[45R]

Would a 3" SP101 make a good trail gun for most 4 legged critters in CA?

[WonderNine]

I had a 3" one and I couldn't hit anything with it. And it was pretty heavy for a small gun with that full barrel underlug.

[Jim March]

Heh. Well most people shoot 'em pretty accurately :).

Against cougar and stray dogs, no problem. A hot 125grain defense load like the Cor-Bon (pulls over 1,400fps from a 3") would be best, and would of course work well for "two legged rattlesnakes".

But those would be light for boar and just not enough for black bear.

You probably COULD get some heat out of something like a 200grain Cor-Bon hardcast, and get 'em moving fast enough to hurt the latter species. Probably. But the recoil will be out of control. NOT recommended.

A 4" or 6" GP100 is preferred. That gives you follow-up control on the monster loads. Gets 'em moving faster, and the longer sight radius and better sights (on adjustable sight models) means your hit probability goes up.

[MikeJ]

A somewhat bigger gun but a much better shooter IMO is the 3" GP100 and you also get six rounds vs. five out of a SP101.

[Jim March]

The 4" GP100 with fixed sights and the smaller grip (there are two GP100 factory grip setups, interchangable, fixed-sight guns come with the smaller one about SP101 size) will conceal well but give hot hunting loads the velocity they need.

That's the smallest woods duty gun I'd recommend, at least DA. SA, the 45LC Bird's-Head Vaquero is even easier to pack :).

[RandyB]

I've had two of the Sp-101 one in the 2 inch and on in the 3 inch barrel versions. The 3 incher shot more accurate than my GP-100 in 4 inch and as accurate as an old Taurus 66 in 6 inch. I'd feel fine carring it in 125 JHP for 2 legged and 158 grain for 4 legged critters. Of course the 4 inch GP-100 (or other 4 inch .357) is a great gun and would do well. I'd agree that any .357 would be a wee bit light for my tastes on hogs and bear.