Ruger GP100 01753 357 Magnum

Some of us wish to have a revolver that is very smooth, easily controlled, and accurate beyond conversational distance, but we also want it to clear leather quickly. We studied the revolvers available and decided that a 3-inch-barrel 357 Magnum double-action revolver on a medium frame would be ideal for home defense, carry in the field, and concealed carry. 

Two that fit this description are the Ruger GP100 01753 357 Magnum, $1050, and the Colt Python Matte Stainless SM3RTS 357 Magnum, $1224. The Ruger is a limited-availability wheelgun listed as a Talo Distributor Exclusive, so if you want it, you’ll have to ask your dealer to order it from the distributor. 

To get started, let’s talk frame sizes. Both the Python and the GP100 are often referred to as .41-size frames. The Smith & Wesson L frame falls into this category. How did they get that nomenclature? At the turn of the previous century, Colt offered the Official Police in addition to the smaller-frame Colt Police Positive Special in 38 Special. Smith & Wesson’s Military & Police K-frame 38 Special was midway between the two Colt frame sizes. Colt offered the .41 Colt in the Official Police frame and a few other revolvers of the same frame size. They came to be referred to as the .41 frame. This is a sturdy frame size smaller than the N-frame Smith & Wesson but stouter than the K frame. When Ruger introduced the GP100, it was referred to as a .41 frame, and it fits. Colt’s Python is likewise a .41 frame, which for hard service and use with heavy loads, seems ideal. Both of our test guns are .41 frame pieces. Most raters agreed the heavier frame size handles well compared to small-frame K-frame revolvers by Smith & Wesson, or the Colt Cobra or Ruger SP101-type revolvers.

Ruger GP100 01753 357 Magnum

$1050

Gun Tests grade: A [BEST BUY]

Smooth, controllable action. Modest recoil with all loads, and good-to-excellent accuracy potential. This is a credible combat revolver well suited to any serious role.

Distributed by TALO, these handguns are not particularly difficult to find, and two similar TALO 3-inch versions are available, a Hawkeye Blue finish like our test gun or a stainless-steel seven-shooter, 01789). There’s also a stock 3-inch model, the 01715, that has a Hogue Monogrip like the Colt Python.

Our example features a blue finish that isn’t quite dull matte but not bright blue either. With the goal of designing a self-defense handgun, the Ruger features a fixed Novak-type rear sight and a front post with a brass bead insert. The wooden grips feature what is often called fingerprint-type checkering, so called because of the seeming shape of three fingers outlined on the grip panel. The rear surface is a soft synthetic that gives on recoil, offering a stable firing platform but comfort as well.

The Ruger GP100 double-action revolver was introduced in 1985. It is a big, burly revolver intended to address issues with Magnum ammunition wear in smaller-frame revolvers such as the Smith & Wesson Model 66 and Ruger Security Six. The 357 Magnum ammunition we used didn’t blow these guns up, but wear on small parts was evident. The GP100 does not use a sideplate as most revolvers do. Instead, the GP100 uses a subassembly removable action. This makes modifications and service simple. The barrel, at 3 inches, retains the heavy profile and underlug of longer-barrel GP100s. The Novak LoMount rear sight is the standard by which all other combat sights are judged. When applied to the revolver, the result is a snag-free design that offers a good sight picture in fast-moving combat fire or aimed bench fire.

The GP100 has polishing on the muzzle and cylinder in areas that sometimes snag on clothing. It is a small difference but discernible and appreciated. The 3-inch barrel is a compromise between a 4-inch barrel that develops more velocity and a 2.5-inch barrel that will create more muzzle blast and which does not burn most of the powder in the Magnum cartridge case. The GP100 weighs 36.2 ounces unloaded.

The Ruger GP100 features a cylinder latch that moves inward to release the cylinder. The Colt pulls to the rear. There was no clear preference among our testers, but we lean toward the protected button of the Ruger. The cylinder yoke features a button that helps maintain tight lock up. The trigger face is smooth, and the hammer spur lightly checkered.

The double-action trigger measures a smooth 13.1 pounds on a Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge. The single action is short and crisp, but heavier than the Python, breaking at 4.25 pounds. The Ruger is simple to load and unload, without any binding in the action. The 3-inch barrel is an advantage over shorter barrel types because the longer ejector rod kicks out cases briskly, as long as the muzzle is held upward. We drew the revolver from a strong-side outside-the-waistband holster during the test. The Bullard Leather holster features a sharkskin finish and provided a good mix of speed and retention.

We elected to fire a total of 100 rounds of standard 38 Special ammunition. Then we would fire 20 rounds of 38 Special +P loads and 20 rounds of full-power 357 Magnums. The 38 Special ammunition was Federal 130-grain full metal jackets and Tula 130-grain FMJs, then 20 rounds of Fiocchi 110-grain jacketed hollow point +P cartridges and 20 rounds of Hornady 125-grain Critical Defense Magnum JHP loads. Interestingly, the Tula loads were much hotter than most 38 Special fodder, breaking 920 fps in the Ruger. This is a tad hotter than most +P 38 Special loads in 125-grain weights. We would not use these loads in an aluminum-frame 38 at all. In the .41-frame-size 357 Magnum revolvers, they helped us gauge recoil differences. (The Fiocchi 110-grain JHP isn’t marked +P, but it definitely is, according to the chronograph results and recoil.)

The cadence of combat fire is to press the double-action trigger and make certain the front sight is on target as the hammer falls. Allow the trigger to reset during recoil and then regain the sight picture. Beginning with the Federal 130-grain 38 Specials, the revolver gets on target quickly. The smooth double-action trigger made for excellent control. Firing at 7 yards, the Ruger made a ragged hole in the target in the X ring. We executed speed loads with HKS and Safariland Speed Loaders with good results. The same speed loaders worked well for both revolvers. The Ruger’s sights are well regulated. We fired 50 rounds at 7 and 10 yards with good results. Moving to the Tula loads, recoil was greater, as expected. The Ruger remained on track at 7 and 10 yards, practically identical results. Moving to the Fiocchi 110-grain +P rounds, we fired offhand at 15 yards with good results. Muzzle blast of the Fiocchi load isn’t offensive, and it is a good choice for personal defense in a Magnum revolver, as the 38 Special +P is fast, but not wrist wrenching.

Next, we fired 20 Hornady 125-grain Critical Defense 357 Magnum JHP rounds at 7 and 10 yards to gauge control. This 1299-fps load exhibited some muzzle blast, and control required more effort, but at no time was the Ruger GP100 revolver difficult to control. We enjoyed good results in this mix of 7-, 10-, and 15-yard fire. The revolver is smooth, and there were no problems in firing and ejection of spent cartridges. 

In accuracy testing, we used three cartridges. Two 38 Specials, the Fiocchi 110-grain XTPs and the Federal 130-grain FMJs, and a single 357 Magnum load, the Winchester 158-grain JHPs. Firing from a bench at 25 yards, we saw the Ruger’s good sights and crisp single-action trigger were an advantage. Some groups were as small as 1.9 inches. While the Ruger has fixed sights, the sights were well regulated for most loads.

Our Team Said: We would buy this revolver. We found nothing to rate the Ruger GP100 down on. If you want smaller, more concealable, grips, they are readily available, but there is a penalty in control. The revolver offers sights that will not go out of zero. The Ruger GP100 is slightly lighter than the Colt Python, yet seems to offer less recoil sensation with heavy loads.

We fired groups at 25 yards from a bench using an MTM Case-Gard K-Zone Pistol Rest. We measured velocities with a Competition Electronics Pro Chrony. The first screen of the chronograph was 10 feet from the muzzles. JHP = jacketed hollow point. FMJ = full metal jacket. XTP = eXtreme Terminal Performance jacketed hollow point.

Because the 3-inch barrels in the GP100 and the Colt are often thought of as compromises, we wondered what the actual differences in muzzle velocities were between pistols with the same nameplates but different barrel lengths. Here are the results we gleaned using the 38 Special +P Fiocchi 110-grain JHPs and Hornady Critical Defense 125-grain JHP 357 Magnums.

Written and photographed by Bob Campbell, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT