GP100 barrel question

[vector16]

New member here. see my intro to find out a little about me at that topic.

I have a GP100 .357 4". My question is, I want to switch out the 4" barrel w/ an 8" barrel. I want the 4" for range and home. I want to attach a rail and scope system on an 8" barrel for yotes and other varmints. I would just use a rife but the ammo and the kind of ammo I have to use for that sort of thing is very pricy here in CA.
Okay, now for the real question, sorry bout the expanation above. To switch ou the barrel, is it as easy as unscrewing it and screwing one back in or is there more to it than that. Ruger nut says the manual just shows it as so, as does mine. Anyone ever done this before?

 

[rugerguy]

Vector, welcome to the Forum, no it is not something that you can just swap back and forth, as they are actually a 'crush fit" to index and lock in at the 12 o'clock position ( the front sight straight up and down...) CENTERED
yes you can snug one up, but it will come loose and eventually after numerous times on and off, will tend to start to "creep" over, beyond top ,dead center...........yes you can pin one on, or use a set screw or some such set up but many of these conversions we have seen over the years are "loose" to say the least, and the sights are "off"...Dan Wesson uses a shroud ,fits over a barrel, and a nut locks the whole assembly in place...yes, enough MONEY and a GOOD gunsmith can build you what you want, Check around.....................me, I'd buy another gun gun, nothing wrong with two of them :roll:

 

[vector16]

Well that set up you are talking about is exactly the one i had in mind. thanks for the heads up before i attemped it.
I am not big on the Ruger semi- auto's, they just don't feel good in my hand. I was looking at the SP101 when i got the GP100 and when i fired it the back of the trigger gard kept slamming my middle finger which is why the SP101 is still in the store and not in the drawer.
The Super Redhawk .44 7.5" has the same set-up as the GP100, any disadavatages with that one besides it being almost 5 lbs loaded?
I really like the set up on some of the Rev's with the trigger guard. When you have relitively large fingers, when that guard hits the bone on the middle finger it flipp'n hurts!

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Ruger makes a GP-100 with a 6" barrel and there are no-drill mounts for them. That would make a good hunting set-up if the 357 is enough gun.

http://www.jackweigand.com/Ruger-GP100-Scope-Mounts-No-Drill.html

...Jimbo

 

[vector16]

That would be the one I saw on Versus. Its nice, you take the front and rear sights off and use those holes to screw the rails into.
The .357 is plenty to take a med size dog (yote) or any thing else that size. The 6" barrel is a little short for that range I think, 100-150 yrds and still have enough oomf to take down an animal. The .44 mentioned above is not the 8" key I was looking for but does have that extra power for the distance and stopping ability at that range. I was curious about the .454 but I think that would just be over kill, i want some of the flesh still intact and not have to go all over the forest to pick it up

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Handgun hunting at more than 50 - 100 yards will be a challenge. Good luck with your quest. Ruger makes a bunch of good handguns for hunting both single-action and double-action some are shipped with scope rings and have a mounting system built-in.

...Jimbo

 

[vector16]

Yes, I know is a challenge. I can currently hit targets with my 9mm,.40 and .45 at 100+ yrds consistantly with iron or stock sights. I think it would actually be easier with a scope. When I was zeroing my 30-06 I was getting frustrated that i could hit the target with a pistol and not the dang rifle. It took a few boxes before i could get it where i wanted the darn bullet to hit. I had not problem with the pistol though. I guess I had been just paying more attention to the drop rate, volocity, wind etc.. to the pistol ammo and not so much to the higher powred rounds. For some reason i must have thought the high powered rounds would fly in a straight line and gravity did not effect them. sounds lame I know but it was my first time with any rifle better than a .22LR. I have shot one of those .50 cal single shot pistols with a scope and that was great but I don't really care for single shot guns, another reason I am not fond of black powder. I have used it but it just got on my nerves.

 

[catfish621]

If you look around you can probably find a
Dan Wesson in 41 mag. You can easily change barrels on those.

 

[vector16]

I have heard nothing but bad things about those 41 mag's. and when I was looking into them, I aslo found, the ammo is not on every street corner, so to speak. I am kind of partial to having a gun that I can buy the ammo at Wal-Mart. Not that I buy ammo at wal-mart all time but its nice to know I could if the need came up.
Thanks for that response though.

 

[catfish621]

Dan Wessons were also made in 357 and 44.

 

[vector16]

The main reason for the post was to see about taking my existing 357 and switching out another barrel for it. and I got that bquestion answered, No. I will not think about getting a .357 when i aready have a 357, Not only a 357 but a Ruger as well. step down? Ruger is the only one that makes one that the trigger guard does not bust my middle finger when i fire it.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Probably the most cost effective thing for you to do would be to trade or sell your 4" GP for a 6" GP and put a mount and scope on the 6" gun. There are no commonly available 8" barrels for a GP. There are 6" GP-100's available now at Davidson's. 8) 8)
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx

...Jimbo

 

[catfish621]

It was my understanding that you wanted a 4" barrel for range and a 8" for hunting. I suggested the Dan Wesson because they are the only ones I know that you can have one gun with several barrels that switch out easily. They are not bad guns and are in fact quite accurate.

 

[vector16]

Probably the most cost effective thing for you to do would be to trade or sell your 4" GP for a 6" GP and put a mount and scope on the 6" gun. There are no commonly available 8" barrels for a GP. There are 6" GP-100's available now at Davidson's. 8) 8)
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx

...Jimbo

There are 6" available at Turner's here in CA also. Its not price efficient to buy online here. They charge $100 for the tranfer fee and 25% of the total for the B.G. check AND THEN I have to wait an additional 10 days. I decided to hold off for a while and see if I can just design something and CNC it myself. I built a gravity loading 410 a little over a year ago that works very well.
Thanks for the input everyone, I am thankful.

Going to the firing line tomorrow with my Dad. He has not shot anything for over 20 years and is now interested in purchasing a pistol of sort, so, I am bringing my entire arsenal for him to get acquainted with some different cal’s. I am bringing around 3000 rounds, we’ll make a day of it.