I've been looking on the web for hard info about the forcing cones or other strength factors for the GP100 and as usual, lots of hearsay and opinion but precious little (i.e. zero) actual measurements.
Just finished Pearce's article in the Feb. Handloader and while he doesn't cover the GP100 at all he does mention that some revolvers are not suitable for +P handloads that exceed the 15,500 psi SAAMI limit. Among those are the S&W 696 and 396 Mountain Lite. He further explains: "Some of the above guns will handler greater pressures than industry guidelines but have other durability issues and should not be used in conjunction with +P data". Although he doesn't specifically state what "durability issues" are I assume forcing cone cracking could be considered one of them. In the Category 3 (25,000 psi) list at the bottom right of page 45 he does list the Ruger New Model Blackhawk as one which is suited to the Cat 3 loads.
I posted a blurb above about the cylinder thickness so I don't think there are any issues there. But if someone has a GP100 .44 and can measure the thickness of the forcing cone that would be very useful, especially if someone who has any of the mid-size frame .44 Flattop's could measure and post the thickness of that forcing cone, and take a good pic to boot.
Here's the best pic I've found so far of the forcing cone on the GP100. The High Road publishes pics in a format incompatible with linking so you'll have to go to their page to see it.
Pic of GP100 forcing cone about halfway down the pageIt does look thin so I can see where opinions would form on either side of the durability issue, but I know Ruger uses some pretty sturdy steel in their revolvers so appearances can be deceiving. Hmm, maybe it's time to write an old fashioned letter to Mr. Pearce at Handloader addressing this issue.
In other news, I see that Rick Jamison is writing again and has an article in this latest Handloader. Could be old news, I haven't read a gun mag in a couple of years, but it's nice to see his byline again.
