Ruger GP100 Match Champion

I have one of these revolvers and really like it for the little bit I have shot it. Anyone have any experience with one in Bullseye? I have already changed some springs to make the double action lighter. Would it be better to load my wadcutters into .357 cases instead of .38 special brass? I am doing this just for fun and see how well i could do with it. Looks like the hardest part to learn will be cocking the hammer in sustained fire if i can't master double action.

I have a standard 4" GP100 and I really like it.  

Unfortunately, it is more difficult from me to cock the hammer with the Ruger without changing my grip than it is a Model 14 so I don't shoot it in competition.  If it weren't for that issue or if I was more comfortable shooting double action I'd have no problem using it for any of the revolver matches.

With the wadcutters I'd stick to .38 special brass.  I don't think you'll find many published recipes for shooting wadcutters in .357 cases.

I ran across a Match Champion in a gun store that was used, but in "as new" condition. I am a DA shooter and thought it had the nicest DA trigger that I had ever tried. I still regret no buying it , but I'm not sure if it had had trigger work done to it or not.

Just found this one chambered in 38spcl only.
I dont know if I want to shoot it, its like new.

I have shot one for a DR match before, that particular gun was definitely up to the task. If it fits your hand well, go for it. 38spl cases work well.

I have a 6 inch stainless version. I shot it in DR matches since I already owned it. I always shot single action for T and R. They are good guns.

Ron

Thanks for the replies. I am going to mount a red dot on mine. Ill post pics when i get it done.

I like Rugers and especially GP100's.

rrampe wrote:I have a 6 inch stainless version. I shot it in DR matches since I already owned it. I always shot single action for T and R. They are good guns.

Ron

I never knew you could shoot that match single shot or I would have definitely tried it.

I have a GP 100, 4" bbl.  I put a wieg-a-tinny rail on it, and it works well if you want to add a red-dot sight.  Don't have to drill any holes.

Does the match champion have an adjustable rear sight? 

My GP-100 likes the cheap Remington bulk pack ammo, 130 gr. jacketed bullets.  Off of my cheap plastic MTM rest with a red dot sight, it groups about 3" at 50 y with this load.

rburk wrote:I have a GP 100, 4" bbl.  I put a wieg-a-tinny rail on it, and it works well if you want to add a red-dot sight.  Don't have to drill any holes.

Does the match champion have an adjustable rear sight? 

My GP-100 likes the cheap Remington bulk pack ammo, 130 gr. jacketed bullets.  Off of my cheap plastic MTM rest with a red dot sight, it groups about 3" at 50 y with this load.

That is exactly what I am using to mount the red dot. It does a have an adjustable rear sight.

Just an FYI my Speer #12 manual has 148 grain HBWC loaded with .3 grains more Bullseye than the same bullet in a 38 special case.

Ready to go to the range to zero

Anyone ever used a Ruger in .32 S&W cal for match shooting. I think a GP100 in .327 Fed mag loaded with 100 gr wadcutters may be good for Centre Fire ISSF

Hammerli,

Hmmm, interesting question. When I first got into Bullseye a few years ago I tried a couple of different 38/357 Rugers for DR competition, but the triggers were not good for Double Action (I have rather short fingers and struggle to cock revolvers for SA in TF/RF). I probably would indeed have bought a 32 Ruger, but then I dropped on a S&W K16-4 in 32 magnum. It is super accurate at 50yds with JHP100 ammo and is excellent at 25yds with 32SWL100WC ammo. The DA is excellent and I have shot some great Harry Reeves match scores with it (with an Aimpoint H1 red dot). By my off-hand shooting evidence, that revolver is just as accurate as a Pardini HP32SWL at 25yds and, with the right ammo, superior at 50yds.

So, is a 32 revolver a good option for ISSF International Center Fire? Absolutely! If the gun is accurate and has a decent SA trigger you have plenty of time to cock the hammer after each shot. There are many shooters using revolvers in ISSF CF - although most of them in the USA are using 38spl AFAIK.

I have not tried a Ruger 32 for that sport. Do they make one with a 6" barrel? Not saying that a 4" barrel is no good, but a 6" would be preferred, IMHO.

I now have a Manurhin MR32 which I recently acquired with the intention of using it for ISSF Center Fire, but I did not have time at the end of the season to test it properly. It is definitely very accurate and SAO, but the grip that came with it does not suit me, that is very important for me. I hope to get it sorted for next year!

hammerli wrote:Anyone ever used a Ruger in .32 S&W cal for match shooting. I think a GP100 in .327 Fed mag loaded with 100 gr wadcutters may be good for Centre Fire ISSF

Not for ISSF Center Fire, no, but I'll share an anecdote (stick with me).

A much younger Me experimented with reloading .32 S&W Long for both ISSF Center Fire and Bullseye, for approximately a decade. If you've ever experimented with reloading for that caliber, you know that you end up with many, many rounds that are safe, yet not quite suitable for competition. Furthermore, I had some reloaded cartridges dating back a couple of decades, when my record-keeping was not quite as thorough as it is now (and that's a pretty low bar).

A few years ago, I came across an unexpected windfall by winning an award at work - a $500 Visa gift card. I could have used it for something sensible, like paying down my mortgage, but I remembered something my uncle told me once. He sold me a very nice Jack Best wad gun for $1,000 (yes, definitely "nephew price"), and he told me, "I took that $1,000 and I bought a set of golf clubs. I knew if I didn't, I wouldn't have the gun, I wouldn't have the golf clubs, and I wouldn't have the thousand dollars!"

So I bought a Ruger GP100 in .327 Federal Magnum. I can't describe how fun it is to plink steel at 25 yards with that gun using reject target loads for .32 S&W Long. It's one of the best purchases I've ever made, simply because it just makes me giggle like a teenager.

I haven't tried that gun in ISSF Center Fire yet. If and when I do, I'll probably need to hire a cameraman to follow me for the day; the expressions on other shooters' faces will be worth the expense.

I don't think a GP100 would be an ideal gun for ISSF Center Fire, but it would be fun as heck. I say this as someone whose bona fides in that esoteric discipline are somewhat legit, I think.

Do it!

Been looking at .32 revolvers, or ones to be modified to .32S&W Long... Ruger, Charter Arms, Taurus. GP100, K/L frames should be workable with decent trigger actions, not sure on the SP101 though. No clue to the Charter Arms or Taurus recovers and am still reading up on them. Unable to find a GP100 in .32 lately, the 3" SP101 are somewhat available while the 4" SP101 seems to be more rare.

I will say that shooting a revolver for me is going to be much harder than my Clark Ruger. There is going to take a lot of practice!