New to Forum buying new SP101

coondogger said:

460Shooter, is that a Simply Rugged pancake holster? Very nice.

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That is a real piece of art and craft that caught my eye too, but I don't usually invest in tooling for a holster to be concealed.

coondogger said:

460Shooter, is that a Simply Rugged pancake holster? Very nice.

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It is. Great holster. My only complaint is that on a warm day the pores of the leather seem to open up and some of the oxblood dye will rub off on your clothing. It seems to come off in the laundry machine though. I also notice that periodically there seems to be a waxy residue on the holster that wipes away with a paper towel.

I assume it's a normal byproduct of whatever leather treating practice they use, but my knowledge of leather work is very limited.

wizened curmudgeon said:

I am new to the forum 'though I have read the messages for years. I recently bought a Ruger SP101 three incher and would like to ask some questions of SP101 owners. I have owned Mark IIIs in the past as well as Mini Thirty but have never owned the wheel guns.

I've read the reports of hard gritty trigger action in the past and want to know: Just shoot to loosen action or do a hammer/trigger spring work and polishing? Also I have small hands for a 190 lb. grizzened dude, will the stock grips be okay or do I need to look at other grips? Thanks for any info on these matters.

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My wife owns a 357 Magnum SP101 w/ a 3 inch barrel. It's fitted with an exposed hammer spur (Which I think necessary in any small short-barreled revolver.) and a rubber Hogue Monogrip. The Hogue grip fits, both, her own (diminutive) hands as well as my, somewhat, large hands.

I DID have a local pistolsmith smooth out and polish the internal trigger mechanism. I did NOT change the springs; and, for an EDC piece, I do NOT think anything like this is necessary. Polishing the friction points and, MAYBE, adding 'friction washers' should be enough. (Personally, I didn't add 'washers' to my wife's SP101; and neither one of us has missed them. Her SP101 is tight enough and accurate enough to shoot smoothly without them.

If you want to know more about what makes a Ruger SP101 'tick' as well as how to do an action job then take a look at THIS video. The SP101 is a small, but somewhat heavy, revolver that is VERY STRONG and able to stand up to prolonged practice sessions without wearing out the shooter's hand(s). (Unusual in small revolvers!) My wife and I have often shot her SP101 until it was, literally, way too hot to handle with bare hands. It's a very strong gun and has never, so much as even once, 'hiccuped'.

Glock Doctor said:

My wife owns a 357 Magnum SP101 w/ a 3 inch barrel. It's fitted with an exposed hammer spur (Which I think necessary in any small short-barreled revolver.) and a rubber Hogue Monogrip. The Hogue grip fits, both, her own (diminutive) hands as well as my, somewhat, large hands.

I DID have a local pistolsmith smooth out and polish the internal trigger mechanism. I did NOT change the springs; and, for an EDC piece, I do NOT think anything like this is necessary. Polishing the friction points and, MAYBE, adding 'friction washers' should be enough. (Personally, I didn't add 'washers' to my wife's SP101; and neither one of us has missed them. Her SP101 is tight enough and accurate enough to shoot smoothly without them.

If you want to know more about what makes a Ruger SP101 'tick' as well as how to do an action job then take a look at THIS video. The SP101 is a small, but somewhat heavy, revolver that is VERY STRONG and able to stand up to prolonged practice sessions without wearing out the shooter's hand(s). (Unusual in small revolvers!) My wife and I have often shot her SP101 until it was, literally, way too hot to handle with bare hands. It's a very strong gun and has never, so much as even once, 'hiccuped'.

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With all those accolades, I am going to guess you are shooting 38 Special in it.

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I recently purchased one after give revolvers another go and I really do like it. The grip inserts are described as "shockwood" and I've purchased both a Trijicon XS front sight and a 9lbs spring kit.

RealGun said:

With all those accolades, I am going to guess you are shooting 38 Special in it.

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Good one! But, no, I've never owned a 38 Special (Only) pistol; and I never will. I have, however, owned numerous 357 Magnum pistols which I used to reload for. I always bought 357 Magnum (+ 1/8") cases; and then I loaded them down to, more or less, 'hot' 38 Special velocities.

I DO like my wife's Ruger SP101; and I've often 'borrowed' it from her. I thought long and hard about what I was willing to let her carry; and after she was nearly carjacked, one night, she really started leaning on me to give her one of my guns; but, quite honestly, I really like the woman; and I just couldn't see her carrying a striker fired anything!

The SP101 has also endeared itself to me because it really is a small revolver than you can take to the range and spend an hour, or two, practicing with; and PRACTICE is important for anybody's EDC. By the way I did two things with her that really helped to bring her along and make her unusually fast and accurate with her little Ruger:

First, I forgot to tell her that a 357 Magnum is a tough pistol to shoot straight. Instead I just picked it up, blew out the centers of a few targets, and told her 'That's how it's done!' as I handed her new pistol to her. (I still smile to myself whenever I think about how easily she picked that pistol up and began shooting it straighter than many men I know.) Second, I bought her a pack of 357 Magnum A-zoom snap caps, and showed her how to practice double-action shooting while continuing to hold the front sight up and on target.

Armored farmer said:

Mine is 2.25.



View attachment 231597

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Ha! My wife has a book - "101 Ways To Use Zucchini". It looks like you found number 102. And yours is the best way in my opinion!

The 3" SP101 is the perfect 'one handgun' - it will do it all, from light .38 target practice to heavy .357 hardcasts for bear protection. If you only have one handgun, it is an excellent choice. And it will outlast your grandkids.

A word of advice - if you start shooting heavy .357, get Hogue grips or similar to protect your second finger from the trigger guard.

Nice looking SP 101's every one , I have a Ruger TALO SP101 , and I'm not sure if it was because it is a Talo, but the trigger has been just fine, and will most likely get better as time and more dry firing as well as putting more lead through it goes by, the SP 101 is a fine gun, I have several revolvers as well as auto's , but I have a real fondness for these carry revolvers, they're reliable accurate and fun to shoot, even if they don't have a lot of rounds aboard, thanks for sharing all your photos, it's much appreciated...

460Shooter said:

It is. Great holster. My only complaint is that on a warm day the pores of the leather seem to open up and some of the oxblood dye will rub off on your clothing. It seems to come off in the laundry machine though. I also notice that periodically there seems to be a waxy residue on the holster that wipes away with a paper towel.

I assume it's a normal byproduct of whatever leather treating practice they use, but my knowledge of leather work is very limited.

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I have a Simply Rugged pancake for a Ruger Super Blackhawk. With a Jake Belt (Theis) you hardly even know it's there.