Ruger GP100

P

phamily man

Inactive
I placed a special order today at my LGS for a Ruger GP100 with a 3" barrel. He didn't have any in stock (hence the special order), but I did get the chance to handle one at Cabela's last weekend.

The primary use for this gun is going to be home defense for my wife...
...and something that I'll enjoy shooting at the range, too. :cool:
I've trained her well enough on my semi automatics to know what she's doing at the range, but if there ever was a pressure situation and I wasn't home, well... I just don't think she would be comfortable enough with the workings of a semi to be able to stop the bad guy.
Solution?
Revolver!! Point, squeeze. Repeat.

Here's the potential problem... or rather... here's my concern, and it has nothing to do with my wife :D
I wanted DA/SA because I like to visually see whether the hammer is cocked or not... particularly if the wife is shooting.
I wanted a 6 cylinder, not a 5 or 7 (just call me old fashioned), and a shorter barrel... not necessarily a snubby because I don't intend to carry the bastard around with me, but I didn't want a 6" barrel, either.
Sooooooo..... I settled on the Ruger GP100 chambered in .357 magnum. It was a tossup between that and a S&W 686, but once price was factored into the equation... well, you get the idea.
My question is about the trigger. I didn't think it was that bad when I handled and dry fired it at Cabela's last weekend, but it certainly wasn't as smooth as the Smith & Wesson.
Is it really that big of a deal? Am I going to end up paying for a trigger job in a year? If so, I'll go back to my LGS tomorrow, tell my guy to cancel the order (I only put $100 down), and order a S&W instead.

So? Thoughts? What would you do in my situation?
Thanks!
-The Phamily Man
 
I'd dry fire it at least a thousand times to smooth it out. If its still not up to your liking Wolff spring kits are cheap and easy to swap out in the gun.

I really like my 3" GP100. You have chosen well.

IMG_1367.jpg
 
I think you made a great decision with the 3" gp100. I have one that has not been fired yet - soon to be remedied, but the balance and heft just feels right. I own a number of revolvers. A friend came over a couple of days ago to check them out. He held each one, and there were a variety - and he liked the "feel" of the GP the best. I have some smaller Smith and Wesson j frames, as well as some of the large n frames. I think the 3" gp for me will fill the role as the truck/house gun. jben
 
I have a new 4" GP100(made this year} and the trigger is very serviceable. What is your concern? If you are worried about pull weight, you can lighten the pull with Wolff springs and still get 100% reliability. I installed Wolff reduced power springs in both my centerfire SP101s and they are much lighter, and reliability is still 100%. If you actually are looking for SMOOTHER, then its very easy to open the GP100 and do the work yourself, as long as you stay away from the hammer/sear engagement areas. You can get a much lighter, smoother trigger action, without reducing reliabaility, for a few bucks and a couple hours of your time. Or, like me, you can just leave it alone(my GP is stock)and it will be fine. Here is a link to a clean up of an SP101(GP is very similar).

http://www.teslamap.com/public/sp101_trigger_job/index.html
 
Am I going to end up paying for a trigger job in a year?
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No. The trigger smooths out very nicely with some use. It will never be as nice as the 686s trigger but it will be really close.

You can't go wrong with a GP or the 686. Both are really great guns and I think you will be very happy with your pick.
 
The trigger can easily be cleaned up to be buttery smooth .

My self ,I demand smoothness, crispness & 100% reliability !!

Weights play very little in the equation , to a certain point of course.

Google "IBOK" it`ll give ya sight of what needs to be done .

& Triggershimms.com is an excellent source for shims, some of the kits lance has is taylored just for GPs.

Wilson spring kits have quality springs , I have a 12#er in 1 GP & after 7K rounds has only lost 1.5oz. on the DA pull.

The GP100 is an easy platform to smith ,but there`s still dos & don`ts for it .

Any ??? I`d be glad to help with .
 
I wanted DA/SA because I like to visually see whether the hammer is cocked or not
Click to expand...

Not sure if you mean that the way it sounds... a DA hammer can be cocked to shoot SA, and you're right that you can see it visually, but a "double-action only" (DAO) revolver can't be cocked at all. So it wouldn't matter if you could see the hammer or not, you know it's not cocked unless you're actively pulling the trigger. You don't want to be cocking a revolver in home defense anyway (so some people like DAO guns for this application).
 
I don't think it will take very many dry firings to smooth out the trigger. I bought a 4" GP100 several years ago (new), and after a short time the trigger was noticeably smoothed up. Probably 100 rounds fired and 200 dry fires.

The dry firing was to re-master the DA trigger pull which I had mastered in my youth, but shooting a Glock for 20 years screwed me up. I had to practice sustained sight alignment through the trigger pull a few hundred times... also to strengthen my trigger finger.

The GP100 is an excellent weapon. It is heavy enough to absorb the 357 recoil. Rapid fire with magnum loads is possible. I could never do it with the old SW 19 I shot as a kid. The K frame was just a bit light for rapid fire shooting, although I remember that old model 19 was spooky accurate in single action with 158 grain SWCHP.
 
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I dont think you or her will have any problems with the trigger. I have a new (2012 made) 6" gp and i think the trigger is great, better than the old one i had i think. As others have stated it responds to work nicely and its worth it. great choice on the gun it wont let u down.
 
For wifey, I would buy the GP, and stick with 38+P. You need to consider recoil, and muzzle blast, and not in that order. God forbid you shot a 357 within the confines of your house or any enclosure for that matter, your ears will ring forever, and cause deafness.
 
My new 4" GP100 has the best trigger of any Ruger I've owned. It's very good in SA, and is excellent in DA, very smooth.
After a short break in period, the SA has improved to near perfect. My DA shooting has never been better.

I think you and your wife will be satisfied.
 
Thanks!

Thank you for all the input everyone! You've managed to alleviate any "buyers remorse" that I may have been feeling regarding the trigger. :)

I forgot who said it, but I like a buttery smooth trigger, too. I know this particular firearm won't be like butter, but I'll take your advice, buy some snap caps, and dry fire the **** out of it until it feels best. (not that it felt bad when I played with the one at Cabelas, but it just felt as though it could have been better.

To whoever posted about the the DA/SA remark I made... yeah, you're right. Sorry about that. I guess it would have been easier to say that I just don't want a DAO pistol. Or put another way, I want to see where the hammer is, and have the ability to cock it with a thumb if I'm inclined to do so.

So all in all, it sounds like I've made a good decision special ordering the Ruger GP100 3".
I've never had much luck posting pics on here, but if I can figure it out, I'll be sure to throw some up once it comes in to the LGS and I pay off the balance.

New guns are so much fun!
:D
 
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