For those who prefer flat reloading devices for pocket carry, the 6-round Tuff Products 6357 Quick Strips and Bianchi's 580 Speed Strips are spaced to feed two round into the GP100 cylinder at a time. The GP100 Match Champion is the ultimate revolver for competing in professional shooting matches, and also a practical choice for outdoorsmen and handgun hunters who demand the best. I guess due to the geometry of everything being a little smaller but still having to provide the same hammer energy, I dunno. The 10mm holds 6 rounds and comes in lighter than other Match Champions, due to larger chambers. cartridges. 2: Ruger does a trigger job on the Match Champion models. Some variants of GP100 consist of a couple that hold 7 of .327 Federal, a few that hold 5 of 44 Special, etc. If I had got the regular gp I was going to buy match champion grips for it and fiber optic sights so that would have made me spend more money than I would have spent buying the match champion. I have one and it's great, plus the difference goes beyond the sight and grip. It was smooth in double-action mode with a short, crisp, creep-free break in single-action mode. GP100 ® Match Champion ® in 10mm Auto; GP100 ® Match Champion ® Web Spot; Double-Action Revolver Disassembly; GP100 ® Match Champion ® Double-Action Revolver Basic Cleaning; Double-Action Revolver Full Cleaning; GP100 ® Match Champion ® with Adjustable Rear Sight; Double-Action Revolver Reassembly Essentially it's a 4" that's been given the sight treatment, "melted" cylinder and action job of the "Wiley Clapp" 3" but Ruger has departed from the full-underlug and went with a short ejector shroud. Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.; Ruger.comModel: GP100 Match ChampionAction: Double-ActionCaliber: .357 Magnum / .38 SpecialFinish: Satin Stainless SteelGrips: Hogue Hardwood MonogripFront Sight: Fiber OpticRear Sight: FixedBarrel Length: 4.20 InchesOverall Length: 9.50 InchesWeight: 38 OuncesCapacity: 6 RoundsTwist: 1:18.75 RHRifle Grooves: 6Accessories: Hard Case, Lock, Owner's ManualSuggested Retail: $899, E-mail your comments/questions about this site to:EmediaRifleman@nrahq.org For questions/comments about American Rifleman magazine, please e-mail:Publications@nrahq.org You can contact the NRA via phone at: NRA Member Programs1-800-672-3888, To advertise on American Rifleman, visit nramediakit.com for more information. Of course I like this gun. Formal accuracy testing was conducted from a bench rest using targets set at 25 yards with the Match Champion fired in single-action mode. The gun is the optimized version of the company’s popular double-action line. 03-25-2016, 09:10 PM #5. It's also got a bit of trigger work and some extra polish. is already one of the most flexible handguns available, because tricking out a GP100 just makes it that much more desirable to carry. Web ID: 1402181658 Product Chart This SKU table contains a list of all SKUs available for the product. This new take on the GP100 is a welcome, if overdue, addition to Ruger’s double-action revolver lineup. The single external control—the press-button cylinder release—is located on the left side of the frame, and the smooth-faced trigger is protected by a rounded trigger guard. Id say go for regular gp, A list of things the Match Champion has over the regular 4.2 gp100, 1: Wood grips / fiber optic front sight right out of the box ($130 to $150 value in it of itself: makes up for the price difference by this alone). In the process of tricking out the GP100 for target shooting, Ruger also made it an ideal option for self-defense. The new Ruger GP100 Match Champion .357 Mag. The Ruger GP100 Match Champion's barrel is a departure from the usual GP100 barrel. While other companies have dressed up their wheelguns to capture the attention of the race-gun crowd, the GP100 has, for the most part, only been available in standard configurations. I want to purchase a revolver and for the following reasons have selected the Ruger GP100: If I purchase the GP100, I will almost certainly replace the grip and the sight with ones similar to the Match Champion. Press J to jump to the feed. Match Champion. The revolver is topped with a fixed Novak Lo-Mount Carry rear sight and a bright fiber optic front sight. For many it’s a mainstay for carry and home defense duty, among other uses. Friday, October 17, 2014. But other than that the match champion was a better bang for the buck. The front of the 6-shot cylinder has been radiused to allow the revolver to slip into a holster more gracefully. A 4-inch barrel stainless-steel model, inherited from my father-in-law, is now over 22 years old and still ticking away like a Timex. It was a small-frame revolver intended to be the stablemate for the GP100 that had supplanted the firm's small Security-Six wheelgun. That thing is gorgeous. Has anyone here shot both? A place for responsible gun owners and enthusiasts to talk about guns without the politics. The 686 is mostly a refinement of the S&W’s iconic revolver pedigree, established with their K/L frame revolvers. I have the novak fiber optics, not the adjustables, and can pick the sight up easily. The Match Champion is a slicked-up GP-100 that is built to be ready for competition out of the box. This GP100 was loaded with ammunition ranging from soft-shooting practice grade .38 Special to full-throttle defense grade .357 Mag. I was really happy with that. I found a brand new one on gunbroker for $729 shipped. revolver successfully blends the superior toughness of the GP100 design with the slicked-up features many IDPA competitors have in mind. I recently bought a used gp with the intention of creating a poor man's match champion. It has a partial lug barrel / aggressively fluted cylinder that does wonders to make it balance in the hand. I used a regular GP100 in IDPA, then switched to the first generation of Match Champion guns with fixed sights, then when they dropped the adjustable sight models I bought one of those in .357. The Match Champion's barrel, cylinder, frame and appointments are all constructed of stainless steel. Model Number: 1754 Caliber: 357 Mag Grips Hogue® Stippled Hardwood; Front Sight Fiber Optic; Barrel Length 4.20" 10.6 cm; Material Stainless Steel; Capacity 6; Rear Sight Fixed; Twist 1:18.75" RH; Finish Satin Stainless; Overall Length 9.50" 24.1 cm; Weight 38 oz. Show more. When folks talk about the GP100, descriptions such as built like a tank, tough and workhorse are often employed. On many revolvers I would chalk this up mostly to aesthetics; on the GP100 Match Champion I think this might actually be a worthwhile feature. If you want a special snowflake GP have a look at the Wiley clapp editions, only available in 3inch though. On paper, there’s only a difference of 2 oz between the two, but the heavy underlug of the standard GP100 really goes a … Shooters looking to load the Match King more swiftly will find the HKS model 586 and the 5 Star Firearms model L6-357/38 speed loaders slip past the wooden grip without a hitch. The top strap is beveled and the squared-off portion of the frame in front of the trigger guard has been rounded. Moreover, this pistol also has fiber optic sights, along with the read sight and front blade. But where I think the Match Champion will make its most important impact is for those Ruger customers who are looking for a high-quality defensive handgun at a price they can afford. The classic Smith and Wesson 686 and the Ruger GP 100 Match Champion. Other tweaks are new cylinder flute contours, which stylistically look gre… But one arena where the Ruger revolvers have often been pushed aside by other manufacturers’ products has been organized target competitions. The 686 first debuted in the 1980’s alongside the Model 581, 586 and 681.Since then, th… I have shot a Ruger GP100 Match Champion and it is a very fine piece of equipment for sure! The Ruger GP100 has been a mainstay in the company’s double-action revolver line since it first rolled off the assembly line in 1986, and its new Match Champion is purpose-built for competition use. The new Ruger GP100 Match Champion .357 Mag. As expected, the revolver loaded, fired, and ejected each brand of ammunition with aplomb. The Great Ammo Shortage of 2020: When Will It End? The revolver arrives ready to go without the time or expense of sending it out to be customized. But I do know my SP101 even with slightly lighter springs has a … New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I cant figure out the benefits to spend more for the m.c. Wood grip for a GP100 usually run around $100 + shipping, but you can also buy the official match champion grips from shopruger.com anyways for $102 ($90 for the grips + $12 for regular shipping). i have the 4.2in and its amazingly accurate at 25 yards. The GP100 10mm Match Champion review is tough, because everyone knows I like the GP100. We compare the Ruger GP 100 Match Champion to the Smith and Wesson 686. My question at this point is, should I spend a bit extra on the MC or should I just customize my GP100? Those grips on the match champion are garbage in my opinion. I've only shot the GP100 and am curious if the Match Champion is worth the extra cost. The 4-inch barrel .357 Mag. Sure, they've got finger grooves and a nice palm swell but they're slick as shit. This allows the holster to ride on either the strong-side or cross-draw positions on a belt. This is due to the narrower front end of the cylinder, which is intended to ease the transition of the width of the cylinder into a leather holster. Hornady's Critical Defense 125-gr. Ruger will have a new model GP100 available in 2014, the Ruger GP100 Match Champion.This is the GP100 for competition shooting, and to be 100% honest it looks like Ruger went into my dreams while I was asleep and pulled all the features I want in a GP100 to make this gun.. A quick review of Ruger's Match Champion edition of the modern classic GP100 .357 Magnum revolver. The Ruger GP100 Match Champion is a unique six-gun that offers a great deal to the discerning shooter…with the added bonus of moon clip sweetness. It's not a Smith and Wesson, but it's pretty darn close. It's cheap for a revolver like this that'll last forever. Ruger’s GP100 line has been around for some time. We shoot two great .357 Magnum revolvers. That 2 oz reduction does make the Ruger Match Champion feel just a bit faster handling than the full lug version. They also carefully shaved off bits of material here and there to bring the center of balance to your hand, hence the half lug barrel. I'm easily able to control the recoil on it with both 357 loads and obviously 38 special loads. IMO, this by itself is worth the extra $150 or so. I've recently been considering picking up a Smith M66 because it's a beautiful gun, but then I saw the Ruger GP100 Match Champion. Side by side, my trigger is better than match champion stock and I had the pleasure of doing work myself, but you may prefer an out of the box solution. by B. Gil Horman - It features a slab-side 4.2-inch barrel with an 11-degree target crown for improved accuracy. The Match Champion arrives with a custom single-piece competition-style Hogue hardwood grip with stippled side panels. has been in production since 1986, and it was among the very first wheelguns I purchased. If you look at it directly, you notice that the flutes are curved, making them look ovoid and frankly, a bit odd. 4: The "READ INSTRUCTION MANUAL" isn't put on the side of the barrel like it is on a regular gp100. By flattening the sides of the barrel, replacing the full-length barrel lug with just a half-lug to shroud the ejector rod, and making a few other nips and tucks here and there, the revolver's weight has been reduced from 40 to 38 ounces. Although the Match Champion is marketed as an IDPA-style race gun, it's also an ideal self-defense and field revolver. The highly visible sights and trigger job contributed to satisfying 5-shot groups at this distance. Looking for Ideal molds 419181 (44 Evans Long) and 375167 (38-72) "Joined Dates" are deceiving if you factor-in "lurk" dates. Compared to paying upwards of $500 for the same set of upgrades from a reputable custom shop, it’s a real bargain. The revolver utilizes moon clips to headspace the semi-automatic cartridges. Other versions of the GP100 ship with Ruger’s proprietary wooden side panel rubber grips or, more recently, with one of Hogue’s rubber Monogrips. And out to 50 i hit a pie plate consistently. These accolades are well deserved since this is one of the strongest revolvers in its class. The trigger is buttery smooth in both double and single action, it is beautiful (it's a wheel gat), however I hated the wood Hogue grips. Here are some of the Match Champion features, as described by Ruger: "The Match Champion Model is designed with the competitor in mind. In this instance, the L frame of the 686 denotes a medium-large frame, and is typical of modern, fullsize .357 Magnum offerings from Smith & Wesson. Get the Match Champ, it's an easy decision really. In other words, this one holster can be comfortably employed in just about every situation that calls for a full-size wheel gun. The GP100 Match Champion follows last fall’s release of the Super Redhawk in 10mm. A two-ounce reduction may not sound like much, but with most of that weight coming out of the barrel, it makes for a marked improvement in the revolver's handling and balance. If you use the coupon in the box, you get 20% off a purchase at shopruger, which made my grips $85 shipped, Sent the cylinder off to be chamfered and the chambers profiled and polished $80. revolvers are so much fun to shoot. Eventually I'll buy the match champion just because it will save me money. If it's just for shooting fun or similar, the GP100 in general has a better trigger than the SP101. The match champion has been worked over better than the regular too so that's saving you money. The frame, cylinder release, sideplate, and crane arrangement are unmistakably S&W. This year Ruger decided it was time to give the GP100 a chance to compete in the revolver division in International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) events with the new factory-custom Match Champion. This version of the GP100 enjoys more in-house rounding and smoothing, internally and externally, than the stock models. The new Ruger GP100 Match Champion comes from the factory with the following features: Wood grip for a GP100 usually run around $100 + shipping, but you can also buy the official match champion grips from shopruger.com anyways for $102 ($90 for the grips + $12 for regular shipping). The one downside to the changes made for the Match Champion is that it’s not quite as pleasant to shoot .357 magnums as the standard GP100. What you get for the little bit of extra money is more than worth it IMO. Simply Rugged also provides high quality belts, speedloader holders, and pouches designed for Quick Strips or loose cartridges. Buying a Used Rifle: Tips From a Longtime Gun Retailer, Assembling an AR-15 With Phase 5 Weapon Systems, Heritage Rough Rider Rancher: A Budget-Friendly Revolving Rifle, © 2020 National Rifle Association of America. I had the same dilemma as you awhile back, decided to buy a hk vp9 instead. Because of the versatility of this handgun, it may be used for co… ammunition can produce uncomfortable, if not painful, levels of felt recoil. This rugged, full-size .357 Mag. revolver successfully blends the superior toughness of the GP100 design with the slicked-up features many IDPA competitors have in mind. 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