Revolver questions re: porting and size.

I'm considering getting a GP100 for conceal carry and general shooting (maybe even IDPA.) I've started digging into reviews as well as what some of the high end people are doing like at Gemini. The very first revolver I ever bought (my third handgun ever) was a Taurus M82UL that was horrible to shoot even with custom grips on it. I sold it to a friend. But I want a bigger, more solid revolver.

My questions are:

1. What are the general preferences regarding barrel length from 2.5" to 3 to 4? For reference, I'm a bigger guy and in a southwestern state.

2. What are the ballistic effects of porting on a revolver barrel to reduce recoil and muzzle flip? I've seen Hybra-Port videos and it looks amazing but I have to imagine you give up some velocity through the escaping gases right?

Thanks in advance!

betafu2 wrote:I'm considering getting a GP100 for conceal carry and general shooting (maybe even IDPA.) I've started digging into reviews as well as what some of the high end people are doing like at Gemini. The very first revolver I ever bought (my third handgun ever) was a Taurus M82UL that was horrible to shoot even with custom grips on it. I sold it to a friend. But I want a bigger, more solid revolver.

My questions are:

1. What are the general preferences regarding barrel length from 2.5" to 3 to 4? For reference, I'm a bigger guy and in a southwestern state.

2. What are the ballistic effects of porting on a revolver barrel to reduce recoil and muzzle flip? I've seen Hybra-Port videos and it looks amazing but I have to imagine you give up some velocity through the escaping gases right?

Thanks in advance!

Hey Beta, Welcome!

My wife owns a GP100 with a 4" barrel. It really is a sweet piece. She's the second or third owner and it still looks brand new. It has a very nice DA trigger; possibly benefitting from a trigger job or use. It still locks up drum tight. The firearm looks stout enough to break concrete: that's the hallmark of a Ruger.  

I'm a semi guy (don't go there TJ), but if I wanted to buy a .357 revolver, it would be a GP100.  

It's been a while since she's let me shoot her baby, but I don't remember it being too bad with Magnum loads. The 4" Ruger is relatively weighty and that soaks up a lot of the recoil impulse. You might find that you don't need porting.

I've been told that porting does not reduce velocity appreciably. What it does is make the revolver dang loud.

Awesome, thank you CF! I appreciate it.

I also have a GP100 with a 4" barrel, and I like it. It is built tough and works great. I also have money down on a GP100 Match model and really like the upgrades on that one. I will probably be picking it up in a few weeks. I would definitely try the gun out as-is before spending the money on porting it. You might find that you like it just the way it is.

I have "compensator" experience, which is generally ports on an auto, although I have fired 2 "compensated" rifles.

First of all, CF is generally right - there is more noise. But it varies. My IPSC Supers don't seem all that loud, and what you notice with THOSE is that the recoil is "changed". It isn't "lighter" but just doesn't have the muzzle flip. Simply recoils into your hand.

The two rifles that I have fired were a custom .338 Lapua and a Savage .243 Ackley Improved. The former was simply a bear to shoot. It wasn't so much the recoil as the simple sound concussion. It hurt. The .243 had a clearly louder report but not obnoxiously so. AND it reduced both recoil (a little) and muzzle flip (a lot). It allowed you to shoot and self-spot the hit

Actually I lied. I have a Marlin Guide Gun with porting at the end of the barrel. To tell the truth, I have no idea what it does or doesn't do. I think perhaps it doesn't do much, as later Guide Guns didn't have the porting. But perhaps that was an economic decision. In all events, it's a .45-70 and it shoots quite nicely. Some of that may be the recoil pad, but some may be the ports.

Overall, I do not believe you will find any significant velocity decreases unless you buy something like a 2" barrel. But that's so short, you already will be losing real velocity, and will gain the far more difficult task of staying on target.

So before you plunk down the cash for Magna-Porting, I would follow Corn's advise and shoot the weapon as is for a bit to see how you like it.

How on earth did I miss this post? Dang!

I'm a huge fan of the GP100. I carry one regularly in warmer weather, and compete with it often in IDPA. I can't say enough good things about the model.

My suggestion is to first get it, and don't mess with the trigger or anything until after you've fired a few hundred rounds through it. I tried the internet-famous hammer spring changes, and NO combination of springs gave me 100% reliability. There's nothing worse than squeezing the trigger on a revolver and hearing only a "click".

My GP100 is older, so I sent it to a gunsmith fairly well-known nationally, to smooth the trigger pull. Mine had a "hitch" in the trigger pull, but I hear Ruger has remedied that since then. He smoothed out the trigger pull well, but it took a year to get it back so I'm not going to recommend that individual. He also decided to "cut a couple of coils" off the hammer spring, which also lead to a few "clicks". I went back to the std. 14 pound Ruger hammer spring. If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have had the work done.

If you're thinking about carrying that marvelous revolver, I recommend getting Ruger's "compact" grips, which are the same they used to put on the 3 inch GP100's. I think Altamont is offering them (they're on the new Wiley Clapp GP100's). They still fit the hand well, but are thin enough that they conceal well under a t-shirt.

I personally love the 4 inch barrel. When I carry it, I use an IWB holster (I recommend the Theis hybrid holster highly), so the difference between 3 inch and 4 inch is really not a factor. BUT, that extra inch of barrel makes accurate shooting more easy with the longer sight radius. Also, if you get the 4 inch barrel, you'll get adjustable sights so you can adjust if you switch between 158 and 125 grain bullets.

I added HI VIZ a fiber optic front sight I bought from the shop-ruger.com website.

All in all, I think the GP100 with 4 inch barrel is an outstanding choice. I love mine to death. I actually like it better than my S&W's, because it has a shorter double action trigger pull and I'm more accurate with my GP100 than I am with any other handgun.

One other thing, well, two actually.

I've shot the Taurus 82, and whoever designed it should be skinned. Total crap trigger. A new GP100 trigger should not resemble the 82 pull at all. I wouldn't use that as a barometer to decide if you should get trigger work done on anything.

I wouldn't get a compensator type anything on a 357 mag. Most ammo is already very loud. I usually shoot 125 JHP flame throwers, and I can feel the concussion of the muzzle blast on my body. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if it was compensated or MagNaPorted, or the like. Try it first without. You can always have someone add holes later.

Personally, I don't find the mag-level recoil to be significant enough to justify compensating.

If you shoot it in IDPA, you can shoot lower level 38 specials and the recoil out of the GP100 is unnoticeable. Personally, I shoot at IDPA for familiarity, not to win, so I shoot the full house 125's.

By the way, the revolver I'm shooting in my avatar picture is my GP100 at IDPA.

Awesome thanks so much everyone! Now to convince the wife!

betafu2 wrote:Awesome thanks so much everyone! Now to convince the wife!

You need to perfect "The Sneak" that will safely get the firearm past the wife and into the safe.

Best way to learn is by watching the wife. She likely uses The Sneak to get new shoes and purses into the closet.

Charlie Foxtrot wrote:You need to perfect "The Sneak" that will safely get the firearm past the wife and into the safe.

I believe I may have perfected "The Sneak." I am glad my wife does not read these forums.

I learned something about "The Sneak" recently. If I talk about gun details with my wife, that increases her disinterest in anything related to my collection. Next time I pull a sneak, I'm going to start talking incessantly about handloading details, like whether an increased crimp or slight change in OAL will affect velocity and accuracy. She'll practically run out of the room.