Ruger SP-101 What's the deal ?

[Landric]

David E said:

EVERYONE seems to like their Ruger SP-101.

I sure do.

To me, it seems unnecessarily heavy and clunky. But at least it has a horrible factory trigger pull.....

Depends on how you define unnecessary. Its heavier than S&W J-frames, but its also a lot tougher. I don't find it clunky at all, but stoutly built. The SP did have a pretty bad trigger for a long time, but a lot of the recent production ones have triggers that are much better than current factory S&W triggers.

Yes, I agree it's a tank of a gun, solidly built, will outlast any owner, etc, etc, etc.

Which is one of the things us SP101 lovers love about them.

But for the roles most people praise the SP-101, I have other guns that for me, fill those roles better.

If that is the case, then the SP is not for you. That is fine, its the reason we have choices.

I was thinking, tho.......what would it take for me to like the gun? Well, it would have to fill a role that, in its current configuration, does not.

Too heavy for a pocket gun, too little capacity for a defense gun....

I pocket carry mine all the time without any issue, so for me, its not too heavy for a pocket gun. As for capacity, 5 rounds of .357 is enough for me in gun. I carry extra ammunition and a BUG on the off chance that I am both unlucky enough to be involved in a gun fight and to be in one of the even smaller number of fights that requires more than two or three rounds. Capacity is simply not a big concern for me.

But, if it had adjustable sights, it would make a dandy trail gun. Chambered in either .357, .327, or even .22 LR or .22 magnum, a 3" barreled SP-101 fitted with rugged adjustable sights (not the stupid "adjustable" rear sight blade Ruger put on the .22 version) it would cover many bases afield for me. Make the .22 versions 8 shot with an aluminum frame for weight concerns, and it'd be a tough gun to beat in that role.

I think an adjustable sight version would be great for a trail gun. There was a .22 LR version offered for a while with either a 3" or 4" barrel and the silly rear sight you mentioned. I suppose it was dropped for a reason. My choice would be the 3" .357 version since handloading with my own cast bullets makes .38 Special almost as cheap to shoot as .22 LR while offering the option of using much higher performance ammunition also.

What work have YOU done to your SP-101? Or want to do? What would make it perfect for YOU ?

I think the 2 1/4" DAO .357 is perfect for what I use it for. However, I would very much like to see a SP with a 2 1/4" barrel with an enlarged cylinder window and bigger cylinder chambered for .44 Special with a 5 round capacity. You know, a tough as nails version of the Charter Arms Bulldog Pug. Add a front night sight and for me make it DAO, and I'll be as happy as I can be with a small revolver. IMO the only thing the SP is really missing is an optional big bore chambering.

 

[19-3Ben]

Oh yeah, whawork has been done on it?
Well, I loved the gun so much that I sent it to Gemini Customs and had Mr. Morganti work it over.

 

[win-lose]

2.25" 357 sp101.... Best 5 shot 357 on the market. I mostly pocket carry mine.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

But for the roles most people praise the SP-101, I have other guns that for me, fill those roles better.

I tend to agree, and traded mine in on something else (at a loss, for what turned out to be a lemon:banghead My Kahr PM9 has replaced my small-frame revolvers in that niche. However, this is the only small-frame revolver (IMO) that is truly a shooter's gun, i.e., controllable and accurate with even the hottest .38 Spl. loads and at least tolerable with .357 Magnums.

 

[Ichiro]

The SP-101 is simultaneously the largest/heaviest .38 revolver and the smallest/lightest .357 revolver I ever carry. It's a tweener/compromise revolver that works in a variety of roles but specializes in none.

Just my own observations and preferences here, but if I had to rank the shootability of various revolvers I've owned on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd do it like this (all double action, .38+P, including one-handed, weak and strong hands):

2 - SW 642 with stock grips
3 - SW 60; old .38sp model with small Hogue grips
7 - SP-101; 2" DAO with Pachmayr Compac grips
8 - SW model 10, 4" with stock grips
9 - Ruger GP-100, 4" with stock grips

For convenient carry, I'd rank them like this:

2 - Ruger GP-100, OWB
2 - SW model 10, OWB
6 - SP-101, IWB clip holster, fanny pack, heavy coat pocket
8 - SW 60 (with ext. hammer), pants and coat pockets, fanny pack, IWB clip
9 - SW 642, all of the above, but no external hammer and a bit lighter

Considering the whole picture, the SP-101 is the best revolver of the bunch for my needs.

 

[Elvishead]

9lbs hammer spring. The gun is perfect for what is is.

Nobody else has a better .357 for its size.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Well David E, if it makes you feel better, I'm not a fan of any revolvers lol

 

[T. Bracker]

I have the M60 with the 3 inch barrel, and it is about as heavy as I want to go for pocket carry, unless it is in a heavy winter coat.

 

[one45auto]

I owned a Ruger SP101 for many years, but I sold it for many of the reasons you mentioned. I replaced it with a Smith & Wesson Model 642 and couldn't be happier.

 

[David E]

A friend favored the SP101 as a defense gun until he did some chronographing. It didn't do well enough to merit keeping it compared to a Kahr P-9 (which has more shots, easier to shoot, easier to carry, faster to reload, etc, etc.)

If any of you SP101 owners have a chrono, could you please chrono some 125 grain JHP loads and report the findings?

 

[Cougfan2]

Here's my SP101 that I had Gemini Customs work on.

 

[Landric]

David E said:

If any of you SP101 owners have a chrono, could you please chrono some 125 grain JHP loads and report the findings?

I already did, from the 2 1/4" SP101:

Federal Classic 125 grain SJHP, 1293 fps average
Speer Gold Dot 125 grain JHP, 1242 fps average

I haven't chronoed them in my 3" SP yet, but I would expect to see some improvement. The Federal Classic averaged 1424 fps from my 4" S&W 681-3.

Of course I carry a 158 grain SJHP in mine that does just over 1100 fps out of the 2 1/4" barrel and high 1100's in the 3" tube, and its not quite a full power loading. Find me a 9mm that will do that.

The 2 1/4" SP averaged about 100 fps more than the 124 grain +P Gold Dot 9x19mm did out of my HK P7 while having a significantly shorter barrel than the HK. As I said, I carry heavier bullets in my .357 Magnums, but the improvement was enough over the 9mm with the 125 grain bullets that I would stick with the .357.

 

[Rexster]

One big thing I really like about the SP101 is that I can grab and shoot it fast and well in spite of an imperfect grip. I can't do this consistently with anything smaller. It is not that I don't like my S&W J-snubs, one a virtual 642 built as a 90's GOTM by the PC, or my old-school Model 40-dash-nothing, but they place greater limitations on my shooting ability.

It is good to see the pics of the Gemini Customs! I couple of my SP101 snubs were worked over by Jack Weigand, who no longer does custom 'smithing, but whose influence is still seen in Marc Morganti's work, and whose work is attributed on the Gemini website.

As for the factory trigger pulls of Ruger DA sixguns, well, a few years ago, somebody shook up the production line, because the Ruger factory has been delivering Redhawks, GP100s, and SP101s with MUCH better trigger pulls than in years past. This happened about the time Ruger started delivering the 4" Redhawks, with much commentary in articles and internet posts regarding their smoothness. I have bought two SP101s made since that time, and one came with a truly wonderfully smooth, if heavy pull, and the other has one small hitch early in the DA cycle, but a smooth finish. The former I plan to leave alone, the second will get some attention to that rough spot. There is no hurry; that one, with the longer 3-1/16" barrel, is going to be my retirement carry gun, at least some of the time, and I am not ready to retire just yet.

I cherry-pick my Rugers at a couple of large local (Houston) dealers, so I have handled quite a few lately.

 

[David E]

I already did, from the 2 1/4" SP101:

Federal Classic 125 grain SJHP, 1293 fps average
Speer Gold Dot 125 grain JHP, 1242 fps average

And there we have it. The Corbon 115 JHP goes 1350 fps from my 3.5" barreled 3914. This actually edges out the 1293 fps load in foot pounds of energy, (465.3 to 464) but kicks less, holds more shots, etc, etc.

Still, I'm becoming more intrigued by the SP101.....

 

[makarovnik]

Pretty close to being a perfect carry revolver. I like 'em heavy oh yeah baby.

 

[Rexster]

David E, I have nothing against the hot 9mm as a defensive round, but I presently use, or have access to, several other weapons chambered in .357 mag, from my wife's Rossi '92 carbine, to my former duty GP100, to a really slick 4" spurles-hammer Speed Six that was a former regular carry gun, and is now a household defense gun that all the responsible adults in the home know how to use. I makes sense for me to keep using my SP101s.

My 3953, in which I carried 9BPLE, an LE-only +P from the era before ready public access to 9mm +P, now resides with a dear friend, who can keep it as long as needed. I wouldn't want it protecting her if I didn't think 9mm +P was not a very good defensive round.

 

[Cougfan2]

Rexster, I bought the SP101 that Marc at Gemini did a little over a year ago and while the trigger pull was consistent with no creep, it was quite heavy. Marc did a wonderful job of both lightening and smoothing out the trigger pull. He can do just a trigger job if that's all you want and that was how my request to him started out, but after seeing his work and hearing comments from others I went the whole nine yards. The only thing I didn't have him do was make mine DA only. I had him retain the SA trigger pull.

It is has replaced my DW CBOB as my daily carry piece.

 

[Rexster]

It is quite true that Ruger revolvers still have heavy trigger pulls. They did not start installing lighter springs. As for me, I generally leave the springs alone. As I age, there may come a day I need lighter springs, but for now, I like the extra whack on the primer.

FWIW, in the early 1990's, I installed lighter springs in my then-only GP100, and experienced some light strikes, that did not ignite primers. I re-installed the factory mainspring, but left the lighter trigger return spring in place. Things have worked well ever since.

My Weigand-customized SP101 snubbies, of course, seem to have lighter springs, and as they work fine, I leave them in place. I make it a point to mostly practice with my guns that have factory springs, so I don't get used to lighter pulls. I am not fazed by 12-to-14-pound factory trigger pulls, if they are smooth. This is not bragging; I am nobody's athlete, but do work police patrol, and the strength needed to struggle with a resisting bad guy is much greater than that needed to fire a stock revolver 50 times on a qual course.

 

[Cougfan2]

Rexster, while the DA trigger pull on my SP101 is much better, I wouldn't call it light. It's still probably in the 8-10 pound range. Don't have a trigger pull gauge so I am guesstimating. Marc included a lighter spring when he sent it back to me, but as I have no problem with the trigger pull as it is and have experienced no ignition failures, I have left it as is.

 

[goon]

Overall, I love my SP-101. A better trigger wouldn't hurt but I can shoot it as is and a trigger job (at least a little polishing) is something I can do myself so long as I'm careful. I can carry my SP-101 almost anywhere with a good belt and a Silver Dollar Pancake holster from Rob Leahy. I do forget it's there. I have the same holster in a bigger version for my GP-100 and although the GP is a hunk of steel, that holster also keeps it comfortable enough that I have had to reach back while hiking to confirm that the gun was still there.
On the SP-101 kit gun, I love the idea! I'd really like to have one in .22 LR with an eight shot cylinder. Keep the steel frame but make the barrel more S&W like without the full underlug. That should shave some weight off. And put some good adjustable sights on it!

 

[Old John]

I'm content with mine.......

Both of mine are great, for CCW. I use a Galco strong side open top pancake holster. Or just shove one in my hip pocket to walk the 85 yrds down to the mail box, in the evening.I only shoot .357's in mine.
I never feel undergunned. Best 27 ounces a guy can carry, AISI.
Have fun!

 

[OrangePwrx9]

I like mine because the double-action ISN'T silky smooth....Well actually it is pretty smooth, but I can still feel what's happenin'. It tells me when the cylinder lock drops in and, from that point, I know it's a very short pull until the hammer drops. That gives me a chance to clean up the sight picture and focus on the squeeze over that last little bit. IOW, it's easy to stage the trigger for each shot.

My Ruger Security Six is the same way, and I've always shot it very will due to the ability to stage the double action. In fact, the SP101 was purchased because it allowed me to carry over what I'd learned with the Sec. Six. As a result the SP101 shoots quite accurately also....when I can see the sights.

I will admit, the sights are pretty minimal and almost disappear in some lighting conditions. To fix that, I installed Crimson Trace grips. They seem to work well.

If the trigger pull is your main gripe, I'd suggest learning to shoot the Ruger for what it is instead of trying to turn it into a S&W. The cues it offers in the course of its less-than-perfect double action pull can be used to your advantage. That, plus some extended dry firing practice will make the trigger about as nice as you'd want.
Bob

 

[lexjj]

I'm a big fan of my SP101, and it is my wife's favorite gun.

It comes down to shootability in a small(er) package. The gun is just heavy enough to make it manageable and ensures that it gets a routine workout at every range trip. The handle is just ever so slightly longer than the typical J-Frame stocks. That allows me to get my whole hand on it - no pinky dangling.

 

[texas bulldog]

i like my SP a lot, and it's my primary carry gun. but since the focus of the OP was what would make it better, here goes...

1. sure, the trigger pull could be lighter. i haven't messed with the springs on mine and have no immediate plans to do so, but i'll certainly acknowledge that my L-frame smith has a much nicer trigger. of course, it's much bigger, and i would want to conceal it in my normal attire. so it's a trade off, and it's not a big enough deal to me to install lighter springs.

2. a 6th shot. the 5-shot capacity doesn't bother me, per se. capacity is not real high on my list of needs (obviously...otherwise i would be carrying something else). but i'd love it if the SP had the same capacity as the similarly-sized detective special.

3. no ruger billboard on the side of the barrel?

other than that, there isn't anything i would change. i personally like the weight, as it makes heavier loads much more shootable. the uberanium S&Ws don't much interest me. if i were going to carry a S&W instead, it would be a 36 or 60, not a 642. i carry the SP IWB using a clipdraw, and my pockets are already well spoken for anyway.

adjustable sights also don't much interest me on a carry gun. i can see how they would be nicer on a trail gun, though.

i sometimes wish i had bought the DAO version. maybe i'll swap the hammer one day.

 

[JJE]

When I got my 3" SP101, I thought it was un-shootable because of the heavy trigger pull. It turns out that the stock grips (as well as the similar Pachmayr Compacs) are EXACTLY wrong for my hand, so that I get about zero leverage when I pull the trigger.

Fortunately, I found grips that put my finger lower on the trigger face and make it feel like a different gun - it's still not a "nice" trigger, but I don't feel like I need to do any work at all to the gun.

Unfortunately, the only grips that seem to work for me are the horribly ugly Hogue monogrips. Every time I look at them I wince.