New SP101

Mitlov said:

Candidly, right now I don't even have any .357 Magnum in the house at the moment. I might get some for camping trips, but I think 99% of what I shoot with this will be .38 Special. The selling point for the heft and build for me was "makes .38 Special comfortable to shoot," not so much "is capable of firing .357 Magnum." I've shot the LCR and Airweight at the range and both were physically unpleasant. I'm not going to practice as regularly as I should, and my wife certainly isn't going to practice regularly, if practicing is painful.

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Can your wife complete the trigger pull on the SP-101?

Do not believe the SP101 cannot handle any .357 load. It can, easily. I regularly shoot heavy Buffalo Bore from mine and it is like new. I don't know why anyone thinks otherwise, but it is a plenty stout revolver.

Do not believe the SP101 cannot handle any .357 load. It can, easily. I regularly shoot heavy Buffalo Bore from mine and it is like new. I don't know why anyone thinks otherwise, but it is a plenty stout revolver.

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I expect large men could say that, but where is the empathy for people that are different, perhaps more typical?

I nearly gave up on my SP due to the trigger guard bashing of the knuckle of my second finger when discharging 357. A lovely Hogue one piece wooden grip solved that , and made the revolver very attractive to the eye as well.

A keeper , for sure.

RealGun said:

I expect large men could say that, but where is the empathy for people that are different, perhaps more typical?

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I am not especially large, and am no real fan of massive recoil, but I have put enough heavy rounds through mine that I know what to expect should the need arise. The beauty of the SP101 is that it can handle such a wide range of loads if necessary. If you need to shoot hardcast 180 grain .357 loads the Ruger can handle it. True, it is not anybody's idea of a hand massage, but if you had to pick one revolver that could be pressed into service in most any situation, from concealed carry to bear defense, the SP101 is probably the ideal candidate.

And a big +1 to the Hogue grips (mine are rubber) to avoid finger bashing.

With a proper fitting aftermarket grip they are my favorite to introduce new shooters to center fire revolvers after we do the 22 thing.

I really like my SP101 with one covenant

I really like my SP101 with one covenant. It works flawlessly with jacketed bullets but shooting 38 SWC and RN lead bullets I will get a little lead blow by that tightens up the center shaft the cylinder rolls on. Causes a slight tightness and binding. Only happens with lead bullets never jacketed ones.


I've run a few thousand 38 SPL thought it now and it is a very accurate snubby.

Welcome to the wonderful and addictive world of wheel guns.

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That's the truth! 2 years ago I had one revolver, a Governor. I had no interest in getting any more because I much preferred semi-autos. Fast forward two years, and I now have more wheel guns than semis.

Mitlov said:

My wife framed and built an outbuilding on our property with lumber she hauled and cut. Yes, she can pull the trigger just fine. She's recoil-adverse but certainly not weak or frail.

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No disrespect intended. The reason I asked was that I could not complete the trigger pull on it, the instructor said it was because the gun (presumably he meant the grip) was too small for my hand. Unfortunately when trying rented guns you only get to use the grip that's already there.

Re the Hogue monogrips that many mention in this thread, I could not stand the finger grooves. drband here kindly told me they make the same one but without the grooves, that's what I got for my 686. It's much better for me than the factory grip, which is the wrong shape for my hand, but I don't like how far it comes down behind the trigger guard, my middle finger can't do its full job. If not for that it would be perfect, I really like how the back part fills my palm. Being that everybody said if I've never used a dremel this is not a good project to learn on, I think I'm going to go the Herrett route.

Mitlov:
...she can pull the trigger just fine. She's recoil-adverse...

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Opposite of my girlfriend, She's a recoil junkie but could use some work on her trigger control! haha

Tried the Hogue monogrip and hated it. For larger hands, I can see why it'd be great. But fit small hands, it forces my hand too far down the grip. So I swapped it back. Might get wood side-panels for the stock grip purely for vanity though.

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I understand this, but if a replacement grip doesn't fill in behind the trigger guard, you continue to get your knuckle rapped, causing you to either think poorly of shooting the gun or to downgrade your ammo.

I got a chance to get to range and do a little experimenting with the DAO with standard grip. I found that shooting strong hand only some rounds were definitely no thank you, no more. IMHO low recoil Federal 130 grain hydra shoks are not! Silvertip 145 grain are the max I can control, 110 grain Winchester are real tame and 158 grain Federal hydra shoks are a definite 2 hand hold proposition. I have small/ medium hands and get a full grip. I will keep the grips but have ordered replacement inserts from Sack Peterson
(Elk stag).

Good choice. I bought one for my wife (her choice), and I like shooting it as much as she does. If she's thinking about CC, get her an lcr. Have fun,
Kcace

In my experience a grip change was an absolute necessity for discharging 357 mag from the SP101. My "bird" finger knuckle was getting seriously banged up by the trigger guard. A set of Hogue one piece wood grips cured that problem very nicely.

Mitlov,

Glad to hear you're liking the gun. Had a feeling you'd be happy with it. If you're looking for a holster, Simply Rugged makes s nice pancake holster for it.

The Pachmayr Compac is a great grip to try. It isn't as long as the Hogue and lets you hold it very similarly to the stock grip.

For what it's worth, I'm in the camp that doesn't think the SP101 is bad with .357. Wouldn't hurt to give it a try and figure out whether it works for you with them or not. The reduced-level .357s might also be worth checking out such as the Remington 125 Golden Saber or the Corbon 125 DPX. Both are closer to 1200fps out of a 4" than the oft spec'd 1400.

Rated from a 2.5" barrel K frame model 19, five out of seven loads for short barrel 357 in the Speer manual are below 1200 fps max. All but one are well below 1200 at min.

If not reloading for the small 357, I don't know what else you would use except Speer Short Barrel, which is a 135 gr.

The same bullet in the full power loads, shot from the same model 19 but with a 6" barrel shows 1200-1400. The arrays of powder are the same, so the comparison can be easily made. Powder for powder, the velocities go up about 100-150 fps.

Rather than simply dropping to 38 Special, sort of surrendering to recoil, the real ammo that I think fits the gun for range use is outside this Speer range and requires reloading. The gap between 38 Special +p max and 357 min. is where I tend to find the sweet spot for the small guns.

Using Power Pistol as one of the three common powders between 38 Special +p Short Barrel and 357 Magnum Short Barrel:

38 +p - max 6.4 rated 845 fps

357 Magnum - min 8.6 gr, rated at 1046 fps

The little 357 gun load range then is, for one example, 6.4 - 8.6 gr Power Pistol w/ the 135 gr bullet (GDHP SB), 845-1046 fps, .357 Magnum cases, standard primers..

ref: Speer #14

These grips made my SP101 quite manageable for shooting 357. No more mashing of 2nd knuckle.

Mitlov said:

My first introduction to revolvers! I know the SP101 isn't generally considered sexy and certainly isn't new or fancy, but I'm over the moon about it. I've got smaller hands and unlike the 1911 I sold, it doesn't feel a size too big for me. At the same time, I didn't want an ultralight snubby that would be punishing every time I went to the range. The SP101 seemed like a perfect fit.

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Nearly the entire reason I want one is because it is one of the sexiest, best looking revolvers I have ever seen! And I hate revolvers! That is a beautiful gun right there and I have heard a lot of good things about them. Congrats!

The Pachmayr Compac is a great grip to try. It isn't as long as the Hogue and lets you hold it very similarly to the stock grip.

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+1
Another vote for Pachmayr over Hogue. The rubber tactile differences are what swung me over to Pachmayr instead. I hate the stickiness and clinginess of Hogues and for a CCW piece that is a big deal.