A S&W purist tries a Ruger GP100

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

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Yeah, I must admit that (probably like many of us here) I've been a bit of a S&W purist when it comes to revolvers. I've owned eleven over the years (now down to three) and I'd always considered them superior to Rugers, although I'd never even shot a Ruger. Well, I saw this stainless 4" GP100 come up for sale recently for a price too tempting to resist and thought that I should probably give it a try! Since the GP100 model is 25 years or so old many of you have already tried or own one, but for those who haven't here are my thoughts.

Overview

  • The revolver certainly doesn't have the slim, clean lines of a S&W revolver, but it does have a chunky, businesslike appeal. I like the finish more than the older S&W brushed stainless finish but less than their newer bead-blasted finish. There are more pins visible in the frame but I don't consider that a big deal.
  • The grip is just about the perfect size and shape, and is very comfortable. It's better than anything I've ever tried on a square butt K/L frame or N frame S&W. Rubber Hogues and Ahrends Retro Targets come close but the Ruger beats them both. I have always liked the pairing of wood and rubber on the older GP100 grips--it's too bad that Ruger doesn't include them with the GP100 any more.
  • I like the dovetailed-in serrated black front sight a lot better than S&W's older machined-in red ramp sight, although it's set back a little in the barrel reducing the sight radius a bit.
  • The revolver has excellent balance--it migh be heresy but I like it better better than the 4" N-frame.


At the range
I had it out the the range recently for the first time for a quick shakedown. I had my youngest daughter out for her first try with her new Henry Mini-bolt and wanted to spend most of our range time having her shoot.

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Here are my initial thoughts on the Ruger.

  • The double-action trigger pull is not bad at all--better than I was expecting. It stacks a little just past the start of the pull but it's smooth after that. It's a little heavier than a typical S&W pull but not by much.
  • The single action pull is also heavier, and there's more trigger movement than with a S&W but not objectionable.
  • The cylinder release takes a little getting used to after 26 years of S&Ws. Not bad but slower than what I'm used to.
  • The cylinder locks up earlier in the DA pull--this was a little distracting at first but easy to get used to.
  • The smooth trigger is just about the perfect width for both DA and SA shooting.
  • It seemed to be certainly accurate enough--a 4" revolver is at a bit of a disadvantage and I'd also not shot a handgun since last October. The first SA group I fired (see below) was six rounds into about 2" at 15m.
  • 125 grain .357 Magnum loads were no problem at all--the grips proved very comfortable


Conclusion
I like the chunky little devil a lot! Great balance, nice sights, super grip and not a bad trigger. I'm glad I picked it up!

It cleans up pretty good, too!

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I love S&W revolvers. There's something extremely appealing about them, a combination of looks, balance, and shootability. I've owned a variety of them, and I currently own four, a 2" 36, a 2" 10-11, a 2.5" 19-5, and a 6" 629-4.

However, I've been shooting Rugers since I was 11, and the Security Six was the first double action that I owned. I currently own two, an SP-101 2.25" .357, and a GP-100 4". I like them both a lot. Not as classy looking as the Smiths, but they shoot!

I agree completely with your assessment of the GP-100. Mine shoots like a target pistol, with everything from .38 wadcutters to full power loads. It would be one of the last guns I'd part with.

I'm not crazy about the grips, though, and have Hogue rubber instead.
 
Dragonfly said:
Unfortunately, due to Canada's restrictive gun laws no new handguns with barrels less than 4" have been brought into the country since the mid-1990s.[/QUOTE

Exactly why Ruger now makes many of their guns with a 4.2 inch barrel.
Click to expand...
 
My little brother has a Security Six with a 4" barrell. And it is quite a good shooter. I still like my 6" 686 alot better though...go figure. But all that aside, IMHO Ruger offers a heck of a good working piece for the money as a less expensive alternative to a Smith. I have fired a couple Taurus handguns over the years and am not impressed at all with them. The DA pull is horrendous! And for a compareable price the Ruger is by far superior to any Taurus. Really, the only thing about Rugers I dont care for is the looks and the cylinder release. But that wouldnt stop me from picking one up. A taurus on the other hand, it couldnt be cheap enough for me to consider buying. Good review!
 
Dragonfly said:
Since the GP100 model is 25 years or so old many of you have already tried or own one....
Click to expand...

25 years is about right. I bought mine in 1986 when they first came out. I might have bought a stainless one, but blue was introduced first, stainless came a bit later.

I agree with you on the grips, they've got a great feel. My GP is accurate with almost any good ammo. It has never given me a problem. Despite many rounds of .357 ammo down the tube, it's just as tight as the day i bought it.

It will never have the classic looks of the S&W revolver, but for "real world" purposes, you can't go wrong with a GP-100.
 
I carried the old Security Sixes for work for many years (the Speed Six was agency issue) and they are still my medium-frame DA of preference as working guns. Do I like Smiths? Of course!

Some years back I came into a stainless GP-100 from a shooter's estate. It was just about NIB but someone had worked over the DA and installed a trigger stop, which I normally don't care for. The action was incredibly good. It was for sale in a local gun shop, and I overheard someone make a comment that they were thinking of getting it to throw it under the truck seat.

Even thought I didn't "need" that GP that did it. It's at its best as a field gun due to the weight and bulk, but does it ever shoot! Hot 125s feel like wadcutters, and it's one of the few DAs I own that wears the original stocks. It really is a great gun.
 
Plus, they are soooo easy to completely take apart.:)

The Wolf spring kits will greatly help the trigger and are a snap to install.
 
I've had my GP100 for about 10 years now. I have absolutely no worries about running some pretty hot loads through it. I concur with the comments about the Taurus'. I have small hands so the stock rubber grip with the wood inserts was replaced with a Hogue mono grip. Check out Ruger's website and you can get the red dot front site. All you need to do is compress the retention spring with a punch from inside the hole at the top of the muzzle. It's not a fiber optic but does drastically increase the visibility the item # is 90074 and is $15.23. After doing a check of Rugers web store I see they now have the Hiviz fiber sites available # 80630 for $ 34.95, I think I know what I'm buying next.
 
I recently bought a GP100 .357 with a 3" barrel and fixed sights. It's built like a tank! It came with the Hogue grips, but I bought a set of the old-style rubber grips from Midway and got some wooden inserts from Altamont, and it looks and feels a lot better to my hand.

I really like S&W revolvers, but I just won't buy one with the lock, and I don't like to buy used guns (just my preference) if I can get new. I wanted a revolver to keep in my nightstand, and while I would have preferred a 686, I wanted fixed sights, and no lock...I couldn't get that in a 686...so I bought the GP100. (I do have a S&W 642 for CCW, and it doesn't have the lock.) I don't have any worries about this being durable and functional!
 
I bought an unfired Ruger Security Six in the box a couple of years ago.I also have a 2 3/4" Speed Six.I just can't make them shoot as good as my Smith's.Do you think it is because of my name.
 
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Rugers for business, S&W for pleasure.......

I'm not as picky with grips and appearance with my Rugers as I am with my S&W's. Ruger GP100's and Sixes were designed as duty guns, first and foremost. I usually hate Pachmayrs on a blued gun, this is how my PD trade in Service Six came to me, the LEO that carried it needed utility, not looks, and they make my Service Six handle better without worrying about dinging up the wood, and that's all that counts.

As much of a S&W as I am, and have been since the early 90's, I "found" Ruger revolvers in 2008 and they have become my primary CC and HD handguns, and I do a lot of my range shooting with them. I can say I "target shoot" with my S&W's, but I "train" with my Rugers.

S&W's are great guns, very classic and they can be slicked up and made VERY accurate. But my GP100's are no slouch for accuracy either.

Drop in a set of the gold colored Redhawk springs, run a few thousand .38's through that GP100 and you'll be amazed at how slick it gets. Most of my GP's have Redhawk springs, they do not feel "lighter" so much as "smoother" with less staging. It's hard to describe. They are at their best in target or hunting guns used primarily in SA. For my defense GP's I stick with the bronze colored stock factory springs.

The Ruger has the edge for being reliable as a sledehammer, has big, chunky parts and it takes a LOT to break one. Short of outright abuse there's not much you can do to get a GP100 to stop working. They will digest your hellacious handloads with no problems.

Lots of PD's, State Police agencies and govt. agencies issued Ruger GP100's and Six series revolvers. The PASP and NJSP used stainless 4" Security Sixes for a long time. So did the NYPD, with their DAO .38 Service Sixes. Tons of security companies also used .38 Special GP100's and Sixes, I have a few trade ins.

The Sixes are great too, I have a pile of 'em. It's a shame Ruger stopped making them, they're awesome "k-frame" sized .357's. If I were a LEO and I was allowed to carry a wheelgun, I would go with a stainless 4" Service Six .357.
 
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That exact gun is what I recommend to "new gun" people, and it is also what I'd pick if I could only have one. A stainless steel, 4" GP-100 is tough to beat.

I have a 6" in blued that is the most accurate revolver I own, beating out Python's and PC guns by the way.

Last year I was in my pushers and they had a 4" Royal Phoenix GP-100 made for one of the distributors. It is a high polished gun, with polished trigger and hammer. Came with very nice Hogue wood grips as well. In fit and finish it is right in the middle between my standard GP and older Smith's and Pythons. One of the prettiest Rugers I've ever seen though...so it came home with me.

I'll get around to putting Wolff's in it, maybe go wild and send it to Gemini Customs for some work. I was going to do that with a 4" Stainless like yours though! Great gun.

The Highlander
 
I need the .327 Fed. Mag GP100 too, and that's gonna open a whole new can of worms for me.

Whatever you do, stay away from the Blackhawks:cool:.....I bought one this winter and now I have a .357 Vaquero on layaway, before I know it I'll have 10 of them:p Something about these Rugers just gets in your blood.......you either love them or hate them, and if you love them you end up with a pile of them.

It always starts with one....
 
I am a Ruger fan. I love my S&W revolvers, but love both my DA and SA Ruger Revolvers. I have to echo the comments about changing out the springs.


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But I AM a little biased.
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As for Bill Ruger and his comment about the AWB. Get over it 'ya crybaby. He is DEAD. Why hold his comments against the hundreds of AMERICANS who work at the Ruger plants?
 
When you said you shot a group at 15m, I knew you weren't from around here, aye? We shoot at 15 yards. I own a GP-100 4". It's my woods gun. It's not quite as accurate as my 686, the trigger is not as smooth, but it will shoot the hottest 357 loads all day long. "Chunky" is a great adjective for the GP-100. It's a poor man's Smith. Ruger makes the only other DA revolver I would recommend besides Smith and Wesson.
 
I don't consider a GP100 a poor man's Smith at all......the two designs couldn't be any more different, all they have in common is the cylinders turn in the same direction.....both have their strengths and weaknesses but I do not consider the Ruger in any way a lesser gun. I know we're on the S&W forum, and we have strong opinions about our "favorites". I try to stay subjective.

If I had the cash I would buy a NIB 586 and a NIB GP100, and run 1,000 rounds of .357 through each one a day and see which one breaks down first......I'll make an educated guess as to which one would last longer, but I think we all know the answer.

As for the sour grapes over Bill Rugers comments about how "no honest man needs more than 10 rounds" or whatever was said, I'm not going to boycott an American gunmaker because of a comment that was made by a now deceased man in 1994. He was a business man and trying to save his product line, and keep the Mini-14 viewed as a "sporting rifle". People tend to get really emotional on this topic, some of the comments I have read on other forums where they "hope Bill Ruger is burning right now" are totally uncalled for.
 
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