I am looking at getting a new handgun that will be used for whitetail hunting in Illinois and also personal protection. I am looking at a Ruger GP100 Blued with a 4 inch barrel. I am just wondering what you guys think of this gun.
I have a Ruger GP-100 4 inch. It's my wife's home defense gun. It is accurate, easy to shoot, and will handle the hottest loads with ease. I don't hunt, but I know that whitetail are taken cleanly with .357 magnum revolvers every year. I'd go with a longer barrel for hunting, but if the gun has to do double duty, a 4 inch barrel is a good compromise.
A GP-100 would be a bit heavy and big to carry for protection, but you mentioned Illinois, so I don't know if you'd be carrying it, given their laws. If it is just a gun to have around for protection (home defense, trunk of the car, etc.), a solid .357 magnum like the Ruger GP-100 is an excellent choice.
I am looking at getting a new handgun that will be used for whitetail hunting in Illinois and also personal protection. I am looking at a Ruger GP100 Blued with a 4 inch barrel. I am just wondering what you guys think of this gun.
Well I will be hunting with it in Illinois but I am stationed in Florida so I will be able to CC but if I have a gun on me it will be alot smaller than the GP100. I was looking for a gun to carry in my truck for all the long trips I make and that could be used as a hunting gun also. Thanks for the info and I think I am going to pick up one in a couple weeks.
Also an owner of a GP100 4" stainless, it has been everything I've wanted it to be. Primarily a range gun/home defense gun for my family, though it would work perfectly fine for hunting use. Accurate beyond what I am capable of at this point, recoil management is great even for my smaller framed wife, it's a great gun. Though I still have my sights set on a Smith 686 in the future, the GP-100 won't let you down. Like it was mentioned above, the GP-100 is a bit heavy for carry (insert SP-101 here), the gp is ideal for bedside safe for HD or for hunting. Just my $.02.
As mentioned here, dads Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 would be an excellent choice as well. That gun shot extremly well too, especially if hunting is the primary goal.
I have hunted with a GP-100 before. Had one with a 4" barrel, and shot a nice 8 point buck with it about 3 years ago. He only ran about 15 yards before he went down. As was stated earlier, it is a bit heavy for a carry gun, but would make a fine truck gun. It can handle the hottest loads, and is very accurate even with a 4" bbl and iron sights.