Is the Ruger GP100 the Greatest Double Action Revolver Ever Made?

[Mike Irwin]

"It's logical fallacy to define a rule by its exception."


Uhm... Try reading my entire post again, INCLUDING the quoted part from another member who says that he's never seen any internet reports of anything every going wrong with a GP 100.

I provided that for him.

On the internet.

[Mike Irwin]

"Mike, glad you like your S&W, more GP's for us"

You are welcome to them!

[Mike Irwin]

"A "rusted shoot out Model 19 over a GP 100"! Now that's just silly"

Nope, not at all. I can lovingly restore the rusted, shot out Model 19.

Done it before.

[Rebel Soul]

I'm shaking my head at some of the statements made in this thread.

S&W 19 not a real magnum?
.357 not a preferred SD round?
.357 ballistics pedestrian?
S&W 586 is crap?
"Tons" of lock failure stories?

The M19 is called the Combat Magnum. It has .357 stamped on the barrel.
.357 is arguably the best man-stopper of all time.
.357 ballistics have been proven by the F.B.I. - I'll take their word for it.
586 crap? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Lock failure stories? Ya, there are "tons" of Elvis is alive and BigFoot sighting stories too.

I could go into detail about these things - but if you know about firearms - I don't even have to. And if you really believe those statements to be true, nothing I say here is gonna help you. Crossing my fingers they were just trolling?

The GP100 is a fine revolver. It's a great value for the money. Best ever made? Hardly.

It's not even the best being made today.

[JohnKSa]

I would go so far as to say it's the best DA revolver you can buy without spending significantly more; but it's not the greatest ever.

[Guv]

mavracer,

I just was thinking in terms of a double action revolver, my mistake. How about the original then, Model 27, grace, beauty and strength all in one package.

[mavracer]

I just was thinking in terms of a double action revolver, my mistake. How about the original then, Model 27, grace, beauty and strength all in one package.

The original would actually be a "registered magnum" but yes a 27 is another fine 357, but I'd have a hard time not adding 2 rounds and going 327 or 627.

Hey any one who has one single favorite 357 and thinks it's the best I'm happy for you, but you're missing out cause there's another one that does something better.

[charlesc]

so what is the best revolver of all time in any caliber?

[mavracer]

so what is the best revolver of all time in any caliber?

The sooner people would realize the quest for the perfect revolver is about the journey and doesn't have a set destination the better off they'll be.
A 4" GP100 is like plain vanilla ice cream sure it's delicious but I like chocolate and carmel and and and.

[charlesc]

but vanilla is the most liked flavor of all time, isn't it? I can add a lot of stuff to vanilla ice cream but can't do it with chocolate..

[Strafer Gott]

Mavracer, you're close. It's not vanilla ice cream, the GP is whitebread.

[Mike Irwin]

"so what is the best revolver of all time in any caliber?"

I'll never be convinced that it's anything other than the Smith & Wesson Model 19 4".

[44flattop]

There is no best, it's 100% subjective.

I will say that the GP is probably the best in a current production medium frame .357, because new S&W's have lost much of their appeal. All told, I'd rather have a 586 or 27.

[mavracer]

but vanilla is the most liked flavor of all time, isn't it? I can add a lot of stuff to vanilla ice cream but can't do it with chocolate..

See right there is my point you already know you need to add stuff for a variety

[southjk]

If this is a poll, I vote NO.

[Sevens]

So the greatest 357 is actually a 44 special

That was never the topic being discussed.
It has drifted this way and that, as all the topics do, but the initial discussion was whether or not the GP-100 is the greatest double action revolver ever made, and the S&W Triple Lock is certainly a double action revolver.

[mavracer]

It has drifted this way and that, as all the topics do, but the initial discussion was whether or not the GP-100 is the greatest double action revolver ever made, and the S&W Triple Lock is certainly a double action revolver.

Yes, I caught that myself after I posted, but if that's the case my answer is still no a 4" GP is not greatest.
I wouldn't even have a 4" GP100 if I had a dozen 357s, but one of them would be a 6" GP. Just to be fair Mike 4" 19 is out cold too cause it should be a 2 1/2", the only 4" to have is a Colt Python only cause a 686SSR is actually 4.2" and whild a triple lock is probably the pennicle of well made Smith DAs I'd rather have a 3" 696 and a 6.5" 29-2 but that's just me.

[Guv]

I'll forgive you mavracer.

[JTMcC]

Of course your GP100 is the Greatest Double Action Revolver Ever Made.

Not only that, Your Chevy Camaro is The Greatest Automobile Ever Made.

And your Buck Knife is The Greatest Knife Ever Crafted By Human Hands.

J

I've owned and used and enjoyed all of the above, never considering or wanting them to be, or dreaming that they were "THE WORLD'S GREATEST".
But whatever : )

[savit260]

MkV Colt locks the cylinder in 1 place, unless you are counting the cylinder locking bolt. The GP100 has 2, 1 of which is the very secure crane lock point. What about the MkV action is so much stronger, isn't it allot like the Mk3 action but with a coil main spring rather than a leaf main spring?

I've read in a few different places thatMaster gunsmith Jerry Kuhnhausen considers the MK V's to be the strongest mid sized double action due a combination of the offset cylinder notches and the superior forged steels that Colt used.

Considering he is one of the foremost authorities on revolvers and their inner workings, I'll go with what he says.


The GP ain't no slouch though

[Guv]

savit260,
I wish Colt would bring back some semi-affordable dbl action revolvers.

[salvadore]

to the OP...no.

[Micahweeks]

Best? I don't know. I would say this, though. I think it's a lot of things, all good. I think it's accessible to many/most shooters. I think it has earned a place as one of the quintessential mid-size revolvers. I think it has earned a reputation for being very, very durable. I think it has earned a reputation as being as accurate as much higher priced revolvers.

So, I wouldn't call it the "best." I'm sure if I looked around I could find one that is better at something than the GP100. But, I think the GP100 is what I said earlier, accessible, durable, accurate, and quintessential. I would call it the benchmark for an "everyman's" revolver. Sure, companies that put a lot more into their revolvers like Colt or the S&W Custom Shop can get more out of it. But, for a stock gun out of the box, I think you're hard pressed to find many deals that give you the same price to performance value that the GP100 does.

I own three GP100s now and an SP101, so I'm certainly a fan. I've also owned a 686 and grew up shooting an old 686 and 586. Looking at the prices of those Smiths now, though, I feel like at my salary level that the Ruger serves me better. I don't think it's better, necessarily. I think the stock sites on the 586/686 were better (not by much) and that it had a better trigger (but not once I got the GP100s broken in). But, these days, those Smiths are often hundreds of dollars more than the GP100, so we're back to price to performance ratio.

The GP100 is objectively an extremely accomplished product at its price point and deserves heaps of praise for that. But, "best" is subjective and is defined in subjective terms. In objective terms, though, it definitely ranks as one of the most successful models of revolvers of all time.

[Mike Irwin]

"Just to be fair Mike 4" 19 is out cold too cause it should be a 2 1/2"

Nope. While great, the short barrel on the 2.5" Model 19 messes up balance and pointability in the same way that the 6" barrel on the Model 19 messes up balance and pointability.


I've been saying this, in one form or another, about the Model 19 for literally decades...


"Simply the very best combination of balance, power, portability, charm, and beauty ever put into a single revolver."

[WESHOOT2]

I own two 4" KGP-141s.

One is used by wife, other is with oldest daughter.



Everyone knows the Best Revolver is the S&W M10.