Rastoff
US Veteran
Every now and then a particular gun strikes my eye and I can't get it out of my head. The GP100 Match Champion is one such gun. When I saw this one for the right price, and the seller was willing to take my old GP100 in on trade, I grabbed the cash and headed out the door.
The original GP100 was built with the standard Ruger philosophy; simple and indestructible. It was intended to be a no frills revolver. The one I had was exactly that:
While I liked it, and shot it well, it just didn't excite me. So, I traded it for this:
These two guns are very similar, but there are some subtle differences that make the Match Champion just that much better.
First, and most notably, are the sights. The new Match Champion has Novak sights. The rear is a typical Novak combat sight:
This is a tremendous improvement over the original which had the rear sight milled into the top strap.
The front is a Novak fiber optic:
At first I was concerned about having a fiber optic because some I've seen in the past have not stood up to hard use. That is no concern for this one. The fiber optic rod is fully enclosed with the metal blade. It still lets in plenty of light though and it stands out nicely.
I found the combination extremely easy to acquire and use. The rear notch is small enough for precision shooting, yet wide enough for easy sight acquisition.
The individual chambers have been beveled slightly:
This makes using speed loaders much easier. On the old model, the rim of the casing tended to catch on the opening of the chamber. That meat the loader had to be wiggled a little to get it to drop in. By easing the sharp edge of the chamber, the case isn't hindered and the loader just drops right in.
Also, the front edge of the cylinder is rounded off:
Notice how it tapers off ever so slightly at the front. Ruger claims this is to aid in reholstering. I can attest to this. The old GP100 cylinder would tend to catch on the edge of the holster now and then. This model just slides right in.
Probably the most obvious change is the grip:
At first blush it might seem to be too straight up and down. That is an illusion. The sights are perfectly aligned when the gun is brought up using a normal two handed grip.
To me it looks like they used Goncalo Alves, but I can't swear to it. Regardless, the wood is very nice.
The sides have a stippled treatment. This makes for a very nice grip surface without being harsh.
It is a single piece and is attached with one screw through the bottom. This is a nice design as it keeps the screw away from the grip surface. With the old grip the screw could back out and rub on the shooting hand. No such issue with this grip.
The shape is very comfortable to hold. It is a little smaller than I'd like, but my hands are larger than average. I believe most shooters will find this very comfortable.
It appears that the tang has not been changes. What this means is the old grips will still fit. So, if you don't like this new grip, it won't be hard to replace it.
Ruger added an 11° target crown to the muzzle:
This is supposed to improve accuracy. I'm not a good enough shot to validate this claim. All I can say about it is that I don't shoot this gun any worse than my old one.
I guess Ruger wanted everyone to know that this is not the standard GP100:
The sides of the barrel have been "slabbed" which helps with weight. They also added very large "marquis" style Match Champion on the left and Ruger GP100 on the right. I'm not a fan of this type of lettering on guns. Even so, this is very nicely done.
"Enough of this aesthetics garbage Rastoff, how does it shoot?" I'm glad you asked; very well. Here are my first 20 shots with the gun:
This was shot at 3, 5, 7 and 10 yards in accordance with the rules here: http://smith-wessonforum.com/concea...746-rastoffs-challenge-dropping-gauntlet.html Not my best target ever, but not bad considering it's a new gun and these were all taken double action.
The trigger is much improved in the Match Champion. The pull weight averaged 10lbs 13.5oz over 10 double action pulls. It varied about +/-2oz. The single action pull weighed 4lbs 8.8oz over a 10 pull average. This varied about +/-1oz.
This gun was not designed as a target gun. The design intent was to be used in IDPA style shooting. With that in mind, Ruger nailed it. The trigger weights are perfect for defensive shooting and reliability. Shooting controlled pairs was very smooth. I was able to get split times very close to what I shoot with my M&P 45 full size with an Apex FSS trigger.
The part you can't see is what's been upgraded inside. Ruger added bushings to the hammer and trigger. These help keep both parts centered in their respective slots. They also polished all the contact points. This makes for a very smooth double action pull. The single action pull is very crisp. There is a tiny bit of creep. It's so small that you'd really have to be looking for it to notice it. Most will feel that it's creep free. There is also a tiny bit of over-travel. This too is so small as to be insignificant.
Where the rubber meets the road:
I really like this gun. It is inexpensive, well made and easy to shoot. There may be better revolvers, but not at this price. To have a trigger this nice out-of-the-box, at this price point, is a rarity. If you're looking for a nice revolver for competition or even carry, take a close look at this one, it's a great buy.
The original GP100 was built with the standard Ruger philosophy; simple and indestructible. It was intended to be a no frills revolver. The one I had was exactly that:
While I liked it, and shot it well, it just didn't excite me. So, I traded it for this:
These two guns are very similar, but there are some subtle differences that make the Match Champion just that much better.
First, and most notably, are the sights. The new Match Champion has Novak sights. The rear is a typical Novak combat sight:
This is a tremendous improvement over the original which had the rear sight milled into the top strap.
The front is a Novak fiber optic:
At first I was concerned about having a fiber optic because some I've seen in the past have not stood up to hard use. That is no concern for this one. The fiber optic rod is fully enclosed with the metal blade. It still lets in plenty of light though and it stands out nicely.
I found the combination extremely easy to acquire and use. The rear notch is small enough for precision shooting, yet wide enough for easy sight acquisition.
The individual chambers have been beveled slightly:
This makes using speed loaders much easier. On the old model, the rim of the casing tended to catch on the opening of the chamber. That meat the loader had to be wiggled a little to get it to drop in. By easing the sharp edge of the chamber, the case isn't hindered and the loader just drops right in.
Also, the front edge of the cylinder is rounded off:
Notice how it tapers off ever so slightly at the front. Ruger claims this is to aid in reholstering. I can attest to this. The old GP100 cylinder would tend to catch on the edge of the holster now and then. This model just slides right in.
Probably the most obvious change is the grip:
At first blush it might seem to be too straight up and down. That is an illusion. The sights are perfectly aligned when the gun is brought up using a normal two handed grip.
To me it looks like they used Goncalo Alves, but I can't swear to it. Regardless, the wood is very nice.
The sides have a stippled treatment. This makes for a very nice grip surface without being harsh.
It is a single piece and is attached with one screw through the bottom. This is a nice design as it keeps the screw away from the grip surface. With the old grip the screw could back out and rub on the shooting hand. No such issue with this grip.
The shape is very comfortable to hold. It is a little smaller than I'd like, but my hands are larger than average. I believe most shooters will find this very comfortable.
It appears that the tang has not been changes. What this means is the old grips will still fit. So, if you don't like this new grip, it won't be hard to replace it.
Ruger added an 11° target crown to the muzzle:
This is supposed to improve accuracy. I'm not a good enough shot to validate this claim. All I can say about it is that I don't shoot this gun any worse than my old one.
I guess Ruger wanted everyone to know that this is not the standard GP100:
The sides of the barrel have been "slabbed" which helps with weight. They also added very large "marquis" style Match Champion on the left and Ruger GP100 on the right. I'm not a fan of this type of lettering on guns. Even so, this is very nicely done.
"Enough of this aesthetics garbage Rastoff, how does it shoot?" I'm glad you asked; very well. Here are my first 20 shots with the gun:
This was shot at 3, 5, 7 and 10 yards in accordance with the rules here: http://smith-wessonforum.com/concea...746-rastoffs-challenge-dropping-gauntlet.html Not my best target ever, but not bad considering it's a new gun and these were all taken double action.
The trigger is much improved in the Match Champion. The pull weight averaged 10lbs 13.5oz over 10 double action pulls. It varied about +/-2oz. The single action pull weighed 4lbs 8.8oz over a 10 pull average. This varied about +/-1oz.
This gun was not designed as a target gun. The design intent was to be used in IDPA style shooting. With that in mind, Ruger nailed it. The trigger weights are perfect for defensive shooting and reliability. Shooting controlled pairs was very smooth. I was able to get split times very close to what I shoot with my M&P 45 full size with an Apex FSS trigger.
The part you can't see is what's been upgraded inside. Ruger added bushings to the hammer and trigger. These help keep both parts centered in their respective slots. They also polished all the contact points. This makes for a very smooth double action pull. The single action pull is very crisp. There is a tiny bit of creep. It's so small that you'd really have to be looking for it to notice it. Most will feel that it's creep free. There is also a tiny bit of over-travel. This too is so small as to be insignificant.
Where the rubber meets the road:
I really like this gun. It is inexpensive, well made and easy to shoot. There may be better revolvers, but not at this price. To have a trigger this nice out-of-the-box, at this price point, is a rarity. If you're looking for a nice revolver for competition or even carry, take a close look at this one, it's a great buy.
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