Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
In another thread we explored Ruger’s great SP101 and I refrained from discussing the GP-100.
Well, I can’t put it off any longer, it’s time for the GP-100 but we’ll stay away from the dreaded GP verses L-frame debate. That dead horse has been beaten, buried, dug up and beaten again many times over. We do have to talk about the L-frame a little for historical context, but I promise I will stay away from the Ford v. Chevy type discussion.
In the days before the magnum K-frames, a .357 magnum meant a N-frame revolver or something along those lines: big & heavy. The concept of the magnum K-frame was good idea. They allowed magnum performance in a package that is easy to carry. Unfortunately, when exposed to high round counts of magnum loads, particularly with lightweight (shorter) bullets, the magnum K-frames turned out to be “A Bridge Too Far”. A good idea but maybe just a little too much for the platform over long periods of time. In 1980 Smith & Wesson addressed the issue with the introduction of the L-frames. (Models 581, 586, 681, 686).
Back at the Ruger estate, William Ruger was busy working on what would become the replacements for the DA Six series guns – The SP101 and GP-100. The S&W L-frames had a 5-year head start but when the GP-100 was introduced in 1985, the battle lines were drawn. I promised that I would avoid the Ruger / S&W debate, so that’s all I’m going to write about that.
The DA Six series guns (Security, Service, Speed-Six) had frames that were close to the size of the S&W K-frame but the Rugers were designed as .357 magnums from the beginning. By the 1980’s, Bill Ruger was seeking to update his design of the DA revolver. Those changes included a peg style grip frame, a crane lock (functionally similar to the old S&W triple lock), a replaceable front sight for the adjustable sight models, a non-rotating ejector rod, a heavy under lug / ejector rod shroud, and a simplified trigger group. In addition to those changes, the frame and cylinder became a little bit larger overall. The result was a seriously strong DA revolver – The GP-100.
At the time, Ruger devotees wanted the DA Six Series to remain in production alongside the new GP-100. There was a short overlap from 1985 through 1988 when both the GP-100 line and the DA Six’s were made. In 1988 the last of the DA Six Series guns left the factory. William Ruger had no intention of competing with himself.
Now, it’s critical to remember the time when all of this occurred. In 1980 the DA revolver was still king in American law enforcement, corrections and private security. By the mid 1980’s we had two entirely new .357 Magnum revolver platforms, and by the end of the decade, semi-auto pistols had claimed the lead.
The GP-100 was introduced 36 years ago, and it is still in production. There’s no need to get into an unwinnable comparison against its contemporary rival.
The GP-100 is, in my opinion, an outstanding and seriously strong DA revolver.
Well, I can’t put it off any longer, it’s time for the GP-100 but we’ll stay away from the dreaded GP verses L-frame debate. That dead horse has been beaten, buried, dug up and beaten again many times over. We do have to talk about the L-frame a little for historical context, but I promise I will stay away from the Ford v. Chevy type discussion.
In the days before the magnum K-frames, a .357 magnum meant a N-frame revolver or something along those lines: big & heavy. The concept of the magnum K-frame was good idea. They allowed magnum performance in a package that is easy to carry. Unfortunately, when exposed to high round counts of magnum loads, particularly with lightweight (shorter) bullets, the magnum K-frames turned out to be “A Bridge Too Far”. A good idea but maybe just a little too much for the platform over long periods of time. In 1980 Smith & Wesson addressed the issue with the introduction of the L-frames. (Models 581, 586, 681, 686).
Back at the Ruger estate, William Ruger was busy working on what would become the replacements for the DA Six series guns – The SP101 and GP-100. The S&W L-frames had a 5-year head start but when the GP-100 was introduced in 1985, the battle lines were drawn. I promised that I would avoid the Ruger / S&W debate, so that’s all I’m going to write about that.
The DA Six series guns (Security, Service, Speed-Six) had frames that were close to the size of the S&W K-frame but the Rugers were designed as .357 magnums from the beginning. By the 1980’s, Bill Ruger was seeking to update his design of the DA revolver. Those changes included a peg style grip frame, a crane lock (functionally similar to the old S&W triple lock), a replaceable front sight for the adjustable sight models, a non-rotating ejector rod, a heavy under lug / ejector rod shroud, and a simplified trigger group. In addition to those changes, the frame and cylinder became a little bit larger overall. The result was a seriously strong DA revolver – The GP-100.
At the time, Ruger devotees wanted the DA Six Series to remain in production alongside the new GP-100. There was a short overlap from 1985 through 1988 when both the GP-100 line and the DA Six’s were made. In 1988 the last of the DA Six Series guns left the factory. William Ruger had no intention of competing with himself.
Now, it’s critical to remember the time when all of this occurred. In 1980 the DA revolver was still king in American law enforcement, corrections and private security. By the mid 1980’s we had two entirely new .357 Magnum revolver platforms, and by the end of the decade, semi-auto pistols had claimed the lead.
The GP-100 was introduced 36 years ago, and it is still in production. There’s no need to get into an unwinnable comparison against its contemporary rival.
The GP-100 is, in my opinion, an outstanding and seriously strong DA revolver.
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