Diving Deeper into GP100 Shooting: The Journey Starts

[gato naranja]

Ruger is honoring my initial request and are replacing the 7 shot GP100 with a 6 shot. However, after my 6 shot developing some kind of issue, I'm considering the following:
1. Keep the revolver and send it off to Gemini Custom for their "Essential" job and request they do a QC check and fix anything that might need to be fixed while they're doing the action job.
2. Sell the revolver and put the money towards a TK Custom GP100 with an action job, which I assume would mean they'll have everything set up correctly in the gun and would head off any potential QC issues.
3. Just shoot it and see if it develops any problems.

After shooting several hundred rounds each in two GP100s only to find they were defective, #3 doesn't really seem that appealing to me. I'd rather pay some money up front to make sure someone who knows what they're doing make sure everything is set up right.

I'd be tempted to start with #3 and then move to #1 if something got my dander up. It's a GP-100, not a Korth or a Manurhin, so it isn't going to be a priceless work of art to begin with (FWIW, one can interchange "S&W" for "GP-100").

For me, the smoothing out and troubleshooting journey WRT the GP-100/SP101 was the important part, not the arrival. I learned some things, gained some confidence and ended up having a bit of fun. Sure, I'd prefer a Gemini job to my own work, but either way is okay.

[revchuck38]

I'd be tempted to start with #3 and then move to #1 if something got my dander up. It's a GP-100, not a Korth or a Manurhin, so it isn't going to be a priceless work of art to begin with (FWIW, one can interchange "S&W" for "GP-100").

+1. Remember too that if you sell it, it'll be priced as a used gun even if you don't shoot it.

[358156hp]

I could be wrong, but I get the impression that QC was higher on revolvers back then since they were modern issue service handguns at the time with forged components. These days I get the feeling S&W sees the revolver line as more of a consumer/recreational market thing. Again, I could be wrong.

It only seems that way right now because we now have the internet, and back then we didn't. We all know how the internet works, you tell me something, and I post it somewhere for 20 people to read. Those 20 people each pass the information on elsewhere, and another group picks up the info and forwards it. This happens over and over and eventually hundreds of people are all saying the same thing. Then if gets back to me and I tell you "well, everybody knows that, it's all over the internet".

[SwampDweller]

I received the replacement 6 shot stainless GP100 today. I wish there was just some magical way to tell whether it was 100% good to go or not before shooting a lot of money's worth of ammo to figure out if there are any QC defects or not. My blued 6 shot was fine for the first several hundred rounds, but then developed issues.

Just dry practicing and inspecting, I can't see anything wrong, but that was also the case with both the defective 7 and 6 shot ones.

[SwampDweller]

I guess I'm going to keep this new GP100 and shoot as many magnums as I can through it this weekend to see how it does. If it seems alright, maybe then I'll send it off for custom work.

[SwampDweller]

I shot the new replacement GP100 Ruger sent me. 146 rounds of .357 Magnum were fired, and I had one Failure to Fire on round #34. It was Armscor USA 158gr FMJ. It left an indentation in the primer but did not go off. After waiting, I tried firing it again and it went off. The following 112 rounds had no issues. Do you all think this could be the fault of the gun, the ammo, or something else?

[Flamingo]

I shot the new replacement GP100 Ruger sent me. 146 rounds of .357 Magnum were fired, and I had one Failure to Fire on round #34. It was Armscor USA 158gr FMJ. It left an indentation in the primer but did not go off. After waiting, I tried firing it again and it went off. The following 112 rounds had no issues. Do you all think this could be the fault of the gun, the ammo, or something else?

I think it was likely an ammo problem. I had several rounds fail to fire from a box of PMC ammo. I tried the rounds in several known good guns and they didn't go off at all.

[gato naranja]

I shot the new replacement GP100 Ruger sent me. 146 rounds of .357 Magnum were fired, and I had one Failure to Fire on round #34. It was Armscor USA 158gr FMJ. It left an indentation in the primer but did not go off. After waiting, I tried firing it again and it went off. The following 112 rounds had no issues. Do you all think this could be the fault of the gun, the ammo, or something else?

My scientific wild-ass guess is that the ammunition was the culprit in this one.

[revchuck38]

I shot the new replacement GP100 Ruger sent me. 146 rounds of .357 Magnum were fired, and I had one Failure to Fire on round #34. It was Armscor USA 158gr FMJ. It left an indentation in the primer but did not go off. After waiting, I tried firing it again and it went off. The following 112 rounds had no issues. Do you all think this could be the fault of the gun, the ammo, or something else?

I think it was likely an ammo problem. I had several rounds fail to fire from a box of PMC ammo. I tried the rounds in several known good guns and they didn't go off at all.

My scientific wild-ass guess is that the ammunition was the culprit in this one.

+1 on this.

[03RN]

If it went off on the second strike than it was probably a primer that wasn't seated probably. The first strike seated the primer