Ruger's New 44SPL GP100--Got One!

Status
Not open for further replies.
suggest you put the stock grips back on before you send the pistol to ruger. you'll lose any aftermarket parts installed on the gun.

murf
 
I shoot a ton of lead out of my Rugers with no problems...Blackhawks, GP's, Redhawk, and Super Redhawk. They are all very accurate.
 
Well, my handload shoots okay.

25 yards with 220gr cast. 11.0gr Blue Dot.

10198f841b5ca470c6db7153db31f788.jpg
 
Looks like a keeper. Doesn't have to go back to the mother ship.

11 gr Blue Dot is what i loaded in a S&W 645, 45acp with a 200 gr lswc. Interesting.
 
Looks like a keeper. Doesn't have to go back to the mother ship.

11 gr Blue Dot is what i loaded in a S&W 645, 45acp with a 200 gr lswc. Interesting.
I want to try another brand or two of factory ammo as well as some jacketed handloads but, yeah, hopefully it won't have to go back.

11.0 is max according to the Lyman book but I notice some unburned powder in the gun and brass. I might bump it up a grain and see what that does. Pearce's article on the 44SPL goes up to 12.5 I believe with a 225gr cast bullet.
 
There is a strong catch right when the cylinder stop pops into the notches but that can probably be tuned up.

In my experience this is probably from dried grease or metal shavings in the action. A field strip and spray down with clp should work it out.
 
USB i see you number your chambers. May i ask your reason for doing this? I think i know but.....

I did that earlier when I was having the inaccuracy and keyholing issues. I fired a couple groups using each individual chamber to see if the problem was related to one specifically. It wasn't.
 
I appreciate your posts, as I am considering this gun or waiting for a 4.2" version.
For a S&W 696 with lead or jacketed, my go to powders are W-231, Accurate #5 and VV N340.
 
I did that earlier when I was having the inaccuracy and keyholing issues. I fired a couple groups using each individual chamber to see if the problem was related to one specifically. It wasn't.

What I figured, thanks. I have a revolver with one cylinder that shoots 4" out from the rest of the group.
 
I appreciate your posts, as I am considering this gun or waiting for a 4.2" version.
For a S&W 696 with lead or jacketed, my go to powders are W-231, Accurate #5 and VV N340.

Has Ruger said anything about a 4" barrel?

I have been using Blue Dot because I have a can that I'll probably never use otherwise. I am just glad to be finding a halfway decent use for it.

I also have a few faster powders that I'll try after I find a box of two of jacketed bullets.
 
Has Ruger said anything about a 4" barrel? I have been using Blue Dot because I have a can that I'll probably never use otherwise. I am just glad to be finding a halfway decent use for it. I also have a few faster powders that I'll try after I find a box of two of jacketed bullets.[/QUOTE said:
Not that I'm aware of, just a wishful thought.
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/44-special/
Hornady's 8th edition has load data using a 3" CA Bulldog for the test firearm.
I have good results with a 200 gr XTP in my S&W 696, my accuracy load is 6.3 gr of W-231 with that bullet.
The 180 gr XTP is also accurate for me with 10.2 gr of Accurate #5.
 
you might want to slug your barrel and check the throat diameters. something is not right here. the gun should shoot jacketed bullets w/o keyholeing.

murf
 
you might want to slug your barrel and check the throat diameters. something is not right here. the gun should shoot jacketed bullets w/o keyholeing.

murf

I just bought a box of 180gr XTP's and some 240gr Remington JHP's. I'll load these up this evening and see if I can't torch them off tomorrow.

As far as slugging, I'm not planning on messing with it that much. If it won't shoot jacketed it will go back to Ruger so they can fix it.

If it was a family heirloom that I wanted to shoot occasionally or a pistol that was out of production I would certainly be more interested in playing it with. But this is a new gun and should shoot pretty much anything I can stuff in it. At least I think that's what it should do especially with factory ammo.
 
can you at least check your throats by sliding one of those xtp bullets down each of them? if it's a sloppy fit, you'll know why your lead bullets are keyholeing.

murf
 
can you at least check your throats by sliding one of those xtp bullets down each of them? if it's a sloppy fit, you'll know why your lead bullets are keyholeing.

murf

Lead bullets have been shooting okay it is jacketed that haven't.
 
that's weird! can you dig a jacketed bullet out of the berm and make sure there are land marks on both sides of the bullet? the only thing i can think of here is a grossly oversize barrel bore and groove diameter. weird.

lead bullet bases will expand out to and oversize bore, but jacketed won't. weird.

murf
 
I bought a box of 180gr XTP's and some Remington 240gr JHP's and have loaded five of each with Blue Dot. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get them shot.

Both bullets measure .430" and we'll see how they shoot. If neither shoot the gun's going back to the factory.
 
that's weird! can you dig a jacketed bullet out of the berm and make sure there are land marks on both sides of the bullet? the only thing i can think of here is a grossly oversize barrel bore and groove diameter. weird.

lead bullet bases will expand out to and oversize bore, but jacketed won't. weird.

murf

Just a quess but I think I have a constriction in the barrel caused when the barrel was overtorqued during assembly. I believe that the bullets are swaged slightly undersize as they pass through the constriction.

Jacketed bullets swage down to a diameter that's too small to recover while a lead bullet may be able to obturate enough to recover and be more accurate.

These are guesses and I could be completely off base. But it sounds like "thread choke" is common on barrels with a thin forcing cone wall.
 
I wonder why they had to beef up the cylinder diameter so much for a .44 Special? Seems odd. The cylinder diameter is closer in diameter to an N-frame than an L-frame now. Seems unnecessary and undesirable for a carry gun.
I'm not surprised, it's what Ruger does,. If a 2 x 10 joist will do I will try to make a 2 x 12 work :)
 
I wonder why they had to beef up the cylinder diameter so much for a .44 Special? Seems odd. The cylinder diameter is closer in diameter to an N-frame than an L-frame now. Seems unnecessary and undesirable for a carry gun.

The clylinder is unfluted not enlarged.
 
The Realgun article you posted indicates it was both lengthened and enlarged. It says it went from 1.55 to 1.586" in diameter. My math was wrong, it is still closer to an L-frame in size, but I don't know why they needed to enlarge it. The L-frame handles .44 mag at 1.56".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top