Ruger's New GP100 44SPL--Got One!

[W.R.Buchanan]

usbp: My opinion on what is going to shoot best in these guns with the 1:20 twist barrel,,, would be hotter 250 gr loads IE; Loads in the Skeeter Skelton Class of 7.5 gr of Unique with a Keith Boolit That should yield @ 800+fps from a 3" bbl.

You will need to shoot about 2-300 rounds thru it to break it in and then if it is going to shoot and you have the right boolit diameter for the throats and barrel it should be good to go. Jacketed bullets at .429 diameter are not going to shoot well if the throats on the chambers are larger which they probably are.

The groove dia., throat dia., both need to be known in order to figure out which boolit size is going to work best.

You can ask DougGuy about this, as he is the resident expert on this relationship. go back and re read Post #14.

Randy

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

.....

[smkummer]

That gun needs to go back period. Send the targets with the keyholed holes as well. Sure the 44 special was designed around the 240/246 grain bullet but others should work as well. That should have never left the factory but it may be cheaper to have the end user do quality control.

[Bigslug]

NICE! I've hate finger-groove grips of all flavors. Ya done good.

The secret to the Ruger DA triggers is to field-strip according to the pilot's manual, flush the parts, lube them EXCESSIVELY with CLP, and dry- or live-fire the gun A LOT in both DA and SA. After a couple thousand reps, re-flush, lube more sensibly, and carry on. If anything, the new guns respond even better to this than the older ones.

[54bore]

Nice carry gun! I currently own a Talo version GP-100 357 6" bbl, i REALLY like it! Ive sure had my problems with Ruger tho! Several years ago I bought 4 brand new revolvers the same day from an FFL friend of mine, these guns were ordered for me NIB, 3 out of 4 had to be returned for work, Totally unacceptable!! Sure not the same Co it was when Bill Ruger was around!!
The first up was a Ruger blackhawk .30 Carbine, i fired a cylinder full through it and when i went to push the ejector through the cylinder holes it would NOT fit, not even close! I put it back in the box, next up was a GP-100 357, i loaded it up and shot a 25 yard group off Sand Bags, i was barely cutting the left edge of the box, i moved the rear sight as far as it would go to the right and stil could not quite get center, i had an old veteran revolver guy with me and had him shoot the gun to see if it was my hold? He was hitting in the same place as me, my group was 1-2" 6 shots at 25 yards, i noticed when i cleaned this particular gun BEFORE i ever tried it, the Gun was Choked with copper foul, I mean bad, REALLY bad!! Took me a couple hours of EXTENSIVE cleaning with aggresive copper solvents to finally get it clean, i even got strips of copper out of it! That was a VERY odd deal for a brand new in the box revolver to be copper fouled that bad, Anyway i put this gun back in its box to be shipped back along with the .30 Carbine. I then Grabbed the Super blackhawk 4-5/8" bbl .44 Mag, loaded it up, after the first shot i tried to roll the hammer back for the second shot but the Cylinder was locked up? Upon on inspection i noticed the Base pin had jumped forward, i thought no big deal, i probably didnt get it seated properly when i cleaned it? Pushed the base pin back in, rolled the hammer back and once again the Base pin jumped forward, it would do it EVERY single time! Tried a few different brands of shells and it stil done it, from weak CCI throw away case stuff to stout Hornady XTP loads. Anyway back in the box that one went, to be sent back to ruger with the other 2 on the table, you gotta remember this all happened back to back, within 30 mins! Next up was a Stainless Single Six .22-.22 Mag Convertible, it performed flawless, 'woohoo' I FINALLY HAD A KEEPER! Out of 4 Brand new in the box Ruger revolvers 3 of them had to be sent back, NOT very good odds!!!
The slip said they replaced the barrel on the GP-100, the slip for the .30 Carbine said installed CORRECT ejector rod and housing, and the slip for the .44 Magnum said cross pin and latch repaired, new base pin installed. I sold all 3 of these guns. It was REALLY hard for me to pay 600 bucks for this New Talo version GP-100 357 Magnum 6"bbl with all the bad luck i had with them, but i gambled on it and it turned out good, The Talo versions are looked over a LOT better than the standard versions. Rugers Quality control is horrible at best!! The ONLY good thing i can say about them is IF you get a good one i believe they are TANK DURABLE and will outlast ya, but its a total crapshoot if you will get a good one, or a *** that needs returned and repaired. SAD deal

[Tackleberry41]

So ... Going with the car idea ... how many people who buy a Corvette, or Prius, are gonna be satisfied taking their family of 8 on a camping trip pulling a 30 travel trailer on a four wheel drive trail?

One size fits all normall is a compromise ...

Are you sure that maybe we shouldn't raise the "standard" that all modern guns should shoot 10 rounds into an inch or less at 100 yards, handguns included?

Your right, its completely unreasonable to go down to a gun shop, buy a brand new Ruger 44spcl and some ammo off the shelf and expect it to shoot decent. I didnt say perfect, or sub moa, but reasonable, as in not keyholing. Yea theres semi autos that might not like hollow points and jam, but the bullets still go straight. Key holing in a new pistol is garbage, its sold as a self defense weapon, not a kit that you pay a gun smith so it shoots straight. Any more than most of us would put up with a new Ford off the lot that only runs on a specific brand of gas.

[54bore]

Your right, its completely unreasonable to go down to a gun shop, buy a brand new Ruger 44spcl and some ammo off the shelf and expect it to shoot decent. I didnt say perfect, or sub moa, but reasonable, as in not keyholing. Yea theres semi autos that might not like hollow points and jam, but the bullets still go straight. Key holing in a new pistol is garbage, its sold as a self defense weapon, not a kit that you pay a gun smith so it shoots straight. Any more than most of us would put up with a new Ford off the lot that only runs on a specific brand of gas.

I use to spend a LOT of time on the Ruger forum, revolver section, Flatgate was the forum mod. back then (maybe stil today?) Anyway i explained the story above on the forum and i had a TOTAL IDIOT come on there and basically ask me what i expected? He went on to say that Ruger Revolvers were a 'Solid platform to build off of' the likes of Bowen, Linebaugh, etc. I guess you shouldnt expect to buy a Ruger Revolver and be able to shoot it out of the box? You must first send them to the BIG BOYS to Modify LOL! The guys name was Craig C from Tennessee i believe? He had a TON of posts and at first seemed knowledgeable until this statement, i hope he's on here and reading this! I would gladly once again call him an IDGET! You should be able to buy a Ruger Revolver, take it home, clean the factory gunk out and be able to shoot the gun TROUBLE FREE!

[usbp379]

Just loaded up a handful of rounds using Blue Dot and a 220gr cast bullet from GT Bullets.

http://www.gtbullets.com/index.php?m...products_id=50

They look like a nice bullet. Ten grabbed at random weigh 217.4 - 219.6. They measure .4295" in diameter.

Will they shoot? That's the question.

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[dkf]

I can see maybe keyholing with an undersized cast load that was sized wrong or swaged down when seated. But jacketed? If the bullets are .429" or .430" jacketed they should shoot without keyholing at least. If you have any of that underwood ammo left I'd pull a bullet and mic it to see what the diameter is. Jacketed is less prone to get swaged down when seating though. I'd send it back to Ruger along with pics of your targets. Spending $800+ on a gun that keyholes is not acceptable.

[Beagle333]

Ruger makes a great gun. They don't always send the great one out the first time, sadly. My much awaited Lipseys .480 Ruger Bisley arrived looking like some of the parts were cast in sand and had several rough areas, scuffs and even a couple of voids in the casting. My dealer was so disappointed in the quality that didn't even let me take possession of it. He just send it directly back to them. They sent another one however that was pristine.
I have confidence that they'll make it right, although it is a bit frustrating.

I do intend to have one of these GP100 .44 specials, even if I have to test a couple to get the perfect one.

[54bore]

Ruger makes a great gun. They don't always send the great one out the first time, sadly. My much awaited Lipseys .480 Ruger Bisley arrived looking like some of the parts were cast in sand and had several rough areas, scuffs and even a couple of voids in the casting. My dealer was so disappointed in the quality that didn't even let me take possession of it. He just send it directly back to them. They sent another one however that was pristine.
I have confidence that they'll make it right, although it is a bit frustrating.

I do intend to have one of these GP100 .44 specials, even if I have to test a couple to get the perfect one.

Beagle333, I fully agree, I have owned a TON of Ruger Revolvers over the years, all the way back to my mid teen years. They make a REALLY good DURABLE gun!! Even with all the bad luck i had in the above post i stil had to have their New Talo exclusive GP-100, Hogue wood finger grip, with a NON fluted cylinder. Solid Non fluted cylinders look like READY WAR TANKS to me, this particular GP fascinated me and i had to have one, i was willing to take the chance and ordered it, this one came Flawless and I couldn't be happier! But i sure have had a BUNCH of problems with their guns. They made the problems right no questions asked, but DARN it, why send some of the stuff they do out the door???? Why not be stricter in the Quality Control dept.? Sure be easier, cheaper in the long run, and less headache for both them and the Consumer

[usbp379]

Why not be stricter in the Quality Control dept.? Sure be easier, cheaper in the long run, and less headache for both them and the Consumer

I think it's all about the $$

Ruger sells a ton of guns and knows that probably only a small fraction of these guns will be shot a bunch and/or shot by someone who shoots well enough to know the difference between an accurate load and an inaccurate load at 25 yards.

Of that small fraction there's an even smaller fraction that might actually have a quality control issue that's troubling to the owner. These are the guns that get sent back and are repaired or replaced.

I'm sure it is way cheaper to fix the occasional gun rather than pay some employee as a full-time QC/accuracy tester/sighter-iner. Such a person would likely catch a few screw ups before they hit the shipping dock but his salary would be rolled into the cost of the gun.

There's a reason Wilson Combat guns are significantly expensive and it all ain't based on production cost.



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[usbp379]

Well, my handload shoots okay.

25 yards with 220gr cast. 11.0gr Blue Dot.



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[usbp379]

Same load at 15 yards.



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[rintinglen]

I would take that any day.^^^
My recent experience with Rugers has been strictly hit or miss. 3 of the last 6 Rugers that I bought ended up taking a return trip to the factory.
But that looks like good shooting with a 3 inch big-bore snubby.

[usbp379]

I would take that any day...looks like good shooting with a 3 inch big-bore snubby.

Yeah. This is perfectly acceptable to me. I'll load up a few more of the same bullet with Red Dot or Titegroup and see what happens.

But I still want to also try some additional factory stuff as well as a few handloads with jacketed bullets.


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[Three-Fifty-Seven]

s" ...

[W.R.Buchanan]

[QUOTE=usbp379;3893878]Well, my handload shoots okay.

25 yards with 220gr cast. 11.0gr Blue Dot.



QUOTE]

Oh good,,, I was afraid I was going to get beat up by Forrest for my "too enthusiastic" response to that gun.

Was there any significant amount of bore leading? Forcing cone?

I really didn't think it would shoot with .4295 boolits, but it obviously does. I'd take that group any day. Especially the three together in the X ring!

Glad to see it is coming together.

I really want one of these but it is not CA Legal under the Revolver Loop Hole due to the 3" bbl.(must be 4"+ to not have to be on the Approved List.) Hopefully Ruger will get it added to the Approved List soon.

I'll get all of this worked out at SHOT.

Randy

[W.R.Buchanan]

Your right, its completely unreasonable to go down to a gun shop, buy a brand new Ruger 44spcl and some ammo off the shelf and expect it to shoot decent. I didnt say perfect, or sub moa, but reasonable, as in not keyholing. Yea theres semi autos that might not like hollow points and jam, but the bullets still go straight. Key holing in a new pistol is garbage, its sold as a self defense weapon, not a kit that you pay a gun smith so it shoots straight. Any more than most of us would put up with a new Ford off the lot that only runs on a specific brand of gas.

I bought a brand new Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum about 15 years ago. The place I got it from had a 50 ft range so I bought a box of Federal American Eagle Ammo and went in and shot it 10 times. Every Shot Keyholed,,,, which was not the response I was looking for from my new rifle!

I called Marlin after I measured the Groove Dia and found out it was .431 and was told that that was the "nominal" measurement for .44 Mag Rifle barrels. IE; 431+/- .002. I had thought it was .429+/- .002 but that was for Revolvers not Rifles. I was still Miffed !!! But in reality, that barrel was perfect!

I then took one of the Rounds apart and measured the bullet. It was a 240 gr Jacketed HP and measured .428!I still have 39 rounds in that box as they would not have shot in any .44 I own. Mind you "Federal Ammo!"

I then loaded some 250 gr LBT WFN's that were sized .432. 23 gr of H110. 2" groups at 50 yards with open sights and only 10 rounds thru the gun before that. That gun now shoots 2" at 100 yards with a Lyman 66LA sight on it, and is my goto Cowboy Silhouette Rifle with well over 1000 rounds thru it and it is smooth as glass. 265 gr 429244's with 22.0 gr of H110 is the standard load for that gun now.

The idea of buying a new gun and expecting it to shoot anything may not seem unreasonable, however it is not the reality of the situation and especially with big bore revolvers, or most guns costing less than about $1500 that don't come with accuracy guarantees.

Obviously you should be going over the gun with a fine tooth comb before you sign the papers that make it yours in the eyes of the law, to make sure it functions correctly and doesn't jamb or hitch or whatever. You usually can't shoot the thing to verify that it will shoot, so you must pays your money and takes your chances in that regard.

However just because it won't shoot XYZ brand ammo doesn't mean the gun is faulty. It simply means it doesn't like that ammo. There are literally hundreds of threads here that make the point that "every gun is a case unto itself," as far as ammo choices are concerned, and that is the reality of it.

Why should these guns be any different?

USB tried 3-4 different brands of Factory Ammo none of which worked. But his first Hand Loaded ammo looks pretty good, and now that he has some confidence in the gun he will probably try more different loads and settle on a combination he likes for that gun and factory ammo will never be shot again.

Believe me that a trip to any public shooting range will alert you to the fact that the VAST MAJORITY of the shooting public is lucky to even know which end of the gun the bullet comes out of, let alone know if their gun isn't shooting up to par. Being able to hit anything is strictly a Random Chance type of affair, and they simply don't know any different. I stay away from our Public Shoot Days at my Range because it is downright unsafe to be within a mile or so of the place. The RSO usually wears track shoes trying to keep everyone from shooting themselves or their neighbors.

These guns were a little more specialized products that were aimed more at the enthusiast, and not necessarily meant for the same crowd as the 10/22. That group would not be able to shoot that gun well enough to know if it was bad or if it was just them. Thus there will be many who think the gun should do most of the work and want to reject it if their results suck.

Point here is,,,, That's not reality. Sometimes you have to put a little work in to make things happen the way you want them to.

Randy

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

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