GP-100 half lug variations?

I'd like to know how many variations there are of the GP-100 with a half-lug barrel. I have four: a 6" blue .357 with adj. sights, a 6" stainless .357 with adj. sights, a 4" blue .357 with adj. sights, and a 4" stainless .38 Spl. with fixed sights (just got that one ANIB! A rare bird in CA.).

Are there ANY half-lug 3" GPs?

Are there any 6" half-lug FIXED sight GPs?

Are there any 6" half-lug adjustable sighted .38s?

Are there variations in the grip frames, too?

Just how big COULD this half-lug collection get, anyway?

Thanks, Otony! So now I have to save my pennies for a half-lug 3"! Actually I need a 3" and now I have a goal for it. Don't care if it is stainless or blue, or if it is .38 or .357. And a half-lug will make it even handier than the current ones. Just hope I have the $$ when I find it....

Half lug blue and SS 3" GP's do exist. Most if not all are Canadian police trade-ins. I have seen several SS versions on GB, but the blue one I got is the first one I have seen. It is also a Canadian re-import. Since Canadian citizens can only own handguns with barrels above 4" these could not be sold there, and most of them went through Century.

There are no fixed sight 6" GP's in any caliber. Ruger never made any. One of my "dream Rugers" is a 6" fixed sight full lug GP100, I had thought of finding a beater 4" fixed sight GP, and having someone like Pinnacle fit a new 6" full lug barrel to it. I'm thinking a Super Redhawk front sight would provide the right height for a fixed sight 6".

There are also no .38 Special adjustable sight GP100's known in any barrel length. I'm going to assume none were ever made.

thanks, Stan; very good info. And I like/want that 3" gun!

Given the timeframe of most of the fixed sight GPs, I wouldn't expect 6" fixed sight guns. Most of the fixed sight guns were intended for police, military, or security use, and 6" guns were out of favor by our car-riding fuzzery. (If we still had mounted police, they'd still be "in."). I remember what a 6" Trooper feels like after a few hours in a patrol unit. A little galling....I soon acquired a 4".

I'd be very surprised if NO adjustable sight .38s were ever made. I wouldn't be surprised if only one or two were made, tho.

Blue, Four inch, fixed sight, .357 half lug.

.38 Special Security Sixes are rare, although the .38 Service and Speed Sixes are pretty common.

The last fixed sight 6" .357 I saw was a Dan Wesson, for some reason DW made these, although the barrels are interchangeable anyway.

The closest we can get to a fixed sight 6" GP100 would be to mount a Bowen Rough Country rear sight to a 6" GP. Once those sights are "set" they are pretty much as good as a fixed sight.

Stan, are the Canadian police GPs .38s or .357s or both?

Just picked up my 4" .38. SN 174-14xxx; flat new with no police or other markings on it. Looks uncarried and unfired. Off to the range next week to fix that....

Anybody know an approximate DOM?

Mike Armstrong said:

Just picked up my 4" .38. SN 174-14xxx; flat new with no police or other markings on it. Looks uncarried and unfired. Off to the range next week to fix that....

Anybody know an approximate DOM?

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Born in 2000!

Thanks rugerrat! No wonder it looks new....wonder why Ruger made a .38 GP so late? Not many of us favor them when there's a .357 for the same price! 2000 seems awfully late for a police contract overrun, too.

Mike Armstrong said:

Thanks rugerrat! No wonder it looks new....wonder why Ruger made a .38 GP so late? Not many of us favor them when there's a .357 for the same price! 2000 seems awfully late for a police contract overrun, too.

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Mike:

Well, I just picked up the identical stainless GP100 half-lug 4" .38 Special revolver to yours and it's serial number is 174-1408x and it was also made in 2000.

rugerrat, maybe they made a short run for some reason that year. Or maybe the kind folks at Ruger were just thinking of you and me!

There just can't be that many American shooters out there that crave a modern version of the S&W "Heavy Duty .38-44"! Or can there?

I still suspect a security company contract with a few over-runs sold to the public. Glad we got them!

Mike Armstrong said:

rugerrat, maybe they made a short run for some reason that year. Or maybe the kind folks at Ruger were just thinking of you and me!

There just can't be that many American shooters out there that crave a modern version of the S&W "Heavy Duty .38-44"! Or can there?

I still suspect a security company contract with a few over-runs sold to the public. Glad we got them!

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1)I agree with with everything you said above-except that there are older guys out there who like to shoot .38 Special ammo out of a dedicated .38 revolver. The younger shooters may not crave a modern version of the S&W "Heavy Duty .38-.44" but, there are plenty of older shooters out there that do. They just don't advertise it!

I put my 4" "Pre-Model 20" S&W away in retirement a whole ago, but expect this GP to equal it at the range.

Looking for a mold for the 200 gr. "Super Police" bullets, although I know they're gonna require some Kentucky windage with the GP's fixed sights.

I have a 148 gr. wadcutter mold so am cooking up some full-power wadcutters like they used to sell back in the 1950s. A sheriff's dept. armorer once told me that they were the most effective load that he'd ever seen issued. (Most people have never seen them and automatically associate the term "wadcutter" with "midrange.").

They were the same loading as the standard 158 gr. lead issue, but with the wadcutter bullet that made scoring targets easy. But the flat bullet is more effective on a body, too. I suspect that the 10 grs. difference in bullet weight didn't make the POI any different than the 158 gr. "service" load. We'll see.

I may also try to duplicate the .38-44 loading; there have been several articles on it in Handloader magazine over the years.

It looks like you have got a solid plan going for you there! I hope that your KGP840 .38 shoots good for you! Although I haven't shot it yet, I have a mint 6" Colt New Service chambered in .38 Special and these revolvers were known to shoot accurately! Up until now I'd just been collecting this 1934 vintage New Service.

Rat, we think alike: I had a nice collection of NS Colts up to 1980s "recession". One of my favorite guns. They and all of the rest of my guns except family guns went for a down payment on a house when I had to move across country to find work and couldn't sell my Idaho house for two years (does this scene sound familiar to anyone?).

Fortunately one of the "family guns" was my grandfather's .44-40 "Old Model" New Service. But I don't have an NS .38.... I bet yours will shoot great.

Always wanted a Colt Shooting Master in .38 Spl. but never found one I could afford.

Mike Armstrong said:

Rat, we think alike: I had a nice collection of NS Colts up to 1980s "recession". One of my favorite guns. They and all of the rest of my guns except family guns went for a down payment on a house when I had to move across country to find work and couldn't sell my Idaho house for two years (does this scene sound familiar to anyone?).

Fortunately one of the "family guns" was my grandfather's .44-40 "Old Model" New Service. But I don't have an NS .38.... I bet yours will shoot great.

Always wanted a Colt Shooting Master in .38 Spl. but never found one I could afford.

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Mike: I'm sorry to hear that you had to give up your NS Colt collection due to the 1980's recession. Unfortunately, I only have the one NS .38 Special revolver that I'd discovered in an old collectible gun shop located approximately 20 miles from me(Now closed)about 6 years ago. However in this same gun shop ten years ago I also purchased a late 1926 Army Special .38 that came just a few months before the name change over to the Official Police, in 99% condition as well as a NIB Officer's Model Special .38. So, I still have these three Colt .38's to go along with my KGP840 .38 revolver. And, just recently I had acquired a California Highway Patrol issue stainless 6" Ruger Security-Six .38 to add to this mix of .38 Special revolvers. Oh, and did I say that I liked .38's(Hahaha)!

Like you, I was looking for a Colt NS Shooting Master in .38 Spl. but, never found one of these-but, I got lucky in finding the NS .38 with the fixed sights. At the time I'd purchased the aforementioned Colt's, I was in a bind financially, to enable me to afford them-but, I knew I had to acquire them or I'd probably never find these guns again!

Got to shoot my most recent half-lug GPs today for the first time. Was on an indoor pistol range with the max range 50', which is OK for shooting guns for function and practice, but I prefer an outdoor 25 yard range. Here that is two hours drive away unless you are a member of a gun club.

Was shooting up my supply of 130 gr. Winchester "White Box" bulk .38 Spls. These are FMJ with a marked flat point/meplat which would make them a bit more effective than the old military 130 gr. FMJ that used to be issued to security personnel. These also seem loaded a bit hotter.

My 1989 6" blued .357 must have been sighted in for 125 gr. bullets because it shot these 130s dead on to POA at 50'. I could shoot 6 of them into 2 1/2- 3" offhand either double action or single action slowfire all day long (two-handed hold standing). This is the first revolver I've had where I could shoot just as well (or badly) DA as SA. I think somebody worked on the trigger/action on this gun before I got it. Can't wait to try it with some full-house .357s--with the .38s it was as controllable as a .22.

My most recent acquisition, a 4" half-lug stainless .38 spl from 2000 with fixed sights wasn't so successful. It shot low and right with this ammo, and I wasn't getting conistent groups. Part of the problem is that the front sight needs rebluing--it seems to be the only worn part of the gun, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't getting a nice clear sight picture because of glare off the shiny part of the sight. Another part is that it isn't as smooth as the blue .357. I was getting "groups" that varied from 2"high by 4" wide, to 1 1/2" high by 3" wide, all were centered about 3-4" low. I may also have been getting tired by the time I got to this .38.

Both guns functioned perfectly; no hitches or boggles. Brass was only slightly smoked and no blems.

I had intended to put a red ramp on the .357 but may just leave well enough alone. I'll try sight black on the .38 and see if that sharpens up the sight picture. Unfortunately I can't do much about my 68 year old eyes.....

Is there a chance that the .38 was sighted for 158 gr. .38 Spl. "Police Service" ammo? Would that account for the low shooting???

A fun afternoon: the only other Ruger I shot was a new (to me) MKIIRST4. Point and click .22! I'd forgotten what fun they are! Ten pops, ten holes in the black.....