Finally Bought a Revolver.....GP100

[Rexrider]

For the first time in about 12 years I finally added a revolver to the collection.

(I have not had a revolver since my personal financial collapse of '93. Most of my collection was sold off in '93-'94)

I decided on a Ruger GP100, 4", stainless. I was also looking at a S&W 686 as well. A couple things made me go for the Ruger. One, the Ruger was actually tighter then the Smith. The Smith was $110 more than the Ruger. The Smith has a frick'n lock on it. I have seen the posts about the lock and knew it was going to be there....but when did S&W start that?

The only thing the S&W had over the Ruger was single action trigger pull, but not by much. I was way not impressed with the Smith's double action.

Not trying to bash S&W here. Just pointing out the differences with the revolvers that were on-hand. I used to have, back in the day, a S&W 686 6" and a 629 Classic 8 3/4" w/scope. Both were fine revolvers. Just thinking about how good the trigger was on the 629 brings a tear to my eyes.

Anyway, back to the Ruger. I got it out to the range yesterday. Woo-Hoo !! I have been shooting semi-autos all these years and forgot how much fun revolvers are. I had a mix a Remington 125gr JHP (my old stock from bought in '91), PMC 158gr JSP, and some pain old .38 special 158gr swc. I was shooting 20, 50, and 75 ft.

Whew...that 125gr stuff is hot. Nice flash too. It did not take long to get her dialed in. The GP100 seemed to like the 158 gr stuff better. Not to mention less flash. My best group was 6 shots, about 1 1/2" at 20ft off-hand and single action. Four shots in the center ring with 2 just outside. Good enough for me. Groups at 75 ft were 4" to 6" (6 shots, off-hand). Nothing spectacular, but not bad for just getting the feel of it.

Shooting the .38 specials was almost funny. Instead of BOOM they kind of when PIFFFT. No recoil to speak of. One odd thing with the .38's, not only did they go high, they also when left. At 20 ft they grouped at between the 1 and 2 o'clock positions 2" from center. I expected a change in elevation, not windage. I never notice this with my old S&W when shooting .38's.

I have to say at this point I am happy with the GP100. Now I just need to find a good holster for open carry when my wife and I go hiking. One thing about the GP100, it is not light.

 

[rockstar.esq]

Solid gun, good price. And most important of all, one of my favorite calibers! I was a little surprised that you didn't like the triggers on the smiths you checked out. I have a Taurus "copy" of a 29. Smooth trigger and just a beautiful thing to behold. Enjoy your new gun. I hope you never have to part from it.

 

[cslinger]

Ruger makes what, I believe, is the best mid sized revolver bar none. I have a 3 inch that blows away any of the current Smiths I have played with.

I am not a Smith hater by any stretch but GP100s are just spectacular revolvers.

Enjoy. Dry fire or shoot lots and you will find a double action trigger that smooths out immensely and can be staged beautifully.

Chris

 

[P95Carry]

Excellent choice - one of the toughest 357 revo's around for its size. The 4" is perhaps the ultimate good compromize between too short and too long!

I will expect that gun to please for the duration.

 

[cslinger]

I will expect that gun to please for the duration.

.....and be able to jack up a car in a pinch. I have actually seen a GP100 used because a handle was not available to jack up a car. No damage to gun. Not something I would suggest doing but there are tough SOBs.

 

[Rexrider]

rockstar.esq,
Yeah, I was kind of surprised too. I know how good S&W's triggers can be but the S&W 4" that was in the case really was not all that. I really felt the GP100 double action trigger was as good as the Smiths's. Perhaps just a tad heavier but at least as good. The single action trigger was better on the S&W, but not by much. Certainly not $110 better if that was the only consideration between the two.

I am very happy with the GP100. Can't wait to get back out and shoot it some again. I will have to see if I can get some groups worthy of posting.

Now I really need to think about what kind of HD/SD loads use in it. I will probably go with .38 special +P's for in house loads. Not sure yet about when we are out walking on trails. Probably stick with the 158gr JSP since that is what I run in my Marlin 1894. I do know is the first round will be a shot shell for snakes. I welcome any suggestions in the ammo dept.

Cheers

Edited to add: cslinger, thanks for the information on the extra bonus capabilities of new GP100. I hope I never have to use it that way but it is always good to know I can if needed.

 

[Bullet]

Rexrider

Now you need to buy a fiber optic front sight. I like the green best. You can sure see your front sight better with fiber optics.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have a 3" GP100 that I like a lot. It is no target gun, but it shoots well enough for my needs. I shoot my 41 mags considerably better.

I like the heft of the GP100. It makes you feel that you have a real solid and safe gun. I also like the factory grips. No plans on changing them out as they fit my smallish hands just fine.

 

[Majic]

Since your GP likes 158 grainers it's still hard to beat the old 158gr LSWCHP +P. Winchester still makes their version and I think Remington still makes theirs.

 

[jc2]

I prefer the 145-grain Silvertip for general carry/use in my .357s. When Novemeber rolls around (deer season), I normally switch to the 180-grain Partition Gold (which is no slouch as a general carry round either).

 

[P. Plainsman]

Stainless 4" GP100 = one vision of the All-Around Handgun.

Ruger makes what, I believe, is the best mid sized revolver bar none.

Check. Esp. now that the magnum S&W K-frames are history.

Enjoy. Dry fire or shoot lots and you will find a double action trigger that smooths out immensely and can be staged beautifully.

Check. Loaded with .38 Special, my GP gives the best practical accuracy, in my hands, of any handgun I've shot. Once the trigger smoothed out I could, and can, shoot it consistently better DA than SA.

 

[mec]

First get your Rugers. Then branch out into the others- none of which are quite as durable or able to digest large quantities of the gross loads.

 

[rick_reno]

A kid showed up at our city range last week when I rangemaster - and he had his first pistol, a stainless 6 inch Ruger GP100 in .357. He was very excited and wanted me to sight it in for him, I explained it was his gun and he should do it. He shot a couple of boxes of ammo, got it dialed in nice (I did adjust the sights for him). I looked the gun over when he was done - it was a very nicely made handgun and it looked great too. I was really impressed with the look & feel - great grips.
He asked about cleaning and I got out the 44 mag Super BH my father bought in 1959 to show him what one can look like if it's taken care of. In 4 more years it'll be 50 and still looks very good. I hadn't shot it yet that day (the range got busy) and it was still in the bag on my scooter. He was heading up to Walmart to buy cleaning supplies when I was closing.