My SP-101 Conundrum

[priv8ter]

Way back in January(was it really just 6 months ago?), I bought myself a Ruger SP-101. Stainless, 2 inch barrel, .357 Magnum. It was the first wheel gun I ever bought, and I bought it sight unseen, never even having test fired one.

I was not disapointed. With .38's, regular or +P, it was more fun than a new kitten. Even 158gr .357 loads weren't that bad. It did give me a great deal of respect for those folks shooting the sub 15oz .357's though. You guys are crazy. Accuracy out to 10 yards was all you could ask for.

But, I came to a realization, that the SP-101 is really something of a 'tweener' gun. I bought it thinking that being the macho guy I am, I would have no problem carrying it on my ankle. WRONG! That thing gets heavy, guess all that durabiity comes at a price. I tried carrying it on my waist, but I have a few auto's that feel better, and carry more rounds to boot.

I guess it wouldn't be bad as a simple to use home defence gun, and .357 is a handy caliber to have in a SHTF situation, but I already know that I am going to be buying a GP-100 sometime in the next few months. That would give me a longer sight radius, and even stronger gun, and a extra round!

So, what does my SP-101 do that something else couldn't do better? I am really thinking of trading it/selling it to finance my purchase of a Taurus 731ti in .32 H&R Magnum...now that would be an ankle gun...

Greg

 

[Erich]

It's very subjective: some folks think the SP-101 is a dandy concealment gun. I tend to agree with you, though: other revolvers are smaller and lighter for a front pocket/ankle gun, and the short bbl makes the SP something less than you'd want for an IWB .357 (personally, I want at least 4" of tube to let the magnum stretch its legs a bit). I got rid of a 2" SP when I ran across a 2" 940, myself.

I'd purely love a 5" SP for a backpacking carry gun. Small, relatively light and easy to pack, but it'd stand up to the Georgia Ammo 158-grain .357s I'd want to carry and it would let them get some velocity behind them.

Anyway, if you feel that there's a better gun for the roles you need, you should by all means get that gun. None of us can tell you you're right, or that you're wrong . . . but I hear where you're coming from.

 

[mcole]

you know there is a 3 and (i believe) 1/4 in. barrel sp101. i've one the these in the .357 cal. much better balance to the gun and clearly more umph from the longer barrel. mcole

 

[Erich]

Yeah, the 3" tube is better probably (though I got the 2" thinking I could front-pocket it - tho it turned out to be awkward as anything) in terms of magnum-juice. Still, I'd like a 5" for backpacking. I wanted to email Jack Weigand to see what he'd charge to cobble something like that together, but he'd stopped taking 'smith work.

 

[Rob96]

I think the SP-101 makes an excellent snubby. I don't like them ultralight revolvers, don't ankle carry, so it fits the bill.

 

[Coot]

The fund thing though about the SP101 is it's ability to take heavy loads day after day...great gun for shooting alot, and unlike my M60 I never worry about it loosening up. Don't know that I'd try and carry it on my ankle, but fits just fine on an Old World belt slide holster.

 

[amprecon]

I recently bought a 3" SP-101 in .357 mag. My wife is not big into guns and I wanted something to keep at home when I'm gone that she can easily use. I have carried it in the waistband while out hiking around and it carried pretty easily. But I think a good leather holster would suit it best.

 

[Bob]

I love my 101. Carry it in front pocket in a pocket holster, or with an IWB holster either strong side or crossdraw. I really, really like the cross draw. I made it to fit my body so it is very comfortable and gun is easily accessable. I prefer a snubby I will acturally shoot and enjoy so I stay away from lighter ones.
Bob

 

[bad_dad_brad]

I would have to agree that as a concealed carry piece the SP101 might be a bit heavy and somewhat large. I have one in a 3" barrel, and I just leave it on my night stand. I think the SP101 in a 3 inch barrel makes it not so in-between, and more of a well balanced easy to wield home defense revolver. Course, then it has that only 5 shot thing, so one could argue, why not go up to a six rounder. But in a pinch, you can still conceal the SP101 if you need to.

For what it is worth, the SP101 is probably a great ladies gun, because it is heavy enough to tame recoil, has those great for small hands grips, and will easily fit in a purse.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I wouldn't trade a Ruger for a Taurus. Excuse me but the internal lockwork of the Taurus is downright simplified (can you say cheap) from its parent S&W design. S&W airweights (Titanium, Scandium, aluminum) are better ankle guns (smaller & lighter) than the Ruger, but personally, I hate ankle rigs. I wore one and had to run once. The rig rode up and then slammed down on the ankle bone. Owwwwwwww! No more.

 

[DBR]

The way I look at it, max for the minimum is SP101 2 1/4" loaded with Remington 158gr SJHP. 1200fps (almost the rating for 4" barrel). Lots of recoil and lots of noise AND lots of power from a small concealable gun.

 

[Preacherman]

You've already commented on those shooting ultra-light .357 Magnum snubbies, and I agree with you - instant carpal tunnel syndrome if you do it too often! I think, though, that the SP101 is the ONLY really strong .357 snub out there (excluding the K-frame sizes, of course!). That's why I have a couple of them in this caliber. For something lighter, I'd go down to an ultra-light Taurus or equivalent Smith in .38 Special, and load it with 158gr. LSWCHP +P (the original "FBI Load"). This will still kick hard in the light guns, but it will be manageable. I'm also about to experiment with the new Taurus 9mm. snub. It's available in an Ultralight configuration, and I think that loaded with +P JHP's, it might make a very good carry piece. However, I'll have to check velocity, expansion and accuracy before coming to a final decision. The moon clips are useful, of course, for rapid reloading - another advantage of the semi-auto caliber in a revolver.

 

[TonyB]

I carry a 2.25" SP101 w/ 38+p+ hollowpoints and I love this gun.It takes a little getting used to the weight,but the gun almost indestructable.I had an Airweight S/W mod 38 and I always felt if I laid down for a nap and rolled over on it,it would break.(I'm a fat guy).So for my money SP101 fits the bill.I use a Desantis thumb break holster between my belt and pants and it works fine.

 

[Marko Kloos]

I'm not a buge fan of the SP101 because of its size...it's almost the size of a K-frame Smith, yet holds only as many rounds as a J-frame (which is quite a bit smaller).

The 731 is a nifty gun, and a great ankle gun...six rounds of .32 H&R Magnum in a lightweight J-frame sized package. I have the 731UL, and I wouldn't trade it for an SP101.

 

[SanduneCC]

For what it is worth, the SP101 is probably a great ladies gun

My wife has a hard time racking the slide on an auto, so I thought the SP101 might be good for her. The DA pull is a little too heavy for her though. Anyone know how can I lighten it a little?

 

[KFD147]

Order a 9# or 10# hammer spring from Wolff. Take off the grips and find the little pin on them. Pull back the trigger and place that pin in the hole at the bottom of the spring guide. Put hammer back down and pull out the spring guide, remembering how it was in there. Remove pin, plate, and spring. Place new spring back on guide, plate, spring and pin. Now remember how it went back in to the handle. Pull hammer back again and remove pin. Test trigger pull. It should be alot easier than factory pull.

I did this on my 9mm 3" and the pull was outstanding. And I have not had a FTF due to a light hammer.




Thanks
Jason

 

[444]

I am sitting here watching a baseball game/surfing the internet/playing with short barreled revolvers. I got the hankering the other day to take out my snubbies out for a day at the range. I like to spend the night before dry firing and playing. I have a S&W Model 36 and Model 60. A Colt Detective Special. And a Ruger SP-101. This is nothing scientific or factual, but I don't see the SP101 being significantly heavier or larger in size than the others. In fact, just holding them in my hand, the Colt feels heavier to me than the Ruger. The Smiths are definitely lighter. When I hold them up to each other, the Ruger is bigger; by fractions of an inch.
If I was going to be carrying them, I would go for the Ruger in .357. No way in heck I would trade a .357 for a .32 Mag.
This is one of those subject where IMO, people get carried away. We start dwelling on fractions of an inch and a few ounces of weight. I normally carry a 1911. The difference in size between that and these is HUGE. So why worry about little tiny differences ?

 

[priv8ter]

I agree, in theory

444, I agree that fractions of an inch aren't that important, in theory.

I am a federal employee, and I work on the Nuclear Submarine Base, in Bangor, Washington. I don't get to carry at all at work...not worth the risk of doing 10-20 in Leavenworth. So...I never get comfortable carrying my gun. It never feels like a part of me, and the larger the gun, the more I have the urge to fidget with it, so, in my case, those fractions of an inch couple of ounces make a huge difference.

Greg

 

[rage]

The Ruger SP101 snubby is definetly not a "tweener".

With the right grip(hogue rubber in my case), it shoots as well as a S&W 586 or 686 snubby....it can handle the firepower. Even with the larger hogue grips, it conceals better than the heavier Smiths or GP100.

It's a great weapon in it's own right. I carry one every day, unless I feel like a Glock 30 would be more appropriate.

 

[444]

priv8ter
Don't get me wrong. I understand that guns are different things to different people; that is why they make so many different guns.
I don't carry very much at all. I can't carry at work and I spend probably half my life at work (our normal work scedule is 1/3 of your life but I work a lot of overtime). I also live in a small town with a very minimal crime problem. So, I only carry once in awhile. However, I would think that they fact that the gun doesn't feel a natural part of you would make the small differnces less noticable.
But, definitely get what you feel comfortable with. Just try not to analize the thing to death.

 

[Gary A]

Lendringser wrote, "I'm not a buge fan of the SP101 because of its size...it's almost the size of a K-frame Smith, yet holds only as many rounds as a J-frame (which is quite a bit smaller)." I agree with this observation in just about everything except the conclusion which illustrates how different folks can agree on the facts but not the meaning of the facts. I tend to look at the SP-101 as a revolver which is only a little larger than a steel J-Frame .357 but which is probably as strong or stronger than a K-Frame Smith and is quite a bit smaller. Comparing my SP101 to my 2" roundbutt Model 10...the SP101 is smaller, most significantly in grip length. We are both correct, IMO, just seeing things from different perspectives. Lendringser seems to see a largish J-frame in the SP101 (a negative) and I see a smallish K-frame ( a positive). The beauty of the marketplace. There is a place for both to-may-toes and to-mah-toes.

 

[twoblink]

I found the SP101 to be a great homeD gun. Stick it in the nightstand.

125gr 357Mag's loaded, will keep you and your family safe at night.

When SHTF, I believe in Revolvers. Only 1 manual of arms; the trigger. Pull it, hear a click?? No Tap-Rack-Bang. Just pull the trigger again!! Tough as nails, and a small paddle holster will make it ride in the small of the back just fine.

Loaded with 38's, I've found it to be the perfect into gun for taking first time shooters (and mostly women) with it. Big guns intimidate women, and also, they usually don't have the wrist strength to hold up a 6" for more than half a second.

With 38's, it's still a pussycat, and very very accurate for the barrel size.

So homeD, and first time shooter pistol. It fits perfectly here.

I agree, trading a Ruger for a Taurus is not a good idea. The SP101's got dual lockup, and will eat anything all day long, for the rest of your life. The Taurus is far from that..

 

[Sunray]

Your ankle is a silly place to carry any firearm. Too hard to get at in a hurry. Put it in a proper holster on your belt and it'll be much better. And SP's are heavy because they are strong. A heavier handgun means faster recovery times.

 

[Erich]

"A heavier handgun means faster recovery times."

Which you'll need in order to allow for the extra time to pull back the SP's heavy trigger!

SanduneCC, my wife never got to where she could pull the DA trigger on my SP with ease, and her DA shooting was downright horrible with it. I didn't go to a lighter spring because I always worry about light strikes, particularly with a defensive gun. The SP's trigger did get a little lighter after a lot of dry-firing (actually recommended in the Ruger manual), but not light enough for Gina. She's perfectly happy with the Smiths and the Colt Police Positive, though.