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So, while I've never bought, or shot, a Ruger before, when I saw this in our forum classifieds the other day, I bought it:
GP100 Lipsey's exclusive. (Lipsey is a large distributor in Louisianna.) It's known as the Royal Phoenix for its high polish blue. Slightly less than 600 produced by Ruger. 2010 ~ 2012. Came about when some Lipsey execs, admiring their sales manager's Python, thought, "What if we tried to replicate that polish on a GP100?"
Ruger polished the stainless hammer and trigger as well resulting in a smooth trigger pull. Really quite nice.
To my eye, the bluing is very similar to Ford's master blue which I have on a Colt Three Fifty-Seven. Probably more black than blue, but very pretty. Hard to photograph well. The slightest trace of a finger print or oil smudge stands out.
What I am less happy with is the Hogue grips with the finger grooves. While a pretty grip, I find it small for my hand, as usual, and I think I just don't like finger grooves. I feel they prevent me from getting the web of my hand up as far on the backstrap as I like. And, I assume because I am red-brown-green colorblind, I can't see that red insert front sight well. I'd prefer yellow or white or maybe bright orange. So I am thinking to change those two items out.
The front sight is uniquely easy to switch out. (Plunger over the muzzle that if pushed in with a punch releases the front sight.) Some folks — e.g., Grant Cunningham — don't like the rear sight either, saying it loosens up too easily. Bowen offers well regarded front and rear sight replacements.
I think the bbl is actually 4.2 inches. Something to do with Canadian regulations.
I may also buy a dedicated holster for it but in the meantime i've found it fits well in my Colt 3-5-7's Simply Rugged Sourdough.
Hmm. Maybe I need to pay more attention to Rugers...
GP100 Lipsey's exclusive. (Lipsey is a large distributor in Louisianna.) It's known as the Royal Phoenix for its high polish blue. Slightly less than 600 produced by Ruger. 2010 ~ 2012. Came about when some Lipsey execs, admiring their sales manager's Python, thought, "What if we tried to replicate that polish on a GP100?"
Ruger polished the stainless hammer and trigger as well resulting in a smooth trigger pull. Really quite nice.
To my eye, the bluing is very similar to Ford's master blue which I have on a Colt Three Fifty-Seven. Probably more black than blue, but very pretty. Hard to photograph well. The slightest trace of a finger print or oil smudge stands out.
What I am less happy with is the Hogue grips with the finger grooves. While a pretty grip, I find it small for my hand, as usual, and I think I just don't like finger grooves. I feel they prevent me from getting the web of my hand up as far on the backstrap as I like. And, I assume because I am red-brown-green colorblind, I can't see that red insert front sight well. I'd prefer yellow or white or maybe bright orange. So I am thinking to change those two items out.
The front sight is uniquely easy to switch out. (Plunger over the muzzle that if pushed in with a punch releases the front sight.) Some folks — e.g., Grant Cunningham — don't like the rear sight either, saying it loosens up too easily. Bowen offers well regarded front and rear sight replacements.
I think the bbl is actually 4.2 inches. Something to do with Canadian regulations.
I may also buy a dedicated holster for it but in the meantime i've found it fits well in my Colt 3-5-7's Simply Rugged Sourdough.
Hmm. Maybe I need to pay more attention to Rugers...
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