What are the functional differences between the two? I'm a handgun neophyte so please leave no stone unturned. I've been pondering getting a 100 but have a chance to buy the Speed Six for half the price of a new 100. Thanks!

Which Speed 6? Barrel length etc? I think the GP is a better gun in some respects - grips etc - I own a 6 inch SS version and an SP101. But, I think the Speed 6's are neat and possibly lighter weight due to the lack of a full length shroud and they had adjustable sights.

If they made it and I'm not sure they did - a 3" Speed 6 with adjustable sights is something I would jump on. Kinda like a Smith Model 60 you could actually shoot the hell out of and not worry.

TM

I don't know many particulars other than it's a 4" barrel and the wood grips have been replaced with Pachmayrs. Thanks for the info!

The Speed-Six was non-adjustable sights and round butt. The Security-Six had adjustables and a square butt.
I've got a Security-Six that started life with a 6" barrel. Had a gunsmith cut it to 3" and "round butt" the grip frame like the Speed-Six, and put a set of Pakmeyers on it.
Sure made a great gun out'a it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
The GP100 comes with a 3" barrel as an option, although in non-adjustable sights.
Virgil B.

Thanks for the info. The 6's went out about the time I started serious shooting. The GP was my first centerfire DA revolver. I got it because I liked my cousin's so much.

DIdn't even know there were 2 versions. Am I at least correct that they never made them in a full shroud variation?

A 3 inch adjustable sight GP is something I would look seriously at.

TM

I would rather have a Speed Six in 3" - but given the choice betwen a GP and a 'Six - all other things being equal - I would always take the 'Six. Nothing wrong with the GP series (or the SP), but I like the weight difference of the Six series and they ain't makin' any more of 'em.

Functionally, IIRC, the two series are the same.

BTW - on the Ruger revolvers, I like the Hogue grips better than the Pachmeyers.

Thanks, all!

The stainless three inch Speed Six was my very first handgun back in 1980. It's currently with my mom, loaded with some .38s for her upstairs home defense gun. She also has my S&W Model 60 as her downstairs home defense gun.

I like the Speed Six a lot. Sorta special because it was my first handgun too.

Whttail,

There are actually some very significant differences between the two designs. Overall, the Speed-Six is a "first generation" design along with the Security and Service-Six, and the Redhawk. The GP-100 is "second generation" along with the SP-101 and the Super Redhawk (it would have been more accurate to have named the SRH the Super GP-100).

The GP-100 uses a "peg" grip frame, a better trigger design, and a better lock-up system. The design uses a separate hammer and trigger spring, while the Speed-Six uses a single spring for both. As a result, a better trigger pull can be had with the GP-100.

As FreeMe mentioned the Speed-Six is a tidier package, so if that's what you're after the Speed-Six is a good route. Personally, I kinda choke looking at the GP-100's peg grip - it just ain't natural.

Neither can be called elegant, but they're both great revolvers. The GP-100 is probably the strongest mid-size revolver ever made.

I would say that the Speed/Service/Security Six and the GP100 are solid, sturdy sixguns, and I like both systems. Actually, the Sixes do have a separate trigger return spring, but it's a dogleg-type, with a few coils at the junction of the dogleg. (The Redhawk design did try the single spring for both functions.) IMHO, the GP100 will start with a smoother trigger than the Sixes, and is easier to polish to make it smoother. If nothing else, it's a real task to detail-strip the Six trigger group; the GP100 trigger group is easier. The GP100's front lock-up point is at the front of the cylinder instead of way out on the end of the ejector rod, which can be seen as an advantage from a mechanical standpoint. The GP100 design is more suited to assembly-line production, as it requires much less hand-fitting than the Sixes. Another factor with the Sixes is that the later ones seem to have smoother actions, and one easy way to tell a later one is a smooth face on the trigger, instead of serrations. The GP100 is a bit heavier; my 6"-barreled Security Six feels lighter than my 4" heavy-barreled GP100, and my 4" Speed Six feels lighter than my 4" fixed-sight GP100, which does not have the lugged barrel. For me, personally, the GP100 has a perfect factory grip for my hands, whether it's the shorter version that comes on the fixed-sighted guns, or the longer one that comes on the adjustable-sight guns.

Not true, JOG. It was the Redhawk that incorporated the infamous do-all single spring for both the hammer and trigger, not the Speed-Six/Security-Six/Service-Six models.

Here's an overview of the Ruger DA revolvers: http://wadcutter.blogspot.com/2005/03/ruger-da-revolvers.html

WTinMinn -

The Speed Six and GP100s are in different generations. The Speed Six and Security Six (adjustable sights) were introduced about the same time.

The GP100s were introduced some years later as new and improved.

I left Law Enforcement 18 years ago. My last service revolver was a 4" GP100. This is when everybody carried S&W Mod 66's (a very good revolver.)

When it came to qualifying scores and the County Match there were some that allowed the GP100 wasn't all that bad. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for taking the time to respond everyone. After reading through the posts a few times I have decided to give the Speed Six a shot as I think it will fit my needs well. I figure for $200 I can't go too wrong as long as it's safe and functional.

Thanks for the correction, Gents - I had spaced out that there's a third trigger style involved. I guess I had a Gunzheimer's Moment...