Reading about Ruger Revolvers

[Kleanbore]

@Dave Markowitz started a thread about a Ruge DA revolver, and it was mentioned that there have been ,38-200 (.38 S&W) versions. I remembered that those were carried by law enforcement personnel in India. I did some searching, and I came upon a very interesting website: Indiansforguns.com.

Yes, Ruger revolvers in .380, aka .380 R today, have been used in India. The .380, like the .455, is a "PB"--a prohibited bore--there. Firerarms chambered for certain cartridges that are used by police and military organizations may be possessed by civilians only if they have a PB permit, which is more difficult to obtain than a permit for a non-PB chambering.

The purchase and possession of any firearm requires a license, provided on a "may issue" basis. The license does not permit carrying by civiiians.

I had searched for Rugers in India, and it turned out that fore licensed civilians, .357 revolvers--which are non-PB--are the most common. There was a really good thread on a Ruger GP 100 Match Champion that someone had purchased.

I found the website fascinating.

I also remembered that Ruger revolvers were once exported for use by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. I assumed that they, too, were chambered for the .38-200. Not so. They were made for .357 Magnum loads.

A related tid-bit: years ago, we ware watching the MacNeil Lehrer report. Robert MacNeil had Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher on. This was during the Carter era.

Violence in Northern Ireland was a hot topic then, and the PM brought up the fact that Carter had refused requests for permission to purchase revolvers for use there. MacNeil expressed surprise: "Don't the British make really good revolvers?" Ans: no.

The Brits did get their revolvers. That may well have happened after Ronald Reagan came to office.

I have handled a GP 100, and I liked it. Anne preferred the SP101 three inch, and we bought that.

That GP 100 Match Champion sure looks nice.

 

[trackskippy]

Im not fan of the Ruger DA revolvers, but I am kind of partial to the 38-200/.380 round (basically a 38S&W loaded with a 200 grain bullet). Been loading it for a number of years now to the WWI specs of sort, with a soft lead 300 grain bullet.

I picked up a couple of S&W M&P lend-lease guns, as well as a Enfield No.1 Mk II, all 38/200, and they are easy shooting and accurate guns. I would think if you like the Rugers, it would work well with them too, and their usually added weight would probably soften things even more.

From what I read, and contrary to what you often hear, which is probably based more on the 38 S&W, the round is a bit of a misnomer and that slow moving, heavy soft lead bullet, fits right in with the devious Anglo mentality.

Funny thing too is, when you pick up a box of 50, its very deceiving, the weight feels more like you're picking up a box of 45acp.

 

[bannockburn]

Kleanbore

I believe the Indian Government also purchased S&W Model 49s for the 38/200 cartridge.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Interesting that they would go to Ruger instead of S&W who, presumably, still had some tooling for .38-200.

It's a poorly-kept secret that most of the French Police contract Rugers, while marked ".38 Special" for public relations reasons, were actually through-bored and will accept .357s just fine.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

IIRC Webley's were in production until 1982 or so, and the UK military had adopted the Hi-Power by that time.

 

[Frulk]

The McNeil Lehrer News Hour was the first news show I ever dialed into and watched on a regular basis as an early 20 something.

Track Skippy….”

Been loading it for a number of years now to the WWI specs of sort, with a soft lead 300 grain bullet.

Did you mean 200 grain?

 

[Jim Watson]

Been loading it for a number of years now to the WWI specs of sort, with a soft lead 300 grain bullet.

300? Surely you meant 200.

Not in WWI. The .38/200 did not come out in England until after the war when Webley convinced the MoD that a blunt 200 grain bullet like the US Super Police would be as effective as a rather pointed 265 grain .455. There was a strange English theory of "stopping power" that a pistol bullet should strike an opponent at a velocity in synch with the resonant frequency of the chest.

But the MoD chickened out because they thought the Germans would not like being shot at with lead bullets and went over to a 178 grain jacketed bullet.

 

[trackskippy]

Yes I did! Typo.

The critter in question, stage left, next to a special.

 

[Frulk]

Thought I’d ask because I’ve got some 200 grain .357 powder coated semi wide cutters laying around and eyeballed them at the crimp grove holding them to brass and thought it would be touch and go to get them to fit in a GP100. Have yet to actually load a round to check.

Oh what the heck. Decided to find out if they fit. Wasn’t PC SWC’s but a 200 grain Lee Alox lubed Truncated Cone.
Tried them in a 50th anniversary BH and two Dan Wessons, SP101 and lastly in a GP100. Didn’t fit.

Now back to our regularly scheduled 38-200 programming.

 

[Jim Watson]

Looks like a .35 Remington bullet.

 

[Frulk]

^^^box says they’re sized to .358

 

[Targa]

Yikes, doesn't look like its even in the ballpark of fitting.

 

[Miami_JBT]

@Dave Markowitz started a thread about a Ruge DA revolver, and it was mentioned that there have been ,38-200 (.38 S&W) versions. I remembered that those were carried by law enforcement personnel in India. I did some searching, and I came upon a very interesting website: Indiansforguns.com.

Yes, Ruger revolvers in .380, aka .380 R today, have been used in India. The .380, like the .455, is a "PB"--a prohibited bore--there. Firerarms chambered for certain cartridges that are used by police and military organizations may be possessed by civilians only if they have a PB permit, which is more difficult to obtain than a permit for a non-PB chambering.

The purchase and possession of any firearm requires a license, provided on a "may issue" basis. The license does not permit carrying by civiiians.

I had searched for Rugers in India, and it turned out that fore licensed civilians, .357 revolvers--which are non-PB--are the most common. There was a really good thread on a Ruger GP 100 Match Champion that someone had purchased.

I found the website fascinating.

I also remembered that Ruger revolvers were once exported for use by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. I assumed that they, too, were chambered for the .38-200. Not so. They were made for .357 Magnum loads.

A related tid-bit: years ago, we ware watching the MacNeil Lehrer report. Robert MacNeil had Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher on. This was during the Carter era.

Violence in Northern Ireland was a hot topic then, and the PM brought up the fact that Carter had refused requests for permission to purchase revolvers for use there. MacNeil expressed surprise: "Don't the British make really good revolvers?" Ans: no.

The Brits did get their revolvers. That may well have happened after Ronald Reagan came to office.

I have handled a GP 100, and I liked it. Anne preferred the SP101 three inch, and we bought that.

That GP 100 Match Champion sure looks nice.

During the second half of the troubles, the RUC was at first armed with M1 Carbines and older No.4 MK-Is as their long guns. But they wanted something more modern They wanted the L1A1 SLR but the UK Civil Government as a whole did not want the RUC appear to be too militaristic. So, the RUC went with the Ruger AC556 instead since according to the powers that be decided that a wooden stocked Ruger was less militaristic to the public. So, the British Army was running around with semi-automatic 7.62mm NATO rifles all while the RUC had full-auto 5.56mm NATO rifles.

Side notes on that too, the Royal Bermuda Regiment of the Bermuda Defense Force adopted semi-automatic Ruger Mini-14GBs as a replacement for the L1A1 SLR when the MoD replaced them with Enfield SA-80s. The SA-80s were garbage and the RBR did not want them. Being that the RUC was having good results with the AC556s and that the US Armed Forces still had the lingering stigma of the M-16 family. The RBR went with Ruger.

As for the GP100, I have two 4" models and a 3" model. Great batch of guns.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Regarding the Rugers built for India in .38/200, per a former Ruger engineer who worked there at the time, these guns were actually over runs from a French contract in 9mm and were rechambered by running .38 S&W reamers into the chambers. IIRC, this was posted over on the Cast Boolits forum.

For anyone interested in trying the .38/200 round, Matt's Bullets sells the correct projectiles and also loaded ammunition. I bought 200 rounds of the ammo and I've shot some in my Webley Mk.IV. It had more recoil than I was expecting but shot well.

 

[Kleanbore]

I'll be darned. I do recall that the French imported some Rugers, but i did not realize that they were in 9mm.

I just read a review of the Match Champion on TheRevolverGuy.com. It is no longer on my list.

 

[Speedo66]

Ruger also made the French police a special version of the Mini-14.

The stock looks like a US M-1 Carbine, but were checkered, they were also switchable to full auto.

 

[Jonesy814]

I'll be darned. I do recall that the French imported some Rugers, but i did not realize that they were in 9mm.

I just read a review of the Match Champion on TheRevolverGuy.com. It is no longer on my list.

My LGS has some of the 9mm Rugers for sale. They were for French Railroad Police I believe

 

[PistoleroWadcutterGANG]

Dang we never get cool revolvers like this here in Arkansas. Share with a gun brother please. lol

 

[thump_rrr]

I'll be darned. I do recall that the French imported some Rugers, but i did not realize that they were in 9mm.

I just read a review of the Match Champion on TheRevolverGuy.com. It is no longer on my list.

I’m surprised since his review was mostly positive.
I really like mine.
I picked it up used for a good deal and I would buy it again.
My only other revolver in 357 Magnum is a 1977 Royal Blue Colt Python.
Even though these 2 revolvers are not exactly in the same zip code when it comes to price I can’t fault the Ruger.