NEW 3" GP-100, blued, fixed sights - 38 SPECIAL?

[Petrol & Powder]

I was in a LGS today and the salesman said that yesterday he had sold a blued Ruger GP-100 with a 3" barrel, fixed sights and a 38 special cylinder. He specifically said it was not a .357 mag and had even attempted to chamber a .357 round just to check the cylinder. He said it was new but not cataloged by Ruger. I was seriously intrigued. Has anyone heard of /seen such a thing?
I know Ruger made some 38 only GP-100's but I haven't seen a new one in a while.

[Outpost75]

Ruger often made .38 Special only revolvers for law enforcement orders when the purchasing agency did not want officers using .357 ammo. VERY common.

While revolvers are less common among law enforcement agencies, in many places armed private security officers may only carry .38 Special revolvers, and in the Washington, DC area you'll see alot if them carried by "rent a cops" guarding office buildings where the GSA leases space.

[Petrol & Powder]

I know they made 38 only versions in the past, such as the GPNY models for NYPD but I haven't seen "new" blued GP-100's in 38spl. Was this some type of contract over run?

[Outpost75]

May be. I know that ARES security used to have a bunch of Service Sixes in. 38 Special and Ruger no longer had the parts to rebuild them, so they traded in the entire lot of 1000 or so revolvers and replaced them with fixed sight GP100s. They have the GSA contract to provide security for leased DoD space in the DC area and they also do World Bank and alot of private facilities doing businesz with the feds. Situation is the same in any large city with substantial federal presence.

[Petrol & Powder]

The idea of a 3", fixed sighted, 38 spl. only GP-100 is very appealing to me. Make it stainless and I'd almost have to acquire it :mrgreen: