Ruger GP100 in 44 S&W Special!

[Arik]

I'd like to see the old Speed Six and Security Six return. 6 rounds vs the 5 in the SP101 and smaller than the GP. The 3 inch Security Six in 357 were great knock around guns

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[signal4l]

I love the idea of a 44spl GP100. I wish they would make it with a 4 inch barrel.

[Tokarev]

Sorry, everyone.

No real news. Bottom line is I had a rather frustrating day on the range. I tried three different brands/types of ammo with poor accuracy results.

My guess is that there's a constriction of some type where the barrel meets the frame. This is, in effect, swaging the bullet; making it undersized for the bore.

I will see if I can't get some Hornady or maybe some Black Hills ammo and try again. If these new loads don't shoot the gun will need a trip back to the factory.


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[williejc]

This constriction is commonly found in .41, .44, and .45 revolvers. The larger calibers have thinner barrels which become very slightly deformed when a press fit technique is employed to install the barrel as is done by Smith and Ruger. Screwing the barrel into the frame requires a high torque value. You can detect the condition with a tight patch. This malady is known far and wide among lead and cast bullet shooters. It has little or no effect on accuracy with jacketed bullets. There are remedies, but I think that Ruger in this case will tell you to use different ammo. Of course, if jacketed ammo does poorly, certainly do contact them. PM me if I can assist.

[Tokarev]

It makes sense that the big bore revolvers would be more prone to deformation when the barrel is torqued in.

I assume, if this is the issue, the constriction can be reamed out by a competent gunsmith with the proper reamer. But I'd rather let Ruger take care of it under warranty.


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[williejc]

I agree that Ruger should be given the opportunity to examine and correct any problems with their product. Ruger has been delivering good customer service to its customers. They may even pay the freight both ways. If they test it with jacketed ammo, they may tell you that the revolver's accuracy falls within their specs and then suggest that you change your ammo. If they do replace the barrel anyway to make you happy, there's no guarantee that the new barrel won't have a constriction problem. I'm basing my reply on experiences of two friends who had constriction issues in a Ruger Super Black Hawk .44 mag. When you send it in, ask them to mike the chambers and also smooth out any action hitches.

[Tokarev]

I have had previous dealings with Ruger’s customer service and have always been taken care of after the sale. Unfortunately I can't say that about some other firearms companies.

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[williejc]

The American Rifleman, December 19 issue on line has a test fire report on the GP100, and 25 yard, 5 shot bench rest groups varied from 3.26 to 3.48 inches. How did your gun compare to the test revolver?

[Tokarev]

Here is a photo that pretty much sums up what my sample shoots like.

The six shots near the bull are five rounds of 245gr Underwood that I marked with "245." The one unmarked round low and left of the bull is a 200gr Gold Dot loaded by Underwood. Note the other impacts down near the very bottom edge of the cardboard. These display the classic sideways keyhole.

The target is a standard NRA 25yd slowfire. Distance was 25yds. Handgun was fired from a rested seating position.





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[williejc]

I had assumed that when you first hypothesized constriction, you were shooting lead bullets. Now that I see that your ammo is jacketed, my opinion is that a constriction like I described would not size down a jacketed bullet. Something else is going on, Ruger should have no trouble diagnosing the issue, which may be out of spec chambers and or alignment of chambers to barrel. Alignment issues can be obvious when lead bullets are used because lead spitting to one side or the other will occur. I'm surprised to see key holing.

If you have time and inclination and are curious, you might select one chamber and fire groups using only it. Anyway, I feel your frustration. If you decide later to reload lead bullets, I can provide you various diameters of the same cast bullet so you can choose the best fit. There would be no charge. Then you could order the same bullet from Dardus--my source--and specify diameter. I have an unsized batch and have the tools to size to different diameters. I can offer safe pet load data that's worked for others.

Ruger will give you back a better handgun, and if you reload, I can point you in a good direction. Of course, you may not need assistance and may have been doing this longer than I have.