OK, so there are 3" SP101s out there

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wow6599

wow6599

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Well, I started a thread a few days back (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=522699) about where all the 3" Ruger SP101s were........and today I traded in my 4" GP100 and a little cash for a NIB 3" SP101.
I went to a shop about 45 minutes from my house that I had never been to and right when I walked in the door......there it was. No range report yet, but I'm sure it was worth my year or two of holding out on a 3" instead of getting a 2.25".

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No range report yet, but I'm sure it was worth my year or two of holding out on a 3" instead of getting a 2.25".
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You are a smart man for doing so in my estimation. And very patient.

Nice score.
 
Yeah, but was it worth giving up the GP100? Think I'd have saved my pennies over the months you were looking for a 3" and bought it in addition to the GP! Regardless, the SP is a great gun, so congratulations on the purchase.

... and don't forget that range report!
 
Congrats!

I love my 3" SP101 in .357, bought it last fall. I primarily carry it while poking around in the woods as it seems to be the perfect size: small enough to carry any way I want but big enough to be shootable. I generally shoot 158gr HP's with 6.0gr Bullseye, tame recoil, no flash, and plenty of energy.
 
congrats. i've been thinking of picking up a sp-101. i'd have simply saved up my money, though, since a gp-100 is not a gun to be sold imo.
 
IMHO, it is the perfect 357 wheel gun for CCW! Points like a dream, shoots anything you feed it and built like a tank!
 
As far as giving up the GP100.........well, I have a S&W 686 SSR PRO and a Ruger Security Six and the GP100 just never did it for me. What can I say?
 
You made a great swap! I have never really been moved by the porky L frames and GP100s, just too much weight to give me a reason to own them. I have a 6.5" Blackhawk for field use and no DA gun is going to replace that for hunting. I have an excellent pair of Taurus 66s, the 3" being a belt carry and the 4" being a field carry and the four inch is a tack driver, will shoot all day long into 1" at 25 yards with .38 wadcutter and 140 Speer JHPs in magnum caliber. 1.5" is typical for my 165 grain SWC load.

I would sorta like another SP101, this time a 3" model. My Taurus carries well, but it's a square butt and the grip is bigger under a shirt. The little SP101 carried SO easily IWB or OWB. Awesome little revolvers, too, stronger than the 66 or K frame equivalents. IMHO it's every bit as strong as any L frame, just by design, and is lighter and a whole lot easier to carry, even lighter than a K frame!

I may get another some day with a 3" barrel, but as I don't carry a belt gun that often, it's low on my priorities. I mostly pocket carry either my ultralite .38 or my 9mm sub compact or a certain Radom P64 in 9x18 makarov.
 
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I doubt I'd like those Pachmayrs just looking at 'em. They don't fill in behind the trigger guard like the Hogue. The trigger guard beat up severely on my middle finger which is fat enough without swelling. The Hogue took care of that. Besides that, I like finger grooves. They index the hand to the proper position on the draw.

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I can respect the 3 and 3/16 barreled SP101 but I like my guns like I like my women: with some grip on them.
 

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I tried the Hogue rubber and they are just too dang grippy for me, my shirts stick and climb up on the grip :(
 
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OK, I need advise on a good OWB CC holster (or pocket) and a front sight; I know it's not a target gun, but that front sight sucks. Suggestions?
 
Good gun. I actually just traded mine for a NIB SW 637. It just fit my need for a small revolver better.

But the 3" SP101 was a fantastic revolver. It was accurate and wasnt to bad with .357s.

But for me, I want my carry revolvers smaller and my woods revolvers bigger.
 
Congratulations on your near-snub SP101! I recently acquired a 3.06" for myself, after owning the snubbier versions for quite a while, in anticipation of my retirement from "peace officering." (I borrowed that term from Frank Hamer.) I have yet to see one in person, but I like the idea of the gold-insert front sight offered by Gemini Customs. One of my SP101's Trijicon front sight is well past its half-life, and I am thinking of replacing it with one of Gemini's sights. I have seen the gold insert front sights offered by other entities, such as the S&W Performance Center.

Holster? I am very partial to the Milt Sparks PMK, for guns from SP101 up to at least K-frame in size. Of course, that will require patience, unless a Sparks dealer such as Lightning Arms Sports has one in stock. I used Galco Concealables for my snubbier SP101s before I got my PMKs. (Yes, I did indeed carry two SP101s at the same time, for a while. I may do so again, when I tire of lugging a double-stack pistol.) I am not sure if Galco makes the Concealable for the 3.06" SP101.

FWIW, I prefer the factory grip for both the SP101 and GP100, over the Hogue or Pachmayr, but we are all different in how our hands are built. It seems someone at Ruger has hands much like mine!
 
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I love my SP-101 so much that I got another one when I found it. Now that I've become a fan of the GP-100, I'm thinking about selling one of the SP-101's, but I'll still definitely be hanging on to the other!
 
Definitely switch out the grips to a Hogue.

I personally wish I would have got a 4" GP-100 myself. Next decision is whether or not I really want an LCR and whether or not to wait until next month when the LCR 357 comes out. That should be interesting..
 
I Love mine! Goes great with a Simply Rugged holster and Eagle Secret Service grips...I just used model paint on the front sight, that made a world of difference.

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