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Old February 28, 2011, 08:08 PM   #1
Trebla
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Your thoughts on the GP100

Hello everyone. I am thinking about purchasing a NIB GP100 and would like to hear your thoughts about this revolver. If purchased it will strictly be used to fire heavy .357MAG, preferrably 158gr ammunition. I want a revolver that can stand up to such a task. Please share all your thoughts and opinions on the GP100. Thanks in advance!!
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Old February 28, 2011, 08:24 PM   #2
Andy Taylor
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For your stated purpose there is not a better DA revolver on the market.

If perchance you could find a used Ruger Redhawk in .357, that might be the exception, but those are quite hard to find.

If you are not opposed to a SA revolver the Ruger Blackhawk is a good option. So is the Freedom Arms Model 83 (not the Model 97) but it will cost about 4 times what a Blackhawk or GP100 will.
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Old February 28, 2011, 08:25 PM   #3
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The Ruger GP in my opinion is one of the two finest revolvers on the market, the other being the S&W 686. The Ruger will stand up to any factory loadings you care to run through it and with a bit of care, will out live you.
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Old February 28, 2011, 08:28 PM   #4
GP100man
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The GP100

My thoughts are , it`s THE most ROBUST production 357 mag on the market today!

It`s built to shoot 357magnum all day every day !!!!

& it`s priced very competitively to boot , maybe not as refined as some , but can be massaged into a very smooth pullin revolver !!!

It`s built & supported rite here in the good ole USofA !!!!!

I`m not biased , I like all Rugers !!
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Old February 28, 2011, 08:28 PM   #5
Jim March
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See also this thread:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=442635

The GP100 is in some ways the smallest 357 that can cope with unlimited diets of the harshest stuff possible.

The only way you can hose one is "Bogarting" the cylinder (snapping it closed with a twist of the wrist) or handloading past the old-school spec of 43.5k PSI pressure. (The new SAAMI spec of 35k) was dropped due to the proliferation of "micro-357s".)

Yet the GP can also do rapid-fire of light loads, which is also harmful to lesser guns.

Great gun.

Dry-fire it a bunch to smooth up the trigger, maybe do a spring job, do grips to your preference, maybe sights. If it has any flaw it's that the rear sight bodies can wiggle slightly in the frame in some specimens...a Bowen rear sight will fix that if it's an issue.
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Old February 28, 2011, 08:48 PM   #6
ipscchef
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Great Gun

Great Gun, I do not have one at the moment, but I have fired more than a few.
Pretty much Jim March said everything that I could and more. I do agree to getting a spring kit for it down the road, and maybe grips, other than that you are good to go with the blaster rounds.
In all honesty, I do slightly prefer the old Security Six just a wee bit.
GP100Man, wow, who would have thought you liked GP's?.
You may get a couple of Ruger haters on here, but pay them no mind, if YOU like the gun, that is the only thing that matters.
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Old February 28, 2011, 08:58 PM   #7
bossman
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The GP-100 is just what you need to fire full house .357. Buy with confidence.
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Old February 28, 2011, 09:46 PM   #8
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Yeah, you can't go wrong with it. Well built revolvers.
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Old February 28, 2011, 09:47 PM   #9
drail
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They will absolutely stand up to full power loads as long as you stay away from the 110 and 125 gr. stuff. I have one with a burned out, carburized forcing cone from running 125 gr. Blue Dot loads in it. The weight of a GP makes shooting heavier loads very pleasant. They are built like a tank although not many smiths can get a trigger pull as nice as a S&W on one, the trigger geometry is completely different on a Ruger.
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:03 PM   #10
leathermarshmallow
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It will be the next revolver I buy. My cousin has one that I shot recently. He has put thousands of rounds through it and it has developed a fantastically smooth trigger.
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:13 PM   #11
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I pick my new GP 100 (stainless; 6 inch) on Saturday!
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:15 PM   #12
jdc1244
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I’ve owned my GP 100 for a few years now with no issues, using all kinds of factory ammo. The design and build quality are impressive.
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:15 PM   #13
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Sold the 686 to get a GP100

I saw the top strap of a GP100 and sold my 686 and got myself one of them. I prefer heavy duty over real pretty. 4", HI VIZ front, Lett wood insert grips.
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:21 PM   #14
Kodyo
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I love mine, probably my most favorite handgun i have ever fired.

Highly recommend it.
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:28 PM   #15
gearhounds
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I've had mine for @ 19 years, and I will never part with it. Fantastic revolver.
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:29 PM   #16
Davey
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Here is a thread I started a bit ago. GP100 seems to be recommended by many. The other day I handled a couple at my LGS. I might be picking it up along with some other goodies once my temporary refund adjustment check comes in.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=440833
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Old February 28, 2011, 10:39 PM   #17
Rogervzv
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I did my research and then plunked down my dough for the Ruger GP100 six inch, stainless. Pick her up Saturday. (10 day wait in the People's Republic of Cal.)

Can't wait to get it to the range!
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Old February 28, 2011, 11:09 PM   #18
ClydeFrog
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Ruger GP revolvers...

I can't speak highly enough about Ruger's robust GP line.
To my understanding, CorBon uses 6" barrel Ruger GP100s to T&E new .357magnum loads.
I owned a new surplus Ruger GPNY, a DA only .38spl issued to the NYPD. I bought the stainless wheelgun in 2006. It was great. I added new Hogue rubber grips(a standard on newer GP revolvers).

I would like to buy a NIB 6" blue steel .357magnum GP100 or maybe a 4" barrel .327Federal to get tricked out(ports, plate work, grips, etc).
Smith and Wesson ran print ads saying they used stronger, higher quality steel than Ruger. I recall a funny ad with a thick hamburger that looked like a GP100. S&W's point was lost on me because I'd consider a strong, thick frame able to hold up to full house magnum rounds.

That's the main point of buying a magnum DA revolver.
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Old February 28, 2011, 11:45 PM   #19
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I got mine a few weeks ago and love it. Been to the range 3X since. The one I found happened to be a special edition from Talo. The gold hammer, trigger and cyl release make it different, along with the full hardwood finger grips. Someone had done a helluva trigger job on it 'cause dare I say it's as smooth as my Colts', so it can be done. The trigger is so light I was worried about misfires, but have had none. It's a fine pistol, and I'm used to Colts.
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Old March 1, 2011, 09:53 AM   #20
gearhounds
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I dry fired mine extensively and the parts self polished themselves. Smooth and buttery trigger pull, like it was smithed.
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Old March 1, 2011, 10:01 AM   #21
Cemo
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I really enjoy shooting the .357 mag. and had mostly 4" S&W's. My first .357 Ruger double action was the SP101 and I liked it so much that naturally I had to try the GP100. I purchased the 6" version for long range shooting. Long range to me is 50-100 yards. It is very accurate at those ranges. I handload Hornady's 158 gr. JSP and JHPs with Winchester 296 or Hodgdon 110 and shoot about 1000 rounds a year. I later purchased a second 6" GP just for the heck of it. Recently switched from the factory wood insert grips to the Hogue grips with the finger groves and feel it was a good move. You can't go wrong with selecting a GP100.
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Old March 1, 2011, 11:42 AM   #22
jhansman
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Stupidly, I sold my first GP100 a year ago, missed it immediately, and only last month finally replaced it. It is now my favorite handgun and has earned a permanent place in my safe. Great revolver.
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Old March 1, 2011, 12:14 PM   #23
MLeake
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I also parted with my first GP100...

... which was also my first centerfire handgun, many years ago.

A few years ago, I remedied the situation, by getting another one. Mine was modified by the friend I bought it from: night sights, Wolff springs, and trigger tune. DA is as slick as those on my K-Frame Smiths, and the GP100's mass soaks up recoil very nicely.

For a range or woods gun, it's great.

For CCW, it's a bit bulky; if in a .357 revolver mood, I prefer to carry a 3" Model 13. The GP100 is about the same size, and uses the same holsters, as a Smith L-Frame.

So, it depends on what you want to do.
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Old March 1, 2011, 02:49 PM   #24
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The GP100 will stand up to full house loads for several lifetimes.
Bill Ruger and the GP saved my a** from my own stupid mistake. I had mistakenly mis-set my scale to 15.0 gr instead of the intended 10.5 gr. of Blue Dot. Yes, that's about a 50% overcharge, talk about a proof load. Anyway, the pressure drove the primer out of the pocket and you could read the head stamp on the recoil shield. The loose primer jammed the action. Cleared the action and reloaded with normal load, everything worked perfectly. In fact, if the action hadn't jammed, I wouldn't have known anything was wrong except for a louder bang.
Now that's a well built gun.
Check out the Ruger Forum for step by step process on how to clean up the action. Nothing big, just deburring and a little polishing but it makes a big difference.
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Old March 1, 2011, 03:18 PM   #25
Jim March
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One advantage on the GP100 (and most other Ruger DAs) is that it has a hard latch at the crane, in addition to the one behind the cylinder. When things go really bad as with that 15gr charge of Blue Dot, the cylinder will be held in line and the gun is more likely to survive if it's at all possible to do so! Had that cylinder come unlatched even the Ruger wouldn't have survived the bullet hitting the edge of the rear of the barrel instead of center.

The New Vaquero in 357 and other Ruger SA wheelguns are stronger yet but the GP100 is a great balance of strength and packability in a DA platform.
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