Panzerschwein
member
Hey gang! 
Got my new Lipsey's special edition Ruger GP100 in today:
It's the 5" half-lug barrel blued model with smooth walnut target stocks and a gold bead sight chambered in .357 magnum, 6 shot cylinder. Here is my little review on it! I apologize for the low quality pictures, bad lighting in here and using my old camera phone.
So first the fit and finish is very good all the way around. There are the standard machining and casting marks in the frame and other areas, but everything you'd see on the outside during normal use is really nice. No better or worse than a standard GP100, decent bluing and altogether pretty good.
Barrel to cylinder gap is very tight on this model, we'll call it .0025" on all chambers. I have never owned a factory Ruger this tight and hopefully it will lead to good velocity and energy numbers. During today's shooting the tight gap did not seem to affect function at all, even after multiple cylinders of full power .357 magnum ammo. Lock up and timing are spot on, with no endshake. Really really nice in that regard.
Now a word on the walnut grips. First off the set I got seem to be of a paler color over the ones in the ads and videos I've seen. Also, it is missing one of two locator pins that together with the large main pin that goes through the grip frame holds the grips in place. When you shake the gun there is a tiny bit of rattle in the grips, even with the grip screw snugged up (though not tight enough to crack the wood). I will be calling Ruger or Lipsey's to speak with them about the grips, why they look different over the advertised models and also to talk about the missing pin.
The grips do feel really nice in the hand, though. They are actually rather thin. I was expecting them to fill out the hand like Pachmayr presentation grips, but they really don't. There was also some sliding during shooting of some Federal 357B 125 grainers, which many of you know is a hot number of a cartridge. Even with my firmest grip, my hands would work up the grip with each shot. Some checkering might have been a good idea with these but it might well be just my hand size or grip. The grips did not interfere with either HKS or Safariland speedloaders. I hope the rattle is just due to the missing pin, hopefully it doesn't get worse over time with shooting hot loads. I sometimes ponder whether the GP100 grip nub system really is superior to a standard grip frame.
The gold bead front sight is interesting. It is kind of small but I predict it will make for a great target sight. I did my best to take a picture of it:
It isn't a matte bead but has a radial pattern on it... kind of hard to explain. I might dress it with an Arkansas stone to try and matte it a bit. It has the standard U-notch white outline rear sight as these guns have had since the 80's, and works well.
The trigger is really nice. Single action is really nice. I don't have a trigger pull gauge, but I'd guess three pounds. No creep or grit, breaks very clean. Double action feels standard, a rather long pull with a bit of staging at the end before the hammer breaks, but not overly heavy or gritty. It should smooth out wonderfully. I once had a 6" full-lug stainless GP100 that felt like this and over the years of lots of shooting and millions of dry fires (with snap caps) the trigger got flat out buttery, and I mean that in the best possible sense.
Speaking of the barrel, guys I'm here to tell you, this 5" half-lug is perhaps the greatest barrel configuration I have EVER felt on a GP100. I was thinking it might be a bit too long but it is not. Looks and feels only a little longer than a 4" barrel (hell I guess because it is) and it feels much less unwieldy over the 6" full lugs. It balances just wonderfully, and will give a boost in the velocity and energy numbers over a 4" barrel. Time will tell how well it sits on a belt but I think it will be fine. I plan to get a nice thumb break law enforcement style holster for it soon. The ejector star is not blued, it is shiny steel, hopefully stainless steel.
I shot about 70 rounds in the desert today after picking it up and swabbing the chambers and bore. Shot 12 rounds of Federal 357B 125 grain and a box of Fiocchi 142 grain truncated cone, all warm stuff. Functioned nicely with no hang ups. The gun is breaking in and the cylinder is a touch stiff on open and close, but it just needs to dig that little ditch in the recoil shield and it will be smooth I'm sure. We already talked about how the grips felt, still pining for a bit of texture but overall not bad.
All in all I am pleased to have another GP100 around. This one has the classic styling of the old Security Six and looks so nice, and has great features. I love the barrel configuration so much, it's awesome. Hopefully Ruger or Lipsey's can set the grip situation straight, I'm sure they will, they're good peoples.
Gang you have yourselves a safe and merry new years!!
-CD
Got my new Lipsey's special edition Ruger GP100 in today:
It's the 5" half-lug barrel blued model with smooth walnut target stocks and a gold bead sight chambered in .357 magnum, 6 shot cylinder. Here is my little review on it! I apologize for the low quality pictures, bad lighting in here and using my old camera phone.
So first the fit and finish is very good all the way around. There are the standard machining and casting marks in the frame and other areas, but everything you'd see on the outside during normal use is really nice. No better or worse than a standard GP100, decent bluing and altogether pretty good.
Barrel to cylinder gap is very tight on this model, we'll call it .0025" on all chambers. I have never owned a factory Ruger this tight and hopefully it will lead to good velocity and energy numbers. During today's shooting the tight gap did not seem to affect function at all, even after multiple cylinders of full power .357 magnum ammo. Lock up and timing are spot on, with no endshake. Really really nice in that regard.
Now a word on the walnut grips. First off the set I got seem to be of a paler color over the ones in the ads and videos I've seen. Also, it is missing one of two locator pins that together with the large main pin that goes through the grip frame holds the grips in place. When you shake the gun there is a tiny bit of rattle in the grips, even with the grip screw snugged up (though not tight enough to crack the wood). I will be calling Ruger or Lipsey's to speak with them about the grips, why they look different over the advertised models and also to talk about the missing pin.
The grips do feel really nice in the hand, though. They are actually rather thin. I was expecting them to fill out the hand like Pachmayr presentation grips, but they really don't. There was also some sliding during shooting of some Federal 357B 125 grainers, which many of you know is a hot number of a cartridge. Even with my firmest grip, my hands would work up the grip with each shot. Some checkering might have been a good idea with these but it might well be just my hand size or grip. The grips did not interfere with either HKS or Safariland speedloaders. I hope the rattle is just due to the missing pin, hopefully it doesn't get worse over time with shooting hot loads. I sometimes ponder whether the GP100 grip nub system really is superior to a standard grip frame.
The gold bead front sight is interesting. It is kind of small but I predict it will make for a great target sight. I did my best to take a picture of it:
It isn't a matte bead but has a radial pattern on it... kind of hard to explain. I might dress it with an Arkansas stone to try and matte it a bit. It has the standard U-notch white outline rear sight as these guns have had since the 80's, and works well.
The trigger is really nice. Single action is really nice. I don't have a trigger pull gauge, but I'd guess three pounds. No creep or grit, breaks very clean. Double action feels standard, a rather long pull with a bit of staging at the end before the hammer breaks, but not overly heavy or gritty. It should smooth out wonderfully. I once had a 6" full-lug stainless GP100 that felt like this and over the years of lots of shooting and millions of dry fires (with snap caps) the trigger got flat out buttery, and I mean that in the best possible sense.
Speaking of the barrel, guys I'm here to tell you, this 5" half-lug is perhaps the greatest barrel configuration I have EVER felt on a GP100. I was thinking it might be a bit too long but it is not. Looks and feels only a little longer than a 4" barrel (hell I guess because it is) and it feels much less unwieldy over the 6" full lugs. It balances just wonderfully, and will give a boost in the velocity and energy numbers over a 4" barrel. Time will tell how well it sits on a belt but I think it will be fine. I plan to get a nice thumb break law enforcement style holster for it soon. The ejector star is not blued, it is shiny steel, hopefully stainless steel.
I shot about 70 rounds in the desert today after picking it up and swabbing the chambers and bore. Shot 12 rounds of Federal 357B 125 grain and a box of Fiocchi 142 grain truncated cone, all warm stuff. Functioned nicely with no hang ups. The gun is breaking in and the cylinder is a touch stiff on open and close, but it just needs to dig that little ditch in the recoil shield and it will be smooth I'm sure. We already talked about how the grips felt, still pining for a bit of texture but overall not bad.
All in all I am pleased to have another GP100 around. This one has the classic styling of the old Security Six and looks so nice, and has great features. I love the barrel configuration so much, it's awesome. Hopefully Ruger or Lipsey's can set the grip situation straight, I'm sure they will, they're good peoples.
Gang you have yourselves a safe and merry new years!!
-CD
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