Ruger GP100 Wiley Clap II

[Sarvershooter]

At the range/LGS yesterday shooting my S&W 3" 686+ 3-5-7. On the way out while talking with one of the regular counter guys, I made the mistake of asking about a NIB Ruger GP100 Wiley Clapp II 7 shot they had under glass as it looked very similar to my S&W and just wanted to compare. Damn...it felt great in my hand, the general fit and brushed satin finish was beautiful and the dove tailed Novak rear and dovetailed large dot green/yellow front tritium sight were just outstanding. He told me it had a great trigger (which I knew couldn't compare to the 686) and to dry fire it, so I did. S/A was a little heavier, guessing 4.5 .lbs but zero creep and clean, crisp break. Pulled the trigger in double action and ...holy sh*t... it was every bit as beautifully smooth as my 686 in D/A but it felt noticeably lighter! I couldn't believe it. Not being familiar with Ruger D/A revolvers, he showed me how the crane locks into the frame and explained their "modular" grip frame and actin system. Neat! $995 asking price.

However it would serve the same purpose as my 686+ which I shoot well and has been trouble free for 7 years with hundreds of .38 and .357 down the pipe. Primarily a home defense, nightstand, range fun, truck type gun. Too big and heavy to carry daily for SD. I have several J-Frames and a P365X for that. I definitely do not need two 3" seven shot .357 revolvers. I don't need it, I don't need it, I don't need it. Problem is I really, liked the WC GP100 and can't get it out of my head. Very little gun rag reviews or typical videos of that configuration. I'm hoping someone here has had some experience with the Ruger or GP100s and could give me a reason or reasons not to by it.
Ruger https://ruger.com/products/gp100/specSheets/1789.html

128471
128472

[awp_101]

I don't need it, I don't need it, I don't need it.
That's rarely stopped me


give me a reason or reasons not to by it.
IIRC, not enabling is against the PF Code of Conduct. I think. And if it's not, it should be.

[MolonLabe416]

I have the 6 shot version. It’s a fine weapon.

[HCM]

At the range/LGS yesterday shooting my S&W 3" 686+ 3-5-7. On the way out while talking with one of the regular counter guys, I made the mistake of asking about a NIB Ruger GP100 Wiley Clapp II 7 shot they had under glass as it looked very similar to my S&W and just wanted to compare. Damn...it felt great in my hand, the general fit and brushed satin finish was beautiful and the dove tailed Novak rear and dovetailed large dot green/yellow front tritium sight were just outstanding. He told me it had a great trigger (which I knew couldn't compare to the 686) and to dry fire it, so I did. S/A was a little heavier, guessing 4.5 .lbs but zero creep and clean, crisp break. Pulled the trigger in double action and ...holy sh*t... it was every bit as beautifully smooth as my 686 in D/A but it felt noticeably lighter! I couldn't believe it. Not being familiar with Ruger D/A revolvers, he showed me how the crane locks into the frame and explained their "modular" grip frame and actin system. Neat! $995 asking price.

However it would serve the same purpose as my 686+ which I shoot well and has been trouble free for 7 years with hundreds of .38 and .357 down the pipe. Primarily a home defense, nightstand, range fun, truck type gun. Too big and heavy to carry daily for SD. I have several J-Frames and a P365X for that. I definitely do not need two 3" seven shot .357 revolvers. I don't need it, I don't need it, I don't need it. Problem is I really, liked the WC GP100 and can't get it out of my head. Very little gun rag reviews or typical videos of that configuration. I'm hoping someone here has had some experience with the Ruger or GP100s and could give me a reason or reasons not to by it.
Ruger https://ruger.com/products/gp100/specSheets/1789.html

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128472

They should be able to use the same holsters and speed loaders.

[SWAT Lt.]

I have a WCII and really, really like it. I like the fixed rear sight, as it is more rugged than an adjustable sight, and it shoots to point of aim. I have had zero problems with it (although round count is below 500). It is a purpose built self-defense revolver and has an all-business appearance. It and my 632UC are my favorite modern-era revolvers and I would buy another of each without hesitation.

[45dotACP]

I have the same 686 and the same GP100. They're both very fine pistols and the 686 is by far the more refined of the two.

That said, I love the ruger grips and how you can conceal them much easier.

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[Edster]

I bought a Wiley Clapp II back in October when they magically seemed to show up in stock and not priced absurdly high.

A shoulder injury caused me to revisit AIWB. I'm not going to carry a Glock 19 like that. I tried AIWB with a Match Champion. It took a week for the bruise on my inner thigh to go away. The 3" barrel on the WC works much better.

Compared to a modern semiauto, I know a revolver is limited in terms of capacity and reloads are slower. But, if I have to carry a revolver, the WC II seems to be about as good as it gets.

The front night sight is big and bright. The sights are regulated more to heavier/slightly slower loads. 154 grain Federal HSTs and 158 grain Remington SJHP are about right. 135 grain Critical Duty was low and oddly left. Everything 125 grain is a little low but not quite "drive the dot" low.

I don't think I'm going to find anything better than the grips that come with it. I like the full-size Ruger/Altamont grips for shooting but they make concealment much harder. I test-fitted a Hogue rubber grip but it didn't point as naturally.

I have had zero problems with rim size. So far, it's handled AZoom snap caps, Fiocchi, Aguila, Precision One, Federal HST, Remington SJHP, Hornady Critical Duty and Hornady "Black" (yuck).

HKS 587 Speedloaders work fine. They clear the grip but barely -- I can get hung up.

It's a heavy double action trigger. I don't have any complaints about the smoothness of the pull -- it all feels like spring weight until the break, no grit.

I used to have a 686 from the early 90s. It shot great but I started getting nervous about maintaining a S&W revolver as it aged. The real revolver guys all seem to "know a guy". I don't know any guys so I sold it and switched to a Ruger with no regrets.

[SwampDweller]

Both myself and my brother purchased 7-shot .357 Mag GP100’s last year, his was blued mine was stainless. Both had the same issues. Upon firing a cylinder and trying to eject the casings, the ejector rod wouldn’t budge as if it had been cemented in. I tried this several times with several different brands of ammunition, and the result was the same. We had to use a pencil to force out the casings. In addition, certain factory .357 Mag ammo had rims just big enough to where you could not load all 7 rounds because the rims would overlap each other. This was with Federal AE, Remington, MagTech, Barnes, and maybe another brand I’m forgetting. Sometimes even within the same brand, some would load and some would not. I ended up sending mine back to Ruger and they replaced it with a 6 shot model. My brother likewise exchanged his.

I was quite disappointed because while I knew the 7 shot models had these problems when they came out, Ruger supposedly enacted an engineering change(s) to address them. Both of ours were recent production.

I don’t know if we both just got really unlucky or not, but I theorize that there just isn’t enough room in the cylinder for 7 cartridges of .38/.357 without increasing the diameter of the cylinder (thus necessitating a frame change, etc). I could be wrong, but given that the 7 shot GP100 in .357 has been out for quite a while now, I suspect there are dimensional realities that prevent them from being as reliable as the 6 shot models.

[JonInWA]

Both myself and my brother purchased 7-shot .357 Mag GP100’s last year, his was blued mine was stainless. Both had the same issues. Upon firing a cylinder and trying to eject the casings, the ejector rod wouldn’t budge as if it had been cemented in. I tried this several times with several different brands of ammunition, and the result was the same. We had to use a pencil to force out the casings. In addition, certain factory .357 Mag ammo had rims just big enough to where you could not load all 7 rounds because the rims would overlap each other. This was with Federal AE, Remington, MagTech, Barnes, and maybe another brand I’m forgetting. Sometimes even within the same brand, some would load and some would not. I ended up sending mine back to Ruger and they replaced it with a 6 shot model. My brother likewise exchanged his.

I was quite disappointed because while I knew the 7 shot models had these problems when they came out, Ruger supposedly enacted an engineering change(s) to address them. Both of ours were recent production.

I don’t know if we both just got really unlucky or not, but I theorize that there just isn’t enough room in the cylinder for 7 cartridges of .38/.357 without increasing the diameter of the cylinder (thus necessitating a frame change, etc). I could be wrong, but given that the 7 shot GP100 in .357 has been out for quite a while now, I suspect there are dimensional realities that prevent them from being as reliable as the 6 shot models.

Did you contact Ruger Customer Service? Ruger's aftermarket support is pretty legendary, and deservedly so. I'd strongly recommend sending it to them them for resolution.

Best, Jon

[Stobie]

Sarvershooter, you made me look.

I've been wanting one of these for several years, since before they made a 7-shot version; but every time I got serious, they were out of stock.

They are not out of stock right now. I have one on the way.

I'm also enamored with the 3" WC version of the SP101, and may eventually have one of those.

I wish they would build a Wiley Clapp'd 3" LCR (not x), in either .38spl or .32 H&R. Except for adding the Novak sights, either of those would be a parts-bin gun, and a nearly ideal carry revolver.

[SwampDweller]

Did you contact Ruger Customer Service? Ruger's aftermarket support is pretty legendary, and deservedly so. I'd strongly recommend sending it to them them for resolution.

Best, Jon

Yes, I sent it back and they sent me a 6 shot model. I’ve since decided that I was going to stick with the 6 shot models in the GP100.

[Edster]

Yes, I sent it back and they sent me a 6 shot model. I’ve since decided that I was going to stick with the 6 shot models in the GP100.

While it's nice to have 17% more ammo (thank you, Microsoft Calculator), I wonder if a 6 shot model wouldn't make practical sense. Years ago, I timed myself with HKS and Safariland Comp II speedloaders. I was generally a full second faster pushing in a Comp II versus twisting an HKS. With Comps only being available in 6 rounds, it's a choice between one more round in the gun versus a measurably faster reload.

If Safariland made a 7-round Comp, I would order a bunch immediately. As it is, I'm ordering things like Speed Beez and the newly-copied SL Variant from eBay to test.

So far, I've had zero problems with rim spec so I don't know if that is a factor as well.

[Spartan1980]

[Enable mode] GP100s don't have locks, so their soul can't escape.

[/Enable mode] GP100s still come with a free billboard on the side of the barrel.

You should rent one to see if the trigger pull will suit you. S&W is superior in this respect. The GP100 has a noticeably longer lock time and some people find it to be the tipping point. that's really the only quip in my mind. GP100s are absolute brutes otherwise.

[SwampDweller]

While it's nice to have 17% more ammo (thank you, Microsoft Calculator), I wonder if a 6 shot model wouldn't make practical sense. Years ago, I timed myself with HKS and Safariland Comp II speedloaders. I was generally a full second faster pushing in a Comp II versus twisting an HKS. With Comps only being available in 6 rounds, it's a choice between one more round in the gun versus a measurably faster reload.

If Safariland made a 7-round Comp, I would order a bunch immediately. As it is, I'm ordering things like Speed Beez and the newly-copied SL Variant from eBay to test.

So far, I've had zero problems with rim spec so I don't know if that is a factor as well.

So do you have a 7 shot GP100 in .357? If so, how many rounds do you have through it and have you had any issues?

[Edster]

So do you have a 7 shot GP100 in .357? If so, how many rounds do you have through it and have you had any issues?

Not a lot of rounds yet - probably 200. I only started shooting it in December. I have shot a varety of ammo, though. I was trying to get an idea of POI with the fixed sights.

So far it shoots Federal's 154 grain HST and Remington's 158 grain SJHP to POA and accurately. For what it's worth, my Match Champion shoots the Remingtons well, too.

No problems whatsoever other than finding Hornady "Black" 125 grain hps to be the blastiest flamethrowers I've ever shot. I think they may be discontinued in 357 now. They weren't on Hornady's website when I tried to do some research into what the hell I just put through my gun.

[willie]

Our guns for sale section has a killer deal on 2 GP100's. Please somebody buy them before I yield to temptation.