Welcome to 2021! We’re getting this year started right with a gun review: This is the Ruger GP100 10mm Wiley Clapp Review. That’s a pretty long name for a small gun. Ruger initially launched the Wiley Clapp line in 2010 as part of a collaboration with legendary firearms writer Wiley Clapp; his design input on the original 357 Magnum version saw the barrel shortened to 3 inches, a brass bead front sight installed, and fixed Novak rear sights. In 2018, the 10mm version was launched with the same compact grips, but a fiber optic green front sight. It keeps the three original barrel of the original version.
Sometime between 2018 and 2020, Ruger discontinued the “Wiley Clapp” branding, but still continues to offer both the 357 Magnum and 10mm versions as Talo Distributor specials. But what makes these guns good? Why would I bother to do a Ruger GP100 10mm Wiley Clapp review in the first place? Well, the answer is simple: this is a great carry gun. Plus, I have a 10mm GP100 Match Champion already, so why not get it a friend?
Many revolver experts and aficionados, myself included, hold the belief that the “best” carry revolver is a 3-inch medium frame gun chambered in a serious cartridge like 357 Magnum. I personally have a soft spot for revolvers that are chambered for semi-auto rounds, hence the choice of 10mm. Plus, I had the 357 Magnum version years ago. So why get this gun? Well, if you want to carry a revolver, the Ruger GP100 10mm Wiley Clapp is going to be easy to conceal, yet still large enough to soak up 10mm recoil without punishing the shooter. The short barrel makes it faster on the draw than larger guns, but the factory compact grips are still large enough to grip with both hands and control recoil. The sights are great, and the big green fiber optic up front provides a fast aiming reference. From traditional IWB concealment, doing failure drills at 5 yards under 3 seconds was a piece of cake.
One of the other reasons to get a GP100 10mm Wiley Clapp is that, with one small purchase, you can also shoot 40 S&W through this gun. The factory moon clips don’t head space correctly to 40 S&W, but you can buy aftermarket clips from TK Custom that will give you the right head spacing for 40 rounds. It’s kind of like how you can shoot 38 Special through a 357 Magnum revolver, but in this case you’re not losing a ton of terminal performance by going down to 40.
This Ruger GP100 10mm Wiley Clapp has fired about 300 rounds. That’s not a lot, especially considering my normal review is around 2,000 rounds, but it’s enough to know that this gun is accurate, dependable, and shootable. With 180 grain Federal HST rounds at 15 yards, point of impact is right where you want it – right behind the front sight. Most importantly, it’s easy to carry it. From March-June of 2020 this was my every day carry, and from August to September it was again. It spent more time in my pants than my college girlfriend. It’s a great gun that’s fun to shoot, easy to carry, and if tomorrow you said I could only carry this gun for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be sad.
