Any opinions on a .357 I was drooling on?

[Blind Shooter]

Howdy!

I was in at the local gun shop a while ago, and a stainless .357 caught my eye, it's made by Ruger, the GP100.  Does anyone have any thoughts and insights on this little baby?

Thanks.

[subfan]

The trigger pull on those tend to be ruff.  They, like any Ruger are durable guns.  If you want something similar, check out a 686 plus.  This is the 7 shot S&W.

[Bob]

I have a GP-100. I love it. I traded a S&W 581 for it and couldn't be happier. The trigger complaints have a little substance, but the trigger pull is easily changed with a Wolf spring kit and lots of use smooths it up considerably. For what it's worth, I am much more accurate with the GP than I was with the 581. I think it's largely due to the better sight picture I get with the GP. I will never go back to S&W, I think Ruger is a superior product.
Bob

[Sixgun]

Everytime I go into a gun shop and compare a Ruger to a SW I come out with a Ruger.  I look at the handling, fit & finish, how it feels in my hand, trigger, action, etc.  They are comperable weapons.  Before I look at the price I am usually leaning toward the Ruger, then I look at the price and the S&W is not even a consideration.  

I think the only thing that the S&W has going for it is nostaliga.  It is not as strong.  The trigger may be better but I have felt some pretty rough triggers on S&Ws also.  The price is the clincher.  Why pay a whole bunch more for something that is inferior?

I know this sounds like a S&W bash and I am sorry.  I probably would try a S&W if it were about $200 cheaper than the Ruger.

Sixgun

[securitysix]

Many complain of the trigger on the GP-100, but they get better with use, in my experience.  It's a good, strong revolver and can handle anything you can feed it.  Mine is a KGP-161 (6" full lug) and it kicks much less than my 6" Security-Six.

[Bullseye]

I have one with the 4" barrel, very nice gun.  Had a good feel to it and is accurate enough.  My trigger did not have any creep but was somewhat heavy.  The wolf spring kit fixed it right up for about $15.

[Savage]

Blind Shoter,
I currently own four S&W revolvers and one Ruger. While I treasure my old Smiths for their precision lockworks and fine looks, the Ruger 6" Security Six, in SS is a fine piece of work. I consider the Ruger mechanically superior. It is far more rugged than the Smiths, and mine is also more accurate. The trigger on mine is as good as any out of the box Smiths I've handled. I'll keep my Smiths for my son, but I'll shoot the Ruger! Should I find myself in need of another revolver, it'll be a Ruger!
Stay Safe,
Savage

[Smokem]

I have a model 66 S&W that's about 20 years, a model 60 that's about 40 years old and a Model 629 that's about 20 years old. They feel and perform perfectly (for me). I was in the mood for another firearm so I was looking at the Ruger Model SP and GP handguns. I also looked at the S&W's. It seems to me that the Rugers now are equal to and better than the S&W's. My next purchase will be another Ruger. Yes another, I have a Mark II .22 and a  SuperRed Hawk in .454 Casull and I really like the way the SRH fits and feels in my hand. Ruger definatly builds a great firearm.

[Dragon31]

Blind shooter:
Over the years a bunch of double action .357 mags have followed me home and taken up residence in my gun safe.  Since they are all friends and not going any where I'll tell you what I think about each member of my family of .357 double actions.

1.  Smith/Wesson 357, oginal 8+ inch barrrel,  Currently retired after killing up teen deer, bear, rabbits, squirrels, beer cans and anything else I decided to pull the trigger on.  Gun was used with open sights and has a great single action trigger pull.  Maybe the best of any gun I own.
2.  Smith/Wesson 686,  4 inch barrel, 6 shots, good trigger pull, good sights but doesn't eat the heavy loads as well as some other revolvers that I own.  Could be that I don't like a short barrel revolver, easy to put under your jacket for concelled carry.
3.  Colt Pyton,  4 inch barrel,  good double action revolver.  never hunted with this gun.  Had a trigger job done on it and it some times hits the primers to light to fire (I tend to like'm to go bang when I pull the trigger).  It hasn't been used in several years and I need to get it looked at.
4.  Colt Cobra,  6 inch stainless,  With light 158 grain loads this gun is a tack driver, The cylinder is shorter than Smith or Rugers and I like to use the 429357 Keith bullets in my .357's.  These loads are to long for this gun.  The angle from the grip to the barrel is different on this revolver from Ruger and Smith's and seems to work really well for me.  Over 3500 rounds and no problems.
5.  Ruger 161,  6 inch stainless,  I shoot this gun a lot, it fires anything and everthing and does reasonably well with all of them.  Trigger has been worked on and double action is now very smooth as well as single action.  Heavy loads shoot just fine and I have had no trouble with this revolver at all.   It has had a lot (3000 +) rounds through it.
6.  Ruger SP 101,  2 inch stainless,  In heavy .357 loads this gun will get you attention so I generally just shoot heavy .38's in it.  It is a stay at home gun and lives in the night stand next to my bed.  Has a great double action trigger pull and with fixed sights has no trouble putting them in the important area of a B-27 target.  It always goes bang when I pull the trigger.
7.  Ruger Security Six, blue, 6 inch barrel,  This gun has been extensively worked over for shooting bowling pins double action.  Shoots great, still tight after maybe 10,000 rounds of regular .38's and .357's.  Never had any problems with it at all, but never hunted with it.
8.  Ruger Security Six, 4 inch stainless,  Same as my other Security Six except 4 inch and stainless.
9.  Taurus 669, 6 inch stainless,  The Taurus is a durable gun, good trigger pull and totally reliable.  It is not as accurate as either my colt or Ruger 161,  You do have to watch overall cartridge length, and you have to get used to using it double action.
My thoughts are that Ruger are hard to beat for the price, and are very durable with a good service dept.  Smith's are smooth, accurate with good sights, but not as robust as the Ruger's,  Colt's are accurate but lack the ability to handle long cartridge lengths.  The Taurus is the new comer and I personally have not shot it as much as the others.  It appears to be strong, functional and has good trigger pull.

[texaseyes]

Man, the guys over at the Ruger Board are probably having a celebration right about now.
Well, I have owned three Smith's, revolver form, and my present sidearm, a Ruger P944.
I realize comparing from my experience with revolvers compared to semi-automatics is like apples and oranges but, in retrospect, if they were all four on a table and I had to choose one, I would pick up the Ruger and never look back.

[1GLOCK]

I have never been unhappy with any Ruger Revolver Ive owned. Dont care much for the autos (function and shoot nice) I just dont like the feel or looks.

[TC Shooter]

I have owned a Ruger GP100 4" shortly after they hit the market. Have owned a few S&W 686s as well. Actually owned both revolvers at the same time. Still have a 686 - have long since parted with the Ruger. The Ruger was accurate , no doubt about that. The trigger on any Ruger I have ever owned (owned 15) always seems to be an issue. Wolf spring kits do not do a thing to remove creep. I have never felt any stock Ruger trigger that was as crisp and creep free as a Smith. One of the reasons that nearly everyone who participates in our league revolver target matches uses a Smith.

Both the GP100 or 686 will serve you well in my opinion. Everyone seems to be under the impression that the Smith will not last - have little doubt that mine will be with me for my entire lifetime. As far as fit and finish - some of the current crop of Rugers that I have looked at were pretty marginal to say the least. Machining burrs still present on a GP at Gander Mountain. The Smiths may not be any better but I have never seen machining burrs present on any of them. The quality of many guns today , reagrdless of make, seem to show the signs of poor workmanship far more often than I feel comfortable with.

[billmaly]

My father in law was a long time Smith man, but got out of handgunning after he stopped working as a police officer. Couple of years ago, I announced that I was buying a revolver (my first and to date only one). Well, he grabbed onto that idea in a big way, and after research by both of us, we ended up buying sequential GP100's. They loosen up nicely after a few hundred rounds, and we can each put 5 shots into a fist sized group at 25 yards. Takedown is simple, and there are few moving parts to contend with. A solid gun, easily user serviceable. I've used mine on whitetail with success.

All that said, I simply cannot see spending the extra money on a S&W that is more complicated and no more accurate than the Ruger. I recommend the GP100 to anyone.

[myronman3]

you can go wrong with the gp100.   another one to consider is the taurus tracker.   the only beef i have with the tracker is the seven shot cylinder; which isnt going to be a picnic to find a speed loader for (if a guy wanted one).   but then again, you do have another shot over the ruger.  either way you win.

[onthetractat1645]

I have a 6" stainless GP100 & love it regardless of those S&W types that criticize.  Mine has always been accurate and dependable.  If I were a  cop with a sidearm to be choose it would be a 4" version of this gun.  It is heavy & cumbersome to carry throughout the day & a challange to conceal but is a fine arm.  One that definately needs a trigger job, but so do all factory revolvers yes S&W's too.  The Ruger's trigger is its only short coming, but don't fret-do you have a dremel tool?  Go to Wal-Mart & buy the polishing kit.  Disassemble & put it together atleast twice to familarize yourself with it-its good bonding w/ your gun regardless-then just polish everything & de-burr the hammer strut, sides if hammer use the little grey discs to lightly remove the roughness in the double action hammer groove & just polish the heck outta' every thing that you see metal to metal contact- what are you going to hurt with a cotton buff wheel & rougepolish ?  Buy a wolff 10 lb hammer spring & lube everything with garage door track lube (mine is "Freeway" for delivery truck doors).  That is the best lube I've found-it is pure & the carrier evaporates to leave a semi-dry lube behind as to not attract dirt & grime.   I put the reduced weight trigger return spring in mine to further reduce the pull weight, along with the 9 lb wolff spring (I only had 1 heavy handload that didn't fire on the first pull-I mostly shoot light 38's) & I stoned the sear to reduce creep.  Just work slowly & carefully and picture how what you are doing will affect the operation.  If you put in a little tinkering time with your GP, the result will floor you (and those Smith types)-and you'll have a dependable revolver that will outlast you.

These are just my thoughts take 'em at will & have fun!