In the feature, “Ruger GP100 7-Shot: First Look,” http://www.shootingwire.com/features/232217, I had my first go-around with the updated 357 GP100 revolver. This was followed up in our Dec. 11th issue which told the story of shooting another sample of the same gun while at Gunsite Academy.
They were remarkable shooters. Shortly thereafter, a 2 ½” barrel version of the gun arrived: the Ruger GP100 357 Magnum 7-shot with 2 ½” barrel. I wasn’t surprised as I’d asked for the snub magnum.
Full-size revolvers snubbed off never really made much sense to most experienced users, especially in ‘magnum’ calibers. Shorter barrels made for more blast and flash with reduced velocity– those loads ‘needed’ longer barrels to allow the larger supply of slower burning powders to generate greater velocities. They weighed nearly as much as “service” length barreled guns, were actually harder to conceal with available holsters because there wasn’t any barrel to press against the gluts forcing the grip into the body.
On the other hand, recoil was actually slightly less it seemed; same projectile weight, nearly same gun weight, decreased velocity may have had something to do with it. Add to that, the gun retention value if someone tried to grab your unholstered revolver. The full-size stock gave the user lots to hang onto while the gun-grabber had a shorter barrel to work with. Long barrel, “Dirty Harry” guns – not so much. “The longer the lever,” gun retention guru and judo player Jim Lindell said, “the greater the leverage.”
The shorter barrel is not less accurate, though the shooter may be. The decrease in sight radius led to magnification of the potential error in sighting especially at distance. Those who learned to deal with that – or arranged to be born near-sighted – seemed to have less trouble. I’ve seen people take successful shots at ridiculous distances while ‘plinking’ with snub revolvers.
The Ruger snub 7-shooter GP shot just fine. The action was GP100 smooth, the sights were the same as on the pair of four-inch versions I’d shot as was the stock.
The standard GP100 stock that so many people seem to love, when combined with the size of the GP100, can put the proximal joint of the thumb on the shooting hand in a bad place if I forget and don’t compensate for it. When shooting 38s, it’s not quite so bad.
In January, writing for this wire, I noted, “As to carrying, it’s less the gun and more the holster . . . Enter Rob Leahy’s Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake. Like the Roy Baker Pancake of old, the Sourdough wraps around the body and uses that lateral tension to bring the butt of the gun in.”
I’d used the Sourdough Pancake at earlier range outings. I elected to use it again during one of several days of range for retired law enforcement types during the annual LEOSA recertification.
I shot the state qualification course using Rob’s holster, the snubbed GP100 and fifty rounds of CCI Blazer 125 grain HP .38 Special +P. The gun easily used the Blazer 38s, but I could feel they had some bump to them. I imagine they’d be a chore in a 17 ounce belly gun.
The course goes out to 25 yards. While I faded a bit at the end, all fifty rounds were squarely in the “Q” bottle. The central cluster was all shot out to about fifteen yards. I found the Blazer +P load shot to the sights, a good thing to know.
As the Ruger GP100 has adjustable sights, I could fix minor point of aim/point of impact issues. It’s nice not having to break out the screwdrivers though.
Of all the potential revolvers one could have, I find myself favoring the snub. It’s been maligned over the years but the concept endures. The 7-shot 357 GP100 in the short format is a dandy revolver – the best in that particular line of guns.
- - Rich Grassi
Ruger GP100 7-Shot 357 Specifications: