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GP100 44 Spl

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  • Tex929rr

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2015
    469
    76
    Welfare, TX
    Anyone have one? I have the wants bad for this handgun. I love the 44 special round. I have had a 629 for a long time and a Night Guard chambered in 44 special, and I’d like to get something else.
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    Tex929rr

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2015
    469
    76
    Welfare, TX
    To me its like buying a 38 Special revolver that you can’t shoot .357 in.
    That’s a good point, to be sure. I started to like the round when I first got my 629 and loaded some 240 grain SWC to 44 special specs. It’s a wonderful round, and in that heavy revolver you can shoot it all day. I wanted something smaller but still heavy enough; the Night Guard is too light and I missed my chance to buy a 696 when they were new.
     

    SQLGeek

    Muh state lines
    Sep 22, 2017
    9,591
    96
    Richmond
    The 44 special is the largest chambering you can get for the GP100 so if you like the frame size and and want a big bore it's not a bad way to go.

    It's on my want list eventually.
     

    Dawico

    Uncoiled
    Lifetime Member
    Oct 15, 2009
    38,007
    96
    Lampasas, Texas
    To me its like buying a 38 Special revolver that you can’t shoot .357 in.
    Exactly.

    It's not a small 44 Special but not big enough for 44 Magnum. Kind of in that weird middle ground.

    I love my GP100 in 357 Magnum as it is a great sized gun. Wish it had the unfluted cylinder though. Those are sharp.

    Never been a fan of the Special version of Magnum rounds anyways. They all seem anemic.
     

    Sam7sf

    TGT Addict
    Lifetime Member
    Apr 13, 2018
    12,466
    96
    Texas
    I think if a guy is just into revolvers, a 44 special sounds like a logical choice. A 40 sw and 45 acp appear to perform like a 44 special. What strikes me is how weak 38 special is. At least 44 special offers some competitive ballistics.
     

    benenglish

    Just Another Boomer
    Staff member
    Lifetime Member
    Admin
    Nov 22, 2011
    23,933
    96
    Spring
    Here comes Ben’s reply in 3, 2, ......
    I would very much like a small-ish .44 Special but my tastes run more towards a Freedom Arms 97 with a long list of factory options - 3.5" bbl, round butt, trigger and action job, grip stud, ebony micarta grips, express sights, name engraved on backstrap, jeweled hammer and trigger. I might go for the matte finish. If my eyes continue to go to hell and I continue to fall more in love with red dots, I might even opt for a high front sight, deletion of the rear sight, and installation of a red dot (which isn't listed on their options page but I know they've done it in the past.)

    Of course, a Freedom Arms revolver spec'd that way would run about $3600 from the factory.

    At less than one quarter the price, I don't think that GP100 can be beat when it comes to value for the money. Anyone seriously considering it should go for it.

    Why? Because the .44 Special will do everything the .44 Magnum will do for most people.
    • Plinking?
      • Cowboy Action loads are available that are perfect.
        • Handloaders can assemble light-bullet loads with Trail Boss and be forever happy at lower cost.
    • Self-defense?
      • Even Cowboy Action loads will be fine but if you want specialty ammo, Buffalo Bore makes a soft, 255-grain bullet load for defensive use.
        • Handloaders can use the manstopper bullets (essentially, reversed hollow-base wadcutters of dead-soft lead) that are still available from some casters with reasonable powder charges and be forever happy at lower cost.
    • Game?
      • At the distances most people will be willing to use it, almost any load will kill whitetail or pigs just as well as just about any revolver but there are hunting loads like the Grizzly 260-grain flat nose.
        • Handloaders can choose a variety of wonderful bullets, jacketed or not, designed for expansion or penetration or any combination thereof, and be forever happy at lower cost.
    • Protection from bears?
      • Penetration is what you want and Underwood makes a 245-grain FMJ load.
        • Handloaders can, in strong guns, load almost to magnum levels with heavy, hard bullets and be forever happy at lower cost.
    I'm not just trying to parrot Skeeter Skelton, here. I honestly believe that the .44 Special, especially if you reload (and want to be "forever happy at lower cost"), will do anything anyone could reasonably want from a revolver. I know I've only owned .44 Magnums but I also know that the overwhelming majority of my non-competition loads have always been assembled to .44 Special specs.

    The .44 Special is not an in-betweener; it's an all-rounder.

    If you're going to buy a revolver big enough to handle the .44 Magnum, do that. But if you want something a little lighter and smaller, something that is just big enough to handle the .44 Special, then I don't think anyone would be disappointed.

    ETA: About that "for most people" exception I noted above, I should explain that. If you're shooting 200 meter silhouette matches, yes, you want the Magnum. The Special works (Heck, a .45 ACP works) but the extra velocity with heavy bullets is worthwhile for that application.
     
    Last edited:

    TxStetson

    Opinionated and Irritable
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    May 9, 2013
    10,056
    96
    The Big Country
    I would very much like a small-ish .44 Special but my tastes run more towards a Freedom Arms 97 with a long list of factory options - 3.5" bbl, round butt, trigger and action job, grip stud, ebony micarta grips, express sights, name engraved on backstrap, jeweled hammer and trigger. I might go for the matte finish. If my eyes continue to go to hell and I continue to fall more in love with red dots, I might even opt for a high front sight, deletion of the rear sight, and installation of a red dot (which isn't listed on their options page but I know they've done it in the past.)

    Of course, a Freedom Arms revolver spec'd that way would run about $3600 from the factory.

    At less than one quarter the price, I don't think that GP100 can be beat when it comes to value for the money. Anyone seriously considering it should go for it.

    Why? Because the .44 Special will do everything the .44 Magnum will do for most people.
    • Plinking?
      • Cowboy Action loads are available that are perfect.
        • Handloaders can assemble light-bullet loads with Trail Boss and be forever happy at lower cost.
    • Self-defense?
      • Even Cowboy Action loads will be fine but if you want specialty ammo, Buffalo Bore makes a soft, 255-grain bullet load for defensive use.
        • Handloaders can use the manstopper bullets (essentially, reversed hollow-base wadcutters of dead-soft lead) that are still available from some casters with reasonable powder charges and be forever happy at lower cost.
    • Game?
      • At the distances most people will be willing to use it, almost any load will kill whitetail or pigs just as well as just about any revolver but there are hunting loads like the Grizzly 260-grain flat nose.
        • Handloaders can choose a variety of wonderful bullets, jacketed or not, designed for expansion or penetration or any combination thereof, and be forever happy at lower cost.
    • Protection from bears?
      • Penetration is what you want and Underwood makes a 245-grain FMJ load.
        • Handloaders can, in strong guns, load almost to magnum levels with heavy, hard bullets and be forever happy at lower cost.
    I'm not just trying to parrot Skeeter Skelton, here. I honestly believe that the .44 Special, especially if you reload (and want to be "forever happy at lower cost"), will do anything anyone could reasonably want from a revolver. I know I've only owned .44 Magnums but I also know that the overwhelming majority of my non-competition loads have always been assembled to .44 Special specs.

    The .44 Special is not an in-betweener; it's an all-rounder.

    If you're going to buy a revolver big enough to handle the .44 Magnum, do that. But if you want something a little lighter and smaller, something that is just big enough to handle the .44 Special, then I don't think anyone would be disappointed.

    ETA: About that "for most people" exception I noted above, I should explain that. If you're shooting 200 meter silhouette matches, yes, you want the Magnum. The Special works (Heck, a .45 ACP works) but the extra velocity with heavy bullets is worthwhile for that application.
    I’m not really psychic, I just remember how bad you wanted one last time they were on sale.
     

    benenglish

    Just Another Boomer
    Staff member
    Lifetime Member
    Admin
    Nov 22, 2011
    23,933
    96
    Spring
    I’m not really psychic, I just remember how bad you wanted one last time they were on sale.
    Yeah, and I talked myself out of it then just like I will now. My 4" M29, downloaded just a bit, takes the place of a .44 Special.

    If I were 18 again and buying my second handgun again and still on a severely restricted budget, I'd pick up this GP100 instead of the M29 and I'd never regret it.
     
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