The Modern Combat Revolver

[45dotACP]

I gotta think the .22lr trainer makes a lot of sense for a wheel gun that's gonna see high use.

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[RevolverRob]

This is the first I've heard of this. What makes Rugers of today inferior to those of yesteryear?

I couldn't tell you what exactly. But there have been a number of reported issues with the GP100s in .44 Special and also some teething issues with the Super GP100. I'm not sure if the 7-shot GP100s are having issues. Personally, I would stick strictly to a 6-shoot GP100 in .357 Magnum.

I'd really like to try a Super GP100 one of these days, the 9mm gun looks quite intriguing.

[Rex G]

In regard to the Powder Eater modification, Rick Devoid of Tarnhelm Supply in New Hampshire offers it for a price of $75. (Tarnhelm.com) (Tel. 603-796-2551) I've got half a dozen GP100s' at this point. Some never seem to have any powder under the extractor problems. Others have the occasional problem. A four inch I bought several years ago had very tight head space, and even one granule of powder under the star would cause a hard trigger pull. Several could actually make the trigger unpullable. I sent the cylinder to Rick, and its' made a huge difference. One or two granules don't bother at all. If you get a big slug at once, it affects the trigger pull, but if you can pull through the serrations will grind up the powder and things are back to normal.

PS- I also write and eat left handed, and throw right handed. Comes in handy for reloading revolvers, doesn't it?

Thanks for the reminder. I do have one fixed-sight 4” GP100, that could use the Powder Eater treatment, as its tolerances are tight.

[Bruce Cartwright]

I've always been firmly in the semi-auto camp, mostly because that's what I grew up shooting and carry every day. I think I'm pretty squared away in that department. I've always wanted to dabble in revolvers as more than just a range gun though. Given how things might end up in regards to what we're allowed to own, I've often been thinking of getting a revolver just to hedge my bets and have a serious use revolver on par with my HKs and Glocks in terms of reliability and durability. My only experiences with revolvers in any meaningful capacity was a Colt Python I owned for a while and shot a couple of thousand rounds through. It started having breakages when I was about 1000 rounds in with full power 125gr .357 Magnum loads.

My question is, what is considered a "serious use" revolver these days, analogous to say, a Glock or H&K semi auto? I've been under the impression for a while that revolvers are more likely to encounter reliability/durability issues at lower round counts than a modern high quality semi auto. Can I expect similar long term dependability over high round counts that I have with my semi autos?

Finally, are there any subject matter experts well regarded in the revolver carrying/shooting community that break down what the most effective and dependable "combat revolvers" are in this day and age? Keep in mind I'm talking revolvers carried as a primary carry piece, not a backup snub nose.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....un-Challenge-I

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....n-Challenge-II

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-Challenge-III

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....n-Challenge-IV

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....un-Challenge-V!

Some information in these threads is equipment related, and some is skill-related. More skill-related information is here:

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ver-Super-Test

Swamp Dweller:

BillSWPA beat me to it but I did a series of posts about carrying a Ruger GP100 Match Champion as my primary defensive sidearm for 6 months. Bill SWPA was kind enough to list them in his post. My pick for revolvers would be the Ruger GP100 Match Champion series in 357 magnum. I agree that if you are decided on carrying that gun, then I would buy at least two and realistically three. One would be dedicated for daily carry, one for my trainer and one as a spare. Why three? If I get into a lawfully justified shooting, that gun will be taken as evidence. I may or may not be able to recover it from the courts. I want a spare that I can put into service immediately after a shooting. The trainer is the gun that gets shot he most.

I hope that helps. Nice to see folks spending time on keeping revolver skills alive. Take care,

Bruce

[OlongJohnson]

This is the first I've heard of this. What makes Rugers of today inferior to those of yesteryear?

Saw some old posts by Iowegan on RugerForum.net where he said the older firing pins, being heavier, will provide more consistent ignition with a little lighter hammer spring than the new-style firing pin. And he said the older guns were just a little better finished.

He was a gunsmith for <30 years, so he saw a lot of stuff. He's almost the only poster on that site I want to bother reading.

[jrbway]

I picked up a 66-8 2.75” about a month ago for similar reasons as OP. The strain screw was loose from the factory, but shot great after I tightened it. I tried the Wolff Standard Power mainspring this afternoon but got lots of light strikes. I may tinker with the rebound springs, but I think I’ll leave the mainspring alone until the ammo craze eases up.
The factory pull is actually pretty good. I think it’s comparable, albeit a tad heavier, to my PX4CC with a 12# mainspring.

[Malamute]

I gotta think the .22lr trainer makes a lot of sense for a wheel gun that's gonna see high use.

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Ive shot vastly more 22 in DA revolvers (or SA for that matter) than centerfire. A Smith K-22 makes an excellent general purpose practice shooter amd makes you feel like a shooting ninja for how accurate they are. The early 70s gun Ive shot the most has something over 200K rounds through it with zero parts or wear problems. The only work its had was replacing a lost thumbpiece nut. Some Smith 22 chambers are extra-tight, Ive had one like that. The one Ive had the longest is noticeably looser in the chambers and would take 1000 rds or more before needing the chambers cleaned. I couldnt tell that its accuracy suffered any. I used to shoot mostly the old waxy plain lead bullet Winchester Wildcats in it since they were the cheapest ammo available for years.

Shooting scads of rounds in casual plinking as it used to be called, and hunting small game, makes it seem like its fairly simple to shoot stuff thrown in the air, running rabbits and squirrels, grass stems and yucca stems, little sticks. I dont think i could have ever afforded to shoot enough centerfire to practice that much, even reloading. We mostly had single stage presses back then also.

[HCM]

I couldn't tell you what exactly. But there have been a number of reported issues with the GP100s in .44 Special and also some teething issues with the Super GP100. I'm not sure if the 7-shot GP100s are having issues. Personally, I would stick strictly to a 6-shoot GP100 in .357 Magnum.

I'd really like to try a Super GP100 one of these days, the 9mm gun looks quite intriguing.

That doesn't sound like there is anything inferior about the GP100s of today. Rather it sounds like the further you stray from the 6 shot 357 the GP100 was designed as, the more likely you are to have issues. Just like 1911's, the further you stray from the original configuration, a 5" steel frame .45 acp, the more likely you are to have issues.

[BillSWPA]

A .22 has the added advantage of ammo cost savings, easily paying for itself in a surprisingly short time. While it does not allow practicing recoil control and shot to shot recovery from recoil, it does allow practicing everything else.

[Bucky]

If it ever came down to civilians not allowed semi autos, the demand for revolvers would increase exponentially, at which point I would think we’d see more options and perhaps improvements in the “technology”.