I am about to purchase my first handgun and I think I have decided on one of the ruger gp100 .357 magnum revolvers. Howerever, my final decision is between the 4 inch barrel with adjustable sights and the 3 inch barrel with fixed sights. The gun will primarily be used around the house target shooting/plinking but will occassionaly be carried. I was going to just get the 4 inch but think it would be too big to carry. So my two main questions are would/does the 3 inch version have substantially more recoil then the 4 inch version? Is the 4 inch barrel going to be more accurate? Does fixed sight versus adjustable sight really matter? Thanks for the help/
ruger gp100 questions
- Thread starter newguy07
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Confederate
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The heavy underlug barrels are what really keeps the Smith 686 and Ruger GP-100s from being great trail guns. Fortunately, you can still get primo Ruger Security- and Speed-Sixes for good prices. Not only are they great for range use, they make excellent camp/trail guns.
B. Adams
Member
Personally, I've come to the decision that I'll first buy a spurless 2" SP101 for CCW, then a 4" GP100 for the range and around the house, and then a 3" GP100 for open carry. And then an Alaskan just for the hell of it. If the money doesn't quite work out, I'll just get the first two.
IMO, the adjustable sights and slightly longer barrel are ideal for the range and maybe sitting on the nightstand, but the smaller and lighter SP101 would be much easier to carry.
If I were in your situation, I would get a 4" GP100 now, with the intention of getting a 2" SP101 in the near future. I would say that the GP100 is a more useful all-around gun, but not nearly as concealable as a 2" SP101 with a spurless hammer. On the other hand, a 2" barrel and spurless hammer aren't really the best things to have when you're just plinking at the range.
Yes, the longer barrel will make a slight difference in your accuracy, and maybe a small difference in the recoil, but I doubt that either would be enough to notice. Adjustable sights are great if you're trying to hit a bullseye, but fixed sights are just fine if you just need to hit center mass.
By the way, I think that either way you're making a great choice for a first handgun.
IMO, the adjustable sights and slightly longer barrel are ideal for the range and maybe sitting on the nightstand, but the smaller and lighter SP101 would be much easier to carry.
If I were in your situation, I would get a 4" GP100 now, with the intention of getting a 2" SP101 in the near future. I would say that the GP100 is a more useful all-around gun, but not nearly as concealable as a 2" SP101 with a spurless hammer. On the other hand, a 2" barrel and spurless hammer aren't really the best things to have when you're just plinking at the range.
Yes, the longer barrel will make a slight difference in your accuracy, and maybe a small difference in the recoil, but I doubt that either would be enough to notice. Adjustable sights are great if you're trying to hit a bullseye, but fixed sights are just fine if you just need to hit center mass.
By the way, I think that either way you're making a great choice for a first handgun.
md7
Member
welcome to THR newguy,
most of the members and senior members on this board are good folks that are pretty knowlegeable about firearms. myself, i am mostly a semi auto pistol guy(particularly partial to Sigs). i am about to purchase my first revolver though, and am looking at the gp100 and and smith 686 so i am very interested in what everyone has to say. good luck on your decision.
most of the members and senior members on this board are good folks that are pretty knowlegeable about firearms. myself, i am mostly a semi auto pistol guy(particularly partial to Sigs). i am about to purchase my first revolver though, and am looking at the gp100 and and smith 686 so i am very interested in what everyone has to say. good luck on your decision.
My SP101 has a 3 inch bbl, and fixed sights. I can keep all my shots in about 4-5 inch groups at 25 yards, and i am no better than an average shot.
Fixed sights may not be quite as accurate, but honestly, for self defense range, they are more than sufficient, and i would rather have the simplicity and reduced chance of anything being broken when i need it most.
I think the fixed sight 3" would fit your purposes very well.
Fixed sights may not be quite as accurate, but honestly, for self defense range, they are more than sufficient, and i would rather have the simplicity and reduced chance of anything being broken when i need it most.
I think the fixed sight 3" would fit your purposes very well.
harbinger_j
Member
I love the GP100
I just bought the GP100 last month, it was the first gun I ever purchased.
I don't plan on using it for CCW since I live in NJ.
It is a beautiful weapon and fires great. My wife loves the gun more than I do she likes firing .38s in it.
I liked the 4" barrel because of how it felt balanced in my hand.
3 or 4 inch I don't think you can go wrong with the GP 100.
I just bought the GP100 last month, it was the first gun I ever purchased.
I don't plan on using it for CCW since I live in NJ.
It is a beautiful weapon and fires great. My wife loves the gun more than I do she likes firing .38s in it.
I liked the 4" barrel because of how it felt balanced in my hand.
3 or 4 inch I don't think you can go wrong with the GP 100.
I have a GP100 3" Compact and the recoil even with heavy defense rounds is a non-event. Haven't tried the 180-grain hunting loads yet.
For my medium size hands the compact is a natural pointer and the sights work well. I havn't shot it much in the last two years but I'm still sure I could keep all six shots in a paper plate at twenty five yards unrested. Not anything to write home about but more then enough to be considered an excellent personal defense weapon. Try it, if you don't like it you can sell it get what you paid. Best Regards.
For my medium size hands the compact is a natural pointer and the sights work well. I havn't shot it much in the last two years but I'm still sure I could keep all six shots in a paper plate at twenty five yards unrested. Not anything to write home about but more then enough to be considered an excellent personal defense weapon. Try it, if you don't like it you can sell it get what you paid. Best Regards.
Confederate
Member
Years ago, a friend of mine had to shoot a cougar that was charging him. He found the 6-inch barrel of his Dan Wesson to be a bit difficult to line up under the circumstances. Fortunately, he did manage to drop it with one shot. I've always remembered that. The same might be said for a bear or snake.
With a little practice the recoil really shouldn't make much of a difference. If you have to shoot a bear, it's best to shoot them in the mouth or nose, not the head or between the eyes (high deflection probability). That's why a good 3-4 inch barrel would be a good way to go.
One fellow was out hiking and was attacked by a pack of rogue dogs, also a number of years ago. He shot the lead dog and the others fled. Since very few if any police departments still use .357s, most manufacturers today cater only to range or competition shooting. As noted in my earlier message, they make the barrels heavy and thus the guns are heavy. This is fine for a dresser drawer or the range, but not too good for field use. For factory new guns, the only other option is to buy a gun that's too light or carries only five rounds. Perhaps later you might want to consider a .44 magnum Smith & Wesson 629 Mountain Gun with a 4-inch barrel. This may loosen some of your fillings at first, but there's a lot of folks carrying them around. (I think that's what one of the rangers was carrying in the movie Cliffhanger. Not a great movie, but you can see how well a 4-inch .44 mag rides on a person.)
With a little practice the recoil really shouldn't make much of a difference. If you have to shoot a bear, it's best to shoot them in the mouth or nose, not the head or between the eyes (high deflection probability). That's why a good 3-4 inch barrel would be a good way to go.
One fellow was out hiking and was attacked by a pack of rogue dogs, also a number of years ago. He shot the lead dog and the others fled. Since very few if any police departments still use .357s, most manufacturers today cater only to range or competition shooting. As noted in my earlier message, they make the barrels heavy and thus the guns are heavy. This is fine for a dresser drawer or the range, but not too good for field use. For factory new guns, the only other option is to buy a gun that's too light or carries only five rounds. Perhaps later you might want to consider a .44 magnum Smith & Wesson 629 Mountain Gun with a 4-inch barrel. This may loosen some of your fillings at first, but there's a lot of folks carrying them around. (I think that's what one of the rangers was carrying in the movie Cliffhanger. Not a great movie, but you can see how well a 4-inch .44 mag rides on a person.)
sfhogman
Member
For the uses you describe, I'd suggest the 4" with adjustable sights. No matter what the load- from mild .38 to full-zoot 357, you could sight your gun in without having to use "Kentucky windage". Guns that shoot to point of aim are a good thing!
No matter which you get, I don't think you can go wrong here. You're in for a treat.
Jeff
No matter which you get, I don't think you can go wrong here. You're in for a treat.
Jeff
Revolver Ocelot
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my first gun was a gp100 4" and its the best gun I've ever owned.
22-rimfire
Member
3" GP100 for general use... I have found over the years that I rarely adjust the sights on revolvers (except 22's) and if I can hit well at 25 yds, I just leave the sights alone. So, with that in mind, I find the 3" GP100 (no adjustable sights) a great revolver for shooting out to 15 yds or so and IS my primary home defense weapon.
vanilla_gorilla
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My preference runs toward the 4 inch barrel in my revolvers. I prefer a little more weight out front, rather than in my palm. I also fancy the longer sight radius.
With the wide variety of bullet weights and velocity range that the 357 revolver is capable of firing I would want adjustable sights especially since you state that target/plinking is the primary use.
To shoot a gun that does not hit to the point of aim is something that I don't care for when trying to shoot for precision.
Even when I had a carry revolver it was similar to the pic above by Confederate , mine was an adjustable sight Smith 66. It was my carry gun and even with the 2.5" barrel I used it in a target pistol league and shot some decent scores with it.
IMO the 3" GP100 is about as an ideal all around .357 as you can get. Don't get me wrong the 4" is a great gun and if I were going to get a .357 strictly for target/plinking purposes it would be the 4" version with adjustable sights. I have a 4" S&W 586 just for that purpose. For home defense and carry I much prefer the 3" model as it fits my hand better, has perfect balance, is noticeably lighter and still a lot of fun to shoot. You really can't go wrong with either gun as it really boils down to what feels better and appeals to you more.
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