BehindBlueI's
Grandmaster
- Oct 3, 2012
- 25,897
- 113
As I've posted recently, I was able to finally get my grubby mitts on a GP 100 Match Champion. I had put it on my short list for 2014 as soon as I'd seen it on Ruger's website, but my self control was sorely tempted by other firearms begging me to liberate them from their cold glass enclosures (looking at you Colt Commander and S&W E-Series). I held firm(ish) and am happy with the results.
Appearance:
Ruger is still not the most refined handgun maker out there. If a stray tool mark, electric pen markings on the inside of the crane, etc. bother you then this may not be the gun for you to purchase. Due to the stainless steel finish, its not easy to photograph, but I do have a light tool mark on the frame in front of the cylinder about 1/4" long. Its not deep, but you can definitely see it at a certain angle. There's also a slight tool mark near the muzzle. The inside of the crane is hand numbered, as are all modern Ruger GP100's.
The wooden grip sits higher on the frame than traditional Ruger grips. There is a small gap between the wood and the frame at the very top, perhaps 1/16" of an inch. It appears to be on purpose, as it fits tight everywhere else, and I wonder if its not set back to reduce the chances of it cracking but to still let you get a higher grip on the gun. Either way, not aesthetically pleasing. Here you can see the gap, as well as another tool mark:
Now, once you put away your microscope and back up 2', its beautiful. None of the imperfections are visible from any distance, and blessedly there's no big lawyer roll mark on the barrel. There is a very small "read the manual" on the bottom of the barrel, but on the sides it just has the "Ruger GP100 .357" on the right and "Match Champion" on the left.
Function:
It shoots. It shoots very well.
Our qualifications run 5 shot strings for off-duty/backup quals (plainclothes can use off duty guns on duty) so that J-frames and the like don't have to reload in the middle of a string. Headshots from 7 yards using cheap-o UMC .38 standard pressure. I did notice a difference in accuracy between the .38 UMC vs my handloads and factory Blazer Brass .357. At first I thought it was the ammunition, but in hindsight I'm thinking it was me. The .38 was such low recoil, I was shooting it faster and that opened up the groups a bit.
The fiber optic front sight is green in most lighting situations, although in very bright light it appears yellow. It is very quick to acquire and is very much oriented toward fast acquisition as opposed to long distance target shooting, as it is a bit bulky. I didn't shoot any further than 25y, and it was easy to keep everything in a half sized torso target, but I'm not sure I'd want to try a Texas Star at much beyond that.
The trigger is smooooth. Blindfolded I don't think I could tell the factory slicked Match Champion from my gunsmith slicked Wiley Clapp. Speaking of which, I did a side by side comparison of the two.
Yes, there's only 11 holes for each one. I was running low on handloads and with the second string fully loaded I only had two cartridges left so I downloaded each one round. As you can see, the MC is a bit tighter, which is to be expected with the 4" barrel. It was close though, you don't give up much with the 3". I think if I took my time and staged the trigger, the potential accuracy is the same. I know I've shot my WC tighter than that in the past with careful slow aimed fire, but the 4" sight radius lets you line up a little faster and make those hits a little faster. I think I prefer the WC's brass dot front sight, though, it seems to be easier to focus on the target past the sight, the fiber optic can glow so bright as to capture your attention more than the target. I'm sure this can be overcome with familiarization, but it was an issue on my first outing.
The second issue to get used to was the grip. Its different. It doesn't feel like a revolver, there's very little flare at the bottom compared to traditional "plow handle" or even Bisley stocks/grips. It starts off thicker at the top and stays that thickness, with a slight palm swell in the center, and it comes up higher on the frame than traditional Ruger grips. Wiley Clapp on the left, MC on the right:
That angle shows you the difference in thickness. Calipers put it right about 0.45" inches. My hand puts it at "too thick". With my hand size and grip, with the Wiley Clapp the trigger naturally falls right in the middle of the second pad of my trigger finger. With the Match Champion grips, it moves it to the pad just before the last joint, and as I pull the trigger slides into the joint. It makes it feel heavier and makes it easier to pull off target. It *does* give the webbing of your hand more protection from recoil, so there is a benefit if you have a long range day and are running full house .357's, and if you have bigger hands, you may very well prefer the Match Champion grips. For me I think I'll probably swap them out for more traditionally shaped revolver grips.
I also think its why I started the day shooting a bit low:
Summary:
Overall, I'm very happy with this revolver. With a simple grip change, it will be a fine duty pistol and provide me with a 4" version of my Wiley Clapp. If you shop around, you can pick one up for about $150 more than a standard GP100 4". For that $150 you get a smoother trigger, dovetailed fiber optic sights, weight reduction with the half lug and lightened cylinder, no lawyer roll mark visible on the sides of the barrel, and the sheer sexiness of the Match Champion. That's tough to say no to, if you can find one.
**************************************************************************************************************************************
Link To Original Thread: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...w-ruger-gp100-match-champion.html#post4993905
Appearance:
Ruger is still not the most refined handgun maker out there. If a stray tool mark, electric pen markings on the inside of the crane, etc. bother you then this may not be the gun for you to purchase. Due to the stainless steel finish, its not easy to photograph, but I do have a light tool mark on the frame in front of the cylinder about 1/4" long. Its not deep, but you can definitely see it at a certain angle. There's also a slight tool mark near the muzzle. The inside of the crane is hand numbered, as are all modern Ruger GP100's.
The wooden grip sits higher on the frame than traditional Ruger grips. There is a small gap between the wood and the frame at the very top, perhaps 1/16" of an inch. It appears to be on purpose, as it fits tight everywhere else, and I wonder if its not set back to reduce the chances of it cracking but to still let you get a higher grip on the gun. Either way, not aesthetically pleasing. Here you can see the gap, as well as another tool mark:
Now, once you put away your microscope and back up 2', its beautiful. None of the imperfections are visible from any distance, and blessedly there's no big lawyer roll mark on the barrel. There is a very small "read the manual" on the bottom of the barrel, but on the sides it just has the "Ruger GP100 .357" on the right and "Match Champion" on the left.
Function:
It shoots. It shoots very well.
Our qualifications run 5 shot strings for off-duty/backup quals (plainclothes can use off duty guns on duty) so that J-frames and the like don't have to reload in the middle of a string. Headshots from 7 yards using cheap-o UMC .38 standard pressure. I did notice a difference in accuracy between the .38 UMC vs my handloads and factory Blazer Brass .357. At first I thought it was the ammunition, but in hindsight I'm thinking it was me. The .38 was such low recoil, I was shooting it faster and that opened up the groups a bit.
The fiber optic front sight is green in most lighting situations, although in very bright light it appears yellow. It is very quick to acquire and is very much oriented toward fast acquisition as opposed to long distance target shooting, as it is a bit bulky. I didn't shoot any further than 25y, and it was easy to keep everything in a half sized torso target, but I'm not sure I'd want to try a Texas Star at much beyond that.
The trigger is smooooth. Blindfolded I don't think I could tell the factory slicked Match Champion from my gunsmith slicked Wiley Clapp. Speaking of which, I did a side by side comparison of the two.
Yes, there's only 11 holes for each one. I was running low on handloads and with the second string fully loaded I only had two cartridges left so I downloaded each one round. As you can see, the MC is a bit tighter, which is to be expected with the 4" barrel. It was close though, you don't give up much with the 3". I think if I took my time and staged the trigger, the potential accuracy is the same. I know I've shot my WC tighter than that in the past with careful slow aimed fire, but the 4" sight radius lets you line up a little faster and make those hits a little faster. I think I prefer the WC's brass dot front sight, though, it seems to be easier to focus on the target past the sight, the fiber optic can glow so bright as to capture your attention more than the target. I'm sure this can be overcome with familiarization, but it was an issue on my first outing.
The second issue to get used to was the grip. Its different. It doesn't feel like a revolver, there's very little flare at the bottom compared to traditional "plow handle" or even Bisley stocks/grips. It starts off thicker at the top and stays that thickness, with a slight palm swell in the center, and it comes up higher on the frame than traditional Ruger grips. Wiley Clapp on the left, MC on the right:
That angle shows you the difference in thickness. Calipers put it right about 0.45" inches. My hand puts it at "too thick". With my hand size and grip, with the Wiley Clapp the trigger naturally falls right in the middle of the second pad of my trigger finger. With the Match Champion grips, it moves it to the pad just before the last joint, and as I pull the trigger slides into the joint. It makes it feel heavier and makes it easier to pull off target. It *does* give the webbing of your hand more protection from recoil, so there is a benefit if you have a long range day and are running full house .357's, and if you have bigger hands, you may very well prefer the Match Champion grips. For me I think I'll probably swap them out for more traditionally shaped revolver grips.
I also think its why I started the day shooting a bit low:
Summary:
Overall, I'm very happy with this revolver. With a simple grip change, it will be a fine duty pistol and provide me with a 4" version of my Wiley Clapp. If you shop around, you can pick one up for about $150 more than a standard GP100 4". For that $150 you get a smoother trigger, dovetailed fiber optic sights, weight reduction with the half lug and lightened cylinder, no lawyer roll mark visible on the sides of the barrel, and the sheer sexiness of the Match Champion. That's tough to say no to, if you can find one.
**************************************************************************************************************************************
Link To Original Thread: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...w-ruger-gp100-match-champion.html#post4993905
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