[amprecon]

I did it, it was between the 3" S&W 60 or the SP101 and the Ruger won out. It is slightly heavier, but I'm sure that'll help tame the .357 loads. It had to have a 3" barrel for better accuracy, power and balance and we heavily prefered fixed sights. But another consideration was the design of the Ruger.
Having owned both Smiths and Rugers, I felt that the Ruger could better withstand continuous hammering of .357 rounds than the J-framed S&W could. That's just my feeling, it could be that S&W's could stand up to as much or more under scientific testing, but I just don't feel that way about it.
I don't plan to use much .357's in it, I'll probably keep it stoked with .38's for my wife to have around, but it's just the idea that it "could" last longer under hard abuse that makes it more desireable.
Plus the model 60 has a larger front sight and an adjustable rear sight which looks like it could snag on clothing quite easily, the fixed sight SP101 has a cleaner profile.
BTW, traded a 5" 625-6 for a new SP101, the 625 was too large and impractical for what we needed in a HD, SD, carry gun.
I'm sure I'll be happy with it considering my previous Ruger experience which was a 4" GP100 and 5.5" Redhawk, built like sh*t brickhouses.
I'll be picking it up next week, will be a loooooong week, very much looking forward to it.

[Sisco]

You gonna like it! Add some Wolff springs & dry fire a lot it'll break in just fine.
The only thing I didn't care for was the small factory grips. I put a set of Houges on it and liked them a lot but then swapped them for a pair of Speigel boot grips. They were good too but I came across a pair of Eagle secret service grips in rosewood. Looked so purty and felt so good I just had to have 'em.
I also added a Trijicon front sight. Not because I really needed one but 'cause I wanted one.

[V-fib]

Welcome to the club! I also have the 3" and the only change I've made was to add some CTC laser grips.

Have a blast! :cool:

[who me]

I also have a 3" I bought a few weeks ago and it's breaking in nicely. :D

[MikeK]

I have the 2 1/4" and love it. If I didn't already have a 4" S&W I would probably have gone with the 3". I didn't like the stock grips and switched to Hogue cocobolo's. They feel and look great!

Still have the SA Loaded? I think we got ours around the same time when you were back East.

[amprecon]

Nope, could never achieve acceptable accuracy with it so I went back with a Glock 21 and am not looking back. I just hope they let the hi-cap ban sunset so we all can get back to normal.

[Charles S]

amprecon,

Congratulations, I think you will really like the SP101. I know I really like mine. Mine has been very accurate and was fed a steady diet of 357s for a long time. I generally shoot more 38s now.

Charles

[colinsky]

I was so surprised when I first started shooting my SP-101. I'd been renting 4" 686's at local ranges, but I wanted something smaller for a (potential) carry weapon. Then one day I handled an SP-101, and it felt like an integral part of my hand.

So I bought one, a 3-incher, and went to the range, and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. Huh. I'd been shooting real good with the 686. "The bad guys were safe from me today," I told the range guy as I paid my tab at the end of the session.

My first impulse was that the gun was defective. I posted on The Firing Line asking for advice, and people gave me all kinds of useful suggestions. First of all, I fired from a sandbag rest, and the gun was very accurate. So it was me.

I practiced and practiced, following the advice, and pretty soon I was keeping all 5 shots inside 5 inches at 15 yards, one-handed off-hand. Nothing special, but it was good enough to give me confidence I could hit my target in a pinch.

The surprise was a month ago when I visited my brother in Santa Barbara and took him and my late-teen nephews and a few friends to the rifle range in the mountains. I demonstrated my accuracy with the SP-101, and then shot my brother's 6" 686...and I was hitting the eyes off of flies. Cripes. Training with the SP-101 gave me a huge increase in accuracy with the bigger revolver.

Everybody was banging away at a green milk crate 100 yards away and 100 feet up the hill, and nobody was coming close to it. I grabbed my friend's 6" GP-100 and loaded it with .357s, and took careful two-handed aim. It was so far away that I guestimated and aimed two feet above the plastic box. Pulled the trigger, and then saw a spurt of dust...two feet above the plastic box. Huh.

So I aimed right at the box and nailed it on the next shot. Everybody exclaimed. Nobody else hit the box that day.

So. The SP 101 is a marvelous gun. And it has made me a better shot with every other handgun I've shot since. (My other brother is perplexed about how I'm suddenly able to outshoot him with his 9mm Beretta.)

[Jim March]

You're not the first one to notice this. Dealing with a short-radius sight picture isn't easy; once you have a steady enough hand to do it well, shooting a longer tube is a breeze.

[twoblink]

What I have noticed with the shorter sight radius is that once you get great at it, your long sight radius shooting REALLY improves just like Jim said.

DRY FIRE.. a LOT!! That will smooth things out... I use to dry fire while watching TV.

I have mine so well cleaned and lubed that the longest record I have for the cylinder to spin is 15 seconds! Cool huh?

I have the 2" version, and with 38Spls, it's very accurate, enough to cloverleaf (surprisingly) at 7 yards. 357's are a bit hard to control.. I had to change the grips to a Hogue before I got any decent groups with 357's.

[Kahr carrier]

Congrats on your new SP101 ,good choice Ruger makes a good product and stands behind them.:)

[Sisco]

Got around to taking a new pic of my SP

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=179124

[10-Ring]

I doubt you would have gone wrong w/ either. The SP is a nice little revo! Congrats :)

[Nick96]

In my opinion, the SP 101 is kind of like the Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord of the handgun world. Not particularly spectacular at anything - but completely adequate for 95% of daily needs. You will probably find that it is the center point against which all other handguns in your collection (past, present or future) will be measured.

[amprecon]

Received the call from the gunstore today, the gun is in. I'll go tomorrow between classes to pick it up. Guess I'll get no sleep tonight.

[amprecon]

Picked it up today and wow! This is a nice handy little piece and points nicely. The grip seems just a tad too short though, I'll have to see how it does at the range tomorrow. My wife seems thrilled with it, moreso than with the 625. I bought a box of UMC FMJ .38's for the first time out. I might have to start loading for this thing because I think I'm going to like shooting it alot.
With the 3" barrel it feels like the perfect size.

[Charles S]

If the grip feels too short for you try the Houge Grip it really helps. I really like mine, although I might eventually have to try a set of Eagle Grips.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=109092

Charles

[bad_dad_brad]

I really like my SP101 .38+P with a 3" barrel. It is pure solid quality. My nightstand gun. Good choice.

[Sisco]

The Hogue definately gives a better grip than the factory especially if you have large hands.
I have a pair of Craig Spegel Boot grips that are smaller than the Houges but somewhat larger than factory I'd be willing to part with.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=185435

[Felonious Monk]

Those are the exact grips I have on my 2" SP101. Until I get my Lasergrip. Then, it will be just about the perfect HD revo IMO.

[amprecon]

Took it out today. It seemed to shoot low left, but I think it was self-induced. I got a little frustrated with the paper so I set up a soda cup filled with dirt out to about 20 yards and hit it a couple of times so I felt better. I then broke out the Glock 21 and shredded it.
The grip is not only just a little short but thin also which is no surprise since the Glock 21 fits my hand perfectly.
Nontheless, I feel pretty confident in tagging a life-size target within that range and maybe further. Recoil is pleasant with the UMC .38 MC loads I used. All in all, it's a keeper.

[Nick96]

Amprecon,

Shooting to the left is likely more your doing (as is the natural tendancy with most right handed shooters). But shooting low is a common observation with the SP101. You will likely find that the heavier weight bullets tend to shoot a little more to point of aim than the lighter ones do. I'll leave it to others to explain why such is the case. In my 2.25" SP, 158 grain .38's shoot closest to point of aim - 110 grain .357's shoot way low. I've managed to over come the "to the left" issue with some practice though.