I pick up another revolver....Ruger GP100 Match Champion .357

[ECVMatt]

I will admit to being on a revolver kick lately. My first handgun was a Ruger Redhawk that I bought when I was about 16 so I guess I have always liked revolvers made by Ruger. I currently have four GP's of one kind of another, but have always been intrigued by the MC iteration.

After trying for a year to find one new I began to look through the local online sales sites and found a very clean one made in 2017. The owner was a bit older, I guess you could say my age, but had trouble with the sights and his vision. He shot it about 100 times or so and put it in the safe. After a quick inspection, I was pleased to see that is a well put together example of the MC. No trips back to Ruger for this one.

I brought it home and did a quick field strip to take a look at the internals. Ruger did do a much better job polishing the internals of this revolver compared to my other GP's. The action and is very smooth, but there is a small hitch in the single action. I will do the Poor Boy Trigger job and shoot the heck of it to improve this. Glock lovers who also like GP100's or similar constructed Ruger revolvers should know that a Glock armorers tool works great for removing the trigger guard assembly.





Although I do like the factory Hogue wood grips, I put on a set of compact grips for field carry.

Overall I am very pleased! I love the 1/2 lug look, wanted fixed sights, but one I could get a good sight picture with, and can't wait to shoot it.

Here are a couple more pics just to make the thread not worthless:

[Flamingo]

I am interested in your opinion of the front sight. I have the same sights on my WC 3" and I find the blob of the FO front sight hard to get a precise/repeatable sight picture. On my 4 inch blued version I switched to a Dawson front sight and it is easier to get a good sight picture.

[ECVMatt]

Since I will use this revolver for outdoors, I am pretty much convinced that I will be changing the front sight to the brass bead version:

https://www.novaksights.com/Detail.a...00669&CAT=9509

I am going to shoot it next weekend, but if I don't end up loving the front sight it will be gone shortly.

I will update after I shoot it.

[Salamander]

Agree on the front sight, I didn't care at all for the OEM fiber optic on the MC, it seems to be a blob breaking the outline of the sight, for lack of a better description. The brass bead would be an improvement, I put a Novak tritium front on mine and it also works well.

Unfortunately, GP100s were designed by people with different hand proportions than mine. I've yet to find a grip that works for me, have tried the original wooden MC ones, the Ruger rubber grips in both compact and standard configurations, a couple of aftermarket wood variants, and nothing feels right. Undecided if it's worth trying additional things, or just give up and sell it. It's a strictly personal thing though, otherwise I'm happy enough with the MC and it's certainly a rugged design.

[OlongJohnson]

I replaced the fiber optic with a brass bead. Like it.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post569797

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post687475

[jtcarm]

I am interested in your opinion of the front sight. I have the same sights on my WC 3" and I find the blob of the FO front sight hard to get a precise/repeatable sight picture. On my 4 inch blued version I switched to a Dawson front sight and it is easier to get a good sight picture.

I just installed the Dawson Precision .1” FO on my Match Champ. Haven’t had a chance to range-test as yet.

BTW, it required some judicious filing to fit.

[Crazy Dane]

I am interested in your opinion of the front sight. I have the same sights on my WC 3" and I find the blob of the FO front sight hard to get a precise/repeatable sight picture. On my 4 inch blued version I switched to a Dawson front sight and it is easier to get a good sight picture.

Here is how I fixed the blob sight on my WC. https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....he-Wiley-Clapp

My WC is my favorite revolver to carry.

[JonInWA]

Agree on the front sight, I didn't care at all for the OEM fiber optic on the MC, it seems to be a blob breaking the outline of the sight, for lack of a better description. The brass bead would be an improvement, I put a Novak tritium front on mine and it also works well.

Unfortunately, GP100s were designed by people with different hand proportions than mine. I've yet to find a grip that works for me, have tried the original wooden MC ones, the Ruger rubber grips in both compact and standard configurations, a couple of aftermarket wood variants, and nothing feels right. Undecided if it's worth trying additional things, or just give up and sell it. It's a strictly personal thing though, otherwise I'm happy enough with the MC and it's certainly a rugged design.

Try the VZ or Hogue Tamer grips before giving up. https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....100-Grips-Saga

Best, Jon

[OlongJohnson]

Unfortunately, GP100s were designed by people with different hand proportions than mine. I've yet to find a grip that works for me, have tried the original wooden MC ones, the Ruger rubber grips in both compact and standard configurations, a couple of aftermarket wood variants, and nothing feels right. Undecided if it's worth trying additional things, or just give up and sell it. It's a strictly personal thing though, otherwise I'm happy enough with the MC and it's certainly a rugged design.

I love my Hogue NFG "no finger groove" grip after making some subtle changes to it. Grinding material and adding material by building up layers of tape. Could be duplicated in walnut by someone with skills. Working on getting a version of my modified grip 3D printed. Already tried a service for that and the result was astonishingly terrible. Posted about it around here somewhere.

[Edster]

Honestly, my issue with the GP100 grips is they all are ok for me.

I've used the stock wood Match Champion grips, Ruger-style Altamonts with wood panels, the Hogue rubber grips with the Match Champion profile, and the Hogue Tamers. I liked them all for different reasons.

I like the angle and shape of the Match Champion grips but the narrowness makes them a little fatiguing with heavier loads. This is especially true with the all-wood grips. They were a bit print-y for strong side carry, too.

The Hogue Tamers really do work for heavier recoil loads. The thickness, though, makes it more challenging for me to get my finger on the trigger as fully as I would like. They were also the hardest to conceal.

I'm back to using the Altamonts now. They aren't bad to conceal. They are decent for recoil. They point naturally. And I can get plenty of finger on the trigger. The only downside I'm finding is the more forward-canted angle seems to make the initial trigger pull feel a tad heavier. A little grip fine-tuning and a slightly different approach to the trigger may have that under control.

But who knows... I may change my mind in a month.