GP100 forcing cone?

[jimbombo]

Hi all.
Just bought a used GP100 4" SS. Made in Jan 2012.
Questions I have for you revolver guys is a new SP101 or GP100 the inside and outside edges of the forcing cone are pretty sharp. The gun i bought needed to be cleaned up and the front of the cylinder had some rings on it that i removed, The inside edges of the forcing cone are smoothing out, ever so slightly rounded(I would not say the wear was excessive) Just wondering about how many rounds would it take to start smoothing that edge of the forcing cone? Hope this question makes sense..

Thanks all

 

[Drail]

The only way to dress a forcing cone is with a piloted tool like Brownells sells. Without it you'll cut it out of round or on an angle. Personally I wouldn't worry about the edges too much, that's just the way Ruger finishes off their machine cuts. Every GP 100 I have ever stripped down had enough razor sharp 90 degree corners on the frame to cut up a couple of chickens, especially between the bottom of the frame and the trigger guard. Careful with those fingers. They make great guns though. They just don't have a de-burr department. Avoid shooting very many 110 -125 gr. high velocity rounds. They will take a real toll on the forcing cone faster than you would believe.

 

[roaddog28]

I agree with Drail. Here is what happens to a GP100 shooting 100 rounds a week of 125 gr high velocity "flame throwers". As a person can see the forcing cone is eroded on the inner edges and the forcing cone is split. This one required a complete barrel replacement. The person did his own reloading and pushed the limit of the revolver.

 

[jad0110]

I agree with Drail. Here is what happens to a GP100 shooting 100 rounds a week of 125 gr high velocity "flame throwers". As a person can see the forcing cone is eroded on the inner edges and the forcing cone is split. This one required a complete barrel replacement. The person did his own reloading and pushed the limit of the revolver.

Wow, that's impressive. That took the concerted effort of a true recoil junkie! Methinks if that guy wants .357 Mag +++ performance, he should just buy a .44 Mag Blackhawk or SRH and be done with it, but that is just me. I've personally seen a GP made in the late 80s that looked at least that bad, with a rather large chunk blown out at the 6:00 position. And I've passed on lots of used GPs and Six Series revolvers that looked almost as bad (no split, but lots of erosion).

Unless the FC is cut unevenly, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Remllez]

Those 125 round "flamethrowers" are hard on any forcing cone if shot often enough!! It's not just K-Frame Smiths they beat up as noted by the pictures above....I agree that one should switch to a .41-.44 class revolver if they want the flash and recoil.

YMMV

 

[Drail]

I don't think the 125 gr. flamethrower loads really produce any appreciable recoil - just lots of blast and flash (except when firing the ultra light alloy snubs). If you want to feel recoil use at least a .41 - .44 cal. (or larger) gun with heavyweight bullets. When I was young and dumb I thought the flamethrower loads were "cool". Now I realize there is no good reason to subject a fine gun to that kind of abuse. People are always quick to point out the the manufacturer "rated" the gun for +P+ ammo but all that is saying is that the gun "probably" won't blow up. They're not saying it will not be damaged or will have a usable service life if fed heavy loads. Once the bullet clears the barrel it's going as fast as it going to go and when you see a huge fireball at the cylinder gap and muzzle you're just wasting powder and torching the barrel and topstrap and forcing cone. I have a GP 100 with a forcing cone just like the picture roaddog28 posted. If only I knew then what I know now. Since the introduction of the .44 Spl L frame 696 in 1996 I have seen pictures of these guns whose owners actually cracked the forcing cones by firing "heavy" handloads using light bullets with huge charges of slow burning powder. The cylinder will definitely handle the pressure but the barrel and forcing cone will not last long. Sadly S&W has no more barrels for these guns and no plans to make any more. Consider this when choosing or handloading ammunition.