GP100 cylinder play?

[steveh326]

Looked at a used GP100 in 357 on consignment at a shop last week. I have no idea on the history of this gun. It looks to be in great shape except for what I think is a little more rotational movement of the cylinder at lockup than is normal. No clue on previous owner's round count. Other than this the gun is beautiful... so much so that I took a chance on it. Will shoot it to see how it does, and if any lead shaving etc. My first GP100 so not sure if this is normal or not? If anyone has any advice (other than to pass on it cause that ship has sailed) I would gladly listen.

If this does turn out to be a concern, I am hoping there is a fix for it...oversized cylinder latch or some other fix cause I think I am anticipating really liking this thing. I have done some research and seems like the trigger group is easy enough to work on, and pretty much all replacement parts are available.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Welcome, the GP-100 is a great gun. Be sure to check out the instruction manual

https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/gp100.pdf

...and the videos on the Ruger website esp Ruvolver Tech Tips.

https://ruger.com/videos.html?vid=131271707&cat=3769277

Ruger does not ship many parts as identified in the instruction manual. If your cylinder lock up is a little loose that is normal. If it is very loose and spits debris out the B/C gap it is time to send it back to Ruger. Honestly, I doubt there is anything wrong. A loose lock up is pretty much normal.

 

[Naphtali]

My SP101s, that I believe have identical but scaled-to-fit lock work, have slight axial rotational play when "at rest." Pulling the trigger and holding trigger back, the cylinder is tightly locked and unmoving. This effect after pulling the trigger appears to result in cylinder's lock-up comparable with a Colt Python I owned years ago. Smith & Wessons I have owned through the years do not have that lock-up tightness. There was always an extremely small amount of axial rotation with hammer cocked and/or trigger pulled. While these similarities and differences are present, neither seems to affect accuracy or durability of revolvers' designs.

So - finally - if the GP100's cylinder locks tightly with trigger pulled and held "pulled," no problem.

Hope something in this mishmash helps.

 

[powder smoke]

SLIGHT cylinder rotation is normal when the cylinder latch is engaged.
Just a tiny bit of shake is OK. Think of it as self alignment as the bullet jumps the gap. ps