As The Wheel Turns - .357 Edition

[Amishman44]

I probably spent a couple of hours with it at least, not hurrying at all, I watched the whole video clear through, starting and stopping as needed, which wasn't much because he was so detailed. The only things I wasn't sure about that he didn't show in great detail (liability?) was how much to polish the sear, so I was guessing at that, having never done anything like this before, never even really had a revolver apart. My GP100 was a little different than the gun in his video, I think a few parts were shaped differently but no big deal. When he says take it apart under a rag to prevent a spring from flying, well, that's pretty good advice and worked well. And it all went back together very nicely. I think I could do the next one in under an hour.

I've taken an SP101 apart a couple of times and because I'm comfortable doing that, I'm guessing 1.5 - 2.0 hours...hopefully!

 

[spencer5650]

Its been way too long since I’ve owned a Ruger double action, and never done a trigger job on one. I think I’ve been inspired to go on the hunt for a decent used GP-100. Thanks for all the great info on the trigger job.

 

[gglass]

I have finally completed the GP100 build. As soon as I inherited this large Ruger, It became my plan to turn it into a dedicated hunting pistol for deer here in Indiana and possibly hogs in Florida. It took a while to find the right scope to mount, since most of the well known manufacturers have stopped building their EER pistol scopes... Nikon is gone, Bushnell is gone, Simmons is gone, Weaver is gone, Swift is gone, and that only leaves the high end, like Leupold, the mid-range like Burris and the various cheapos that you find on Amazon. (I think red dots have wiped out the handgun scope market.) I really hope this Burris lives up to their reputation.

PS. Being true to my tinkerer's nature, I also bedded the WEIG-A-TINNY scope mount to the action. You cannot see it, but the bedding material completely fills the voids on the flat at the top of the cylinder strap and at the rear lug of the mount... Did the gun need it? Who knows? I just know that there will be no movement at all, no matter how violent the recoil.

 

[doddg]

I have finally completed the GP100 build. As soon as I inherited this large Ruger, It became my plan to turn it into a dedicated hunting pistol for deer here in Indiana and possibly hogs in Florida. It took a while to find the right scope to mount, since most of the well known manufacturers have stopped building their EEL pistol scopes... Nikon is gone, Bushnell is gone, Simmons is gone, Weaver is gone, Swift is gone, and that only leaves the high end, like Leupold, the mid-range like Burris and the various cheapos that you find on Amazon. (I think red dots have wiped out the handgun scope market.) I really hope this Burris lives up to their reputation.

Your comments about the EER scopes for handguns makes me thankful I bought a used Nikon one I saw in a favorite LGS I happened to stumble across.
I have it on a Ruger Mark 3 Volquartsen barrel/trigger & I can shoot better at 50' than I can w/o it at 20'.

 

[gglass]

Your comments about the EER scopes for handguns makes me thankful I bought a used Nikon one I saw in a favorite LGS I happened to stumble across.
I have it on a Ruger Mark 3 Volquartsen barrel/trigger & I can shoot better at 50' than I can w/o it at 20'.

Thanks doddg,

Nikon was my first choice, due the specs, but I could not find one to save my life.

 

[drillsgt]

Thanks doddg,

Nikon was my first choice, due the specs, but I could not find one to save my life.

Nikon's out of the scope business now altogether.

 

[ditcherman]

I have finally completed the GP100 build. As soon as I inherited this large Ruger, It became my plan to turn it into a dedicated hunting pistol for deer here in Indiana and possibly hogs in Florida. It took a while to find the right scope to mount, since most of the well known manufacturers have stopped building their EER pistol scopes... Nikon is gone, Bushnell is gone, Simmons is gone, Weaver is gone, Swift is gone, and that only leaves the high end, like Leupold, the mid-range like Burris and the various cheapos that you find on Amazon. (I think red dots have wiped out the handgun scope market.) I really hope this Burris lives up to their reputation.

PS. Being true to my tinkerer's nature, I also bedded the WEIG-A-TINNY scope mount to the action. You cannot see it, but the bedding material completely fills the voids on the flat at the top of the cylinder strap and at the rear lug of the mount... Did the gun need it? Who knows? I just know that there will be no movement at all, no matter how violent the recoil.

​Let me know if you need a custom IWB holster for that.

Seriously though, that is gorgeous.

 

[700 LTR 223]

Nikon is gone, Bushnell is gone, Simmons is gone, Weaver is gone, Swift is gone, and that only leaves the high end, like Leupold, the mid-range like Burris and the various cheapos that you find on Amazon. (I think red dots have wiped out the handgun scope market.) I really hope this Burris lives up to their reputation.

I think the Burris and your GP100 will make for a hec of an accurate combination. I have used various Burris handgun scopes over the years on TC Contenders , Magnum revolvers and rimfire pistols. With the exception of a Leupold 2X all my handgun scopes are Burris.

 

[gglass]

​Let me know if you need a custom IWB holster for that.

Seriously though, that is gorgeous.

Thanks!

Although your offer of a custom IWB holster is appreciated, I'm really looking for a quality pocket holster.

 

[gglass]

I finally got to the range today to get my first zero at 25-yards. I would have stretched it out to it's permanent 50 yard zero, but it was just too d##### cold.

This group was a nice surprise, and really what I was hoping for from this Ruger.

1.12" group at 25 yards with Remington Golden Saber 125gr .357 mags:

I think I'll keep it!

 

[doddg]

I finally got to the range today to get my first zero at 25-yards. I would have stretched it out to it's permanent 50 yard zero, but it was just too d##### cold.
This group was a nice surprise, and really what I was hoping for from this Ruger.
1.12" group at 25 yards with Remington Golden Saber 125gr .357 mags:
https://i.imgur.com/B4ms0j5.jpg

I think I'll keep it!

25 Yards with that group:

 

[700 LTR 223]

1.12" group at 25 yards with Remington Golden Saber 125gr .357 mags:
https://i.imgur.com/B4ms0j5.jpg

I think I'll keep it!

Nice group! It has been my experience that scoped magnum revolvers are capable of outstanding accuracy. I may have to pick up a GP100 again along with a WEIG-A-TINNY scope mount.

 

[bgcatty]

Nothing like a nice .357 wheel gun to get your juices flowing. Plastic gun triggers are nothing compared to a tuned revolver. Enjoy!

 

[doddg]

Nothing like a nice .357 wheel gun to get your juices flowing. Plastic gun triggers are nothing compared to a tuned revolver. Enjoy!

 

[ditcherman]

Gonna drag this back up to ask - I had a couple of light strikes last sunday, shooting some fmj .38. Should I expect reliability issues after this spring replacement and tuning?

It is a wonderful shooter, both single and double. Really smooth and easy.

 

[700 LTR 223]

Gonna drag this back up to ask - I had a couple of light strikes last sunday, shooting some fmj .38. Should I expect reliability issues after this spring replacement and tuning?

It is a wonderful shooter, both single and double. Really smooth and easy.

Once had the trigger return spring and mainspring replaced in my Smith revolver which reduced the pull weight but started to get light strikes so I installed the original mainspring and that was the end of the light strikes.

 

[gglass]

Gonna drag this back up to ask - I had a couple of light strikes last sunday, shooting some fmj .38. Should I expect reliability issues after this spring replacement and tuning?

It is a wonderful shooter, both single and double. Really smooth and easy.

I've done quite a few of the "IBOK" trigger jobs on Ruger GPs and SPs, and have never had light strikes. The key is polishing the hammer sides and shimming to keep the hammer centered if you see any rub marks on the hammer. Some will even go as far as polishing the hammer strut to ensure the mainspring has reduced friction, but I'm not sure that is necessary.

So, look for the tell take signs of the hammer rubbing against the frame and you will likely find the culprit to your light strikes.

You can also check to see if the transfer bar is rubbing on the frame, which can could cause the hammer to do more work than needed.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[ditcherman]

I've done quite a few of the "IBOK" trigger jobs on Ruger GPs and SPs, and have never had light strikes. The key is polishing the hammer sides and shimming to keep the hammer centered if you see any rub marks on the hammer. Some will even go as far as polishing the hammer strut to ensure the mainspring has reduced friction, but I'm not sure that is necessary.

So, look for the tell take signs of the hammer rubbing against the frame and you will likely find the culprit to your light strikes.

You can also check to see if the transfer bar is rubbing on the frame, which can could cause the hammer to do more work than needed.

Good luck and have fun.

Thanks very much for the info.
I followed the video (Mcarbo?) exactly, putting the shims in and all the polishing, but I will look at the transfer bar and the rest of it.
I assumed with the care and quality they put in to the kit it shouldn't have light strikes, I can't replace those springs now!

 

[gglass]

Thanks very much for the info.
I followed the video (Mcarbo?) exactly, putting the shims in and all the polishing, but I will look at the transfer bar and the rest of it.
I assumed with the care and quality they put in to the kit it shouldn't have light strikes, I can't replace those springs now!

One question... Did you use all the shims in the Mcarbo kit? I ask because it is possible to bind the hammer if you use more than what is needed to center the hammer. On my GP100 above, I only needed three shims to get the proper centering.

I'm not sure if this helps, but I want to make sure you get a light AND reliable trigger.

 

[doddg]

I picked up that Dan Wesson .357 magnum in the Classifieds today.
I thought the price was good with all the ammo that came with it & I wanted to try it out.
The trigger on my DW .22LR is sooo sweet & I knew that it would be have to be good on the .357 as well.
It was a good trigger, but not surprising since the Kimber 6s I have now and 3 other .357s I've had in the past have had great triggers also.

On another target I sighted in the rear adjustable sights since the POI was high & to the right.
I have the elevation as far down as I can get it & the windage was responsive, as well.
I was just using some Winchester WBB .38 sp. to dial it in.
I'll look forward to using some .357 magnums another time. I didn't want to waste them just to get it sighted in.