Thoughts on a GP-100 in .22 LR?

Now that I have this:

I'm thinking that my next Ruger handgun might be a GP100 in .22 LR.

No real desire for a SP-101 in that caliber, or a LCR with their heavy trigger pulls.

Would a person be able to use a Wolff spring kit for the GP-100 trigger?

I'd leave the hammer spring alone.

I'd think long and hard before that purchase and review threads here. Many problems that I've seen .... some from long time very respected members here.


Granted, Ruger seems to have always taken care of the problems but ..... if you know in advance that item is "hit or miss" you may want to pass.

Just shot mine today a 4.2" and a 5.5" ( or are they 6" I can't remember) anyways I like them a lot, both function fine and are as accurate as one would expect, the 5.5" did make a trip back to Ruger right away to get some rough edges cleaned up and have the bbl rotated to 12 o'clock as it was off just a tad. I am on the fence about the Williams type fire sight in the front dovetail, I think for my declining eyes a rear set would make the whole setup work fine, I guess I don't understand putting a light pipe on the front and not the rear
So I'm trying to say mine are fine and I like them both

My GP in 357 has been solid as a rock, the same gun in 22 sounds delicious. I never heard about problems but I don't haunt the boards. Rimfires can be prone to problems that centerfires are immune to.

Timely post for me. I am considering the GP22 too. I have looked at the S&W 617, a very nice revolver as well. Both seem to be "hit or miss" it seems. Luckily, Ruger seems willing to make it right if you do have problems.

I have a little experience with the .22 GP100 revolver.

From the factory, the machining of the rim recesses in the cylinder was very poor. I corrected this myself.

The extraction was very stiff. I have big strong hands, so I lived with it. Eventually I was bored with this revolver and i sold the revolver to a local person. He was unable to live with the difficult extraction, so he sent it back to Ruger. Ruger replaced the cylinder. In the meantime he bought another revolver, and had buyers remorse with this revolver, so I bought it back. Sold it to another local feller, who is a really serious speed steel shooter. At the range, shooting lots of ammo, he continually had problems with the cylinder binding on the forcing cone. Returned to Ruger again, and this time time they replaced the revolver with a new one. I bought the new gun back from this buyer, and subsequently sold it again, unfired. The last owner says it's accurate and operates as designed.

So, my take on this...

I waited a long time for a full size .22 DA revolver from Ruger. I don't think Ruger originally took this offering seriously. After all, it's just a .22 rimfire. Right?

It's priced slightly less than a S&W 617, which is its only real competition, not that the 617 is anything special, compared to the older S&W offerings. But still, if Ruger wants any part of this market, for speed steel and other high quantity shooting events, you'd think they would've tried a little harder with the original release. And I don't care how Ruger fans would prefer to spin it, but this was a $700 gun. The price has come down a little bit, but we still have every right to think it will keep up with the demands of serious shooters, not just defending it as good enough for an occasional plinker.

When this gun works as designed, it is a great concept, filling a huge void in the .22 revolver market.

WAYNO said:

SNIP>

The extraction was very stiff.

<SNIP

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I bought a new Taurus M94 and a used Smith K Frame 22 rimfire with this exact problem! What is it with manufacturers? A 22 chamber reamer from Brownells cost $60 or so but fixed the problem fast!

I am a Ruger revolver fan. But saying that I do not own the GP100 in .22 I own the S&W 617. I would own a Ruger but I like the heavy front weight of a full lug. My 617 is a 6" that I shoot plates on at 25 yards. The smallest plate being 2". Standing free hand that little sucker can be a challenge some times at 25 yards. Full lug helps me.

My 617 when bought was spitting lead out the front side of the cylinder. I read that that is a common problem with them. I sent it back to S&W because you could clearly see that the forcing cone needed opened up a little. It had no chamfer to it. Got it back in 7 days on the day and works great and very accurate. Easy to extract, fires clean and no lead spitting. Love that pistol.

Wish I could comment on the GP, but very happy with the 617. So in other words it does sound like Ruger and S&W both have problems with their 22 revolvers and hit and miss for both. But they both will take care of their customers and get the revolver shooting correctly. 617 is probably just a little more refind out of the box.

oldwolf said:

Timely post for me. I am considering the GP22 too. I have looked at the S&W 617, a very nice revolver as well. Both seem to be "hit or miss" it seems. Luckily, Ruger seems willing to make it right if you do have problems.

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S&W sent me an announcement the day they went on the counters, because I pestered them from their first article announcing that they were going to make the 617 !
Bought the 617 the day they were first shipped to my local gun shop ! Absolutely flawless, without a single regret, and would not sell or trade it for anything I have seen before or since I bought it !! (4⅝"- 10 Shot, 100% stainless, no aluminum Cyl.)
Try to find a nice older one if you can. Much better QC !! It is my nearly constant outdoor companion !

Only thing I didn't like was the Hogue rubber grips (I cannot stand them on any revolver, they are gone immediately !)







Jim

Too much gun for the caliber... at least to me.

Same here, RUT. My GP shooting .38 Spl. is like my Mark 1 doing .22LR. Cannot imagine such an anemic round in such a heavy revolver. What would be the point, unless someone simply wanted to expose themselves to the minimal recoil outside of an airgun?

It reminds me of the Dan Wesson 22 revolver I once had. It was the same size and weight as the .357 version I had, and still only held six rounds. Consequently, although it was a beautiful piece of hardware it didn't last long in my stable. Oh well, you live and learn.

woodsy said:

What would be the point, unless someone simply wanted to expose themselves to the minimal recoil outside of an airgun?

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They're obviously not for everybody. Some people actually shoot competition, and every extra advantage is worth every cent and every ounce. If a feller is shooting Speed Steel, and he does better with a heavy revolver, that's the point.

I never had sticky extraction with the 94 I am selling . I did with the sp101 I did own previously.

I recently opted for the taurus 992 6 inch with 22mag cylinder coversion. It is a heavy gun as well. The trigger is very nice. I was apprehensive about the weight as well but wanted the 22 mag so I purchased it any way
Now that I have been shooting it for a while I dont notice the weight so much. It seems to shoot with Laser accuracy which I think has something to do with the weight as well.

If the gp had a 22mag coversion cylinder I might consider it but for now the taurus 992 has my vote hands down.

I have not had any problems with my 5.5 gp100 in 22caliber, It is a joy to shoot and very accurate

I would love to have one. It's the just north of $700 price tag that keeps me
from getting one. I suppose I could sell some others and use that money
to acquire one, but I think I'll just keep what I've got. Sigh. :wink: