothing buy magnum loads. Unlike many

This overhaul sounds like a sales pitch by someone trying to get you to buy something else.

The Coonan is cool.
However don't let doubts of the Ruger handling full power loads non-stop influence your decision. Unlike with some manufacturers that design a sleek firearm that can handle some .357 but is expected to mainly shoot .38s that they label a .357 magnum, the GP-100 is a bulky gun that is designed to shoot them. It just so happens it can also shoot .38 specials.
Few other .357 Magnum revolvers are built as tough.

In fact it is so durable some people load rounds that other .357 magnums couldn't handle and that are over saami specs. They might experience some problems after awhile. The strong rugers tend to attract the type of people planning to do such things just because they are so strong.

The revolver will be much more versatile with it's ability to use any .38 or .357 ammo.
The Coonan would be a fun range gun, but I wouldn't give up a GP100 for it.

I don't own a Coonan but when I was considering one I was told by an owner it is a high maintenance gun, finicky about ammo and jam-prone. Any one of those properties outweighed the perceived coolness factor for me.

I wouldn't put too much stock into one internet opinion.
The vast majority of opinions I've read suggest that the GP100 will never need any attention.

I was just checking out their website. They sell some novel stuff: "Each vampire stake comes with eight Coonan 99% pure silver zombie bullets".
http://coonaninc.com/
I'd bet money the Ruger would give more uninterupted service before needing "some pretty major overhaul" or part breaking, or falling off, or not working with only one pet load. Probably shoot those werewolf bullets better too.

As much as I enjoy my Coonan, I just put 100 rounds through it yesterday, it is a fun novelty, not something I would use as a self defense weapon, even though it has been 100% reliable. Given your two choices, the Coonan for fun, the gp-100 for work.

The GP100 is one of if not the most durable 357 on the market, with the exception of possible the blackhawk. The Coonan is a sweet weapon for sure but I would not trade the GP100 for it. That is a decision that you will be sure to regret and I know all about regretting trade decisions. Stick with what works if your only going to own one.

The Coonan is cool ... but for the same money ($1350?) you could have the GP 100 and a decent .45 ACP 1911 ... One thing that turns me off about any gun is an expensive proprietary magazine (Coonan mag is $60). I like to have at least 4 extras per auto pistol, and more than that is preferred. But for a gun that is mainly a 'non-standard' range gun, I guess I wouldn't need that many extra mags.

I do understand the allure of wanting an auto in .357 MAG though ...

intercooler said:

The 5" barrel of the Coonan will give a velocity jump.

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You can get a GP-100 with a 5" barrel.

A 4" revolver has a longer effective barrel length than a 5" auto and velocities will run neck and neck with the auto despite the gap.

Is this just a range gun or a hunting/defensive gun? Seems like velocity jump would not be great to begin with, why is this such a selling point to you? Either way the Ruger will handle more full house loads than 99% of other guns

The Coonan is a really neat pistol, but was conceived before the 10mm, .45 Super and 460 Rowland existed. Today, there is little point beyond the cool factor.

If I seriously was considering a Coonan, and I was. I think I would go with a Delta Elite 10mm, and I am considering that now.

The Coonan seems cool, but I like several here feel it is more of a fun and novelity gun.

I fired a Coonan many a moon ago and 2 things stood out on the pistol. The grip is larger than your run of the mill 1911 and 2 the gun had feeding problems,granted the pistol was new but the owner had clean off what ever lube was on the slide/rails and it would fire 3 or 4 rounds and have a failure to feed. A bump on the rear of the slide solved the problem.
Don't know what Coonans are going for but I suspect you could get 2 GP 100s and have the actions cleaned up and still have money left for ammo.

On the Ruger Forum. It was a question someone asked about end-shake. Iowagean (think that's his name) layed it out what would need attention. Seemed like a decent bit compared to springs and possibly a barrel at some point.

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Do you have any idea how many magnum loads you would need to shoot through a GP100 before you would get any appreciable amount of end shake? Even if you reload, the cost of that quantity of ammo would FAR outweigh the cost of a new gun.

FOR ME (and I realize that just because it's my opinion doesn't mean it's for everyone) I would stick with the GP100. Easier to find parts and accessories, more reliable, more versatile (you can shoot any .38spl or .357mag through it), more durable, etc...
The coonan is neat for its uniqueness, ingenuity, and the fact that you can have that kind of power in a semi-auto without bumping up in size to something like a Desert Eagle. The GP is just infinitely more practical.

The new Coonan is an awesome gun and I fully blame you for putting it back on my money to spend list!!!!

I say have both. Get the NEW Coonan (not used older model) after saving up, and keep the GP-100 while you save.