SP101 vs. S&W J-frame.

I'll stick with my Cobra. It is light, but not S&W Scandium light.

This is interesting. I don't know why, but I just figured that there would be more J-frame fans signing on to this thread, and that the J-frame would be the favorite. The Ruger is more popular than I realized.

I would say that's because most of us are "revolver" fans first and give credit where credit is due.

Almost everyone has a favorite but Smith, Colt and Ruger are all very highly regarded and hard to fault.

broken record...

i eventually traded off my SP101 because it was too heavy for pocket carry. my j-frame fills that need for now. the SP101 is a great gun, but i think it limits itself to holster carry because of the weight, which in that case, i'll be carry my glock.

the SP101 is probably the smallest and best .357 revolver out there, that i enjoy shooting. the weight is an advantage in that respect. also, i think the ruger is much easier to service and take apart, trigger job, etc.

I've got mostly all J Frames, but I really like the Ruger. Reliable, affordable, shootable... that covers it.

I loooove my SP-101 (and my GP-100). It is the 2.25" barrel model with a spurless hammer. I use my SP-101 for pocket carry in a Desantis Nemesis holster. It works very well if I can wear a shirt untucked, which is 99% of the time with me. I'm 6' 0" and weight 240, so it isn't uncomfortably heavy for me to carry in my pocket. I love just being able to stick it in my pocket with a speed loader and go. And it's a .357 magnum, which I really prefer.

I've handled S&W 642s and they didn't lock up as tight as the Ruger, they didn't feel as ergonomic in my hand and the trigger pull wasn't quite as nice.

I love my j-frames, but my SP101 takes the "num" out of magnum.

rd

geojap,
I can agree with most of what you said but come on, the trigger on a M642 isn't as nice as the trigger on a SP-101???

Here is some info on the .327 mag for those who want it.

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-SP101-327.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/327_federal.htm

Pic of Taurus 85 in .327 mag from 2008 shot show. (Want a Smith myself tho)
http://www.gunblast.com/images/SHOT2008/Day3/DSC02524.jpg

Six shot, not five, ballistics of .357 with recoil of .38. Can also shoot .32 H&R mag and .32 S&W. REALLY want to shoot one.

geojap,
I can agree with most of what you said but come on, the trigger on a M642 isn't as nice as the trigger on a SP-101???

Click to expand...

I know it sounds crazy (especially to the legion of S&W fans), but on just the 642 that I was considering buying, the trigger pull on the SP-101 was more consistent all the way through the pull. That is what it seemed like to me anyway. I think the heavier SP-101 parts compared to the lightweight 642 parts had something to do with it. The spring seemed to have much more influence over the pull in the 642 than in the SP-101.

I went to an Academy sporting goods before I got my CCW revolver, and handled their S&W 642 several times, dry firing it and such, after reading about it on the forum here. I really wanted to give the 642 a go since it had such a good reputation. But I just could not take a liking to it, mainly due to the way it fit in my hand and how the trigger pulled on the 642 compared to the SP-101.

The SP-101 is also the handgun I can shoot most accurately, along with my Browning Hi-Power, believe it or not. It just really fits my hand well and is the right weight matched with my body.

I voted "J" frame. I have a S&W Model 642. It is lightweight. I can carry it in a front pants pocket. I've tried S&W Models 37 & 49, Taurus 85, Charter Arms Undercover, and Colt Detective Special--all .38's. I like the 642 the best. You definitely know you're not shooting target loads with +P 135, 148, and 158 grain bullets, but it's not that bad to fire a couple cylinders full for practice.

I voted "J" frame. I have a S&W Model 642. It is lightweight. I can carry it in a front pants pocket. I've tried S&W Models 37 & 49, Taurus 85, Charter Arms Undercover, and Colt Detective Special--all .38's. I like the 642 the best. You definitely know you're not shooting target loads with +P 135, 148, and 158 grain bullets, but it's not that bad to fire a couple cylinders full for practice.

I own and shoot both regularly but prefer the Ruger SP101 due to the way the Ruger handles recoil.

well the results of the poll pretty much sum things up nicely, smith... ruger... can't go wrong with either.

The Ruger SP101 is a good gun but.......

It all depends on what you are looking for. I had a Ruger SP101 and traded it, as I was looking for a small revolver I could carry in my front pocket and I wanted it to be very light. I now have the M&P 360. It weighs just over 13 oz. and is very accurate. The Ruger is a great gun that is very well made. S&W made the gun that I was looking for though!

My first revolver that I ever purchased was a S&W 442 that I added crimson trace laser grips. It is light and goes everywhere that I go. With the FBI load it hits hard and true. Although I own many quality long guns and handguns that offer far more firepower, range and ease of use, the firearm that I own that is most likely to defend my life in a real encounter is the Smith as it is always on my person. I even wear it inside the house in case of home invasion. I normally forget that I even have it on.

That said, I recently purchased an SP 101. It is a far more pleasurable gun to shoot at the range, looks cooler and is easier to unholster. I purchased it to have a belt gun that accepted the same ammo, speed strips and speed loaders as my pocket gun, the S&W 442. On the weekends I will occasionally pocket the sp 101. Over all most versatile gun goes to the Ruger, but the Smith and Wesson is the penultimate pocket gun hands down. If purchasing the gun as a dedicated With You All The Time/Back Up Gun for pocket carry the Smith wins hands down due to ease of concealment and pocketability. As Ayoob once said it can be carried in any dress code short of a nudist colony. For an overall range, home defense, CCW, field back up and plinker buy the Ruger. If your dress code allows you to always carry a Ruger buy the Ruger. If you live in a hot pocket carry only climate or need a deep cover gun buy the Smith.
Best option though is to buy both and when you need more firepower carry both. You will not go wrong with either weapon.

A Ruger for shooting; a J Frame for carrying.

Click to expand...

Had I done that, I wouldn't have had an excuse to pick up the nice old Model 10 I saw at the shop...

Ruger makes great revolvers. I have a couple, and hope to get some more.

However, they make some guns for which I have no particular application. The SP101 is one of them.

(For God's sake, don't interpret that like some people here do. I'm not telling you what to think, what to shoot, or what to buy.)

If I want to carry something, I want smaller and lighter. If I want to shoot something for fun or sport, particularly in a Magnum chambering, I'll take a full-size "sixgun".

I've shot both, and love how a j-frame Smith gets forgotten in your pocket due to the light weight and small size. I prefer how a Smith shoots, too. I have found the Smiths to be more accurate for me in the shorter barrel lengths than the snubbie Rugers. But I do like the feel of the SP101 in the hand, and it tames the recoil of a magnum load better than the j-frames tame +p loads. Having said all of this, I usually carry a Smith 686 dash 4, 2-1/2" in my pocket during the colder months, so weight and size don't bother me. Fortunately, they don't bother my wife too much, either, cause if I was slender it would be difficult to conceal the 686 in a front pocket. Sometimes I like to carry an softball in my off-hand front pocket just to balance things out.

Well, there are J-frames and then there are J-frames.

- If you want a true pocket gun, the Airweight J-frames in .38 Special +P (models 642, 637, 638, etc.) are very concealable and easy to carry. Much lighter than an SP101. Like Hastings above, I "love how a j-frame Smith gets forgotten in your pocket due to the light weight and small size."

However, I personally would not use, for defensive purposes, any current S&W with the poorly designed internal lock. (But S&W did a small run recently of 642s without an internal lock! Snap 'em up.)

- If you want a small .357 Magnum revolver that you can really shoot magnums in, the SP101 is unbeatable. I consider it Ruger's finest revolver. Its competition is the steel frame S&W J-frames like the model 60. They come with the stupid internal lock. The Ruger has no internal lock (so far - act fast!). It is an extremely tough, reliable gun with good shooting ergonomics. Add a Hogue rubber grip and the ergonomics become superb:

http://www.hoguestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=569_2_27_61_398&products_id=3512

Most people find the SP101 a bit too large and heavy for pocket carry. It is a small, easily concealed belt gun. You can load it with .38 shotshells, .38+P comfortable-shooting defensive ammo, .357 JHPs, or even true bruisers like Buffalo Bore's 180 grain hardcast Magnum:

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=100

... that'll make your hand smart some, even w/ the Hogues, but I can assure you, the SP101 will digest that ammo and yawn.

Fine general-purpose handgun for the outdoorsman or -woman.

Whoa! Didn't notice the Frankenthread -- that was February of last year ...

However, they make some guns for which I have no particular application. The SP101 is one of them

Click to expand...

I certainly understand that. This "midsize" revolver is almost as hard to hide as a larger one. On the other hand, it sure is nice.

If I were considering a J frame I would certainly not by a new one.

From what I've seen and handled, I prefer the newer Airweights to the early alloy guns.

I'm not talking about toys here, I'm thinking self-defense. I think the current 642 is about as good as it gets at the moment, for that specialized purpose. Remove the lock if you want; the gun's made well.

To take to the range, I'll take a GP100, 686, etc. if a .357, or an older S&W if .38.

I like old Smiths (among other things). It's just not true that the old ones are all perfect and the new ones are all crap.

Better for carry & a nicer trigger -- my vote goes to the j-frame.

It's just not true that the old ones are all perfect and the new ones are all crap

Click to expand...

That is not what I am saying either. While I prefer the older guns and pre MIM parts there are a couple of Smiths, both revolvers and auto loaders, that I would like to own.

As far as I am concerned Smith went out of business when they capitulated with the Clintons.

If they redesign or eliminate the lock I will do business with them. If not they can do without my money.