Colt has a custom shop, Remington has a custom shop, Winchester had a custom shop, Savage has a custom shop, Springfield Armory has a custom shop, CZ has a custom shop, and Smith and Wesson has a custom shop. It seemed Ruger was the only one of the big players that didn’t have a custom shop.
That’s changed. Ruger recently announced that they, too, now have a custom shop, except they do things differently. Rather than taking orders for custom features on their regular line of firearms, Ruger’s approach is to produce limited numbers of highly-customized guns. Stated differently, Ruger picks the features they want to add to their custom guns; your choice is to purchase it (or not). It’s not a bad way to go.
Ruger’s two most recent custom shop models are revolvers they call the Super GP100; one chambered in 9mm and the other chambered in .357 Magnum. These revolvers have a number of custom features, including a shrouded and vented barrel, 8-shot capacity and the ability to use star clips for speedy reloads, radically-fluted cylinder (I like the look), PVD (that’s physical vapor deposition) finish, polished and slicked up trigger and internal componentry, oversized Hogue hardwood grip, an 11-degree barrel crown (that’s supposed to enhance accuracy), and a fiber-optic front sight (never had one of those before; I’m eager to see if it really does anything for me).
The Super GP is offered in two chamberings: .357 Magnum and 9mm Parabellum. The 9mm version is not approved here in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia. That’s probably okay, as I would go for the .357 if given the choice. But that’s not a choice that’s going to be offered any time soon. Read on, and you’ll see what I mean.
I like the way Ruger handled the 9mm Super GP100. The cylinder is shorter to match the 9mm cartridge, and the barrel extends back into the frame. This means the 9mm bullet has less of a jump to the rifling in the barrel, which should improve accuracy. It’s the same thing Smith and Wesson does on its .45 ACP revolvers.
Ruger doesn’t stock these guns. True to the custom shop concept, Ruger builds them as orders are taken. But it wouldn’t do any good to order one now, unless you just want to get a place in line. Due to the press of handgun orders induced by the election, the pandemic, and the recent civil rioting in major US cities, Ruger has its workforce focused elsewhere on meeting the unprecedented demand for its standard guns. As an aside, it’s tough to buy ammo right now, too, for the same reasons. That’s not bothering me, as I reload on my RCBS reloading gear
I’m in the market for a .357 Mag revolver, but I’ll probably go with a more traditional handgun. Maybe a .357 Blackhawk or a S&W Model 27. I’ll keep you posted.
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That 9mm looks kind of hokey with the large frame gap.
The styling tricks make the gun look sort of cheap. Put me down as a traditionalist…
It is definitely a different look. I kind of liked that gap when I saw it, as I knew it should make the gun more accurate. Smith and Wesson does the same thing with their 1917-based .45 ACP revolvers, which were originally designed for longer cartridges. The gap is more significant on a 9mm revolver because of the proportionally-larger difference between a 9mm and 357 Mag cartridge length.
Hmmm…this gun makes my old 38 Taurus look…well, old and behind the times. Of course I think I got it FREE from my dad years ago, so that does make it look a lot better. I did notice that there were no prices mentioned, “so if if have to ask then I guess you cannot afford it”. It does look like a work of art…
It has an unusual look and when I first saw the Super GP I thought I wanted one. The MSRP is $1500, and if you have it shipped in from out of state that’s going to add maybe another $80 in shipping. The sales tax would be another $100. The transfer fees and the PRK (Peoples Republik of Kalifornia) DROS fees would run close to another $100. So, you’re probably looking at something close to $1800, not counting the seller’s premium likely to be attached to this revolver. And, you just can’t get them now because everyone at Ruger has been shifted to their black plastic gun production line. The one magazine test of this gun that I’ve seen said the accuracy was not all that great. I opted out for all of these reasons. I’m going to get the new Colt Python instead. I’m more of a traditionalist.
I like a gun to look like a gun, not a water pistol.
The black plastic ones look like the packing materials that heavy objects are shipped in…
You sound like an old man shouting at the clouds.
Friggin stratonimbus…
My thoughts exactly. Cumulos are troublemakers, too, what with their nimbuses (nimbi?) and all.
I like the 9mm with the space in front of the cylinder.
You could sqursh a little cocktail weaner in there and have dinner done by the time the zombie attack is over. Get a 2fer and all that. There’s gotta be some immunization bonuses in having a few powder burns mixed in with your weaner. I usually just eat at McDonalds once a week to get all my immunizations. Worked so far but this would be more better funner I always say.
They’re coming for you, Rob.
That .357 looks too much like a plastic toy for me , I think I had one of those when I was a kid. It shoots little plastic spring loaded bullets.. haha!
That 9mm looks like an afterthought, with an adapt-a-kit to fire different sizes..
Not for me,
Okay, I’ll put you in the “not my cup of tea” column, Duane. You know, I’m surprised so many people dislike this Ruger. I like the looks of it, but I had already decided to take a pass because the guns are just not available. Judging by the reaction to this blog, I’d say Ruger’s got a real marketing challenge on their hands.