Ruger Revolver owners , especially GP100's I have a few questions

[tercel89]

I'm looking at getting a Ruger GP100 in 357mag in the 4 inch barrel. There is the 6 shot and the 7 shot. I know the 6 shot has been proven over time and reliable. How about the 7 shot ? I compared the walls of the cylinders side by side and of course the 7 shot is a bit thinner. I do plan on shooting some 357mag out of it but not all the time. Maybe practice with .38spl. So the thinner walls may mean a tad bit weaker than the 6 shot. But we are talking about one of the heaviest built revolvers. Should this be a concern ? Also , I am wanting to know if the 7 shot will be as reliable and stay "in-time" or keep it's "timing" as good as the 6 shot ? I have owned a few revolvers but never shot a lot out of them. But this gun will get a lot of shooting as I plan to start reloading 357 and .38 . Any help and experiences are appreciated. Thanks in advance.  I will add that I am a huge fan of Ruger and I have a few of their P-Series which are as reliable as the sunrise , but I still understand that now days  even Ruger firearms are a lot different than when those P-Series were made. Even Glock has gotten to where they are not as reliable as they used to be. 

Edited July 16 by tercel89
spelling

[Grayfox54]

Honestly, I never cared for the GP-100. The thing has the ergonomics of a brick. Never felt comfortable in my hands. But that's just me. 

However, I'm a huge fan of the older "Six" Series DA revolvers and own 3 of them. 

You have nothing to fear. Rugers are built like a tank. I doubt if you could hurt one if you tried. 

[tercel89]

I've seen a few used Security Six's but the asking price was astronimical. I'm sure they are worth it but the owners of those must have been on dope. 

[Grayfox54]

The old "Six" Series has been rediscovered in recent years for being the fine handguns they are. However, Ruger quit making them in 1988. Prices generally run in the $500-700 range these days depending on condition. 

JMHO,  if you want the best .357, find yourself an older pre-lock, pre-MIM S&W 586/686. These guns were designed  specifically for the .357 Magnum cartridge and are outstanding.  But I caution against the new ones. S&Ws QC has gone down the toilet. 

[deerslayer]

The L-frame Smiths (586, 686, etc) more or less replaced the K-frame .357s (13, 19, 66, etc) as the gun to have if it will get a steady diet of .357.  The K-frames would develop issues sooner or later.  The stouter frame (not the cylinder) of the L guns cured this.  Many people assumed the GP100 and the Security Six had the same L-frame/K-frame relationship, but that’s not really the case.  Some wheelgunners feel that the GP100 was unnecessary, but believe the L-frame was an improvement over the K-frame.  
 

I have no experience with 7-shot Ruger or Smith .357s, but I’ve never seen or read anything bad about either one.  I’m with Grayfox - look for a Security Six or a pre-lock 586/686 if you plan to shoot a bunch of .357, unless you must have seven rounds.  

[Hozzie]

I have a 5" GP100 that I actually like just as well as my 6" 686.  I would say I may even prefer the trigger on the GP ever so slightly more than the 686.   Maybe it's a fluke, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a GP100 if I found one I like.   I don't think 6 vs. 7 shot is any issue if capacity isn't a concern.   I don't expect you will be carrying it around everyday.

[Wheelgunner]

Tercel89 - The early production 7-round .357 GP-100 revolvers had a problem seating the 7th round with some brands of ammunition.  In other words, the chambers were so close together that the cartridge rims would not all fit.  Don't know if Ruger corrected that later on, but look into that before buying a 7 round GP-100.

[tercel89]

31 minutes ago, Wheelgunner said:

Tercel89 - The early production 7-round .357 GP-100 revolvers had a problem seating the 7th round with some brands of ammunition.  In other words, the chambers were so close together that the cartridge rims would not all fit.  Don't know if Ruger corrected that later on, but look into that before buying a 7 round GP-100.

Thank you very much ! I wondered about that with the cylinder walls so close. 

[et45]

22 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

Honestly, I never cared for the GP-100. The thing has the ergonomics of a brick. Never felt comfortable in my hands. But that's just me. 

However, I'm a huge fan of the older "Six" Series DA revolvers and own 3 of them. 

You have nothing to fear. Rugers are built like a tank. I doubt if you could hurt one if you tried. 

I posted almost the same thing about 14-15 years ago and someone  who isn’t even on here anymore called me a troll.

[pop pop]

I just purchased a new 3" S W 686 + which is a 7 shot 38/357 about 8 months ago. Paid 999.99 plus tax. Have shot it on several outings (approx 200 rounds) and it is solid. Owned several 7 shooters and none of them have been a problem. I like them all. Ruger is a fine revolver and don't back up off of a 7 shot. You will be pleased. 

[BigK]

The last time I was looking for a GP 100, I found a Security Six that I liked just as good. I'll be shooting 38 over 357 about 100:1, so the overbuilt GP just didn't make sense to me. I like the looks of the GP over the "Six" though.

[krunchnik]

I have owned several GP100's and they all were absolutely fine handguns but I could not shoot accurately with the frame design-

I have a S&W 686+ that for me is easier to shoot and I have no clue as to why-

My absolute favorite was a Dan Wesson model 15 pistol pack-man I wish I still had it-

Now I seriously doubt that most of us shooters on the average would actually wear any of these .357's out-

Porn

[BigK]

Revolvers are so much prettier than pistols.

[JustEd]

On 7/16/2024 at 2:22 PM, tercel89 said:

I've seen a few used Security Six's but the asking price was astronimical. I'm sure they are worth it but the owners of those must have been on dope. 

I had a 6" security six in the 80's. It was a good solid pistol with a sloppy trigger and weird balance.  Never got used to it

[tercel89]

I'm not digging the high price of the GP or the SP  that's for sure ! 

Edited July 19 by tercel89

[Frog4aday]

I've owned a six round, 4" barreled, blued GP-100 since the late 1980s and it has been shot a lot over the years. It was bought to replace a S&W 686 (no dash) that I really liked but the factory had screwed the barrel on crooked and it spit a ton of debris out of the barrel cylinder gap.

The GP-100 has been very accurate, especially with 140gr XTPs. It is still 'in time' after all these years and high number of rounds put thru it. Trigger pull is smooth and reasonable weight after lots of use, but it was actually pretty good out-of-the-box.

Since your goal is lots of shooting and reloads, go for the extra thickness/margin of safety of the six shooter. The 7 shot gun would be preferable if you were going to compete at matches w/it. Since that's not the intended use, the simpler/stronger six shot will serve better.

Oh yea, I bought some PACHMAYR® grips all those years ago thinking they'd cushion the recoil more but found I preferred the feel of the factory rubber and wood grips better. Seems like Ruger got those right, at least for my size large-glove hands.

I hope you get as much enjoyment from your GP-100 as I've gotten from mine. They are great guns for someone that actually likes to shoot a lot.

[tercel89]

Thanks to all the TGO members and yall's information. I have driven all over God's creation and handled a bunch of Ruger GP100's. All were either milled incorrectly or off center. Some barrels were not lined up correctly. I drove to check them out in person because I am not buying a gun sight unseen whether I can send it back or not. It's too much of a hassle. I guess the newer Ruger's have lower standards or worse quality control that in previous years. So I am no longer looking for a Ruger revolver unless I stumble across one that is properly built. It seems that is the same with Beretta. Now that they have moved to Tennessee , their quality is "hit and miss". And to go on to cars , Toyota was great too. Now they are building crap ! I guess I am just getting old and stuborn ! 

[Darrell]

Wow! That's a shame you had so much trouble finding a GP100 to your liking. I have a number of Ruger revolvers, from Old Army black powder to a GP100 and a couple of Black Hawks. I've been very pleased with every one of them. (None are new manufacture, though.)

[deerslayer]

11 hours ago, tercel89 said:

I have driven all over God's creation and handled a bunch of Ruger GP100's. All were either milled incorrectly or off center. Some barrels were not lined up correctly.

Wow, that is a shame.  

[Will Carry]

I have owned a GP-100 six shot. It was built like a tank. You could shoot hot .357 ammo until the cylinder got so hot you could iron your shirts with it.  When I got the Bisley Vaquero I sold the GP-100. That Vaquero was an awesome revolver.