Is the Ruger GP100 the Greatest Double Action Revolver Ever Made?

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weblance

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I have a 4" stainless GP100. Its a great revolver. Accurate, extremely well built. Fit and Finish is beautiful. The GP100 has a reputation for being as tough as nails. Bill Ruger, while proud of his first double action revolver, the Security Six, and its siblings, decided that it couldn't stand the constant pounding from the 357 cartridge, so the GP100 was designed to handle that. One of the selling features of the Ruger revolvers was that the frame wasn't cut in half, to install the lockwork, like the S&W revolvers, making it extremely strong. The GP100 has been in production for more than 25 years now, and there have been very few complaints. So... can anyone argue that the GP100 isn't the greatest Double Action revolver ever made?

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I own one and really like it but have you ever fired a Python? They came out of the box with a much sweeter trigger and are also very accurate as a whole. Many will argue that the Python is the DA standard. Others will argue Dan Wesson and the DW's have their merits too.

Proud owner of a GP100 but no they are NOT the gold standard for DA revolvers in my opinion.
 
Not so certain it's better than one it replaced

It's not a bad gun. It's well designed and built like a tank.
You could make an argument that the SW Model 10 would have the moniker of greatest double action ever.
 
OK, it is not the greatest double action revolver ever made. Any of the N frame S&W's are better. They have been around for well over double the 25 years of the Ruger. .357? mere child's play; N frames have been handling .41 and .44 loads for a lot longer, not to mention .357 loads.

the GP100 is a great gun, I have one. What other criteria do you use to say greatest?

I shall now sit back and pop some Orville Reddenbacher's

David
 
No.


Bill Ruger, while proud of his first double action revolver, the Security Six, and its siblings, decided that it couldn't stand the constant pounding from the 357 cartridge, so the GP100 was designed to handle that.
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Actually, Bill Ruger developed the GP100 as a replacement because it was easier/cheaper to manufacture.
 
Greatest is debatable, but they're fantastic revolvers for the money. If I owned one DA .357, it would be a GP100, no doubt.
 
They are nice, but, I'd take my S&W 686 every time over a GP. The 686 has a better trigger and is every bit as strong.
 
What is great to one, may be trash to another. I have had two GP 100's and they were great revolvers to me, but greatest ever? There will never be one revolver that is best to everyone.
 
I can easily argue that it isn't the greatest double action revolver ever made. No problem at all, and I win.

It's the Smith & Wesson K-frame .38 Special.
Over six million of them built and sold is pretty much the tale of the tape.

As for the solid frame versus the half-frame pieced together with a side plate, you are also comparing investment casting to forged steel, let's not forget that.

Guns & Ammo once pitted a 686 up against the (relatively new at the time) GP-100 in something like a 15,000 round "accelerated use" test and they measured things such as accuracy, functioning, tolerances and other items all at points along the test. They came to the same conclusion that most shooters would come to in a life time of shooting and owning these handguns: one of them is unlikely to be better than the other.

Me? I own one GP-100 and one Redhawk and I truly enjoy both of them. But niether is a match for any/all of my K-frames and my one single L-frame and my two N-frames. Sorry. Smith & Wesson's double action is what my shooting hands want from a revolver. I have a Colt, a Taurus, a pair of DW's and the double action on all of them simply are not a Smith & Wesson.

GP-100? Fantastic revolver.
"Greatest Double Action Revolver Ever Made?" it is not.

Maybe in another 80 years we can see if they've sold another 5 million of them.
 
Hey OP!

Where'd you get the compact grips for that GP100?

By far 'one of' the most rugged .357 designs ever...

'Better' than a Smith?

IMNSHO I like my GP100 much better than my 686-3...

But that is just me...
 
Actually, Bill Ruger developed the GP100 as a replacement because it was easier/cheaper to manufacture.
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It may be cheaper, and easier to manufacture, but it has always been well know that the GP100 replaced the Six series because Ruger felt it suffered abuse from constant 357 firing. It may take 100,000 rounds of 357, or more, to show damage, but that was the "official" reason. Im sure someone will be along soon to say "I have fired 600,000 rounds of 357 through my Security Six and its never missed a beat", but the GP100 IS a stronger revolver than the Six
 
Salmoneye said:
Hey OP!

Where'd you get the compact grips for that GP100?
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I picked them up off Ebay a couple years ago. I ended up with 2 pair. The inserts are from ChigsGrips. Thanks for noticing. Its the perfect grip for my hands.
 
I like mine a lot, it's the 'best ever' for me because I shoot it better than anything else. Probably just an ergonomics issue. The original panel grips get your hand up high and tight on the frame, reducing muzzle rise. Trigger reach is also reduced compared to the current Hogue rubber finger groove grips. My double action shooting has never been better.
 
Its the perfect grip for my hands.
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My hands also...

My GP came with the compact Lett's grip as it is a 4" fixed sight, half-lug (KGPF-340)...I made my own panels from spalted maple...Do NOT let the compact grips get away from you, as the prices just keep climbing...

As an aside...Because I like my Rugers so much, I am actually thinking of trading/selling my 686-3 towards an older Marlin 1894C (.357/.38)...
 
I have heard of too many stories about the locks failing on the new Smiths renduring them useless. I'm a little leery of spending $800 on a potential headache. I'm not going to buy a gun because of it's name.

Rugers always go BANG.
 
It may be cheaper, and easier to manufacture, but it has always been well know that the GP100 replaced the Six series because Ruger felt it suffered abuse from constant 357 firing.
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Internet myth, Bill's own words bear this out.
 
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