ruger gp100 review

There is no doubt about it. Ruger makes great firearms. They are not always the prettiest, or the lightest, but damn it, they perform flawlessly and are priced modestly. Anyone who has owned a Ruger can agree with me. As an avid shooter, these are important factors when purchasing a firearm. Hey not everyone can afford a Kimber or Dan Wesson. Should we have to sacrifice quality or customer service for that? Ruger says "NO" and I agree. They sell firearms that are reliable and accurate for a modest profit and have excellent customer service. This makes them one of my favorite companies in the industry. I have called Ruger, Kimber, Sig Sauer, and also Smith & Wesson. Smith is a joke (like calling Verizon), Sig is pretty good, Kimber okay, Ruger was excellent.

So what is the deal? Here is the deal, The GP100 meets if not exceeds everything you would expect from Ruger and they will stand behind their product. I once called Ruger because our P345 would shoot all over the place. I had to send it in and paid for shipping. Ruger determined that the barrel was defective. They not only sent me the gun back professionally sighted, with a new barrel, I also received a free gun lock. The whole process took about 10 days. That's not to shabby.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The GP100 is available with a few different barrel options. There is a 3 inch, 4 inch and also a 6 inch barrel. The 4 inch barrel being the one we are using here. This gun is well built. I also have a Stainless Steel Smith & Wesson in 357 Magnum. After handling the Ruger, the Smith feels sub-par. I am not saying it is, but the bulk of the Ruger makes it obvious, it can handle any load fired. I admit, this is my 2 cents, but compare the two for yourself and draw your own conclusion. For me the Ruger is feels superior. The grip is feels better, and the steel thicker. In a 357 these are key factors. You must trust the revolver and also be able to hold on to it. The cylinder is well balanced and spins smooth as a Cadillac. Something that I should also point out, the cylinder walls of the Ruger are thicker than that of the Smith. Our gun featured a 6 shot cylinder 4.2" barrel and rear adjustable sights.

When it comes to the 357 Magnum, I like my girls with a little meat on thier bones. Considering the power of todays best 357 Magnum loads, heft is just fine with me. This pig weighed in at 40oz.

SHOOTING
What can I say? Shooting this 357 Magnum is a lot like going to a strip club. My gun was hot, the rounds were heavy, and oh man was I excited. The gun was plenty accurate and recoiled much less than I had anticipated. The gun feels solid, and a bit heavy but easy to aim. The sights are good and found the targets quite easily. The rear site on the GP100 is adjustable for wind-age. As revolvers do, it fed everything without a hiccup. It ate all different types of .38 special, and 357 magnum, hollow points, LSWC, shot shells etc. Blowing up melons with the frangible ammunition was especially fun. The trigger is very good. I did not find it at all difficult to manage in double action. I could quickly empty the 6 shots and still manage to hit target. Single action is smooth as glass and breaks very clean. I have no complaints whatsoever with the trigger.

After the day at the range, I decided I might like it a bit more than my Smith version. I have, from time to time, considered parting with the Smith & Wesson but the GP100 will be staying with me.

CONCLUSIONS
I have always been, and remain sold on Ruger revolvers. They are solid performers, easy to shoot and reek of quality. Anyone in the market for a .357 revolver should take a hard look at the Ruger lineup. I would almost bet seven monkeys, you will choose Ruger over Taurus, Charter, and even some Smith & Wessons. They are fine firearms and built to easily last a lifetime. When combined with Ruger's excellent customer service and moderate pricing and I think we have a winner.

Article by - Jeff
Review Team - Jeff, Tim

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