When I first heard the release of the Ruger Match Champion .357 magnum/.38 Special chambered GP100 and then handled it at SHOT, I was really excited because I am a huge GP100 fan. With the word "Match" in the name must be even more awesome... right? As I sprinted through the Ruger booth I remember being impressed with the trigger and the features during the few minutes I had to handle the new revolver.
FIT, FINISH, FEEL, & FEATURES
Many will get all jazzed about the flat sided, half-lug barrel in hopes that the new Match Champion is exponentially lighter somehow, however it isn't. The reality of all the barrel reprofiling is only a 2 oz weight savings over a standard full lug 4" GP100. That 2 oz reduction does make the Ruger Match Champion feel just a bit faster handling than the full lug version.
Part of the love and popularity of the Ruger GP-100 is the big beefy bomb proof saddle and cylinder design that handloaders depend on to test high pressure rounds, delivers accuracy increasing stiffness, and it also looks bad ass. I was glad to see that Ruger Match Champion carried this beefy design forward on what could have been a lighter trimmed down design on a competition revolver.
The major "performance" treatments on the GP100 Match Champion are the target crown, cylinder chamfering, Hogue wood performance grip, the trigger rework, and just a little contouring in areas which would help reholstering.
One of the first tweaks I have done on every Ruger GP100 after pulling it from the box is to pick up my Dremel and chamfer all the sharp edges off the cylinder chamber mouths. Ruger added this tweak on the Match Champion to improve reload reliability and speed. On the top end competition revolvers, custom shop wizards will use 45 degree reemers to more aggressively flute the chamber mouths, however Ruger has just touched them up to smooth and speed the reloading process. Its a little tweak that pays huge dividends during the reloading cycle.
Ruger has reworked the trigger to vastly improve the factory Ruger trigger. Though I love the Ruger GP100, the typical factory trigger leaves a lot to be desired. Every factory fresh GP100 I own has had the factory every trigger contact point polished to a mirror finish. This trigger tuning and polishing is in effect what Ruger has delivered with the Match Champion to make the trigger "feel" better. Ruger did note to me that they take an extra step and shim and permanently align the trigger components after polishing and fitting. The result is a beautifully staging double action trigger.
I am sorry to report that you will no longer be able to read your Ruger to fight boredom. Ruger also dropped roll marking the rather tacky phone book length warning on the side of the GP100 in favor of a simple read the manual note on the underside of the barrel. I think this was a great decision since the revolver always has come with a manual... ya know that I it looked totally dorky on the side of a really nice firearm. Thank you Ruger for stop ruining the looks of a perfectly beautiful firearm with a stupid warning label.
FUNCTION & ACCURACY
Functionally, the Ruger Match Champion runs great; better than any Ruger GP100 out of the box I have owned. I have owned over six by the way. The 4" barrel is the perfect compromise of weight, speed and accuracy and even though the gun is just 2 oz lighter, it does feel faster side by side with the old version. Reloads are faster, less problematic, and smoother as well due to the cylinder chamfering and the trigger is excellent for an out of the box Ruger GP100. I have found that it does indeed get even better the more cycles it has through it. Perhaps the trigger I felt at the Ruger SHOT show booth, may be within reason after a few thousand more trigger pulls. Even reholstering is smoother and more positive from the lack of a few key edges.
And then there is the accuracy improvement over stock. The Ruger GP100 has proven itself a 25-yard 1.25" gun over and over when shot from a ransom rest. My test involved taking all my 4" GP100s to the range and testing them side by side. What I saw was a consistent 20-30% improvement in groups over the my full lug models with DIY trigger work. The trigger work certainly helps, however I am guessing that the precision target crown had the largest impact in accuracy since I saw around the same level of accuracy uplift even running the revolvers in single action.
Though I was less impressed with the Match Champion initially, buy the time I was on the range, this certified GP100 fan was quite impressed. It thought it was a bit funny that the Ruger Match Champion is roughly 25% more expensive than the base model and delivers accuracy gain around the same percentage. So is the Ruger Match Champion a S&W 686 killer? It could be. For Ruger or non-S&W fans it is an awesome option which could easily go head-to-head with S&W. Having owned the 686 I can say that the S&W does still have a better trigger and better all around surface finish, however durability and accuracy-wise, I think the scales lean toward Ruger. Looking at Match scores a year from now will tell the story, however I think the Match Champion may be the best performing out of the box Ruger GP100 yet.
SPECS
Model Options:
Mod. # 1707
Material Stainless Steel
Finish Satin
Front Sight Ramp
Rear Sight Adjustable
Barrel Length 6.00"
Overall Length 11.50"
Weight 45.00 oz.
MSRP $759.00
SOURCES
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Ruger - http://www.ruger.com/
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