New to Me Ruger GP100 "Match Champion"

[Tallball]

I'm a revolver guy, in that I have a number of them and like to shoot them. I can tell you about the ones I've owned and shot, but I'm not an expert. There are a lot of them I don't know much about.

This thing had been sitting around at the LGS for a few months. The owner was very proud of it, price-wise. He was right, though. The trigger and sights are very nice. It kind of appealed to me, because I'm pretty good with matches. I'm not a champion, but I can light a smoke or a campfire or whatever.

The other day the owner and I got to talking. He kind of felt like he might prefer to have two or three less expensive handguns, especially semiautomatics, rather than one expensive revolver. Luckily I tend to buy LE turn-in and Milsurp pistols when they're cheap. We were able to agree to an exchange of prisoners, and it came home with me. I'd say he got the better end of the bargain, but it was his turn, IMHO.

I don't know much about this revolver. My FiL has a GP100 that we both like, but it's been a few years since I've shot it. I recall it fitting my hand well and that it had a better trigger than I expected from a Ruger (no offense). Did I read that the GP100's are similar to the Redhawks internally? I'll have to get my SRH out and compare them.

The trigger on this one is interesting. A very light DA for a while, then it gets a little bit stiffer right where you would stage it, then it has a nice clean break. I don't think that I've felt a trigger just like this before, but almost all of my revolvers are SA or service-type revolvers.

I'm going to be busy for a while, so it will be a week or more before I can shoot it.

In the meantime, I'm just curious about my new acquisition and it's more interesting to ask y'all about things than it is to google them. Y'all tend to have better answers, too.

Is this just a regular GP100 with fancy grips and fancy words on the side, or is it actually different than a normal GP100?

If you've owned a GP100, what have you liked or not liked about it? Do you have a picture?

Does your GP100 like or dislike certain ammo?

Can you recommend extremely good or poor holsters for a 4" GP100?

I intend to use this primarily as a range toy, though it could possibly replace my current HD handgun (feel free to tell me why this is a good or bad idea). Does anyone CC these? It seems kind of heavy, but I've had a hankering for a shoulder holster recently.

Do you have a great GP100 story? Mine is not that exciting so far.

And finally, do you prefer the GP100, or the equivalent S&W medium-frames? Please try to be irrational about this. Bashing, straw men, and ad hominem are encouraged. Now that I've owned a GP100 for 24 hours and not shot it yet, I'm an Internet expert on this subject (and several others).

Ruger GP100 Match Champion

• Tallball
• Dec 8, 2022
• 2

 

[adcoch1]

That's a nice looking revolver tallball!

 

[BreechFace]

I have a GP100 and it hasn't allowed me to win matches, I'm thinking I'll get one of these!

 

[BreechFace]

Looks to me like Ruger is performing what many can do in a long afternoon at the gun bench with some inexpensive shims and polishing compound.

From Ruger's website on the GP100 Match Champion

• The half-lug 4.2" barrel delivers lively handling for quick transition between targets and also features an 11° target crown for competitive-level accuracy.
  
  
• Polished and optimized internals, a centering boss on the trigger, and centering shims on the hammer produce a smooth double-action trigger pull and a crisp and consistent let-off.

 

[Tallball]

Thank you, BreechFace.

I don't know if the "polished and optimized internals" will improve my mediocre shooting skills, but hope springs eternal.

 

[MrBorland]

And finally, do you prefer the GP100, or the equivalent S&W medium-frames? Please try to be irrational about this. Bashing, straw men, and ad hominem are encouraged. Now that I've owned a GP100 for 24 hours and not shot it yet, I'm an Internet expert on this subject (and several others).

I could go either way. I've written on the relative merits of each before:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/face-off-heavy-duty-6-357.911838/page-2#post-12445618

Looks to me like Ruger is performing what many can do in a long afternoon at the gun bench with some inexpensive shims and polishing compound.

From Ruger's website on the GP100 Match Champion

• The half-lug 4.2" barrel delivers lively handling for quick transition between targets and also features an 11° target crown for competitive-level accuracy.
  
  
• Polished and optimized internals, a centering boss on the trigger, and centering shims on the hammer produce a smooth double-action trigger pull and a crisp and consistent let-off.

I'd take Ruger's info with a grain of sale. I seriously doubt the "polished and optimized internals" schtick (the OP even indicated the trigger pull isn't smooth). S&W says much the same about their Performance Center guns - S&W used to give them a little extra TLC, but from what I've seen, that's no longer the case. If Ruger followed S&W's path, @BreechFace is correct, except I'd say some quality tuning by someone who knows what they're doing would result in a far better action.

And IME, a lighter slab-side half-lug barrel might make it feel lively, but when things really speed, and you need to transition between targets, the timer and the holes in the target might tell a different story.

I should say I'm not bashing the OP's revolver. I like the GP100, and the MC version looks cool - the opinions I just offered have more to do with Ruger's marketing.

 

[anothernewb]

have 2 gp100's and a match champion.

As far as internals go - I did see evidence of them being worked a bit more than the run of the mill gp100. The biggest thing being the match had hammer shims installed.
as far as triggers go - they all felt similar, and all benefited tremendously with lots of polishing of the hammer strut and a wolf spring kit.

Accuracy wise - I can't tell them apart. all mine are great shooters, and honestly, they are equal between my 686 and several 19's and 15's. all are capable of more accuracy than I am.

Build wise, again identical. There are no mechanical differences save for the barrel shape and the cylinder shape.

Aesthetics. The match champion has a flat sided barrel and the cylinders are radiused towards the front. I can say it does slip into a holster easier. I personally like the treatment. I don't think Ruger needs quite the giant usage warning billboard lasered into the gun. but that's common to all of them sadly.
Drawing the match vs my 4" 19's you can certainly tell there's more "gun" there. but it's no better or worse, only slightly different.

Overall I love the look of it. it's fun to have one.I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy on if it was a good price.

I have no favorites between the 686, 19,15, GP100, Match, and my pythons.

What I can say is that I have purchased all 3 gp100s I own after looking at them. I have had one python, 2 686's and 1 19 that I have walked away from.
The caveat - I may have just been unlucky and come across worn or badly assembled models of them. I know people have had issues with GP100's as well and walked away from them too.

 

[Y-T71]

Assuming that's a .357?

I've been sorta, kinda keeping my eyes open for a 10mm.

I figured it would be a fine revolver to shoot without worrying about my precious 10mm brass getting flung into low earth orbit.

 

[UncleEd]

Tailball,

I suggest you put a couple boxes
of magnums or .38s through it
and then you judge.

Regarding the "hitch" near letoff
in double action, that is common
but hardly noticed if the trigger is
pulled fast and straight through.
That hitch can allow a final
adjustment of sighting if going
at a moderate to slow pull
speed.

Rugers do have smooth trigger
pulls but have springs heavy
enough for street level
life and death reliability. The
MC is no exception.

Your model has the fixed sight.
An adjustable sighted one is
also available. I like the fixed
sights provided.

Shoot it first and
then return with any questions.

But in my estimation, you have
an excellent revolver which will
please you.

 

[Tallball]

The trigger is very light and smooth, then that little hitch, then bang (I'm guessing about the bang part). It seems very nice. I've just never felt one exactly like this before.

Yes, it's a 357. It will probably end up eating 95% 38 special, just like all of my 357's.

The grip is nice and large. I can actually get all of my fingers onto it (for a change).

 

[UncleEd]

Those are Hogue grips. If you
prefer rubber Hogue also makes
a duplicate of the MC wood ones
without finger grooves.

The model without the finger grooves
also has rounded base rather than
the more "target" like profile. All in
all a bit smaller and closer to the
Ruger rubber grips with wood inserts.

 

[wcwhitey]

The trigger is very light and smooth, then that little hitch, then bang (I'm guessing about the bang part). It seems very nice. I've just never felt one exactly like this before.

Yes, it's a 357. It will probably end up eating 95% 38 special, just like all of my 357's.

The grip is nice and large. I can actually get all of my fingers onto it (for a change).

Enjoy, fitting is so important. I like the sights and stocks. Curious as to what it likes point of aim wise. Great pick up!

 

[Onty]

I don't get it; why Ruger put label GP100 Match Champion on revolvers that have just 4.2" barrel https://www.ruger.com/products/gp100MatchChampion/models.html ?

As far as I know, all competition revolvers have 6" barrel.

 

[westernrover]

I understand they fit shims in the Match Champions. These work like plain bearings to make pivoting parts pivot more smoothly and with less slop side-to-side (they refer to them as "centering shims"). It's like a low-labor action polish because they don't have to polish but just drop-in the smooth stainless steel washers. They also chamfer the front edge of the cylinder. You can see it looks "pinched in" at the front of the cylinder. This is supposed to make it slide into the holster easier. The chamber mouths are also chamfered which can help with a speedloader. Never had one myself.

 

[westernrover]

I don't get it; why Ruger put label GP100 Match Champion on revolvers that have just 4.2" barrel https://www.ruger.com/products/gp100MatchChampion/models.html ?

As far as I know, all competition revolvers have 6" barrel.

IDPA only allows 4.25" barrel or less in all revolver divisions.

The most direct competitor to the Match Champion would be the S&W 686 SSR. SSR is the IDPA division for a Stock Service Revolver. It's limited to 4.25" barrel, 6 shots, no moon-clips (notice the Match Champion is not cut for moon-clips), no optics, and no porting or compensators. IDPA does not have any revolver division for longer barrels, ports, comps, or more than 6 cartridges loaded. Revolvers that hold more than 6 can enter but never with more than 6 loaded. Moon-clips are allowed in the Enhanced Service Revolver division (ESR) which also allows aftermarket or modified cylinder latches, but still no ports, comps, optics, big-butt grips, long barrels, (PPC) bull barrels or more than 6 loaded.

IDPA was started by guys like Ken Hackathorn and Bill Wilson because they thought USPSA (IPSC) guns were getting too exotic and far away from actual defensive carry guns.

 

[shoebox1.1]

I “think” they probably just tumble polish some parts before assembly. The guns certainly not hand fitted and “match” built by one craftsman. I bought a 5 inch gp100 instead of the MC. At that time I didn’t realize that idpa rules were 4.2 and not 5. I would like to shoot mine in some matches but oh well. The 3 inch king cobras gonna take that place. I would recommend the Kramer horsehide scabbard for it. 2 month wait but worth it.

 

[Onty]

Thanks, those IDPA rules are new to me!

Also, what is advantage of horsehide over cowhide for scabbard gun holster?

 

[JohnKSa]

Did I read that the GP100's are similar to the Redhawks internally? I'll have to get my SRH out and compare them.

The original Redhawk has a fundamentally different action than the GP100. The Super Redhawk, on the other hand is basically a scaled-up GP100 with a frame extension.

The GP100 and the Super Redhawk are, therefore, essentially identical internally except for some differences of scale.

Both are somewhat similar to the Redhawk which is the oldest design of the three and is sort of an ancestor design to the GP100.

Also, what is advantage of horsehide over cowhide for scabbard gun holster?

It is said that horsehide is stiffer/stronger than cowhide and wears better.

 

[JB111]

I dont know much about the MC version of the GP100 but I own a regular one with a 6'' barrel and would not part with it. It is a good shooter and is probably more accurate than I am. The trigger action isnt quite as smooth as my 686 but it isnt bad either and appears to be smoothing itself out over time with usage. My particular specimen is not ammo picky and has seen a decent variety of ammo from different manufacturers. I use mine as my primary home defense gun and I dont feel at any kind of disadvantage. I think you will be satisfied with its performance.

 

[Pat Riot]

I have a GP100. I bought it slightly used. It has the 4.2” barrel. It’s becoming a favorite of mine. Comparably, I have an S&W 19-4. I shoot .38s in it mostly. The GP100 is great for shooting spicy .357 Magnum loads. At first I found the DA operation of the gun to be strange, but I quickly adapted to it.
I thought I wanted an S&W 586 or 686. Due to “the silliness” they were hard to find and once found were stupid high in pricing in CA. I “settled” on my GP100 and boy, am I glad that I did.
I haven’t actually seen a “Match Champion” in person so I have no opinion except if they are supposed to be better than a standard GP100 then I am sure they are nice. I really like mine.

 

[white smoke]

I too just acquired a GP100 3 weeks ago. Took it to the range and was impressed. In fact it put a big smile on my face. It came with the rubber grip with wood inserts. I added the Hogue grips. Also installed the hi-viz front sight and Wilson 12 lb hammer spring and 10 lb trigger spring. I was shopping for a 686 at the time. I’m very pleased with my choice. This is only my 2nd Ruger double action. I bought a Security Six in the 70’s These revolvers are so simple to work on. I’m heading back to the range Sunday to run some more rounds through it. The pictured target is a variety of hand loads a friend gave to me at 10 yards off hand.

 

[Pat Riot]

I too just acquired a GP100 3 weeks ago. Took it to the range and was impressed. In fact it put a big smile on my face. It came with the rubber grip with wood inserts. I added the Hogue grips. Also installed the hi-viz front sight and Wilson 12 lb hammer spring and 10 lb trigger spring. I was shopping for a 686 at the time. I’m very pleased with my choice. This is only my 2nd Ruger double action. I bought a Security Six in the 70’s These revolvers are so simple to work on. I’m heading back to the range Sunday to run some more rounds through it. The pictured target is a variety of hand loads a friend gave to me at 10 yards off hand.

I also installed the Hi-Viz front sight only the photo I posted had the original sight. I really didn’t think I was going to like the Hogue Monogrip that came on the gun but I really do like it a lot.

 

[UncleEd]

A few facts regarding the GP100 might be in order. These from my experiences.

I have an older model which has been shot but not terribly much. The trigger according to my Wheeler trigger gauge is on average 9.6 pounds in DA.

My brand new GP100 (short fluted model) has an out of the box DA trigger weight averaging 9.6 pounds.

Both are smooth pulls.

Now to put these trigger weights in perspective, the FBI had a standard trigger pull weight of 10 poiunds for its Model 10s/13s.

Again the Smith had smooth pulls.

The GP100 is comparable in frame size to the Smith 586. Ruger lists the weight as 40 oz. in 4-inchers; Smith lists the weight as 41.3 oz. in 4-inchers.

I figure the weight difference is Smiths have a heavier barrel lug and full grip frame. A lot of Ruger's weight is in a beefier frame, hence the "tank" legend.

Regarding the GP100 Match Champion, I suspect its DA trigger weight is around 8 to 8.6 pounds, this due to the hammer shims and extra polishing in the trigger area. I doubt the overall trigger spring weights are different than those in a standard GP100.

I also suspect that a well used Smith 586 has a trigger weight of around that of the Match Champion with factory springs in place.

 

[shoebox1.1]

The horsehide is like leather kidex. Very stiff. You could turn the gun upside down and I don’t think it would fall out.

 

[Tallball]

It came with the case and another set of grips and a speedloader.

The spare grips are similar to the ones on it, but they have finger grooves. Finger grooves almost never fit my hands, so I'll just tuck the spare into my "box o' grips".

Got a leather OWB holster for it.

Will be able to go shoot it, and my other new revolver, by late next week.