Anyone have any experience w/ this revolver? Solid, reliable? Or not so hot?

Yeah yeah, I know a 686 would be better (or whatever), but I have the opportunity to pick up a used one on the cheap so. . .

Worth adding to the collection?

Edit: As I understand it, .357s can shoot .38 special rounds without issue(?) Is this a universal truth?

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This...is my BOOMSTICK

They have a good reputation for reliability.

Any .357 Magnum revolver can also shoot .38 Special ammunition. Be sure to clean the chambers well after shooting .38 Special.

They are fine revolvers. I have two of their little brothers, the SP101.And the old Speed and Security Six

The 101 as other bigger Rugers can probably take hotter loads than a lot of Smiths.

The are built like tanks and the easiest to take apart.

As cmort stated, any 357 can shoot 38 specials. If you shoot a lot of 38's a carbon ring may build up in the cylinders and the longer 357 rounds will stick a little or be hard to extract, Just use a 40 or 45 caliber brush to clean out the cylinders.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I've had a couple over the years. They are a solid pistol, decent trigger. As stated earlier, built like a tank.

That could be debatable.

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- Change it back -

I have one with a 4" barrel and really like it. I added tritium sights to it and kept it my nightstand until I recently acquired a gun with a light rail. After a few hundred rounds the trigger smoothed out very nicely and it is just as accurate as my Smiths. Fits the holster I bought for my 686, and I picked up a set of compact grips in case I feel like carrying it.
Not as pretty as my 686, but very functional and it would make a great club if it runs out of ammo.

GP100.jpg

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Ban lunatics and criminals

If it is a good price and decent condition, I'd jump on it. Good, basic, solid firearm.

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LEO since 1981.

I'm a fan. Here's a 3" GP100 and it's Speed Six cousin.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

Solid revolver, no problems other than any mechanical device.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

..."on the cheap"....

Buy It Now!

I bought one when they were first introduced, around 1986 I think. Still have it. 4" blued. I've shot the hell out of it and it still looks and feels like new. You can't wear these things out. Sure, doesn't have the classic lines of an S&W, and the trigger pull is a little stiffer, but my GP would be one of the last guns I would ever part with. Oh, did I mention it's accurate too????

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'Merica!

You can buy it cheap? Jump on it, I have one very good gun.Don't pass on it.

It will last forever. Built very strong, and can handle hi-power .357s all day long. Mine is my "go to" work horse for testing loads, teaching (with .38 specials), target shooting (mine is very accurate), and just plain fun blasting away with heavy loads. If you can get one cheap, jump on it.


WG840

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Freedom above all else.

I had one and it was as good as any revolver I've owned. Naturally, I sold it.

I got a couple of four inch GP-100s. A fixed sight model and an ajustable sight one. Both are stainless and some of the most reliable and rugged .357s made.

Rule 303

A 3 inch would interest me.

I have a 4-inch GP100. It's a solid piece of work that I enjoy very much at the range. It's also my home defense gun.

GP-100's are good, solid, dependable guns. Accurate too...

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"Shall not be infringed"

The 4" GP100 is the one revolver I would keep over all other handguns if I could only have one.

It's reliable, accurate, and hell for stout. I will wear out from shooting it long before it does. It also 'smiths up nicely and is very easy to work on, making it a tinkerer's dream. It's hard to mess one up, and easy for a "Kitchen Table Gunsmith" to turn out a good one. What's not to love?

Biker

I have a blue 4" fixed sight model. It won't shoot to POI (about 10" low at 25 yards). The trigger is lousy (long, heavy, gritty, with hitches throughout). It is very roughly finished - edges on the trigger and hammer spur were sharp enough to cut my fingers. I had to do a bunch of polishing to take the edges off.

Took it to a smith for a trigger job to smooth it out. That helped a little, but it's still no 686. I put in a lighter mainspring, now it won't fire CCI primers.

The GP 100 is praised for being built like a tank, but how relevant is that? So is a 686.

I don't plan on selling it, but had I known better I never would have bought it.

These are the guns that are truly truck/boat guns. The ones I have owned have had good triggers-are hell bent for stout and easily broken down for cleaning if they get dunked, etc. I have an SP101 that will be one of the last guns I get rid of. If I didn't already have a 681 and a 686 I would own a GP100 in a heartbeat.

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Forum consigliere

It would take some doin to get my GP, or Security Six away from me. It would have to be one heck of a trade for a Top Notch Smith. A + 10 to all the others that have praised the piece.

The .357 magnum is probably my favorite caliber, partly because I can shoot .38 specials to plink or teach, then load all the way up the power scale to very hot-loaded .357's for hunting, defense, etc.

I love Rugers revolvers in general. The GP's may not be quite as pretty as Smith's classic lines, but my 4" in blue with Hogue walnut stocks is very, very close!

They are built very solidly. Also easy to take apart, with an ingenious system. No screws to bugger up like taking off the sideplate on a Smith. This also means that an amateur like me can drop the trigger group and install lighter or heavier weight springs to change the trigger pull characteristics. Although the easiest "trigger job" is to just shoot it, the trigger will naturally smooth out on its own.

Mine is very accurate, probably the most accurate revolver I own.

If I could only have one handgun, it would probably be a 4" barreled, stainless steel GP-100 with adjustable sights.

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I hope I copied that right

Well, sounds like it gets a ringing endorsement (for the most part). I, also, couldn't find anything horribly negative about them on the interwebs, save the guy who shot his barrel off. . .

Not a good way to start the year... - Topic Powered by Social Strata

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This...is my BOOMSTICK

I looked at the link to the broken barrel on SIG forum. No one has posted an update either from the gun shop, or Ruger. Something just doesn't look right to me on that one. Obviously, the barrel broke, but the fact that it was the very first round ever fired in the gun. The bottom of the cylinder, cylinder latch, and other parts of the gun just do not look "new" to me. I'm not saying there wasn't a problem at Ruger, overtightening the barrel, inclusions in the casting, etc. I'm just saying I'd like to hear the rest of the story.

One broken barrel sure wouldn't keep me from shooting the fool out of mine, or from buying another one.

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I hope I copied that right

A GP100 4" and a 686P 3".







And just the GP100.





I like the Ruger, it is solid, easy to shoot, double action trigger is smooth, single action trigger is fine, too. Currently I use it in IDPA practice sessions, a wonderful thing for that purpose.

But I also like my S&W 686P, M&P R8, 19, Ruger Security Six. Hard to choose between them, they are all splendid 6-7-8 shooters.

I like the one comment:

"I would never own or shoot a Ruger again"

There ya have it, Saw it here on the Inter Net, a deal breaker. Ruger is out of business.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I am pretty well married to the old Security Sixes, but I do have a 4" stainless GP that someone knowledgeable worked on before I got it. It is the smoothest, best shooting gun I own, bar none. Big for daily wear but it sure packs the mail.

I own two and and second all the good comments which have been posted.

I think you could blow the cylinder but never break the top strap.

I have to agree that the GP-100 is a fine revolver. I've owned my SS 4" for several years and love to shoot it. Smooth, accurate and reliable.

What bullet weight are you using? That may be part of the problem. They're sighted in for 158 grainers. Lighter weights shoot low.

Not saying that's the entire problem, but it might be a factor.

We have a 4" GP100 and both of us like it a lot. Nice revolver.

I forget the bullet weights I've tried, but 158 gr bullets shoot quite a bit low. Lighter weight bullets shoot even lower.

I'm also not impressed with the cylinder chambers. I used to shoot a lot of .38 special, then had to scrub the rings out, which I could never get completely clean. I suspect the chambers are not properly finished and I'm actually seeing tool marks.

If the price is right, go for it. They're good guns. I particularly like the stainless steel models with adjustable sights. Ruger made/ makes the GP100 in a .38 special only version. I had one with fixed sights and it must have been a forerunner of the SP101 as regular GP100 grips wouldn't fit. Had to go with SP101 grips. If yours has the wood inserts, you can get creative. There used to be a guy on the Ruger Forum who sold exotic wood inserts of very high quality.

Regardless, go for it.