Posted: Feb 12th 2010, 09:30 PM
This is my Ruger GP100 in 357 magnum. Stainless steel, with a 6 inch barrel.
OK. A concealed carry piece its not....but it sure is purty.
The brushed finish on the stainless steel is flawless. And those contoured rubber grips are a pleasure. Especially when firing some hot 357 loads. With that huge, weighted barrel, recoil isn't a problem, but those grips make it feel like you're firing a 22.
The action is really nice. Smooth as glass. And it has the best trigger on any gun I own. Not only in terms of action, but feel. Not only does it operate sharp and crisp, but its a really wide trigger with a heavily rounded contour that fits your trigger finger so nice. I hate guns with sharp, skinny triggers that bite your finger. My only beef is that the cylinder is a little too loosy goosy for my liking. But I can't argue with success. More on that in a sec.
The sights are really nice. I wish I had them on all my guns. Very precise and very quick to acquire and put on target. A real joy for these aging old eyes of mine.
But all the pretty stuff aside, a gun that doesn't shoot right is only good for a paper weight or a door stop. And that's where this Ruger really comes in strong. This thing is accurate with a great big capital A . The attached pic shows a six round group I shot at 7 yards, standing, offhand. And that's with common 38 special target loads. No matter what I load in this gun, the bullet goes where the barrel is pointing, period. Which is why I'm not going to make any attempt to remedy the loose cylinder. Any gun that will shoot like that is fine the way it is.
And that highlights one thing I like about 357's in general. For simple plinking or an afternoon at the range, you have the option of shooting readily available and cheap 38 specials. Saving those hot 357's for when you need them.
