Wheelgun Challenge VI

[SCCY Marshal]

If you cast, powder coating works wonders. Even in full power .40 with soft lead in polygonal rifling.

[gato naranja]

Stocks: My Ruger came with very nice looking stippled wood stocks. These did not fit my hand and I did not enjoy shooting them. I decided I wanted a set of Pachmayr Compac round butt stocks. Pachmayr offered these stocks a long time ago for the GP100 series of revolvers. They haven’t been made in years. Finding them is nearly impossible. So, what happened? I found a set in a local store gathering dust. I bought them, put them on my Match Champion and immediately disliked them. My solution to all of this: Buy a set of Ruger factory compact stocks made of rubber with the wood stock inset panels. These feel much better than the Pachmayr’s and are very hand filling, yet easy to hide Growing up I read Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Bill Jordan, Ken Hackathorn, and Ross Seyfried. As a result, I shot a bunch of magnum revolvers with heavy magnum ammunition. I also remembered why there were so many pairs pf Pachmayr Presentation stocks in my revolver gear box. Those rubber stocks soak up a pile of recoil energy. I find that while the rubber stocks are ugly as a mud fence, they are a necessity if you shoot any real amount of magnum ammunition. I love wood stocks, especially those made by Craig Spegel and John Hurst, but I am under no illusion that using rubber stocks make long sessions of practice with magnum ammunition much more pleasant.

Your conclusion on the stocks was of particular interest to me. I went through a lot of different grips on different GP100s, and never found one that was "perfect" in all respects. Now that I have decided to try the 4" GP100 yet one more time, my choice came down to either the latest "finger groove-less" rubber Hogue monogrip or the old Ruger factory compact grip; the latter has won out simply because the former - though it works well - is excessively large at the butt. I do wish Hogue made a monogrip that was profiled and sized a bit more like the one they make for the SP101.

[Bruce Cartwright]

If you cast, powder coating works wonders. Even in full power .40 with soft lead in polygonal rifling.

SCCYMarshal:

A deputy I used to work with has suggested the same thing. After I finish some of my farm/ranch projects, I am going to fire up the casting pot, knock put a bunch of 45 200 grain H&G 68s and give the polymer thing a try.
Thanks,
Bruce

[Bruce Cartwright]

Your conclusion on the stocks was of particular interest to me. I went through a lot of different grips on different GP100s, and never found one that was "perfect" in all respects. Now that I have decided to try the 4" GP100 yet one more time, my choice came down to either the latest "finger groove-less" rubber Hogue monogrip or the old Ruger factory compact grip; the latter has won out simply because the former - though it works well - is excessively large at the butt. I do wish Hogue made a monogrip that was profiled and sized a bit more like the one they make for the SP101.

gato naranja:

I am a big fan of the Ruger Compact GP100 stocks. I just did a range session with my GP100 today and carried that gun as my primary. It simply disappeared underneath a light vest. Ruger really found/hit a sweet spot with that design. I have handled various versions of the Hogue's (not all though) and I agree they are too big near the bottom of the stocks. One of the nicest sets of stocks I have ever handled was a set made by John Hurst of the Los Angeles Police Department for a round but K frame S&W revolver. They are simply perfect. The only other stock maker who comes close is Craig Spegel. I wish there was a way to duplicate them. In 1969 we sent men to the Moon and safely turned them to Earth. Now 50 some years later, you would think there would be a way to duplicate these stocks....

Take care,

Bruce

[Bruce Cartwright]

My Match Champion's chamber throats will take a .3585 ZZ- gage pin. It leaded badly with .357 swaged wadcutters. My understanding is that the diameter mismatch is the problem. The bullets should be a slip fit, the same diameter as the throats, to avoid leading. Then, ideally, the throats and bullets will be ~0.001 in. larger than the groove diameter of the bore, also to avoid leading with cast bullets. So you work backward from the groove diameter to the throat diameter to the bullet diameter. Or you shoot plated or jacketed, which is what I also do.

Olong Johnson:

Good point. I will have to get the Match Champion throat's checked. I ran into the same issue years ago with a S&W Model 29. Thanks for the idea.

Bruce

[OlongJohnson]

I wish there was a way to duplicate them. In 1969 we sent men to the Moon and safely turned them to Earth. Now 50 some years later, you would think there would be a way to duplicate these stocks....

There is. They can be digitally scanned and then 3D printed for prototyping, CNC'ed or actually tooled (with a mold) for production. It just costs money.

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FYI, there is a "multiquote" function on this forum. The icon in the lower right corner of every post with a quotation mark in the balloon with a plus by it is the multiquote button. You can click (and if you change your mind, unclick) it, and it will remember that you want to include that post in your next reply to a thread. When you have them all marked, hit the main reply to thread button, and your reply will have all the marked posts preloaded in it. Very useful tool.

[Stephanie B]

One of the nicest sets of stocks I have ever handled was a set made by John Hurst of the Los Angeles Police Department for a round but K frame S&W revolver. They are simply perfect. The only other stock maker who comes close is Craig Spegel. I wish there was a way to duplicate them. In 1969 we sent men to the Moon and safely turned them to Earth. Now 50 some years later, you would think there would be a way to duplicate these stocks....

Yeah, well, fifty years later, we can't send men to the Moon, either....

[Salamander]

Thanks for another great post. I agree with a lot of the GP100 MC observations; I too like the chamfering, and many of the other features. After replacing the OEM front sight with a tritium Novak, I'm mostly happy with it.

The one exception is, as several have noted, the stocks. The OEM wood looks good but doesn't work with my hands. Nor do most of the other choices I've tried so far. The compact rubber w/ wood inserts that works for some is closer for me, but not quite. It's the difference between easy, intuitive shooting and needing to concentrate on hand placement and pressure. At the moment I'm debating whether to spend more money on something else that might or might not solve the issue, or just stick with K-frames that for me are easy and intuitive to shoot with any of several choices of stocks. And that short-barreled K-frame option is indeed tempting, it's about the only thing I'm lacking right now.

I've had good success with polymer coated bullets, in both revolvers and semi-autos. Currently using Blue Bullets but others have also worked OK in the past.

[gato naranja]

Thanks for another great post. I agree with a lot of the GP100 MC observations; I too like the chamfering, and many of the other features. After replacing the OEM front sight with a tritium Novak, I'm mostly happy with it.

At least the MC versions have the Novak alternative. When my GP100 (standard stainless 4") shows up, I will be putting an XS express 24/7 standard dot front sight on it in lieu of something better, but it isn't the best setup when teamed with the factory rear.

As with grips, there have been a plethora of front sight options for the standard GP100s with the plunger-retained front sights, but none of them have ever satisfied me. I may end up trying to homebuild a McGivern-style front on a replacement factory blade and be done with it.*



*Like Farrant grips and the Lewis Lead Remover, the McGivern front sight works as well as it ever did... and better than some so-called "improvements."