Ruger GP100 Scratches?

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Gurkha

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Me again,

Is it pretty common for a new Ruger GP100 to have scratches? I'm not talking about tool marks but actual scratches in the finish (mine is blued)?

They are not huge but when I went to clean it I definitely notices them.

I'm familiar with my used guns looking like #### and being all worn and scratched but I haven't seen scratches like this on a new gun before.

I know it won't change how it shoots but I just wondered if this was common or not.

Thanks
 
I find the blued finish to be quite fragile to scratches... New pistol should not be scratched, unless it was a display case pistol that was handled a lot?
 
I found a extremely long and detailed write up on the Ruger GP100. In it the writer said the following:

"Fit and Finish: Examine the overall fit and finish. Likely you will find scratches, machine marks and other cosmetic issues that have no affect on function. Rugers are intended to be a strong durable gun but seldom do you find one with a perfect finish or where the cosmetic fit is up to the standards of more expensive manufacturers."
 
Sadly it seems to be the way of the world these days. But no, a new gun right out of the box should NOT have scratches from the factory.
 
They don't make them like they used to, for sure.

I recently got a mint S&W 27-3 in trade for my mint GP100 4.2, fair trade IMO. But I like the 27-3 much better. It was manufactured in the 80s, so it had that fine polish (not as glossy as pre-number models) and the bluing was perfect still. Its timing perfect and lock-up tight, trigger...superb. So pretty I'm afraid to shoot it.

Anyways, back to topic. If finish is of utmost importance, buy stainless. At least you can polish the scratches out. Forget brand new blued guns unless you inspect before buying.
 
Picked up a stainless GP100 last week. Upon closer inspection,( these are loafers.) I noticed a one inch long scratch in the finish. It was on demo, so I assumed it was from that, and not too concerned about it. I wonder if one could just buff it out with a SS model?
 
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As a Ruger GP-100 owner I was more concerned about cylinder throat sizes than any minor scratches. Three of my cylinders were so tight a .356 bullet would not pass through them and the other three were .357. I reamed them out to .358 and the gun shoots with accuracy now. Shooting ,357FMJ or .358 lead boolits through .356 cylinder throats is not a recipe for accuracy!

Take Care

Bob
 
If it is common and all of them tend to have some small scratches then there would be no point in sending it back since I'll probably just get the same thing.

On the other hand, if it is not common to have small scratches I don't really like the idea of getting one which is scratched and I would rather send it back for a replacement.

From that quote I posted it seems normal to have small scratches but from what you guys are saying it seems like it is not common.
 
I just picked up a Ruger Super Redhawk in .480 Ruger. It was an impulse buy (sort of). Knowing Ruger's legendary reputation for both quality and value, I didn't even bother inspecting the gun (I should have, but I'm an extremely impulsive guy). It wouldn't have made much difference if I had though, as I'd made up my mind on the spot that I wanted one of these and this one was the only one in town (Edmonton). Unless a severe defect was noted in the item in question, I was buying it. I just got it home very recently and haven't even had the chance to fire it yet, but of course I had to take it out of the case and play a little. One thing that I noticed is that there are definitely a number of marks on it. I was told the gun was new, and it did come with the case, unopened lock, and unopened proof round, so I suspect that it is indeed new, but there is obvious evidence of extensive handling on the gun. There are a number of deep scratches in the finish (my suspicion is that these are from being moved to and from the display case), and there are numerous marks on the rubber grips (again, just a guess, but I'm thinking the results of both being moved to and from the display case and being extensively handled). Like I said, I haven't had the chance to fire it yet so I can't comment on the mechanical condition of the gun, but having bought it (supposedly) brand new, there is still extensive evidence of handling on the gun. There is no evidence of extensive use as far as I can tell (no flame cutting, no pitting anywhere), but the gun does still wear a number of marks. I also have a Smith and Wesson 460 XVR that I am very confident came new out of the box (maybe handled a few times at the shop), and it had numerous superficial machining marks in the surface. I don't doubt that these are the result of the machining process, but the point is that I don't think I've ever bought a gun that didn't show some signs of wear, and all my guns are new. I don't know how much help I can be but my advice would centre around 2 things. The first, become as educated as you can in discerning the different types of wear you might find on a gun. Learn the differences between marks left by handling and marks left by actual use. If the gun only shows marks from handling, there's nothing you can do. If you want that gun, that's the price you will pay. It may be the result of shipping, the handling of the gun by the shop, the handling of the gun by potential customers, or a combination thereof. It doesn't matter. If you want the gun, that's the price you pay. The second piece of advice I have is to inspect every gun you can both at the shop you bought from and other shops in the area. If your gun shows more evidence of wear, and even more importantly, different signs of wear, than the other guns in the shop, it is likely more handled or more used than the other items in question. If the guns at your shop show more wear, especially if it's the same type of wear, than guns at the other shops in the area, it is likely just a matter of the handling of firearms in your shop being more extensive than the other shops in the area, either by more customers than elsewhere or by the staff. That's my take on the matter. Hope this helps...
 
Ss gp 100

Mine is very clean. There are no external scratches that I can see. It is a very nice piece to shoot and is quite accurate. The front sight was a little undefined for me so I put bright green reflective tape on it. That made a world of difference. I really like the GP 100 fit and finnish included.

1927 CT
 
I ordered a gp100 in the early 90's, I guess the owner took them all from the distributor about 6 of them. He plopped them on the counter and said take your pick of the litter. I opened everyone and handled them like babies to try and find the perfect pistol. I can honestly say not one of them was perfect, and they were all the 6inch heavy barrel model kgp161 if I recall correctly. If one had a couple scratches on the barrel, the next one would have no scratches on the barrel but elsewhere lol. I just went for the one with the best trigger and the usual checkpoints. My super Redhawk .44magnum wasn't perfect. And my .454 casual with the target grey finish wasn't perfect either. But I won't buy any other revolver than a Ruger due to there strength, so please don't let the cosmetic stuff bother you, you will always find a blemish on any model I believe.
 
Can-down said:
Given it's been 13 years, buddy probably got over it..... :)

Most new shooters would love to buy a scratched Ruger "new in the box" these days..... back when we could I preferred to buy per-scratched guns.... aka used!

:)
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Mine is blued, brand new, but a counter demonstrator when I bought it. Other than the cylinder drag mark (some call it the "Ruger Ring", it remains flawless to this day. I am fortunate to have got it when I could, and I let everyone who wants to shoot it, do so, and they all would be overjoyed to have one! I searched for a good used revolver for almost a year. I wanted a 4-5" barrel, and kept an open mind. I ruled out Arminius and Alpha Proj very early on, while fit and finish was OK, DA triggers were terrible, and SA were not very good either. I judged Ruger and S&W about equal based on their triggers and feel (they are different, but both are good), and the reputation on both was excellent. I started shopping with a modest budget of $600.00, within a couple weeks this one showed up on (rhymes with Fun Post) at my price point. I jumped on it. Came with the original packaging, paperwork, warranty info and the other accessories. Basic blued finish with the rubber combat grip; super comfortable.

I was loading DRG bullets in Lead Round Nose, flat point, and they worked perfectly with my speed loaders. During Covid, I bought a bunch (few thousands) of Lead SWCs at an auction, and they don't work well at all with speed loaders, always hanging up on the cylinder. I will be switching to likely RN Campros in the future.

Any one have any tricks to get SWCs to work with speed loaders?
 
Meroh said:
Mine is blued, brand new, but a counter demonstrator when I bought it. Other than the cylinder drag mark (some call it the "Ruger Ring", it remains flawless to this day. I am fortunate to have got it when I could, and I let everyone who wants to shoot it, do so, and they all would be overjoyed to have one! I searched for a good used revolver for almost a year. I wanted a 4-5" barrel, and kept an open mind. I ruled out Arminius and Alpha Proj very early on, while fit and finish was OK, DA triggers were terrible, and SA were not very good either. I judged Ruger and S&W about equal based on their triggers and feel (they are different, but both are good), and the reputation on both was excellent. I started shopping with a modest budget of $600.00, within a couple weeks this one showed up on (rhymes with Fun Post) at my price point. I jumped on it. Came with the original packaging, paperwork, warranty info and the other accessories. Basic blued finish with the rubber combat grip; super comfortable.

I was loading DRG bullets in Lead Round Nose, flat point, and they worked perfectly with my speed loaders. During Covid, I bought a bunch (few thousands) of Lead SWCs at an auction, and they don't work well at all with speed loaders, always hanging up on the cylinder. I will be switching to likely RN Campros in the future.

Any one have any tricks to get SWCs to work with speed loaders?
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The only solution I would have is a bit of a dodgy one...recess the projectile into the brass. Good news/Bad news...good news is it's a Ruger so it's built like a tank...bad news, a potential pressure spike might result in setting the bullet back, testing out the tankiest aspects of your GP100?

That and a very slight crimp rounding out the brass case edge and those cartridges will slide into the cylinder like s hit through a goose.

If you have access to a chronograph, experiment with .38's...not magnums. Get a baseline, then see how much if any speed is gained by setting the bullets back into the cases and slightly crimping them. I'm assuming more pressure equates to more speed. Once you understand how much, if any, pressure is created, then muck about with magnums...carefully. baby steps.

Oh, and $600.00 Cnd for a GP 100 is a very good deal. I don't recall what I paid for mine, but I don't believe it was $600...I wanna say more?
 
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