Nice gun at a great price. I have a 357 like it and it is a great shooting revolver. I put some lighter springs in mine and it is smooth as silk.

 

kingstrider -
I think you did well. That's a good-looking revolver in a great classic calibre. I have several .44 Specials and really like them all. For me, .44 Specials are kind'a like .41 magnums - you can load them from mild to wild and you can NEVER have too many! LOL!

WYT-P
Skyhunter

 

Dang, they do exist! Nice snag, John, I've been in the search for a few years and have yet to find one. You give me hope, though. It appears to be nearly an NIB, I'd say you got a deal.

Looking forward to a report on your loads and how it shoots them.

Jack

 

Great looking revolver and built h e ll for stout! I've got a S&W 696 3" 44 special and a first year Charter Arms Bulldog (3" 44 special), and neither are built as strong as those GP100s are. Great find and great price I think. Congratulations!

 

I have the same revolver--bought back in early 2017 shortly after they came out. I shoot full-up 240 gr hard cast/800-X loads through mine. I feel that the frame could handle +P loads but since the forcing cone is so thin---I keep my loads to book max levels. I really like my Ruger and I am sure you will too!

 

I have the blued steel 5" version of this gun, it is a pleasure to carry, very accurate but a real handful for my 75 year old joints if heavy bullets and loads are used. With heavy loads the recoil approaches that of 44 Mags due to its light weight. I too keep my loads on the lighter side and it is then a pleasure to shoot. I completely agree with the comment about the thin forcing cone. Ruger says it is strong enough but time will tell. My Bisselly Blackhawk 44 special has a forcing cone that is far thicker than that on the GP100.

 

That’s really nice! Congrats!

 

Neat revolver that I haven't seen before. I love .44 Special but also .44 Magnum, so, anything that I have or get will shoot both! I have always enjoyed the heavy recoil of .357 and .44 Magnum rounds and have shot them with precision because I can handle it and I'm somewhat stupid for NOT flinching with this massive explosion in front of my face!! Practice, practice, practice...

Enjoy!

 

Great gun! Congratulations. I think of my S&W model 69 as a 44 Special that can shoot 44 magnum loads if necessary. The heavy 44 Special loads by Buffalo Bore should be great in that gun, but you can do it cheaper.

 

Very nice! It's my favorite handgun cartridge. How would you compare it to a vintage S&W? I mean trigger pull, and how it feels in the hand. I currently have a pre 24 and a 624-3 both with 6" barrels.

 

I have one of these GP100 .44Spl. revolvers. I LOVE it. It is very accurate and the trigger is great. I am a dyed in the wool S&W fan, but with the introduction of the GP100 Match Champion, Ruger finally showed they could make a great DA/SA trigger. I believe that has trickled down to other GP100s.

After I bought bought the Match Champion, and saw the ad for the .44Spl, I looked at one and liked the feel, but it was the trigger that sold me. It is extremely accurate with Hornady Critical Defense rounds. I then decided to pick up a Talo GP-100 in 2.5" .357 with a gold bead front sight, and it too was a great trigger. All 3 are light years better than earlier GP100 revolver triggers.

The 44Spl. GP100 is now up along side my pre-lock S&W 686 .357 with 2.5" barrel and S&W 629 Mountain Gun in .44 Magnum as favorite DA revolvers. I am considering adding a Lipsey's Ruger Stainless Bisley Blackhawk in .44Sp. I like the caliber, but finding factory ammo lately, that is not Cowboy ammo, has been hit or miss.

 

The S&W 696 was known for its very thin forcing cone and there were apparently some issues with it cracking when using hot loads. I haven't handled the Ruger but I figure their forcing cone would be much stouter. The new S&W 69 was redesigned and no longer has the problem.

 

I do hope that you are correct and that there is no problem. I haven't handled a S&W 696 with the earlier forcing cone so I can not comment on how it compared to the GP100. It is my understanding that both the GP100 and 44 SPL. Bisely Blackhawk are built on 357 frames, someone please correct me if I am wrong. If I am correct it appears strange to me that there would be such a difference in the forcing cone thickness. I haven't taken any measurements and calculated the difference yet, although I may do so, but it appears that the Blackhawk is more than double the GP100.

 

The Skeeter load will give about 850 fps from that barrel length.

For practice I like the start charge of AA#2 with a 200 gr cast cowboy rnfp.

 

My GP100 has the stock wooden grips, they are handsome but a little small for my large hands. The Skeeter load actually hurts when fired in that gun. The Blackhawk being somewhat heavier and equipped with the larger Bisely grips is pleasant by comparison. In the GP100 I keep the velocity to 750 max. with the 200 rnfp.

 

I have a S&W M69 in 2.75 inch. It kicks a bit with the Skeeter load. That load will handle about 95% of what you might use a handgun for. I added a set of Pachmayr Diamond grips and that made it comfortable.

 

My Ruger Blackhawk 44 SPL and 1927 S&W N frame Third Model Hand Ejector 44 SPL can handle the 1,000-1,100 FPS MV +P loads. I use those loads in my deer hunting back-up revolvers due to the black bears that wander the area. Those pistols also like the Skeeter load (handed down from Elmer Keith) as well. If the GP100 had a thicker forcing cone, I think it could handle those +P loads too.

 

My Ruger Blackhawk 44 SPL and 1927 S&W N frame Third Model Hand Ejector 44 SPL can handle the 1,000-1,100 FPS MV +P loads. I use those loads in my deer hunting back-up revolvers due to the black bears that wander the area. Those pistols also like the Skeeter load (handed down from Elmer Keith) as well. If the GP100 had a thicker forcing cone, I think it could handle those loads too.

My Ruger Blackhawk 44 SPL and 1927 S&W N frame Third Model Hand Ejector 44 SPL can handle the 1,000-1,100 FPS MV +P loads. I use those loads in my deer hunting back-up revolvers due to the black bears that wander the area. Those pistols also like the Skeeter load (handed down from Elmer Keith) as well. If the GP100 had a thicker forcing cone, I think it could handle those loads too.

I agree. No doubt it could handle such loads, but the recoil would be a different matter.

 

Definitely good info, thanks for all the input. I own a few 44 magnums so I have no plans to hot-rod this one. I'm thinking of working up a couple of loads, one for plinking using Trail Boss and another medium-level load for real business with either Unique or 2400. I have read reports of cracked forcing cones in this model so will probably not try the Skeeter load in this one.

 

Thanks, I think you are on the right track. I do enjoy my GP100 but I try to keep in mind what it is best suited for. I have saw it written that Bill Ruger refused to chamber for the 44 Spl. in his lifetime because he thought folks would just try to turn it into a 44 mag. I think there is wisdom in that. Good for us that Keith did not see it that way however.

 

Great buy ! John Taffin would give you a big thumbs up and lament he missed it !

 

I too have a Ruger GP100 in .44 Special and absolutely love it. I have big hands and switched out the grips and also installed custom made elk antler grip inserts.

 

Jake those grips look really good on your gun. I started making elk horn grips last year and might need to make a pair for this one too. Thanks for the idea!

 

Those look great, nice work! Thanks for the compliments as well.

 

Sweet! Great Find John, Congrats!


Mike T.

 

Lipsey's shows a couple of 5 inch barreled GP 100 44 Specials on the Ruger website.

 

You are correct Sir!

I've been shooting and enjoying this one since July of 2020. 5" barrel, blued steel, walnut grips AND in .44 Special - what's not to like! She likes cast bullets as well as plated and really shines with Lyman #429421 pushed with Unique powder.
It's kind'a like Mikey said - "Try it - you'll like it!" LOL!

WYT-P
Skyhunter

 

I own one .44 special. It’s the Rossi 720 made in the “90s” now discontinued. It heavier than a charterarms but lighter than Ruger or Smith. I rarely see it referred to in the discussions. I use modest loads of various pistol powder. I.e. unique, etc. it’s probably close to a standard .45acp.