I am considering a Ruger GP100 22lr. Need opinions from users.

[tazman]

I am considering a Ruger GP100 in 22lr.
I would like some feedback from people who have owned them and shot them enough to know just how accurate they are and what problems to look out for.
I like the 10 shot capacity and the price. I have no experience with them.

[Kirk Miller]

Tazman-I have one and it is totally reliable but, and it's a big but. Mine needed lots of work. First it had to go back to Ruger for timing. The throats would not line up with the barrel. The hammer dragged the frame so bad that it was hard to cock in single action. Now in all honesty, Ruger made these issues right so I only have one major beef. I had Doug Guy clean the throats up but they still measured .2267 from the factory.

Now for me, that is unacceptable. Doug Guy does great work but even with all his skill, He can't add metal. Because I broke my leg month ago, I haven't made it to the range to test fire. before the cylinder was evened out I was able to get half-way decent groups with CCI SV, The old bulk pack CCI AR tac and the 2017 CCI christmas bulk pack. This, only because the driving bands on all of these measure .225-.2255.
I own, shoot and enjoy two GP100"s and they are my most used handguns. My only advice would be to examine as many GP100 22's as you can find and really go over them. I was so excited to find one, that I screwed up and bought first and examined later.
Kirk

[Drm50]

I had a SP & GP in 22lr. Both bought used, didn't impress me at all and wasn't interested enough
in them to have any work done on them. I'm behind on prices on new guns but I believe a m17
shooter could be found for same money. In a revolver they are hard to beat.

[tazman]

The S&W 17 is my first choice but I thought the current prices were very high. Perhaps I am wrong about that.
My experiences with S&W revolvers have been uniformly good to great. I own a couple of K frame revolvers already, just not in 22lr.
I guess I may need to rethink the GP100. I have no desire to purchase a gun I will need to work on to get properly functional.

[Thundarstick]

I looked at the GP100 22lr because I have one in 327FM that I just love. I didn't buy because I have a S&W 617 10 shooter already. It was OK from the factory, but really shines since I recut the forcing cone. Got speed loaders to boot! You'd be surprised how much ammo a10 shooter can eat with speed loaders and loading blocks!:shock:

I mite add, the 10 shoot cylinders become quite hard to eject after several cycles, but Q-tip with some CLP works wonders. They also seem to be like a cast iron skillet in that the more there used the longer the stickiness takes.

[Bigslug]

The S&W 17 is my first choice but I thought the current prices were very high. Perhaps I am wrong about that.
My experiences with S&W revolvers have been uniformly good to great. I own a couple of K frame revolvers already, just not in 22lr.
I guess I may need to rethink the GP100. I have no desire to purchase a gun I will need to work on to get properly functional.

I thought I posted to this thread. . .hmmm. Pre-senior moment, I suppose.

When you consider the relative rarity of the K and J frame .22's compared to their .38 brethren, and what they really are when you get right down to it, the $600-$800 they seem to be bringing is not really all that outlandish. I took that mild kick in the shorts for both my pre-18 and my 63. I do not regret either.

I love both the GP and SP format in the .357. While I can't speak at all on the .22 versions, I mentally start counting the number of consecutive miracles that have to go into properly boring and timing as many chambers as they want to put in them. What was wrong with six - other than perhaps it doesn't conveniently use even rows of rounds out of a box?

[Outer Rondacker]

I was not so pleased with mine. I ended up with this instead. https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/35395/Firearms/Handguns/Ruger/Ruger+Pistols/Ruger+40107+Mark+IV+22+Long+Rifle+%28LR%29+5.5+10% 2B1+Black+Synthetic+Grip

[tazman]

I already own a couple of very accurate semi-auto pistols in 22lr. I was just wanting a very accurate revolver in 22lr.

[rockrat]

Good friend bought one a few months ago. He told me that at first he was really happy with it, except for the trigger pull. The more he shot it, he found that 1 round per cylinderful wouldn't fire and when he tried high speed ammo, the thing was putting out enough gas pass the cylinder gap that it was going under his shooting glasses into his left eye. He quit shooting it and I believe has contacted Ruger about sending it back for a bit of "work".

[Cue]

Not the GP100 but I have the 8 shot SP101 in .22 that I have been happy with.

[Jack Stanley]

I already own a couple of very accurate semi-auto pistols in 22lr. I was just wanting a very accurate revolver in 22lr.
Taz , I think you should have a high quality .22 revolver , they are a huge pile of fun . That said however the one you are considering a friend of mine calls them " the best factory assembled do-it-yourself kits on the market " The witnesses that have posted here seem to confirm that .

Jack

[Drm50]

I just sold a 617 10shot S&W. I shot a couple boxes through it for grins and found it shot as well
and smooth as my 18s. I'm not into SS guns and this one had the lock is reason I offed it. The
Ruger SPs & GPs are quality revolvers but don't stack up to S&W just by method of manufacture
I bought SP in 22 when first out and was very disappointed with it. I did the same thing with the
Sig Mosquito when it was first out. I paid premium money to get one and ended up with a $400
piece of junk. I have 9 S&W 22 revolvers and one M41 auto, but am always looking for the perfect
Country Western 22 pistol to carry everyday while engaged in things other than shooting. Something to save S&W from everyday wear and low maintenance pistol that is accurate enough
to be worth carrying.

[wonderwolf]

I would seek out a 617 and in fact have been keeping an eye out for one, the Ruger double action option would be my second choice. If I was just wanting a revolver in .22 I would look at the single six. But I would like a double action. I own a very nice K22, but it shows its age and after 3 or 4 cylinders gets VERY hard to eject.

[RJM52]

Another vote for a good older S&W 17 or 18... At one point when I was doing a lot of basic pistol courses I had 15 Ks and Js. Over the last two years I have thinned the heard down to 2 Ks and 2 Js...

The two Ks are a 1952 vintage 17 6" and a 60s vintage 18 that I added a .22 Magnum cylinder to. The Js are a 70s vintage 35 6" and 63...both have had .22 Magnum cylinders added.

Just saw a early 17 in the box...looked like a 1950s vintage. K200XXX was the serial number range..the shop only wanted $600 for it..thought for a gun that old it was a decent bargain... Newington Gun Exchange, Newington, Ct. if anyone is interested.

Bob

[FergusonTO35]

Between the two, I would say SP-101 hands down. Alot more problems with the GP-100 .22 reported on the Ruger forum. For the money, the Single Six is probably the best rimfire revolver going. I just sold one that was absolutely beaten to death by a previous owner but shot as good as any handgun I've ever tried. My local shop has a special deal on the S&W J-frame kit gun for $619.00 right now. Neat guns but way overpriced when you consider you can get a .38 Special for $339.00 in the same display case. I understand the .22 has adjustable sights and is more involved to make, but nearly twice the price?

[Petrol & Powder]

Taz,
It has been my experience with rimfire revolvers that it is very difficult to find an excellent one.

It is far easier to get a .22 pistol to shoot accurately than a .22 revolver. It's not impossible, just more difficult.
Rimfire .22 cartridges headspace on the rim and use a heeled, externally lubricated bullet. Slight variations in the way the chamber is cut have big influence over the way the gun will shoot. It's bad enough when the gun only has 1 chamber but it is a real trick to get 6 or 10 chambers cut correctly and all alike.
Then you toss in chamber throats, forcing cone and cylinder timing and you have a few more variables that need to be accounted for.

I've shot and owned some outstanding .22 revolvers. They are not impossible to find but they are more difficult to find when compared to pistols that have a single chamber integral with the barrel.

Getting a .22 pistol that shoots well is like trying to get a couple of planets to line up. Getting a .22 revolver to shoot well is like getting ALL of the planets to line up.

I'm a huge Ruger fan but their current quality is not up to their old standards. The chances of getting a new GP-100 chambered in .22 LR that is free of flaws is very slim. The GP-100 could be an excellent .22 revolver IF it was manufactured carefully. I'm sad to comment that I don't believe Ruger is interested in doing it right these days.

I'm going to agree with the others that advised to seek out an older S&W.

[tazman]

I am currently out of the market for a 22 revolver. I have decided to wait and see if I can find an older S&W at a decent price. Maybe one that I can try out at a range at some point.
Not a big hurry. It will show up when it shows up.

[OldBearHair]

I bought a Ruger 22 convertible (22Magnum) in Thule Greenland in 1963. Wore it on my hip 5 years working cattle at the NM Boys Ranch as Livestock Manager. Put a handmade grip on the left side with a special thumb placement that reduced my groups considerably. You had to aim with the front sight below the rear sight for close distances. I made quite a few really good shots with the revolver and sometimes with a witness standing by. One of those was a spinning coyote at the end of a long 15 acre field. Can't show the picture because my daughter in law has it. She really shoots it well. Never had an issue with it. Now a Bersa Thunder Stainless 22 does the duty needed with never a problem except for a lost mag spring for a few days. Fixed it where it wouldn't get lost again. Purchased secondhand Bersa blued gun that broke and was replaced by the company with the new Stainless one.

[arlon]

My vote would be for a vintage S&W. I have a few of them and all are pretty accurate. Have a 10 shot 617 I like too but it has never shot as well as some of the older 5 screw guns. Worst revolver I've owned was a single six. I tried getting it to shoot for awhile and gave up on it. Early single sixes in 22LR only were supposed to be pretty good but the convertibles all seem to have over sized bores to accommodate the 22 mag.

[FergusonTO35]

The Single Sixes I have owned were as accurate as any other handgun I have tried. I imagine the soft .22 LR slugs easily bump up to bore size by pressure.

[fecmech]

Taz--Love my Model 34 .22 4" "Kitgun". I have bought and sold at least a dozen .22 auto's of one flavor or another over the years but have kept the kitgun. It's not quite as accurate as the various auto's (groups in the 2 1/2" range@50yds) but is more than adequate and has a beautiful 2 lb. trigger. If you can find one of those I think you'd like it.

[rfd]

the only .22 ruger handgun i'd highly recommend is the sr-22.

[mcdaniel.mac]

the only .22 ruger handgun i'd highly recommend is the sr-22.The Charger is a heck of a lot of fun with a brace adaptor. I just popped on a Whistlepig 6" barrel and with my suppressor it's maybe 1" past the forend.

[ghh3rd]

I love the .22 single six that I bought new in 1974. Many many thousands of rounds through it and it’s still darned accurate.

ps: My Ruger SR22 is surprisingly accurate and reliable.

(can you tell that I am a Ruger fan?)

[Drm50]

I have 2 Ruger Single-6s, both early guns. Both accurate revolvers and in fact was first quality 22
I owned. The S-6 was like a target pistol compared to the H&Rs, IJs and foreign knock offs of Colt
Scouts. I had a new K22 (1964) that I had got on a trade and had no interest in. I didn't like DA
revolvers and didn't want to shoot it and make a used gun out of it. A buddy of mine talked me into shooting it. To make a long story short it became my favorite 22 pistol. The Ruger S-6 was
a good pistol but not in class with a K22. A single action is harder for most people to shoot than
a top of the line DA target pistol. I have owned many of both and yet to have a K22 that didn't
shoot well. Comparing S-6 to K22 is apples and oranges.

[PerpetualStudent]

I haven't tried the ruger gp100 in 22 but I did get to try a S&W 617 a couple weeks back.

Really liked it but didn't seriously test for accuracy. Certainly minute of popcan accurate. But. It developed a timing issue with less than 500 rounds through it, spraying lead through the cylinder gap. It's currently back at S&W they're checking it out.

So you might be looking at teething troubles regardless which direction you go.

[GDLT31]

I had the GP100 in.22 and had it for a carry gun while hunting only thing it’s Heavy.Don’t get me wrong it’s a great gun,shoots like a dream.But I wanted something lighter so now I carry a Ruger 22/45 Lite.Super light and just as accurate. I always carry while hunting here in Central Florida,the lease I hunt has a lot of moccasins.And I HATE snakes, and kill everyone I see.

[Hickory]

I have a Ruger Bearcat that is easy to pack on the hip and accurate enough to pot small game out to 20 yards.

[lightload]

Is there any disadvantage in buying a Single 10 as opposed to a regular Single Six? I wondered if there might be more variability among chambers or maybe a problem with all lining up correctly.

[OldBearHair]

Hey GDLT31, Theys fo kines of snakes I don lik, Big-uns, litle-uns, live-uns, and dead-uns

[tazman]

Well guys, I ended up signing the paperwork on a S&W 617 with a 6 inch barrel today. It will be a few days before I can pick it up. I will report back when I test it out.

[Drm50]

I had a couple 617-6s, 10 shooters both 4" guns. I don't like stainless other than that no problem
my grandson who I had recently gave a M18 S&W instantly wanted one- he got it and I got the 18
back. I bought a SP Ruger in 22lr and was not thrilled with trigger or sights, I didn't keep it long.
I would much rather carry a Single-6.

It depends what you expect or need for accuracy out of a 22 revolver. You get what you pay for.
There are some very well made 22s that are not cheap but are more less novelties and don't have
practical accuracy for field use.

[starnbar]

Like a lot of you folks the single six was my first 22 wheel gun in 1971 it has been used by myself and all 5 of my sons the action is now butter smooth and it has a 3 pound trigger that just breaks with a steady squeeze great revolver wouldn't trade it for the world.