Ruger GP100 - Can You Guess the Problem?

[Tallball]

My friend at the LGS had a used 4" Ruger GP100 Match Champion sitting around his shop for a while. He kept trying to sell me on the great trigger, but for $999 it wasn't happening.

A few visits later he hinted that he might accept a few less expensive handguns in exchange for it. I gave him three pistols I didn't want, plus $100, and the Match Champion was mine.

I took it shooting and was confused. The DA trigger felt great until a little hitch at the end, and I didn't shoot it very well. I was a sad panda when I took it home from the range to clean it.

After I got it home, I figured out the problem and solved it. I also bought a set of grips that fit my hands fairly well.

I took it shooting yesterday and it was great. The SA trigger was great, the DA trigger was great, the accuracy was great, I like the sights, and I enjoyed shooting it. My friend put a couple of cylinders through it and praised it highly. We both think it's probably the best DA revolver trigger we've ever felt.

It's a very nice revolver. I'm not paying $1,000 for something I can't drive, but it has a better trigger than any of my Smith and Wessons.

The GP100 is not the perfect shape for me. I prefer K or L frames. I managed to mitigate it somewhat by purchasing black Hogues with no finger grooves. With the new grips it points decently for me, but not quite as well as my Smiths.

Can you look at the two pictures and see what the problem was? (Hint: Not the grips!)

If you have advice on holsters or ammo for the GP100, or have a fun story about them, please feel free to chime in.

Ruger GP100 Match Champion

• Tallball
• Dec 8, 2022
• 2

Ruger GP100 357

• Tallball
• Feb 12, 2023

 

[Obturation]

Gap at the trigger housing assembly looked bigger. I dunno.

Nice revolver , I'm jealous. In my book ruger always beats the s&w and that includes trigger, just got to figure out its tendencies and they're pretty good. To me ruger feels like a more honest revolver as far as the modern examples are concerned .

 

[Rule3]

Trigger housing is not properly inserted to the frame.

 

[JohnKSa]

Looks like the trigger group wasn't seated properly. That probably means that the trigger return spring was over-compressed since it also serves as the detent to retain the trigger housing and without it being fully seated it will be compressed more than normal. Your trigger pull weight probably decreased noticeably.

 

[dannyd]

The trigger assembly.

 

[UncleEd]

Many shooters prefer the rubber grips with the wood
inserts which Ruger and Altamont sell. You might find
that's the feel you're looking for. They're smaller than
the Hogues and will allow a very high hold and put
your hand closer to the top of the backstrap.

Either way, with time you'll grow to appreciate the Ruger
even more.

 

[Tallball]

I have XXL oddly-shaped hands. I need big grips, and finger grooves don't usually work for me. The black fingerless Hogues I got for $27 work okay. They're kinda small, but my misaligned pinky curls nicely along the bottom corner, right below my crooked ring finger.

The revolver came with two fancier sets of Hogue wooden grips, but neither set fits my hands comfortably.

My FiL has a nice GP100 that I always liked shooting, but I must admit that this fancy version is much easier to shoot.

 

[UncleEd]

Hogue big butt hunting grip

 

[TTv2]

Unless it was the previous owner doing some Bubba'ing, it's nice to know that even Ruger's Match Champions suffer from QC issues.

 

[UncleEd]

Unless it was the previous owner doing some Bubba'ing, it's nice to know that even Ruger's Match Champions suffer from QC issues.

????

It is a used gun

But why is it nice to know?

You've had troubles?

 

[Tallball]

The store owner didn't notice, his assistant didn't notice, apparently dozens of customers didn't, nor me, nor my friend who shot it with me.

I also posted a picture here on THR when I first bought it, and apparently no one noticed here, either.

But yeah, the "trigger group" was only 99% shoved into place. It was easier to see once I took the grips off. Two taps with a rubber mallet and it was fine. You can easily see the seam along the trigger guard in the first picture, and in the second one it's closed up tight.

Is the GP100 just a big SP101? I have both, and they look extremely similar, other than the size.

I have a 6" S&W Model 28, and a 6" Taurus Old Model 66, both in 357 and both with excellent triggers. I would have a "shoot off" with them and the Ruger, but all three are so much more accurate than I am that it would be pointless.

 

[Rule3]

Unless it was the previous owner doing some Bubba'ing, it's nice to know that even Ruger's Match Champions suffer from QC issues.

Used gun,last person didn't put it back correctly, not Rugers fault. I have some that are very tight others are not as tight, Used to be a Ruger 'popping" tool needed to take it apart

 

[TTv2]

Used gun,last person didn't put it back correctly, not Rugers fault. I have some that are very tight others are not as tight, Used to be a Ruger 'popping" tool needed to take it apart

View attachment 1133312

How do you know that it wasn't like that when it left the factory?

 

[anothernewb]

they do tend to work better when properly assembled.

 

[UncleEd]

How do you know that it wasn't like that when it left the factory?

I believe Ruger tests all six chambers before wrapping them for
shipment. Unlikely the tester didn't notice trigger "problem."

But OK, you wanted to rap Ruger QC. Now you've done it. Thank you.

 

[dannyd]

I believe Ruger tests all six chambers before wrapping them for
shipment. Unlikely the tester didn't notice trigger "problem."

But OK, you wanted to rap Ruger QC. Now you've done it. Thank you.

I love my 13 Rugers, but in 40 years their Quality Control has gone down hill.
(Was 14 but traded one)

The last new SP101 I purchased definitely needed some work.

Your Mileage may very.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Unless it was the previous owner doing some Bubba'ing, it's nice to know that even Ruger's Match Champions suffer from QC issues.

He didn't have to be doing some Bubba'ing, if his match Champion suffers from the cylinder binding from fouling, that most Ruger DA suffer from, he maybe didn't get the trigger group snapped back in the entire way, from the last time he had to clean the cylinder and pin.
Ruggers gas seal in front of their cylinder isn't all that good.
It is a QC issue, but it's been there for many years. All my Ruger DA revolvers have this problem. None of my Smiths do.
But they all have their idiosyncrasies.

 

[JohnKSa]

Is the GP100 just a big SP101? I have both, and they look extremely similar, other than the size.

Close. The GP100 cylinder turns on a ball bearing, the SP101 has a friction bearing. The rest of the differences are just scale, as far as I could tell.

 

[LOLBELL]

I think it’s quite funny people jump on any opportunity no matter how slight to bash Ruger’s quality control.

 

[tubeshooter]

I think it’s quite funny people jump on any opportunity no matter how slight to bash Ruger’s quality control.

It is the next-to-sincerest form of flattery, I suppose.

 

[TTv2]

I believe Ruger tests all six chambers before wrapping them for
shipment. Unlikely the tester didn't notice trigger "problem."

But OK, you wanted to rap Ruger QC. Now you've done it. Thank you.

They do what other companies do in they just test fire them, that's it. The trigger,even if it was a bit heavier, would still have been "within spec" for pull weight and feel.

You guys don't seen to grasp just how wide open the tolerances are now for new production revolvers.

 

[P89DCSS]

They do what other companies do in they just test fire them, that's it. The trigger,even if it was a bit heavier, would still have been "within spec" for pull weight and feel.

You guys don't seen to grasp just how wide open the tolerances are now for new production revolvers.

Lol, as if you know production numbers and qc stats. Axe grinding alert.....

 

[Tallball]

FWIW, the pictures are mildly misleading. The gap wasn't that noticeable in person. The first photo caught a shadow just right to kind of show it off. The second photo is slightly blurry, so the seam where the two parts line up is practically invisible.

 

[entropy]

How do you know that it wasn't like that when it left the factory?

Why do you assume it was?

Much more likely it's previous owner took it apart farther than he should have, brought it in to the shop, the shop lowballed him, either didn't take the time to fix, or tried the trigger and thought it was "fine", sold it to Tallball for close to it's going price, and he was able to figure it out and easily fix it. Lose (owner who sold it to the shop), Win (the shop, who probably made 400 bucks on it) and Tallball for the Win also, who got a heck of a nice pistol, even if he did have to do a little work on it. I've bought several guns for a good price that needed a little work.
My most recent one I wasn't expecting to have to work on, an SKB 600 that the lower firing pin was broke, so the previous owner took the hammer and spring for it out and used it as a top single. I bought the gun at full value, because of it's otherwise pristine condition. The shop probably thought it was an inertia cocking action, so probably never tried the triggers, which are mechanical on the SKB. I'm a little irked at having to throw another 300 into the gun, but it's still worth it to me.

 

[Tallball]

"The shop" lowballs everyone. He used to be a car salesman. He'll give you roughly half of what he thinks he can sell it for, so the former owner probably got something like $400-450 cash, or a bit more in trade.

The assistant carefully cleans each used gun before they put it inside the glass cases for sale.

The gap looks obvious in the first picture, with the shadow just right, but in person it was hard to notice if you weren't looking for it. The trigger felt a little odd, but it was light and I guess everyone assumed that's how it was supposed to feel (I know I did).

He's been in the same location forever and repeat customers are his bread and butter, so he doesn't knowingly sell dysfunctional firearms.

My two really nice N-frames also came from the same shop. He will give a regular customer a good break on the price if the gun has been sitting in his case for too long.