Went Handgun Shopping and...

[muddy]

Came home with this, a Ruger GP100, 4" barrel, matte stainless finish.

http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdView...=1745&return=Y

Thought hard about getting a small auto for a CCW, but years ago I went through 3 auto-pistols before giving up. All three weapons jammed pretty bad and they were not cheap models either (S&W, Colt, Beretta).

I just lost confidence in "small framed" autos.

Anyway, the price was right and I've never heard a bad word about the Ruger GP100s?

[rudutch]

you should have gotten one of those 25 shot semi-autos or the 12 shot revolvers I see in movies and on TV all the time.
They don't jam and seldom need to re-load

[muddy]

you should have gotten one of those 25 shot semi-autos or the 12 shot revolvers I see in movies and on TV all the time.
They don't jam and seldom need to re-load

Yeah, they were out of my price range.

Just 6 shots for me, hopefully I'll never need more than that?

[phantomman]

I would've opted for the 2-inch tube for concealability's sake but there's nothing wrong with Bill Ruger's GP100. Nothing at all.

Good score, Muddy!



(I see the 2" barrel is no longer offered......my bad -- disregard)

[Offshore Angler]

you should have gotten one of those 25 shot semi-autos or the 12 shot revolvers I see in movies and on TV all the time.
They don't jam and seldom need to re-load

And the wheelgun silencers, LOL. Don't forget to hold it sideways gangsta style when you shoot it!

Seriously, you won't be able to get off as many shots as quickly as a small auto, but you sure got some serious stopping power with the .357 mag. I never really fell in love with the .357 in a revolver, I never liked the recoil ( I'm not that big a dude so that's my fault - not the gun's) and that sharp report that can make it easier for someome to pinpoint your location. And we had to train in vehicle egress and revolvers where useless in that role. Shooting across the body blew your shirt up and controlling the muzzle over the top of the steering wheel on egress would sometimes cause the cylinder to turn. Plus they aren't as stealthy or easy to reload. For some reason the .357 cases would expand just enough to make them a little hard to get out even with an ejector. But - they are safe and reliable. The Ruger is a nice handgun.

[elicross]

Just 6 shots for me, hopefully I'll never need more than that?

I'm sure we all hope you never need one shot!

[muddy]

While I was looking, dude showed me a revolver that fires 410 / 45LC ammo !!

Said "everybody needs one of these"!?

Can't remember the name & model, but the chamber will hold 5 rounds of either.

[elicross]

Nah, what everybody *really* needs is a LeMat:



A .42 revolver with a 16-gauge barrel under the rifled barrel for buckshot. Talk about your sawed-off shotgun!

[doc540]

While I was looking, dude showed me a revolver that fires 410 / 45LC ammo !!

Said "everybody needs one of these"!?

Can't remember the name & model, but the chamber will hold 5 rounds of either.

Taurus Judge: answer to a question no one asked

congrats on your wheelgun...it won't ever let you down when the sheet's in the fan

[Iowegan]

The only time my pop's short semi jams is when he's not using high velocity ammo.

The oldest daughter wants to go into law enforcement so we take her out shooting. She did a good job with .357. Not much of a shot but she's definitely not gun shy.

[MMP]

What do you plan to do with that?

[muddy]

What do you plan to do with that?

Well, no specific plans other than putting a few rounds through it to see how it shoots (sight it in) and make sure it's a reliable weapon.

Beyond that it will be on standby in one capacity or another for personal and home protection.

I'll probably lock my current carry / home defense weapon up in the safe and replace it with the new one?

[NTBluesGuitar]

Any trouble finding shells for it?

There's a drought in common caliber ammo down here, especially 9mm. I got lucky and found some Remington FMJ .45 for pretty cheap just to have a bit extra.

[muddy]

Any trouble finding shells for it?

There's a drought in common caliber ammo down here, especially 9mm. I got lucky and found some Remington FMJ .45 for pretty cheap just to have a bit extra.

No, but the prices have increased some (like everything else).

I think stuff like .380 & .32 ammo is in short supply (popular CCW?), but no problems finding other calibers.

It seems most wheel guns are considered "old school" and not in high demand anymore, so plenty of .357 mag & .38.

[elicross]

Maybe that's why the dealer thinks "everybody should have" a Taurus Judge. If you can't find .45 long for it, you can always mosey to the shotgun ammo and buy some .410 shells for it.

(I'll bet it would be fun to try and shoot skeet with that thing....)

[phantomman]

Nothing wrong with the wheel-guns as long as the capabilities are understood, Muddy.

My usual carry piece remains a stainless-steel .45 Colt Commander but for a really small hide-out weapon I sometimes pack a 2-inch S&W Mdl 36 "Chief's Special" stuffed with 125-gr +P JHPs.

Enjoy the new Ruger!

[muddy]

I agree.

I have a few large frame autos that operate just fine and have been very dependable weapons (.40 & .45)

I may get a smaller frame wheel gun soon for a CCW or a discreet "hide-out". Probably a less expensive make like a Taurus in .38 caliber- 2" barrel.

[doc540]

Personally, I wouldn't own a wheelgun.













....










I'd own a handful of 'em!


carry this Colt Agent:


and this Cobra's on the way:


It will get the trigger job, hammer bob, grip treatment, too.

[kaicho8888]

Ruger revolvers are nice. Revolvers are usually dependable out of the box. Everybody's got their preferences. Since, I've logged in lots of years with a Colt 1911 (mod) that's my primary choice for IPSC type...Now, I think guys are into super 38's for speed/accuracy.

Come to think of it, it's been over 12 years since I've gone to the range for practice. Damn...spending too much time lurking on this site with a Strat on my lap. I've got to get a "life"! LOL

[phantomman]

12 years?!?!?

You need to log some range time, Kaicho!

[jerryjg]

I holster twin .44 magnums . The most powerful handgun in the world. One shot will blow a mans head clean off.

[elicross]

That's why Harry Callahan only carried one.

[jerryjg]

That's why Harry Callahan only carried one.

I guess a mans got to know his limitations.

[Franklin]

Nah, what everybody *really* needs is a LeMat:



A .42 revolver with a 16-gauge barrel under the rifled barrel for buckshot. Talk about your sawed-off shotgun!

That is crazy!!! Do they make one with .38 cal and .410 gauge option?

[jerryjg]

"My client kept this in his nightstand drawer. You never know when an escaped rampaging elephant or a Rhino from the zoo will come barging in on you at night".

-"Attorney for the defence ".

[jerryjg]

Wheres the Knife thread??;

( theres blood grooves and then theres blood grooves..not THATS a blood groove!)

[jerryjg]

Its okay. I am trained in counter- espionage. I train Seals, Green Berets, and other special operation groups ( 'SOG' for the laymen). I train Americans here and sometimes abroad( or two).
Although I can snap a mans neck barehanded in less than a second, I am also very highly trained to operate in clandestine maneuvers requiring social interaction with the enemy ( kind of like "James Bond".)I routinely keep a 4 piece Bazooka ready to assemble and fire, right in the pants pocket of my tuxedo.

[elicross]

That is crazy!!! Do they make one with .38 cal and .410 gauge option?

Like for pocket carry?

I don't think they make it at all anymore. It was a 19th century gun. That one in the photo is a replica of a cavalry model; I'm pretty sure the long rod next to the rifled barrel is a little ramrod for loading the lower barrel with powder and "grapeshot."

[photoweborama]

I've never owned a gun, and I doubt I ever will, but I did own a bullet proof vest... I doubt I would have lived if I ever had to use it. I was too cheap to opt for the trauma plate...

I suppose I would live through the gunshot and then die from a heart attack from the pressure of the broken ribs...

[Offshore Angler]

Like for pocket carry?

I don't think they make it at all anymore. It was a 19th century gun. That one in the photo is a replica of a cavalry model; I'm pretty sure the long rod next to the rifled barrel is a little ramrod for loading the lower barrel with powder and "grapeshot."

Looks like the ejector rod to me.

[Franklin]

Looks like the ejector rod to me.

That's what I was thinking, to break open the shotgun barrel and eject the spent casing. But, did they evenhave traditional shotgun loads back in the 1800s??

[Offshore Angler]

Actually, I think it's to eject the casings out of the cylinder. back in the day the cylinders didn't swing out and have an ejector, so there was a spring loaded rod to shove the spend cartridges out of the cylinder. You would put the gun in half-cock, open the loading gate, line up the cylinder, use the rod to eject the casing, and then insert the new one.

The old Colt .45 revolver from the cowboy days is a prime example.



You can see the ejector rod under the barrel, with a little tab you used to push it down. Takes forever to relaod one.

[chuckocaster]

That's what I was thinking, to break open the shotgun barrel and eject the spent casing. But, did they evenhave traditional shotgun loads back in the 1800s??

sort of, they were all brass though with a plug in the end to hold the shot in. then they switched to waxed paper, and then finally that plastic stuff they use now.

congrats muddy. i own several rugers, nice guns. it's about time though to get another mkII. i've shot it so much that it's become very loose. still accurate as all get up (i have the competition model) but it's about time to just look at it, and wear another one out.

[elicross]

I don't think that rod on the LeMat is in the right place to be an ejector. Doesn't look like it lines up with any chamber in the cylinder.

And the LeMat didn't use cartridges at all, so an ejector wouldn't be of any use. Look closely at the rear of the cylinder, and you can see the nipples where percussion caps would've been set. It worked like the earliest revolvers, with powder and ball in each chamber and a cap to light it off.

[edit: This wikipedia article has some info about it. It mentions how both LeMat barrels were loaded with a ramrod mounted to the side of the frame.]

[Offshore Angler]

Oh, I didn't know it was cap and ball. Then a ramrod it would be! I'll bet they shot paper cartridges a bunch, so that's why the left the front of the cylinder exposed next to the frame so it could be loaded. Makes perfect sense now.