Customized Ruger GP100

My Dad bought this gun used in the mid to late-80’s. I traded him for it in the early 90’s and used it for the police academy in 1995. It was born a 4″ short shroud fixed sight gun. Before I went to the academy, I had Bob “Tootie” Miller, a former Midland PD Sergeant who ran Action Sports of Texas, do an action job on it. It was in that condition until the 2024 Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup when I dropped it off at Fink’s in the Gunsite Gunsmithy.

The gun was always dependable and I would haul it out when I needed something to run demos, or to shoot .357 magnums through. I rarely carried it, other than on some hiking excursions and always wanted it in a 3″ format with a front sight that was easier to pick up. After many years, it looks like what I have always wanted. Fink’s bead blasted it to a matte finish and installed a gold bead front sight with bobbed hammer. The top strap was further matted. While hand-filling, the VZ grips don’t add much bulk to cause concealment issues and they don’t get slick when wet like the compact rubber grips that came on it.

25 yard standing unsupported group using a drive the dot hold with the gold bead . I may have pulled that lowest one due to not getting the sights aligned perfectly. The 135gr Critical Duty averaged 1295fps out of the 3″ barrel. It is only advertised for 1275, so this might be a “hot” batch.

I found some Federal 158gr SJHP in a box with a Montgomery Ward price tag for $17.99 and decided to run the Super Snubby Test with it, since this gun is stretching the definition of a snub. The stuff averaged 1163fps. I have not done much magnum shooting in a while and it showed in my score.

Modified Advanced Super Snubby Test from Darryl Bolke and Wayne Dobbs. 122 of 150 points from concealment shot with full house 158 grain Federal SJHP. 10 yards 5 rounds in 8 seconds with 2 hands. 5 yards 5 rounds in 5 seconds with 2 hands. 3 yards 5 rounds in 3 seconds with strong hand only with hand on gun start.

Well, that was exciting! The GP100 really handles magnum recoil well. It is just heavy enough while still being lively in the hand. However, I think a more sedate load might be a better answer. Darryl Bolke worked with Steve Shields of High Desert Cartridge to develop some .357 magnum 158gr XTPs that are loaded at an advertised 950 fps. I ran a modified version of Justin Dyal’s 5 Yard Roundup with those loads.

A 98 on a modified 5 yard Roundup with 2.5 second par for all stages. Two rounds to the B8 from concealment. Two rounds to the B8 and one to the 3 inch square from the ready (hole is circled with arrow pointing down surrounded by 3 cartridges). Three rounds strong hand only and 2 rounds weak hand only, both from the ready.

I shot the modified Roundup using the gold bead and I let it creep out of the notch on a few of those. The HDC 158 JHP loads averaged 969.7 feet per second out of the 3″ barrel and were very controllable.

I had forgotten about shooting the Snubby Super Test in the wait for the High Desert Cartridge ammo to come in and my days off to align with the weather. I decided to compare apples to apples and shot the modified Roundup with some 158gr JSP Federal that chronographed at an 1183 fps average velocity. I certainly noticed that they were full house loads.

Modified Roundup with more leakers, though these were primarily related to magnum recoil with one hand, either strong or weak handed. That is a 95, though with a better hit on the square (surrounded by the 3 cartridges at the top).

40 yard rested groups with High Desert Cartridge .357 Magnum loads are on the lower 3×5 label, using the upper one as an aiming point. The 158 TMJ averaged 854.4 fps compared to 959.7 fps for the 158 JHP. The TMJ hit just slightly lower but seems a perfect practice load for the JHP at reasonable distances. The top label has HDC 158 JHP from 25 yards, standing, unsupported.

I threw a couple of labels on a piece of cardboard and found that I had set the table up with all the equipment on it at 40 yards. I have been a public servant for nearly 30 years and did my military time as an infantryman so you know I just shot the groups from there. I used the top label as an aiming point to see where it was hitting. They were so close to hitting the bottom label that I just felt that serendipity demanded I continue.

I had initially planned to set the gun up for 135gr Critical Duty but I did not like the drive the dot hold needed to hit at 25 yards so I drifted the sight to accommodate 158 loads.

5 rounds of 135 Critical Duty at 25 yards, standing, unsupported. I just quit on that last shot as the hammer was falling. The gun shoots low left with that load as compared to the 158s. The chamfered charge holes make reloading a dream.

For now, I am happy with the High Desert 158 JHPs for defensive use. I would like to find a full house 158-180 FMJ load in case I want maximum penetration. I am not worried about shooting the Ruger out of time. In my younger years, I only loaded 158 LSWC to 1200 or better and this gun has seen several thousand of those. It has been dropped and kicked when being used as a Simunition gun, back before we knew better than to use live guns for that. The gun is tougher than I am when it comes to magnum use, so it should easily outlast me.

For the most part, this gun hangs on the wall and brings back fond memories. However, should I need a .357 magnum revolver to go tackle a problem, this would likely be the one I grab. The 3″ GP100 is about as perfect of a fixed sight inside the waistband carry revolver as I could ask for.

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