Is the Ruger GP100 the Greatest Double Action Revolver Ever Made?

[weblance]

I have a 4" stainless GP100. Its a great revolver. Accurate, extremely well built. Fit and Finish is beautiful. The GP100 has a reputation for being as tough as nails. Bill Ruger, while proud of his first double action revolver, the Security Six, and its siblings, decided that it couldn't stand the constant pounding from the 357 cartridge, so the GP100 was designed to handle that. One of the selling features of the Ruger revolvers was that the frame wasn't cut in half, to install the lockwork, like the S&W revolvers, making it extremely strong. The GP100 has been in production for more than 25 years now, and there have been very few complaints. So... can anyone argue that the GP100 isn't the greatest Double Action revolver ever made?

 

[Longhorn 76]

This is a joke, right?

 

[MinnesotaFats]

Your responses will look like this.. "nope smith and wesson is best" or "nope colt pythons are best" or "nope dan wesson is best" or "yep ruger is best". In reality it has to do with which ever you prefer. Thats about it.

 

[Trad Archer]

Ruger needs to dump those God aweful ugly and impossible to conceal Hogue grips and go back to the originals.

But yes, it is a great gun.

 

[rbernie]

It needs a seven shot cylinder and better grip selection to start to climb to the top.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Greatest? Well, that is a relative term. Greatest to some is worst to others. It's really a matter of preference.

I don't own one, but I do think the GP is a great gun. I like my SP101's a lot, but greatest is impossible to define from one user to the next.

 

[Drail]

No, it's not the best DA revolver ever made, although it is an incredibly good revolver for the price. While they are definitely overbuilt like all Ruger designs they're not indestructible tanks like so many people claim. A steady diet of hot 110-125 gr. loads will erode away the forcing cone just as it will in a S&W or Colt DA. In my experience the best DA revolver ever made would be the S&W Model 57-0 - .41 Rem. The S&W 625-2 would be No 2 IMO although both of those are a little large and heavy for most people for carry use but the trigger pulls are much better than any Ruger DA. The Ruger SP 101 probably is the best .357 snub CCW revolver ever made. My wife still has one of the first year production SP 101s and it just keeps going and going. I also own one of the first year production GP 100s which sadly needs a new barrel. The reason - too many 125 gr. flame thrower handloads. I was young and stupid. I know better now.

 

[MEHavey]

Model-19 .....
Others not even close.

 

[Stress_Test]

I love my 6" stainless GP. I even don't mind the all-rubber grip; it fits me fine. I'm keeping an eye out for a 4" version.

Me personally I don't think I'd look anywhere else for a full size 357 revolver.

Can't understand paying nearly twice the cost for a Smith and Wesson!

 

[Trad Archer]

Smith fans are so arogant. LOL.

 

[MinnesotaFats]

^ i suppose im arrogant then lol.

 

[jmr40]

They are tough as nails. Fit and finish are sub par. Accuracy is OK. They are the Glock of revolvers. If I wanted a revolver that could take abuse and still function a GP would be near the top of the list. But for fit, finish, smooth actions, accuracy and overall quality they aren't in the same league as older Colt's Smiths, or some Dan Wessons.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

No...

 

[xXxplosive]

Not really................

 

[XTrooper]

A little knowledge (and experience) is a dangerous thing.

 

[RealGun]

I have what seems like half the Ruger line and a nice array of Smiths, but the one that really stands out is my Interarms Rossi 851 .38 Spl. Among the Rugers, the Security Six wins.

Picking a "Greatest Ever Made" is way beyond hyperbole. First one would have to categorize guns and the purpose they serve. I really don't know enough and would expect the candidates for any award should be nominated by a panel of experts with some rationale included.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

I prefer my 4" 686+, but yes, Ruger makes good guns.

Laura

 

[HexHead]

To put that in the same company as a Python is laughable at best.

 

[WestKentucky]

My gp was junk. I went back to a Taurus 66. Not the best, but in the running for best bang for the buck. And no, there is not a gun on the market that can claim "best DAR ever" there are guns that are tailored to fit most people well, that operate well, are accurate, etc... But the best DAR ever is the one that hits it's mark when it comes unholstered for whatever reason it may, does it's job, and goes back into holster ready for next time. Whether it's job is punching holes in dinner, paper, or a bad guy, that is the description of the best DAR ever.

 

[slickracer]

With all due respect, a GP100 is not even in the same league as a S&W Registered Magnum or Python and also trails the 19, 586, 27, 686, Dan Wesson & King Cobra.

I chuckle at the notion that they are so strong. With all the extra metal and bulk it should be stronger. I'm a big fan of Ruger single action revolvers but for double action there are better choices.

 

[silicosys4]

Won't even get into Korths.
Ruger has a fine product in the gp100. Calling it the best is quiet a stretch, IMO.

 

[fastbolt]

... So... can anyone argue that the GP100 isn't the greatest Double Action revolver ever made?

Sure. In the Ruger line up, that would be the Redhawk .357 model.

I'd be more inclined to accept that the GP series was created to meet the public's perception that Ruger needed something along the lines S&W's "larger medium-frame" L-frame, although there was arguably some design refinement over the earlier Security model line.

If I want a really robust and extremely durable .357 Magnum revolver, I'll pull my old 3-screw Blackhawk from the safe. Hard to beat the single actions for durability. It was what I used to learn how to hand-load Magnum loads, using an old Lee Loader (after I demonstrated to my dad that I could handload .38 Special without blowing up an ancient Colt Police he gave me as learner DA revolver).

Even as a longtime Ruger owner and enthusiast, I'll readily acknowledge that Bill Ruger knew how to make a cast revolver that could double as a small boat anchor.

 

[bannockburn]

Had a GP100 years ago; eventually sold it as I greatly preferred my S&W Model 686 and Colt Trooper Mk.V over it.

 

[Jlr2267]

Not the "greatest" money can buy, but for the average working guy, it's close enough.

 

[W.E.G.]

No.

The greatest double-action revolver is without a doubt the Smith and Wesson "Military and Police" model and the versions of that gun that followed.

All the odd K-frame model-number guns produced by Smith and Wesson are just the Military and Police model with accessories added or special caliber.

The Military and Police design has been in continuous production since the 19th Century.

Nothing else even comes close.