Ruger SP101 22LR

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The G&A piece was released early, it wasn't supposed to run till after Ruger announced the new gun. I get the impression Ruger's not too happy about it.
The company says they're hoping to start shipping in August.
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That article saved Ruger a sale. I was going to buy a Taurus Tracker in 22lr. Now that I can wait for my preferred revolver brand, I will.
 
I've also heard that some gunsmiths are actually able to preform trigger jobs and some people replace cheap springs or remove a leg to lighten the pull if they personally want it lighter or if they got a gun with a gritty trigger and they don't want to shoot it smooth....
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What you say is true. But my personal philosophy is that the maufacturer should make it right out of the box. Why spend money with a gunsmith after the fact unless it is something special when I can simply buy a S&W and it will be okay right out of the box? You still have to put up with the Ruger sharp edges which I dislike.
 
What you say is true. But my personal philosophy is that the maufacturer should make it right out of the box. Why spend money with a gunsmith after the fact unless it is something special when I can simply buy a S&W and it will be okay right out of the box? You still have to put up with the Ruger sharp edges which I dislike.
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I swear, Smith owners have got to be the most self deluded people on the planet. I've played with many Smith revolvers (and hell, I even own an old school K-frame)... and know what? This mythical Smith "great" trigger that's so much nicer than any Ruger just doesn't seem to exist. My GP100's trigger is nicer than any 686 I've tried. My k-frame's trigger in SA is excellent, I admit, but in DA isn't as good as the GP100. My SP101's trigger is about 1000x better than the trigger of the J-frame I used to own. Same goes for the trigger on my wife's LCR.

I just don't see this trigger difference everyone swears by.
 
The smith K, L, and N Frames have the capability to have better DA pulls than the Ruger for a couple of reasons.
  1. Those frames mentioned above use leaf springs, so the tension actually reduces at a point in compression, instead of stacking as with coil springs.
  2. Smiths tend to lock up later than Ruger's timming. This keeps much of the torque down to a minimum.

Don't get me wrong. I like Rugers. I've had many, and cut my centerfire teeth on a Security Six. I also will be purchasing the new SP101 22LR. I also recognize that Ruger has some advantages over the Smiths.
  1. Rugers are less likely to loose their timing.
  2. Rugers are inherently stronger.
  3. Rugers seen to be less likely to jam, due to a variety of issues. See below.
As a student many years ago, I worked in a gun store / pistol range for a few years. I noticed that the revolvers with the most problems, between Rugers and Smiths, tended to be Smiths. It seems that S&W's timing is more likely to be an issue that the Rugers, and crud seems to lock a Smith up faster than it does with Rugers.

Nevertheless, my collection of Smiths totals 12-14, and the Ruger count is sadly behind. I'll be doing something about that in August.
 
Rabb, try looking at 22 revolvers; not centerfire revolvers. I am quite content with my GP-100 (357 mag). I sure wish Ruger would smooth off the sharp edges on the hammers and triggers however.

By the way, I'm not a "Smith guy" at all; I'm a Colt guy. But I have been buying S&W revolvers over the last 5 years or so with some regularity. However, my last purchase was actually a Colt. I have learned that most of the N-frame Smiths are most excellent. The smaller revolvers are okay. Nothing wrong with the K frame size either.
 
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I would love one of these
and if Ruger is listening a GP100 10 shot heavy barrel full lug target 22lr would be a great companion for the SP just sayin lol
 
I would love one of these
and if Ruger is listening a GP100 10 shot heavy barrel full lug target 22lr would be a great companion for the SP just sayin lol
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I would buy this too.

Ruger, while you're at it, I'd pick up a 6-shot .327mag LCR for my wife if you made one.
 
I saw the article yesterday. With so little detail, and such poor photos, I did not feel compelled to purchase the magazine. (G&A is shamefully dumbed-down from their glory days.) In spite of impending changes to my life, that will see me selling off many of my firearms, I am tentatively planning to purchase the first .22LR SP101 I can find, assuming it checks out OK.
 
Smiths tend to lock up later than Ruger's timming. This keeps much of the torque down to a minimum.
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Really? Is something wrong with my GP100? It doesn't lock up until just before the hammer falls. My 686 locks up by the time the trigger is halfway back.

This mythical Smith "great" trigger that's so much nicer than any Ruger just doesn't seem to exist.
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Between my GP100 and 686, Ruger wins the DA pull by a hair. With the caveat that the trigger reset isn't nearly as good.

The Smith wins the SA by a mile... despite the fact my GP100's SA trigger is excellent. Either one is better than any of my other firearms, target .22's and rifles included. But the Smith trigger is just unreal. Zero takeup. Zero overtravel. I don't understand why it works. I wouldn't hesitate to call it mythical. :)

But back to the original post. I'm glad to see this revolver making a comeback. But for some reason, now that I know it's going to soon be available, I want it less. Isn't that how it always works? :)
 
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My 686 locks up by the time the trigger is halfway back.
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I must confess, I don't own a 586/686, but I do own 8 K-Frames, and 6 N-Frames. I would classify your L frame as odd compared to those.
Regarless, there is a reason most competitors use Smiths for DA work. The action is just potentially better, even if not better from the box. Don't take it personally, Ruger makes a fine DA revolver.
 
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Between my GP100 and 686, Ruger wins the DA pull by a hair. With the caveat that the trigger reset isn't nearly as good.

The Smith wins the SA by a mile... despite the fact my GP100's SA trigger is excellent. Either one is better than any of my other firearms, target .22's and rifles included. But the Smith trigger is just unreal. Zero takeup. Zero overtravel. I don't understand why it works. I wouldn't hesitate to call it mythical.
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I did note that the SA trigger of my k-frame is great. :D But I don't think I've encountered a revolver with a BAD sa trigger, other than maybe my nagant revolver, so I guess I judge revolver triggers by DA, and in stock models, I never see how people say Smith is so much better.

Competitors clearly use Smiths, so obviously they can be slicked up nicer. Can't argue there.
 
I didn't think I'd ever want a .22 DA revolver but after having become a fan of the SP101 I want one of these. Maybe Ruger will produce a .357 SP101 with a 4.3(is is the extra .3" because of possible sale to Canada), I've wanted a SP101 in 4" for some time and it would make for an excellent carry gun, or maybe follow S&W route and go with 5" like they did with the model 60. It'd be cool to own a SP101 in .357 magnum in 5", 3 1/16", and 2.25" for a full set. Oh and one of these .22s.
 
A couple of companies have been charitable to us Canucks by making 4.2 to 4.3 inch barrels. And believe me, we appreciate them. Ruger is one such company. Their 4.2 inch GP100 has sold well up this way. Well.... as well as any revolver sells in this age of semi automania. There's a similar amount of intrest in the annoucement by S&W that they too are coming out with a 4.2+ inch barrel Model 686.

But I thought that the California laws also played a part in this. Don't the rules for that state separate the class of gun at 4 inches as well? Any other states have a barrel length classification delineation of this sort as well?

Considering that ALL of Canada likely would not buy as many such revolvers as California would in a year it's hard to believe that this was done ONLY for Canada.
 
Dang!

Now I'm carrying a The Holy Grail, a Colt Woodsman (1938) right now. I have a Ruger MKII, a Colt Officers Model Target, and two M1911 types with conversion kits (Colt Service Ace and Ciener) in the safe. Do I need an SP 101 in .22 LR.

Hell, yes!
 
I'm glad for Ruger that there is a lot of excitement about this gun. I think it will do great, just like the SR1911 seems to be doing so far.
 
Guess Ruger isn't going to make one of their "big" announcements about it being the greatest 22 revolver of all time. :)
 
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