It may look ridiculous to some,, but it was built as a competition shooter piece.
The cylinder frame window is the same size as a normal GP. Yet,, they reduced the cylinder length to only accept 9mm ammo. (Part of this is to prevent the type of person who wants to "build a custom" and do things the gun wasn't built for.) Plus,, it allows a longer barrel, yet the barrel appears shorter. Then, using technology from decades ago,, they used a barrel that goes through the frame to the cylinder, and is just a threaded tube, instead of a one piece barrel. This allows for better control of the cylinder gap AND,, you don't have the issues of over torquing, which can create "thread choke". And by using a 2-piece barrel system, the shroud is easily added to where the sights can be aligned easily.
(Anybody remember the Dan Wesson interchangeable barreled guns? Those things won a lot of competitions with that system. They are very accurate,, I know, I have a couple. )
The cuts in the barrel shroud,, allow for the gun to be lighter in weight,, which a competitor prefers for faster movement. The same thing with the cuts in the cylinder,, weight reduction.
This gun was designed by people who actually use & compete with a revolver where speed & function are the keys to winning. And part of it was done because loyal Ruger fans who are also competitors wanted a Ruger to go against S&W! A LOT of very serious thought went into it to build a serious competition gun.
How do I know this?
I spoke with a few folks at Ruger about it when it was introduced.
I wanted one after seeing it in person at SHOT,, and discussing it's features. It took a bit for me to get one,, (Thanks Kevin,) and mine is used in USPSA competition. I get a lot of very positive comments on it at matches. And I get offers to sell. NOT gonna happen.
Is it different looking? Yes.
Is it competitive? Yes.
Is it for everybody? No.
Does it look traditional? No.
While some may think it's ugly or weird looking or whatever,, they have that right. I will not give them grief for their opinion. But if you actually try & shoot a competition where speed & accuracy are the keys to good scores,, and you want a gun that was built with that in mind,, this one fits the bill.
Many people pay custom gunsmiths to build a custom gun of their personal liking. They chop barrels, the replace barrels with different shapes, (octagon,) or even from another maker. They grind & cut on frames. The drill hammers & put in ports. They add engraving, or other metal altering additions. They get what they want. And I've seen my share of guns that were classics or desirable in "as shipped" from the factory,, totally customized to where any collector value is gone. And I've seen some guns IN MY OPINION,, were ugly looking.
To each his own.
All I'm adding here is to look at WHY this gun is so different. It was built for a specific reason. Competition. Function is the design criteria.
I treasure mine.
I'm totally grateful for Kevin in allowing me to get it from him. And I'd never sell it. Not even if offered $25,000.00 for it. (I was offered $2500.00 for it,, and I told the guy; "Not even for 10 times that amount.")