medium-sized revolvers, usually chambered in .38 Special (and later .357 Magnum) but also often found in .22LR. Roughly comparable in size to the S&W L-frame revolvers, popular examples are the Official Police, the aforementioned Python, and the Officer’s Model line. Grip size is on the large side, and trigger reach is slightly longer than their S&W counterparts.
The E/I designation actually refers to two separate frame models which happen to share a large number of parts. Grips, many internal parts, speedloaders, and holsters are generally compatible, which is why they’re usually referred to together. A Python is technically an I-frame, while an Official Police is technically an E-frame.
Like the smaller Colts, there was also a modernized medium frame revolver series. These guns started, confusingly, with the J-frame models like the Trooper Mark III and the Lawman Mark III. The guns had some initial problems, and were quickly redesigned into the V-frame series and designated with a ‘Mark V’ model name: Trooper Mark V, Lawman Mark V. There was also an AA-frame, which was their designation for the stainless steel versions like the King Cobra. The V and AA-frames generally have parts commonality, but the J-frame stands on its own despite being of similar size.
The Colt medium frame revolvers – E/I, J, V, and AA – are very similar in size to the S&W L-frames and can sometimes use the same holsters (as long as the barrel profiles are the same.) I find their grip-to-trigger reach a little larger than their S&W equivalents, however, and of course grips are not at all interchangeable between them.
The largest modern Colt frame was the MM-frame of the Anaconda. These were large revolvers often compared to the S&W N-frame and chambering the same .44 Magnum (and later .45 Colt) ammunition. Available only in stainless steel, their grip size and reach are similar to the S&W. I’ve found that many holsters will fit, though the Anaconda frame seems a little wider than the equivalent Smith. Closely fitted holsters for the S&W may not allow entry of the Anaconda, though the reverse is generally workable.
Ruger’s double action revolvers come in three size ranges. Their earliest double actions, the ‘Six’ series (Speed-Six, Service-Six, and Security-Six) were introduced 1971. They are six-shot revolvers almost always encountered in .38 Special or .357 Magnum, though 9mm examples were made in very limited quantities. Other chamberings were made for export to police and security agencies around the world. They’re medium-sized guns roughly equivalent to the S&W K-frames, with very similar grip size and trigger reach. While roughly the same size, some of the dimensions and profiles are just enough different that holsters for the Smiths may not fit the Rugers. The Sixes were discontinued in 1988 and replaced by the GP100, but not until Ruger had sold over a million and a half of them.
The replacement for the Six series was (and is) the GP100. With a frame slightly larger than the Six guns, the GP is usually compared to the S&W L series of revolvers. The two are very close in size and weight: a four-inch GP100 weighs 40 ounces, while the same barrel on a S&W 686 weighs only slightly less: 38.7 oz. Though of the same size and nearly the same weight as the L-frame, the GP has an advantage over the S&W in grip size and trigger reach. The Ruger has a smaller grip circumference and a shorter backstrap-to-trigger distance, making it ideal for the person with smaller hands who desires a medium-frame revolver. As I’ve noted, my hands are smaller than average for an adult male, and my medium frame revolver of choice is the GP100.
The Ruger SP101 is a compact all steel revolver, generally five-shot and most often chambered in .38 Special/.357 Magnum. Introduced in 1993, it is for all intents and purposes a baby GP100. It looks and acts very much like its big brother. In capacity and chambering it is most like a S&W J-frame, but there the similarities end. It is larger and heavier than any J, and in fact is almost exactly the same size as a Colt D-frame. Many holsters that fit one will also fit the other. The SP101 is the most comfortable small revolver to shoot with Magnum ammunition, owing to its recoil damping weight and its soft rubber grips. It is the only revolver, save perhaps the Colt Detective Special, where the trigger reach is actually too short even for hands in the medium-small range.
Ruger’s most recent entry is the LCR, which is best described as a polymer (plastic) equivalent of a J-frame. The LCR, which stands for “Light, Compact Revolver,” is made of polymer and an aluminum alloy with a steel cylinder. The LCR is currently chambered in .38 Special and .357 Magnum, and boasts dimensions and weight very similar to the lightweight S&W five shooters. The stock grips are of a recoil absorbing rubber material.
The GP, SP, and LCR revolvers utilize a stub grip frame with one-piece grips. This means that the grip is attached to a narrow protrusion from the frame, not unlike the way a Popsicle is stuck on its stick. This gives a tremendous amount of flexibility for replacement grips, as the trigger reach dimension can be varied over a much wider range than a revolver using a conventional grip frame.
The Six series had a conventional frame, but today the only Ruger double action still boasting that kind of construction is the Redhawk. This is a large frame revolver, the rough equivalent of a S&W N-frame, which uses a traditional frame and grip panels. The Redhawk’s trigger reach is very similar to its S&W counterpart. The Redhawk has been made in .45 Colt, but it is best known (and most common) in the original .44 Magnum.
It’s easy to get confused between the Ruger Redhawk and the Super Redhawk. Other than the name, though, there is no similarity between these two Ruger guns. The Redhawk came into being when the Six series was in production, and it’s not entirely unfair to think of it as an enlarged Six. The Super Redhawk was introduced in 1987 and is very correctly thought of as an enlarged GP100, both inside and out. It uses the distinctive Ruger stub grip frame design and in fact takes GP100 grips. The Super Redhawk has been chambered for some of the world’s most powerful handgun cartridges, including the mighty .454 Casull. Its GP-sized grip frame gives it the distinction of possessing the shortest trigger reach of any large bore revolver currently on the market. Even my stubby little fingers have no problem manipulating the Super Redhawk’s trigger!
Difference in butt shapes: round butt on left, square butt on right. Superior concealment characteristics of round butt are obvious.
Butt shapes
You’ll often see references to square and round butts in relation to grips. Some makers, most notably Smith & Wesson, produced revolvers whose grip frames had different shapes. These shapes refer to the contour of the backstrap of the grip frame, and more specifically the shape of approximately the lower half of that frame.
Square-butt guns have backstraps that are relatively straight in the lower half. After an initial curve outward, the grip frame takes pretty much a straight line toward the bottom corner. Relative to the front strap of the frame, the square butt has a slight flare. The bottom corner is sharp, protruding to a point.
Round butts have backstraps that curve in, toward the muzzle, in their bottom half. They present a very rounded profile to the hand, and there is no bottom corner point. The shape often produces a slightly shorter trigger reach than does the square butt.
The round butt has the advantage of being smaller and easier to conceal.
The square butt has a major contact area in the heel of the hand. This tends to push the muzzle up a bit compared to a round butt, changing the angle of the grip. This increases the trigger reach just a bit, and as a result the square butt tends to be preferred by people with larger hands. It’s also a favorite of those who espouse ‘hip shooting,’ as the square butt grip angle changes the muzzle position in relation to the bones of the forearm. This results in the barrel being parallel with the ground when the gun is below the line of sight.
Square
