Ruger Centerfire Silhouette Gun - Educate Me

[doc540]

Local pals are all steering me to a S&W 586 or 686.

Years ago I carried a stainless Speed Six with a trigger job that made it a fantastic shooter.

So, here's what I'm looking to do:

50 yd silhouette matches

double action

with optics red dot preferred, but may shoot with a scope

What can would you recommend for a budget around $400 (w/o optics)?

Used GP100?

Talk to me, I'm in the centerfire silhouette ether and doing my homework.

Thanks!

 

[22/45 Fan]

AFAIK, GP-100s are not factory drilled and tapped for a scope or red dot mount. A gunsmith can drill and tap it it or there are some aftermarket "Will-Fit" mounts that do work without drilling. Probably the best is Jack Weigand's mount shown here:

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

All recent (at least since the mid-90's) S&W K,L and N-frame revolvers come factory drilled and tapped and there are numerous manufacturers that offer mounts for them.

 

[doc540]

Thanks!
That answers the optics mount question.

Is a GP100 6" a good target/match shooter?

 

[22/45 Fan]

Is a GP100 6" a good target/match shooter?

It should be. You might want to have the trigger smoothed up by a competent gunsmith.

 

[David Bradshaw]

Doc540... Don't know about price, but new or used is irrelevant, long as tolerances of the individual gun accumulate in the right direction and the revolver has not been abused.

Not sure why you want to shoot 50 yard silhouettes double action. Wonder if you mean steel, or paper. If the targets are man silhouettes, I can see shooting DA. If the targets are "metallic silhouettes"----animal critters----to shoot DA puts you at an extreme disadvantage. Time yourself on paper. May turn out that, within a given time limit, you shoot tighter single action. Chances are, you can shoot either with .38 Spl. ammo.

The S&W M-586/686, particularly with 6" barrel, is a superb revolver. The DA pull is even and smooth all the way through. I do not consider "staging" to be proper use of a DA trigger. Squeeze straight back without interruption or hesitation. SA trigger clean breaking.

Ruger GP-100 is tougher. Near indestructible. 6" preferable for your stated purpose. Ruger DA pull may or may not be uniform all the way through. SA likely to need cleaning up. Accuracy may not equal the Smith; comes down to the individual example of each make.

Reckon the average shooter will shoot more accurately at 50 yds with the S&W. If you have the chance to dry fire and shoot both, do so.

Either way, dry fire 25 or 50 strokes every day. To tone tendons, muscles, and eyes, squeeze and release at the same speed. Practice with .38s, not .357s.
David Bradshaw

 

[doc540]

Thanks, that's the kind of info I'm looking for.

New, used, S&W, Ruger, I'll have my gunsmith inspect and do action work on any and all of them anyway.

Years ago he worked on my Speed Six, and it had an excellent action.