Christmas revolver

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bdg146

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My dad has expressed interest in carrying a pistol around while in the woods at our cabin in Central PA. He doesn't have one of his own, but I think a revolver would suit him best, and it probably a better choice for a woods gun anyway. So I guess I have two decisions to make. Well, three maybe.

#1 is caliber. .357 or .44 mag. Most of the black bears are relatively small in our area, so .357 would probably be good. It would have the advantage of being a smaller frame and easier to shoot. So I guess the decision there is a .357

#2 is model. I'm thinking a Ruger GP-100. I know the rugers are built extremely well. They're also the most affordable quality revolver (IMO). I can't spend the money on a S&W, and to be honest, even if I had the money, I'd probably go for the Ruger anyway. Just see it as a better value I guess.

#3 is whether I'm going about this in the right way. I guess the best option would be to take him to the shop and let him try a few on. Problem is, I live a few hours away and our schedules conflict. If we did that, next Christmas would probably roll around and he still wouldn't have one.

So what does everyone think? GP-100 a good choice? Anyone have a nice holster recommendation for one?

Thanks for the opinions...

PS - Just looked at Ruger's website. When did they switch to the hogue grips on the GP-100? I really liked those other grips, with the wood insert...
 
I think a 4" GP100 would be an excellent choice. It would be the closest to a do it all handgun in my opinion. I carry one in a DeSantis Speed Scabbard (without the safety strap). You can get a safety strap on this holster if you want to but it's very secure without one.
 
Actually, I would be inclined to go with something larger, like a 41. Maybe even a 44. You can reload 44 mag to a managable level.

Living like I do in South Texas, bears are a zoo attraction rather than something I would meet in the wild so I would think bigger is better in this case.

Good luck
 
Actually, I would be inclined to go with something larger, like a 41. Maybe even a 44. You can reload 44 mag to a managable level.
Click to expand...

I do somewhat agree, but the thing holding me back is that a 41 is a bit harder to find and he doesn't reload. I've bought a press but have yet to set it up (have to refinish a room in my new house first). So, down the road I could reload for him, but that could be a bit.

I hate to bring price into it too, but according to Ruger's site, a redhawk is about $150 more than a GP-100. I know MSRPs are usually inflated, but we're still looking at a price difference.
 
Hard to go wrong with a GP100. Buffalo bore sells some super powerful .357s that they claim are safe in any steel revolver.

On the other hand, you might wanna think about a Super Blackhawk. Single action can be a slight disadvantage, but the .44 magnum makes up for that. I got one for Christmas last year and I was a VERY happy boy! :D
 
Anyone else make a 10mm revolver besides S&W? I suppose that could be an option as well. They're a bit pricey though
 
While I am a Colt and S&W man I can see no problem with the Ruger. The Ruger GP-100 is comparable to the S&W 686 so it is more than capable of handling the duties you have assigned it. When I did private security many years ago I knew several armed officers who chose the GP-100 as their duty weapon. You have chosen wisely.
 
The GP-100 is a great choice, especially if you want a .357 and a double action revolver. You might want to consider a .44 Redhawk (4") even though it is a little more expensive. The .357 is great with full house loads, but the .38 specials can be pretty weak. I doubt if your Dad will want to shoot full house loads all the time. With that in mind, the .44 special load in a mag is larger and somewhat more powerful.

If the cost of the weapon is a concern, you might want to look at the Ruger Blackhawk (.357mag/.38 spec) and Super Blackhawk (.44 mag/spec). The last time I looked they were both less expensive than the GP-100 and Redhawk. Of course they are single action revolvers, but they are great guns. I've been shooting Rugers for 30+ years and you can't go wrong no matter what you choose.
 
Another thing you might want to consider is the Ruger Alaskan, basically a .44 Magnum version of the GP100 with a 2.5" barrel. They are a bit pricey though...
 
Sound to me like you already came up with the best choice in your dad situration. I don't have a GP100 but do have the security six. which the GP100 replaced. It will take care of the money problems since he can shoot cheap .38's while he getting use to the weapon. then for his walks in the woods two shot loads for snakes and 4 full house .357 and he should be able to handle anything that might threaten his peaceful time in the woods

Be safe
 
Thanks for all the help. There are definitely other options, but it sounds like I'm going to go with a GP100. Thanks again!
 
I can't imagine anyone ever being sorry they bought a GP-100. I've yet to experience any weakness in them and will never give mine up. There are very few guns that I will say that about as I sell off most guns I buy as soon as I find something about them I dislike and I'll be darned if I can come up with anything to dislike at all in my GP-100.

As a way to gauge my interest in a handgun, only ones I really like end up with a holster and I've got two for the GP-100. :D
 
One of the beauties of a 357 is you can find a wide variety of factory ammo over a broad poer band. Wadcutters, std pressure, +P, +P+, Magnums, and premium, what I call, "extra magnum" loads. You can shoot squirrels to black bear with over the counter ammo.
 
The new Ruger Redhawk in .44 magnum is interesting if his future use for the handgun is mainly bear protection. Bulky clothes will conceal it. He can apply for a CCW permit. Three rounds of .44 Spl followed by three rounds of .44 magnum after that should cover differwnt senarious in the sometimes scary woods. There are some violent perverts out there.
 
I'm a S&W revolver guy, one of which is a 686P 4" Bbl. However,
I've shot my range buddy's GP100 and it is an excellent medium frame
revolver, in .357 Mag. I also have a 5" bl.d N-frame S&W and it's
heavy enough I'd want a good shoulder rig for tramping around the
woods. The med. frame .357 Mag 4" Bbl. on the belt is a lot easier
to pack. Your dad could practice with it with .38 Special or +P and
graduate up to the full house loads A great all around is the 158 gr.
like a Hornady XTP JHP If your dad wants to try different grips
there's lots of options.

Randall
 
You could also look for a Ruger security six, built like a tank and just happens to come in 357.:)
 
Good to see even more support for the GP-100 :)

The security sixes are nice looking revolvers. A buddy of mine has one. I'd love to find one of those, but I don't have too much patience trying to find used guns, especially when there are great options that I can have ordered right away :)

Only problem is I may have to buy two. One for him, and one for myself!
 
+1 for either the GP100 or Security Six in 357.
I have the 4" GP and my mother in law has the 4" Speed six.
Would not go shorter than 4" on the barrel. If he does not have a handgun, has he shot any / many of them? If he is not an experenced shooter I would not start hi on a 44 mag.
 
He's shot a couple of mine, but is by no means an experienced shooter (with handguns anyway). So yeah, another reason to go for .357 I suppose. Some .38 specials will be a lot easier to start with.
 
A 4" GP100 would be a great choice. Buy a holster too, something you think he would like; Bianchi comes to mind. Simple high riding belt holster. I have a number of them for various revolvers and love them.

I'd say 22 revolver unless he has stated something along the lines of protection from black bears and so forth. I know my Dad does not take hikes in certain areas now because of the number of bears around. A 500 lb black bear is not "small".
 
Well, yeah, we've started seeing a lot more black bears recently. I don't think any have approached 500 lbs., but even a 200 lb-er is intimidating. I think we all realize that the chances of an attack are almost non-existent, but it still gives some piece of mind. Started hearing lots of coyotes around too recently, so it would be handy to have a revolver in a chance encounter with one of those. We've started to see a lot less deer recently, and we've attributed some of that to the coyotes, but that's another debate for another thread :)
 
My brother has one that comes on his back porch at night and tears up his bird feeder and anything else it might think is food. Yes, central PA (State College area). A 200 lb bear can be very intimidating. Very!
 
I actually live in the State College area, and our cabin isn't too far from there.

I was living at our cabin for about 6 months this past summer, and I had a bear that kept coming in and tearing off the exterior lights at our cabin. I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish, but coming home to the lights hanging from the wall was (for a short time) almost commonplace.

We haven't always had them at our cabin. They're incredible animals to watch and really neat to see. But then you realize that they are pretty destructive and they quickly become a nuisance. Oh well. The poor deer don't get any corn from the feeder anymore.
 
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