Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Ruger blued GP100 vs stainless question

Are the dimensions of a blued GP100 thinner than the same model in stainless?

Someone told me that is because the blued gun is made of alloy steel, which is apparently stronger than stainless steel, thus allowing Ruger to make the blued gun thinner.

Is this correct?

While I don't have a blued and stainless GP100 to compare dimensions, I feel it is pretty safe to say that the idea that one is slimmer than the other is absolutely nuts.

Was said individual sitting behind a gun counter eating boiled peanuts with just a little bit of belly hanging out? Possibly shootin the breeze about the best handgun for black panther defense in souther Miss/La since he cut the tracks of said animal when he was deer huntin in the swamp?

lol, nope.

Said individual is actually an intelligent guy. I associate with intelligent people.

He is certain that he has handled blued GP100s that are slightly slimmer than their stainless counterparts.

Maybe he is wrong. Maybe not.

Owned several or each and they’re dimensionally identical.

Tell him to get back to you, AFTER he puts the dial calipers to his guns................................ I strongly suspect that he's dead-ass wrong...........

That concept would apply to riles also🤦‍♂️

I've owned both and I could tell no difference between the two except for finish. Same goes with blued and stainless Super Blackhawks.

He is wrong.

I just looked this up to see if there was any reference to it on the web. There is no difference. He MAY be confused because apparently some grip makers distinguish bvetween a blued and SS model, but this appears to be because one grip is supplied with a blued screw, the other with a SS screw.

That's just absolutely ridiculous. Do we have to explain why?

According to Ruger’s site both the blued and stainless versions of a GP100 .357 with a 4.2” barrel weigh 40 oz.

Not sure why all the snarky replies.

I read post by Ed Harris ( Ruger engineer) on cast bullet assoc forum(?) that while the frame of the GP100 was manufactured using the investment cast ( lost wax?) practice, the cylinders of Ruger revolvers were made from a billet/bar of high-strength non-cast steel alloy. Maybe this was the basis of the comment of blued vs SS "variation".

have only owned ( and still have) a stainless 4" Ruger GP100. Can't comment on the blued vs SS dimension variation, but I CAN say my GP100 ( from the 1990's?) had "dimensional variation" of throat measurements. They ranged from 0.355" to 0.357"

Had them reamed out to 0.357" by "the cylindersmith" ( who frequented castboolits.com back then). 25 yard groups size improved from 5", to <1.5"., before and after throat reaming Wonder if the blued version had the same throat issue.