A S&W snob tries a Ruger GP100

If you intend to use full power .357mag rounds stick with the Hogue grips, just ask my knuckles! I installed the older style grips for looks but when firing off full loads the Hogues are far more comfortable.

Take Care

Bob
 
It's a nice addition to my vault... I recently acquired a blued, GP100 with the 6" barrel... nice balance... will be heading to the range in the near future! My Llama Commanche III
.357 revolver shoots great, but I doubt it will compare to the new Ruger... I'll see soon enough. Good shooting to all!
 
"...too bad that Ruger doesn't..." Rumour has it that the company that made 'em went out of business.
Had mine since they first came to Canada. Never got the Smith 19 I had to fit my hand.
All new firearms require a trigger job. Doing one on a GP is much easier than on any Smith. No special tools are required for the GP. Smiths require a tool to get the rebound slide assembly out without launching the wee, tiny, small, itty-bitty, spring across the room.
 
Master-G said:
Yeah, the Hogues that come on them now have a very pronounced "hump" to them.
Click to expand...

I don't know much about the newer Hogue grips on Rugers but the Hogue grips that came with my 500 S&W weren't the answer. The rubber in the area of the grip frame hump was/is fairly thin and that's where the 'discomfort' originates from with hot loads and especially with the heavier bullets. I had a set of Jordan Trooper stocks for the model 29 that I picked up years ago on a visit to Herritt's in Twin Falls Idaho. I modified them to fit the 500 and that seemed to tame the recoil better than the Hogue grips.

SW500TheHummer.jpg
 
Master-G said:
Yeah, I must admit that I'm a bit of a S&W revolver snob. I've owned ten over the years (now down to three) and I've always considered them superior to Rugers, although I'd never even shot one. Well, I saw this stainless 4" GP100 on the EE a couple of weeks ago 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--better than the 4" Model 28-2 I previously owned.

At the range
I had it out the the range today for the first time for a quick shakedown. I had my youngest daughter out for her first time with her new Henry Mini-bolt .22 and wanted to spend most of our range time having her shoot. Here are my initial thoughts.
  • 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.

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--I guess I'm a S&W snob no longer!

It cleans up pretty good, too!

P1060145.jpg


P1060147.jpg


P1060140.jpg


P1060143.jpg


P1060131_2.jpg
Click to expand...

Just bumped this thread to go with the flow of seemingly endless love for the GP100 in recent threads. Just might sell my mint 586 no dash to get another 4.2 GP.

I would really want to learn to take pictures like these...very pretty.
 
easyrider604 said:
I would really want to learn to take pictures like these...very pretty.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the kind comment, The pictures are quite easy--I laid the revolver on an old coroplast election sign on my back deck on an overcast day, and used a tripod and self-timer for my camera.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom