The Modern Combat Revolver

[revchuck38]

@SwampDweller- There is little-to-no testing to contemporary standards of .357 Magnum ammunition. The closest I’ve found is the clear gel testing on Lucky Gunner’s website, with all the caveats that go with clear gel, but it does provide somewhat of an apples-to-apples comparison.

Winchester’s Silvertip is well thought of by forum members who were cops in the revolver era. Current Hydrashok and Gold Dot loads seem to expand too little. I’d like to see gel testing on them to current standards.

[Willard]

Who is a well-respected and proven gunsmith who works on GP100s to make sure they're duty/carry ready?

I don't know if he is still taking work, but if he is, I plan on sending a couple of GPs to Rick Devoid in the next few weeks.

http://www.tarnhelm.com/services/services.html

[JTMcC]

Who is a well-respected and proven gunsmith who works on GP100s to make sure they're duty/carry ready? I'm familiar with Grant Cunningham, but he has retired. Keep in mind I'm talking about someone to make sure everything is within spec (and making any necessary corrections), and maybe polish up the internals without replacing springs or anything that might compromise reliability.

This thread has given me a lot of good information, including folks who have had to actually use .357 Magnum when the chips were down. When I owned my Colt Python I used to keep it stoked with either Federal 125gr SJHP, or Speer Gold Dot 125gr JHP. I haven't been able to find any testing by DocGKR on those loads. The loads he seems to have recommended in the past were the Winchester Partition Gold 180gr (which I do not believe is produced any longer), and iirc he also said Winchester Silvertip 145gr worked fine. It'd be interesting to see such testing with the Speer Gold Dot 125gr full power load, as well as the Federal and Remington SJHP's from yesteryear. I do remember DocGKR saying that the San Diego PD (or some department on the west coast) found their .40 S&W 180gr loads to perform better in shootings than the older 125gr Remington and Federal loads, which I thought was surprising.

I don't know if Frank Glenn works on Rugers? If he does I'd go to him.
The Bowen "basic package" would do all you ask and more, a true Ruger revolver master smith.

[penates]

[QUOTE=SwampDweller;1138709]Who is a well-respected and proven gunsmith who works on GP100s to make sure they're duty/carry ready? I'm familiar with Grant Cunningham, but he has retired. Keep in mind I'm talking about someone to make sure everything is within spec (and making any necessary corrections), and maybe polish up the internals without replacing springs or anything that might compromise reliability. /QUOTE]

My revolvers were all done by Karl Sokol at Chestnut Mt Sports.

[feudist]

What about the 10mm GP-100?

Load mild to wild, or shoot .40S&W.

What's the experience with those as far as recoil/blast vs the .357?

It would clearly be a reloading proposition, but made easier by not shucking empties all over Hell's half acre. This means brass expense would be low enough once you bought in.

[Lester Polfus]

What about the 10mm GP-100?

Load mild to wild, or shoot .40S&W.

What's the experience with those as far as recoil/blast vs the .357?

It would clearly be a reloading proposition, but made easier by not shucking empties all over Hell's half acre. This means brass expense would be low enough once you bought in.

After 15 years, thousands of rounds, and three different Glock 20s trying to create a Field Pistol, I'm unconvinced that the 10mm 1) lives up to its potential in real life and 2) Offers anything other than the .357 magnum, particularly in a revolver.

Last I checked, there were very few bullets available designed for 10mm velocities. The 180 and 200 grain XTPS were about it, and that is some old technology.

The newer Gold Dot, HST, and FlexLock bullets run are in loads that 1) Aren't terribly hot and 2) Are designed around the FBI's expansion and penetration standards, which basically means you're getting the exact same performance as a .40 S&W*.

Now if you 1) Want to run hard cast bullets 2) in a caliber that starts with "4" 3) in a six-shot L-frame sized revolver, then the 10mm GP100 is your huckleberry. It's not going to equal the .41 Magnum, but it's also not an N-frame sized gun either.

When I bought my GP100, I was sitting on tons of 10mm brass and reloading components, so I thought long and hard about this one, but I went with a .357.

ETA: * Unless you believe in "energy dump" from a handgun, in which case I can't help you.

[feudist]

After 15 years, thousands of rounds, and three different Glock 20s trying to create a Field Pistol, I'm unconvinced that the 10mm 1) lives up to its potential in real life and 2) Offers anything other than the .357 magnum, particularly in a revolver.

Last I checked, there were very few bullets available designed for 10mm velocities. The 180 and 200 grain XTPS were about it, and that is some old technology.

The newer Gold Dot, HST, and FlexLock bullets run are in loads that 1) Aren't terribly hot and 2) Are designed around the FBI's expansion and penetration standards, which basically means you're getting the exact same performance as a .40 S&W*.

Now if you 1) Want to run hard cast bullets 2) in a caliber that starts with "4" 3) in a six-shot L-frame sized revolver, then the 10mm GP100 is your huckleberry. It's not going to equal the .41 Magnum, but it's also not an N-frame sized gun either.

When I bought my GP100, I was sitting on tons of 10mm brass and reloading components, so I thought long and hard about this one, but I went with a .357.

ETA: * Unless you believe in "energy dump" from a handgun, in which case I can't help you.

But, but...Velocity.

[OlongJohnson]

Who is a well-respected and proven gunsmith who works on GP100s to make sure they're duty/carry ready?

The two who are best-known for specializing in Rugers are Clements Custom Guns and Bowen Classic Arms.

Bowen's online catalog implies that he's not taking in work as uncomplicated as a straightforward action tune on a GP; the packages do not include GPs. The page where a "NO. R100 STANDARD ACTION/TRIGGER TUNE" is described is topped with the following note: "Please note: these modifications are not available separately unless marked by an asterisk (*) and are otherwise offered only on packages outlined in this section of the catalog."

However, the man himself seems to respond quickly to emails if you want to pursue it:

http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/cata..._packages.html


Clements' offerings for the GP seem well-aligned to the direction of your request:

http://www.clementscustomguns.com/gp100.html

Although he's winding it down:

http://www.clementscustomguns.com/re...eordering.html

"OTICE!! 11-1-20- Bowen sights are sometimes hard to get. I would suggest anyone wanting one installed on their gun to send it with the gun. I'm not accepting delivery of any additional work or work orders at this time with the exception of expedited service orders. 2021 looks to be about full.
I will be working towards semi retirement in 2021. I am gradually cutting my workload and trying to take care of all work in the shop first. Later on I will take on some more work and will post it here when that time arrives."

My revolvers were all done by Karl Sokol at Chestnut Mt Sports.

Are they GPs? I don't see Rugers listed on his site, and the only mention I can find of Sokol on a Ruger forum is one guy trying to sell one gun he worked on.

[Half Moon]

What about the 10mm GP-100?

Load mild to wild, or shoot .40S&W.

What's the experience with those as far as recoil/blast vs the .357?

It would clearly be a reloading proposition, but made easier by not shucking empties all over Hell's half acre. This means brass expense would be low enough once you bought in.

Don't know if there have been any engineering changes to fix this but, a lot of reviewers had issues with .40 S&W in a 10 mm GP-100. For instance:

https://revolverguy.com/psa-40-sw-in-the-10mm-gp100/

As I understand it, the 10 mm GP-100 is head spacing on the case mouth and not the moon clip. This leaves the shorter .40 S&W cartridges vulnerable to mis-fires from light strikes.

[jetfire]

What about the 10mm GP-100?

Load mild to wild, or shoot .40S&W.

What's the experience with those as far as recoil/blast vs the .357?

It would clearly be a reloading proposition, but made easier by not shucking empties all over Hell's half acre. This means brass expense would be low enough once you bought in.

I've shot over 2k rounds of .40 S&W through a Match Champion, and the concerns about the clips are correct. To get 40 S&W to headspace correctly, you have to use custom moonclips designed for 40 S&W brass. The 10mm clips Ruger sends with the gun are 1) hot garbage, and 2) won't hold 40 correctly. Luckily there's a solution: TK Custom makes 40 S&W clips that are awesome. I have...like 30 of them and have been 100% pleased with their performance.