My first Ruger revolver since 1984

J

jetinteriorguy

New member
I just picked up a GP100 four inch and I'm liking it. In spite of the crazy heavy trigger pull I shoot it very well and really like it. Everything about it just fits my hand perfect. I have a Wolf spring set coming and will polish everything up nice on the internals, do the shims the whole nine yards. I think once this thing is slicked up its going to be one of my favorites. I've always been a S&W guy but this Ruger is going to be a keeper and see a lot of rounds. Other than slicking it up it will stay box stock, I love the grips and sights. I also picked up a Security Six that I'm still on the fence about. I bought it for a great price and thought I'd like it better than a GP100, mainly because I generally dislike an underlug barrel but now I'm rethinking that notion thanks to the GP100.
 
I like my Ruger police six much better than the GP series, mainly because of the traditional grip rather than the tang style grip. Even the wrap around wood grips look funky to me not to mention rubber grips with inserts!
 
The grips do look cheesy, but for me they work perfect. Yeah, I always thought the GP looked chunky too but I sure like how it shoots and that's what counts. Of course that's always an individual experience.
 
I've loved my GP100 4" with a half lug (KGPF-340) since I acquired it in the early 90's...Came with the old style compact grips...

I don't know about modern production triggers, but I'd stack (bad pun) the one I have against my Smiths...
 
Even thought this trigger is heavy, it's smooth with a constant pull all the way through which is a big improvement over my Security Six. Even with the Wolf spring kit installed and polished internals I just don't care for the Security six. The trigger pull starts out very hard and then eases up which causes me to jerk just a little for poor accuracy. I believe the Security Six is going down the road, I don't keep guns that I don't shoot well. Plus, I got it pretty cheap so I should be able to make some money on it.
 
Dry fire, lots of it, and some sewing machine oil will slick up that trigger pull. My GP100 smoothed out nicely after a couple thousand dry fires over snap caps and several hundred rounds. Nice guns.
 
I've been dry firing it with snap caps a lot the last couple days and can already tell the difference. I'm thinking as smooth as it is I'll probably just put in reduced springs and then keep dry firing and just plenty of shooting. I might still do the shims and some polishing but I'm going to wait and see if it's even worth the bother. I've picked up a couple guns lately that I'm just really liking and feel like I have added a couple keepers, the other being an RIA 1911 that is both 9mm and 22TCM. The trigger and just everything about this gun just suits me right and it's just as nice to shoot and as accurate as my CZ75B SA. The 22TCM is rather interesting but I'll mostly just shoot 9mm.
 
Hi All,

First and foremost... Congrats to the OP. You have (what I feel) is one of the finest revolvers available!

I picked up a stainless, 4" GP100 about a year ago, and it has quickly become my absolute favorite range gun! The Hogue factory rubber grips fit my hand like a glove. It is just heavy enough to counter the recoil of any .357 Mag loads, and... it digests .38 special loads as if they are .22's. I swapped out the factory springs for Wolf reduced weight springs. And (this goes for any Ruger DA revolver) if you want a truly AMAZING trigger, I highly suggest shimming the hammer, hammer-dog, & trigger. The addition of shims transformed my trigger into something very special; in fact... I've shot lots of guns over the past 50+ years, but my shimmed GP100 performs heads & shoulders above any double action revolver I've ever fired- including S&W Performance Center revolvers. Shims can be purchased at: https://triggershims.com/ruger_double_action.html. The owner, Lance is very helpful, knowledgeable, & patient man. Just a note: if you can see rub marks on the sides of your hammer, hammer-dog, or trigger, you will see marked improvement by shimming; especially in double action. Think of it this way... as you pull the trigger in double action, if components are rubbing, it adds unnecessary resistance while you work to compress the hammer spring.
 
"...the crazy heavy trigger pull..." That's normal for any new handgun. The assorted MBA's running Ruger(and all the other manufacturers.) are terrified of law suits. Hence the heavy triggers.
Dry firing it does not fix it either. Dry firing just puts wear on the parts. Do or have done a proper trigger job. Had my 4" GP since they first came to Canada in the mid 80's. The triggers are not difficult to fix.
"...Are these..." There is no grip 'frame' on a GP like a Smith. The barrels and "frames" are steel, that is not polished in any way, and has some kind of paint-like coating that is eaten by vinegar. Made a holster years ago using home made vinegar based leather dye) Real bluing it ain't. The barrel steel looks like particle board without the finish.
"...what is the difference..." Mostly the grip frame, but most GP's have the under barrel lug too.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/ruger/revolvers-ruger/security-6
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/ruger/revolvers-ruger/gp100
 
My attempt at a spring kit in a Ruger led immediately to light strikes with only one step down in spring rating. I found it better for me, who leaves tinkering with my guns to a gunsmith, to simply count through my trigger pull so I am not grabbing a sight picture. My Rugers will never have triggers like some of the better S&Ws that I have owned. I take the responsibility that seeking a trigger pull of my dreams is just covering up my lack of skill with realistic trigger pull and flinching. I just have to practice and to have a mental process that I consciously use when firing.
 
My Wolf spring kit showed up today. I plan on putting them in tomorrow and heading to the range. Any suggestions which springs work best. I figured out what shims I needed for the hammer and the hammer dog, when I do the trigger spring tomorrow I'll measure the gap for the trigger shims and get them all ordered. So far the gaps have all been odd numbered so I'm figuring a final gap of .003", does that seem right?
 
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This is my GP100. A lighter return spring and hammer shims plus comfortable grips from Thailand make this puppy a fine shooter. The grips (as you can see) tuck under the backstrap projection rather than pushing your hand back about 1/2" like the Hoages. I also have a Security Six and a Match Champion. I like shooting this one better than those two. Maybe I just like fixed sights.

 
The lighter springs sure made a difference. Hoping my shims get here today. It's been a while since I've gotten this excited about a new gun and plan on a lot of fun with this one. Maybe because I've been so pleasantly surprised at how much better this gun is compared to what I expected. About eight years ago I was debating between a Wiley Clap version GP100 and a S&W 627 that were on consignment at a local shop. It really was a tossup and I went home to think about it overnight. When I went back the next day I had decided on the Ruger. Unfortunately it had been sold so I got the 627 and absolutely loved it. After 7 years and a lot of rounds through it I lost it due to a hand loading mistake, luckily no injuries. Since then I've been looking for a replacement and now that I found it, makes me think of how much I would have enjoyed the Wiley Clap had it not been sold.
 
My shims showed up last night and I installed them this morning. Nice and smooth now. Before the hammer dog had a lot of play and tended to ride off to the side, now it rides in the center like it should. So I'm running the lightest trigger return spring and the 10lb hammer spring with full shims. So far with 100 rounds through it no misfires both SA and DA. It definitely is an improvement worth the extra money invested. I believe I now have another keeper for the collection. Now it's time to start putting some rounds through it.
 
I've put another 200 rounds through since finishing slicking up my GP100. I am really really loving this gun. I've been dry firing it a lot next to my Smiths, and I never thought I'd say this but the trigger on this thing is just plain better. So for about $30.00 in parts and about an hours worth of my time polishing parts and installing a couple springs and some shims this gun is just so sweet. Honestly, if I could have only one revolver it would have to be the GP100. One of the nicest things about this gun is the modular design of the trigger group and hammer and how easy it is to work on them.
 
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