Ruger GP100: this rugged modern classic .357 Magnum revolver is configured for sportsmen's use

Guns Magazine, Oct, 2007 by Masaad Ayoob

I've owned GPIOOs since they came out in 1986. They've been doing the job for serious shooters ever since. Available in barrel lengths from 3" to 6", the 4" has historically been most popular for home defense and police/security revolver, while the 6" barrel is more at home with outdoorsmen and target shooters. The extra 2" of sight radius improves practical accuracy if you favor precision over portability and the 6" barrel honks up velocity a tad, something handgun hunters appreciate.

In IDPA matches, the maximum barrel length for a revolver is 4" and I often compete with my own 4" GPI00. I appreciate it has no screws to shoot loose, its cylinder latch never falls off after a lot of shooting with the P ammo necessary to make the required power factor, and the ejector rod can't unscrew itself and bind the gun. So far, my GP has won me the Regional Championship of New England and of the Florida/Georgia region, and the Florida State Champion title in Stock Service Revolver class. You just can't ask for more out of a gun with no action work whatsoever and is "out of the box" except for chamfered chambers and a grip trim, both to facilitate the use of speedloaders. The Longest GP

Our test gun was the 6" version, the longest GP manufactured. It weighs a substantial 45 ounces unloaded. The cylinder is ".41 size," and will work with any speedloader designed for the L-frame Smith & Wesson .357. The GP will fit a holster for an L-frame Smith, or a Colt Python, in the same barrel length. Like those guns, it has a full-length barrel rib (solid like the S&W's, not ventilated like the Colt's), and a solid underlug runs all the way to the muzzle to afford extra, stabilizing weight. Unlike its two competitors, it has also been offered with a slimmer barrel whose underlug stops just in front of the ejector rod.

"Ruger's GP100 has proven to be a rugged .357 Magnum," wrote friend and colleague John Taffin. Bill Ruger engineered it to be the most rugged double action revolver in its caliber, at a time when other brands were breaking down from heavy training fire with powerful 125-grain Magnum police ammunition. The GP soaked them up with equanimity. Another friend and colleague, Frank James, once wrote, "(The) GPI00 can be fieldstripped for detailed cleaning without the need for tools, and its design features one of the strongest lock-ups possible for any swing-out cylinder, double-action revolver."

The GP's reputation for ruggedness helped Ruger eclipse Colt and it was closing in fast on the dominant S&W in police revolver sales in the late 1980s and early '90s. Then, the tsunami of police auto pistols swept away the debate as to which was the most rugged service revolver.

On The Range

On the 25-yard firing line, handheld from an MTM gun rest, the GPI00 test gun showed the accuracy making its breed famous. Federal Gold Medal .38 Special 148-grain match grade wadcutter punched a 5-shot group measuring 1.25" center to center, with four bullets through one hole and the best three in an impressive 1/2". The 125-grain Winchester .357 Magnum hollowpoint did 1.80" for five shots, with a best-three cluster of .80". The best overall group came from Black Hills 158-grain SJHP Magnum, with five shots in one ragged hole measuring .95"! The best three showed even greater potential with human error somewhat factored out, a measurement of .45". In a moderately priced double-action revolver, that's impressive. The GP100 has been famous for accuracy since its inception, and has proven itself so on machine rests, too.

Hunting

I personally find the .357 Magnum to be a little on the light side for deer, but many experienced hunters think a proper 180-grain bullet or even a 158-grain hollowpoint makes it sufficient. This helps to explain the GP100's popularity among outdoorsmen. The 6" barrel is the choice of many who buy GP100s for sporting use.

A 6" .38/.357 like this one has other uses. I've seen the GP100 in this barrel length on the firing line at Camp Perry during the "retro" matches introduced in the 21st Century for revolvers, the Distinguished Revolver event and the Harry Reeves Memorial match.

I've seen the GP likewise on the line in centerfire iron sight class NRA Hunter Silhouette tournaments. I've also seen it strut its stuff at the National Police Handgun Championships in Jackson, Mississippi (now in Albuquerque since Hurricane Katrina wrecked the wonderful Jackson range). Such a 6" factory-barreled revolver with stable, heavy barrel is perfect for the Distinguished Revolver category.

Cushiony Santoprene grips protect the web of the hand, without pushing the hand back and thus reducing the index finger's reach to the trigger. This is important since most shooters find double action revolver shooting easier and better controlled with the distal joint of their index finger on the trigger. This is made possible by the stud-type grip attachment of the GP, which is reminiscent of the earlier Dan Wesson design, and which Bill Ruger liked so much he adapted from the GP100 .357 to the Super Redhawk, chambered in .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, and .480 Ruger.