10 Shot GP-100 22 Long Rifle

[Encore64]

Picked one up today. I had held one before, but didn't like the way the action felt. It had a stiff action and a "catch" before lock up on every chamber.

This one was perfect in every way. The fit and finish as good as any revolver I've seen.

I knew it had to be in my collection. So, its on lay-a-way and will be soon.

[paulg]

Excellent! I shot my uncle in laws a few weeks ago while visiting in Tennessee. His also had a very nice double action trigger. Accuracy was very good with the ammo he had. We had a good time with it. He said it was his second. The first one he bought had two chambers drilled off center. He is a machinist by trade so it didn't take him long to see the problem. Two chambers wouldn't fire because the firing pin was barely striking the rim of the cartridge. With ten holes he said the cylinder wasn't perfectly centered when drilled causing two chambers to be off. He was very disappointed because he is a Ruger man and had purposely ordered one with a low serial number. He was hoping Ruger would just replace the cylinder but he said they refused and offered him a refund or another revolver. Of course he picked another revolver. He is very happy with his replacement after having fun with it.

[Encore64]

I believe there were problems with a few of the first run. They had issues with the 10 shot DA.

I had decided to pass on one until I saw this one.

I look forward to trying this one out. It will provide practice with the feel of a full size gun.

[Alaskan454]

I'm interested to see how you like it, I've heard mixed reviews so far.

[AxeHandle]

We have a 10 or so shot S&W K frame on the range. I think it is a 617. Makes for a HUGE 22LR revolver. I'd be more enthusiastic for a few fewer rounds in a J frame sized gun.

[bradshaw]

Oct 9, 2016 19:43:01 GMT -5 AxeHandle said:

We have a 10 or so shot S&W K frame on the range. I think it is a 617. Makes for a HUGE 22LR revolver. I'd be more enthusiastic for a few fewer rounds in a J frame sized gun.

Stan..... exactly how does a died in the wool pocket pool offhand man pine for a J-frame .22? Is not a 10-shot K-frame .22 the same size as the wonderful K-22 six-shot? The question inquiring minds ask is, are all ten holes of a 10-shot .22 revolver bored true? That is the question. I hear good things, yet cannot personally report. For me a .22 revolver must shoot drill-hole true. The old Colts and Smith & Wesson .22 Long Rifles define the field; are, in the lingo of quality, benchmarks. Dan Wesson made an effort to exact accuracy from the .22 on the .357 frame and learned a manufacturing truth they already knew: the devil is in the detail.

The .22 should poise to sell the rest of the line. Intrinsically accurate and the all-time teacher, the .22 Long Rifle cartridge deserves housing in wonderful revolvers. Firearms safety is defined by marksmanship. Marksmanship is defined by fine instruments played superbly.
David Bradshaw

[JM]

Oct 9, 2016 21:19:29 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

...Dan Wesson made an effort to exact accuracy from the .22 on the .357 frame and learned a manufacturing truth they already knew....

Mr. Bradshaw, Would you mind expounding upon this topic a bit more?

Thank you

[bradshaw]

JM.... Dan Wesson Arms introduced a six shot .22 LR on the Model 15 .357 Mag frame, with, if memory serves, barrels of 8 and 10-inches, with the shroud (barrel sleeve) in Vent Heavy configuration. The VH has a full length underlug. These were silhouette revolvers aimed at the recently adopted rimfire game, with little chickens @ 25 yds, pigs @ 50, turkeys @ 75, and the little rams @ 100 yards. Rimfire silhouettes place a premium on sight alignment and visual acuity. (Anschutz produced its clip-fed bolt action Model 64 with ultra-clean two stage trigger and rear grip stock with 10" bbl for Production, and 14" bbl for Unlimited. The Anschultz hit the scene a total sleeper, fabulously accurate.)

Some of the DWA .22s shot tight enough for the miniaturized steel game. More often, chamber or forcing cone roughness and/or chamber-to-bore misalignment abrades the soft lead bullet and throws its flight off target. Dan Wesson Arms had a hard time getting these rough examples to shoot straight. A centerfire revolver with roughness may SPIT and SHOOT STRAIGHT----with jacketed bullets. However, spitting is a sign of bullet abrasion, a degradation the .22 Long Rifle cannot abide. A proper DWA .22 is cherished to this day. Forgiving as it is, the .22 Long Rifle cartridge reigns intolerant of a corrupted launch. Smith & Wesson and Ruger didn't bother to set up a revolver for the rimfire steel game, and Colt remained comatose as usual.

Freedom Arms threw in with five .22 holes bored through the cylinder of a Model 83, and, as attention to detail would have it, proved the wheelgun a phenomenally accurate vehicle for the .22 Long Rifle. Tenacious rimfire silhouetters fell in with the heavy and exact M83 .22 and the rest is history. From my perspective, success of the M83 .22 demoralized the Dan Wesson. Before Dan Wesson Arms came along, Colt and S&W proved a large manufacturer can get it right. Stunningly so. Dan Wesson simply lacks the winter fat to fight it through.
David Bradshaw

[JM]

Thank you very much.

Many years ago I found one of the DW Silhouette 22LR revolvers (S/A built on a D/A frame) at a small gun shop. I liked it & brought it home. I have only used it for informal plinking & it does very well at that. It does not compare to my 10" Contender, but that's more like a short rifle.

[AxeHandle]

In my old head the big thing is that dang weight. I've played with the FA 252 and 97. They, like the DW 22 are fine for putting in a case hand hauling them to the range but, for this old man who even prefers a heavy pocket pool gun, just way too much. I own blue and stainless 4 inch J frame S&W 22s that IMHO are appropriately sized for a 22LR revolver. Like so many things it is a boxers and briefs thing. No wrong, all right...

[Encore64]

I suppose as with any purchase, its what you're looking for.

I'm thinking with a full size gun practice sessions will be better for shooting full size guns.

As far as weight goes, its not so bad. It weighs less than my Single Six Hunter model.

[JM]

How about the original 6-shot Ruger SP101?

No fans?

[AxeHandle]

You could ask Gary Reeder to churn out you one of his Double Deuce models. Eight shot guns with appropriate, and different, diameter barrels for the 22 and 22 mag.. I haven't seen mine in a few years and didn't remember if they were D&T for a scope base or not. These pics tell the tale!

[bradshaw]

Stan.... the Colt Bisley was a parlor gun, a prototypical Pocket Pool Offhand Pistol with the grip drawn on a French curve in ornate Victorian style. Hell, old Queen Victoria might have packed a Colt Bisley her own self. My reservation over a nine or ten shot .22 concerns the increased chance to get one or more holes wrong. Yet to shoot the Single Ten at 50 yards and beyond, my vote awaits results at longer distances. Short of distant targets, I am impressed with the Single Ten.

Four items make or break the mechanical accuracy of a .22 revolver:
1) Firm, smooth chambers.
2) Smooth, uniform bore with firm groove diameter.
3) Excellent chamber-to-bore alignment.
4) Smooth, concentric, minimal forcing cone.

A big centerfire projectile can help align a slightly offset chamber exit to the bore. In the face of near perfect chamber exits, forcing cone, and groove diameter, the big bore bullet may shoot accurately with up to .006-inch chamber-to-bore offset----and sometimes more. The bulimic .22 doesn't stand a chance in this environment. The old timers at Colt and Smith & Wesson understood this perfectly well.
David Bradshaw

[AxeHandle]

Shorter path to an accurate 10 shot 22 LR handgun is a quality Semi Auto. Most magazines hold 10 rounds. Only one chamber to worry about.