Pistola Pedro
New member
I'm bringing nothing new to the table on a revolver that is not even close to being new to the firearms community. Here it goes anyway.
I've owned 4 GP-100's. If it were up to me, I'd still own 4 (6 inch, 4 inch, Wiley Clapp, and Match Champion). They have all been stainless. For the sake of consistency, I will talk about my current 6 inch model, but most of this can be applied to all of them.
These things are built very well. Everything that can be stainless steel, is. Everything that needs to be built strong, is. Everything that can be simplified, is. The result is a revolver that is probably a better value than almost any other firearm on the marker today ( big words, but I think that it's hard to pick a better one).
All of my models have been very accurate and my latest one seems to buck the modern trend in firearms of lower QC. It is the most accurate revolver I've ever owned. I was just plinking a steel plate the other day from an unknown range of at least 60 yards (by several peoples' estimates), while standing unsupported and using cheap .38 ammo. Very accurate. Cylinder gaps are tight and consistent with one cylinder being just a tiny tiny bit looser than the rest ( I have marked that one so that I can adjust the cylinder for optimum accuracy when hunting. i.e I make sure that cylinder fires sixth).
Ejection is smooth and the lock up is consistent. No issues with fit and finish at all. The cylinders seem to be just a little smoother than the previous models I owned. One bit of finish work that I'm very happy with is the chamfering of the back edge of the trigger. Older GP's had very sharp backs to their triggers. Ruger noticed and has taken care of that, which saves me some time sanding ( still have to do the hammer spur though! that thing is pretty agressive.
The weight helps a lot with recoil and these revolvers don't seem to care what kind of load you put through them. If it's a factory load of any kind, this one will take a steady diet of them without a second thought.
The trigger on this particular one had too much material left on the sear/hooks for my liking. Luckily, once you've taken one of these apart a time or two, it is crazy easy with very few tools. I cleaned up the trigger very easily and also polished a few other places that have become the norm for me to give attention to. The Ruger just makes me confident that I can work on it and if I screw up, it will be easy to fix. I am more confident working with the GP-100 than any kind of firearm including the AR-15. Might just be me though.
The sights that some from the factory are great. No major complaints to be had here as I've never had a problem with them. The front sight on the GP-100 deserves special recognition. I believe that the system they have in place on these should have become INDUSTRY STANDARD years ago!!! It is a strong design that can swap out posts in a matter of seconds. Literally! Genius!
Aftermarket goodies can be had and the most worthwhile is a fiberoptic front sight. 10 seconds of work ups your game considerably. The next best one would be the Wislon or Wolff spring packs. These are easy to install and will help lower your trigger pull tremendously. Once you've done it, you will know how to do it in just a few minutes the next time. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DO THIS AT HOME!!!! It's not "gunsmith" type of work. It's very simple with just a few tools ( and a fork, which helps hold the mainspring saddles under tension while removing the pin that otherwise holds it in place). There are also other grips which may be a worthy investment. I typically hate finger grooves, but the factory grips have grown on me. I'll still likely replace them eventually.
You may be asking yourself if you should buy a Smith 686 or the Ruger GP100. Stop agonizing over it. Pick one and don't look back! They are both great guns and will serve you extremely well. Unless you want to get a 7 shot or 8 shot model ( which are nice for HD or competition, but otherwise don't really add much other than price) , the Ruger is the better deal. Again though, just pick one. Great guns. I love my GP-100 and will always have at least one in the stable.
Pete
I've owned 4 GP-100's. If it were up to me, I'd still own 4 (6 inch, 4 inch, Wiley Clapp, and Match Champion). They have all been stainless. For the sake of consistency, I will talk about my current 6 inch model, but most of this can be applied to all of them.
These things are built very well. Everything that can be stainless steel, is. Everything that needs to be built strong, is. Everything that can be simplified, is. The result is a revolver that is probably a better value than almost any other firearm on the marker today ( big words, but I think that it's hard to pick a better one).
All of my models have been very accurate and my latest one seems to buck the modern trend in firearms of lower QC. It is the most accurate revolver I've ever owned. I was just plinking a steel plate the other day from an unknown range of at least 60 yards (by several peoples' estimates), while standing unsupported and using cheap .38 ammo. Very accurate. Cylinder gaps are tight and consistent with one cylinder being just a tiny tiny bit looser than the rest ( I have marked that one so that I can adjust the cylinder for optimum accuracy when hunting. i.e I make sure that cylinder fires sixth).
Ejection is smooth and the lock up is consistent. No issues with fit and finish at all. The cylinders seem to be just a little smoother than the previous models I owned. One bit of finish work that I'm very happy with is the chamfering of the back edge of the trigger. Older GP's had very sharp backs to their triggers. Ruger noticed and has taken care of that, which saves me some time sanding ( still have to do the hammer spur though! that thing is pretty agressive.
The weight helps a lot with recoil and these revolvers don't seem to care what kind of load you put through them. If it's a factory load of any kind, this one will take a steady diet of them without a second thought.
The trigger on this particular one had too much material left on the sear/hooks for my liking. Luckily, once you've taken one of these apart a time or two, it is crazy easy with very few tools. I cleaned up the trigger very easily and also polished a few other places that have become the norm for me to give attention to. The Ruger just makes me confident that I can work on it and if I screw up, it will be easy to fix. I am more confident working with the GP-100 than any kind of firearm including the AR-15. Might just be me though.
The sights that some from the factory are great. No major complaints to be had here as I've never had a problem with them. The front sight on the GP-100 deserves special recognition. I believe that the system they have in place on these should have become INDUSTRY STANDARD years ago!!! It is a strong design that can swap out posts in a matter of seconds. Literally! Genius!
Aftermarket goodies can be had and the most worthwhile is a fiberoptic front sight. 10 seconds of work ups your game considerably. The next best one would be the Wislon or Wolff spring packs. These are easy to install and will help lower your trigger pull tremendously. Once you've done it, you will know how to do it in just a few minutes the next time. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO DO THIS AT HOME!!!! It's not "gunsmith" type of work. It's very simple with just a few tools ( and a fork, which helps hold the mainspring saddles under tension while removing the pin that otherwise holds it in place). There are also other grips which may be a worthy investment. I typically hate finger grooves, but the factory grips have grown on me. I'll still likely replace them eventually.
You may be asking yourself if you should buy a Smith 686 or the Ruger GP100. Stop agonizing over it. Pick one and don't look back! They are both great guns and will serve you extremely well. Unless you want to get a 7 shot or 8 shot model ( which are nice for HD or competition, but otherwise don't really add much other than price) , the Ruger is the better deal. Again though, just pick one. Great guns. I love my GP-100 and will always have at least one in the stable.
Pete