Ruger Revolver Range Report

[Sergei Mosin]

Today I took my three Ruger revolvers to the range, two of them for the first time.

I started out with my new (to me) .357 LCR. I had previously put 75 rounds through a range rental .38 LCR, so I was somewhat familiar with the gun's operation. The first box was plain old 130-grain .38 Special ball. I was immediately glad I had bought the heavier .357, as recoil was noticeably softer with these rounds than with the .38 gun. Fifty rounds - no problem.

I am a little short on defensive ammo in .38 and .357 at the moment and could only spare a few rounds for testing purposes, the rest being reserved for carry in this gun and my GP100. So I fired three Golden Sabers, two .38 Special +P and one .357 Magnum. Recoil still wasn't bad with either - the .357 had a lot more flash and noise, but that was all. That was encouraging.

Next up was some heavier .357 ammo, Fiocchi 142-grain FMJ-TC. This scared someone two lanes over with the noise and flash - but it was actually fun to shoot in this gun. Painful after a few cylinders, stout enough to draw a little blood, ridiculously loud, blinding white fireball - but also very accurate in this little gun.

So I have changed my tune when it comes to the use of the .357 ammo in the LCR. I won't be carrying full house loads, but I will carry a medium magnum load such as the Golden Saber when I can find them, preferably something flash-suppressed. Cementing this was the easier extraction of .357 cases - .38 cases tended to hang up, but .357 cases popped right out.

***

Next was a more familiar gun - my GP100. It eats .38 Special ball like popcorn and it likes those Fiocchi 142-grain .357s too. It had been a while since I practiced with it, so it got a little exercise. Rather anti-climactic after the LCR - pretty heavy too!

***

I always like to end a range session with a .22, and I was really looking forward to breaking in my new SP101-22. I've had it for a month but my range time lately had been spent preparing my wife for her concealed carry class, so I hadn't shot it yet.

Unfortunately it was a big disappointment. On the third cylinder it spat a little lead, and when I loaded up the fourth cylinder it wouldn't close. Even after I dropped the rounds it still wouldn't close completely, and I only got it back open with great difficulty.

Took it home, cleaned it and oiled it, and it appears to be functioning fine, although I haven't test-fired it yet. I have no idea what caused the problem. Can anyone help?

***

Overall, it was a good day at the range. Happy with the LCR, still enjoying my GP100, and disappointed in my SP101 - but hopeful that it's just a little hiccup. Guns are fun.

 

[Cosmoline]

My guess is there was some debris that made one of the rims proud, but I don't know how much clearance that model has.

Handguns tend to fuss over certain .22LR and be fine with other brands. Just mix and match and see what it likes.

 

[Crashbox]

Sorry I can't help with the SP101 .22 issue- I have one myself and no real problems other than an occasional misfire. Rimfires are indeed a finicky bunch, Cosmoline's advice is sound IMO.

Might have had some sort of debris on the star which subsequent cleaning cured the difficulty...?

 

[Sergei Mosin]

I think it was debris under the ejector star. Rookie mistake. Nasty little mark where the ejector rod dragged but hopefully that's all. Even completely clean, though, the ejector rod stands farther out the back of the cylinder on the SP101 than it does on the other two and starts to drag earlier.

Also, my hand was pretty sore the next day - and today, too...

 

[Crashbox]

The one drawback IMO with the SP101 .22 LR is that the trigger must have a garage door spring in its assembly... it is one STIFF bugger.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Back to the range today with different ammo for the SP101. Like the rest of my .22's, it responded well to Federal bulk. No problems. Should have known better than to buy those Remington Golden Bullets I tried last week, even if they were the only thing I could get at the time. Shot up the rest of that box in my 1911-22 (which also experienced some problems) and I won't buy any more. I like Remington's centerfire stuff, but that experience confirmed what I'd read about their rimfire ammo. Never again.

 

[Stress_Test]

Now that you've got your feet wet with the LCR, step up to the Remington UMC semi-jacketed HP, 125gr. It's a crowd pleaser!

Wear eye protection!

I shot that Fiocci 142 load in my last range session, and that was a reasonable power level for the LCR I thought. Still after about half a box I was ready for a break.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

The Remington UMC semi-jacketed HP, 125gr is my go to round for my Rossi 462. I've only chronoed the ammo with a buddies chrono on two different occassions but on both I got over 1200 fps. Not really anything amazing when compared to a service size 9mm but against the smaller semi-autos it's a fine compromise to me.

 

[firesky101]

Now that you've got your feet wet with the LCR, step up to the Remington UMC semi-jacketed HP, 125gr. It's a crowd pleaser!

Wear eye protection!

I shot that Fiocci 142 load in my last range session, and that was a reasonable power level for the LCR I thought. Still after about half a box I was ready for a break.

Eye protection indeed. That stuff throws a lot of powder, and flash. Still really fun to shoot.

 

[BaltimoreBoy]

There is nothing more fun than taking some full house .357's to a darkened indoor range with a 2" barrel and having the adjacent lanes think you are using a flame thrower.

 

[batmann]

FYI---At the NRA Convention in St Louis last year, I was talking to a Ruger rep about the, then new, SR22 pistol and my query was reliability. His reply was, to say the least, interesting. He said it will/should shoot anything BUT Remington.