Seriously, SP101 .357 Magnum?

[Ultraman]

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Just got back from my third time out with the SP101. Hogue rubber grips. Federal 158 Grain Jacked Soft Point ammo. Tight grip but not a "Death Grip."
I got through 25 rounds this time. They were STOUT but not exceedingly painful. I think that the ticket to .357 Magnum happiness is to EASE in to it.
Next trip I'm gonna try to get through 50 rounds.

BTW after 25 rounds my gun was HOT! Can I damage it by shooting too much at one time?

Thanks, Bill

 

[Cosmoline]

I don't believe you can damage an SP that way. I routinely fire off strings of fifty rounds off speedloaders with no problems. They're tanks.

 

[RyanM]

BTW after 25 rounds my gun was HOT! Can I damage it by shooting too much at one time?

I think the threshold for barrel damage is somewhere around 500-1000 rounds in one minute, depending on caliber. I know with the M-60, you're supposed to swap barrels every minute when firing continuously (550 rounds per minute). Of course, the M-60 fires a much higher velocity round with a much larger powder charge, so it's going to be producing more heat per shot. But on the other hand, the barrel is designed for that kind of extended firing. Good luck shooting that much.

It's definitely possible to damage yourself, though, if you put your middle and ring fingers through the frame when popping the cylinder out. I got a pretty nasty burn doing that, once, when my middle finger touched the back of the barrel. Ouch.

 

[Bronco45]

have owned and shot SP 101s in 357 Mag since they started manufacturing them.

I really enjoy shooting my 2.25" with DAO hammer using the famous old Winchester Silvertip 357 145 grains. Never heard anyone shot with that round complain about a lack of effectiveness.

The Silvertip provides,for me, a perfect balance of accuracy, power, and controllability whether in an SPor a Smith K frame.

 

[Ichiro]

Hot rounds

It's only the hot rounds, and perhaps the hunting rounds, that are uncomfortable for me.

The Mag-tech 158s are fun, fun, fun. And the WWB 110s are super light by comparison. Federal and Remington 125s (not Silvertips) hurt, so did the Remington 180s, which I know is a hunting round. However, I can't say I've persevered long enough with any of them to develop any swelling.

Last time at the range, I fired a box of WWB, a box of Mag-tech, and half a box of the aforementioned painful rounds through my SP. I did find that, if I held the gun limply with one hand about 2" from my face when shooting, the recoil hurt my face somewhat Is there a shooting mask I can buy?

~Ichiro

 

[MK11]

I'm confused. Why would anyone dump an SP101 than can shoot .38s for a 642 that shoots .38s? Wasn't the original problem with .357s, not .38s?

When people talk about the 642, they always talk about what a joy it is to carry. Rarely do they talk about what a joy it is to shoot, even with .38s.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I'm confused. Why would anyone dump an SP101 than can shoot .38s for a 642 that shoots .38s? Wasn't the original problem with .357s, not .38s?

When people talk about the 642, they always talk about what a joy it is to carry. Rarely do they talk about what a joy it is to shoot, even with .38s.

I've been accused of being an illigetimate old curmudgeon, but I say guns are made for shooting. If you don't shoot it, why carry it?

There are those who say you don't notice recoil when the chips are down, but I say you sure notice it in practice -- and if you don't shoot a lot in practice, you won't shoot well when the chips or down. That's why I like the Ruger SP 101 -- it's the smallest .357 that most people can shoot comfortably.

 

[TonyB]

For practice I usually stick to 38+p's...but always shoot at least one cylinder of 357's.....I recently fell back in love with the factory grips(for CCW)but if I'm out for a long session,I use Hogue monogrips.The only 357's I found completely out of hand were the 125 gr.
my current carry load is the 135 gr 38+p's for summer and 357's for winter.
FYI I was getting like 900 fps w/ the 135 gr.(2.25")

 

[cookekdjr]

Ultraman,

I shot a friend's sp101 a few years ago. I do not know what load we used, other than it was .357 not .38.
Recoil was not bothersome to me at all. Not even a little. No comparison to the Titanium/AirLite/Airweight revolvers I've shot with .38's. They hurt like heck.
I think sometimes recoil pain comes down to hand shape, and how a particular gun fits in an individual's hand. It's not always a "recoil sensitivity" thing-sometimes its just of matter of an imperfect fit. JMO.
-David

 

[ArmedBear]

Re the light alloy carry guns...

They don't hurt until you've shot a few cylinders. They shoot just like other S&W pistols. And they're amazingly accurate. It's easy to shoot tiny groups until your hand hurts too much. I'd happily carry one. But I'd practice with the steel version.

 

[sgt127]

I have this theory...We have become a nation of auto shooters..We have all heard "Don't limp wrist it!" With auto's very true...When we try and apply that to a real recoil producing revolver, we are fighting some serious physics. I discovered that by letting my arm ride the recoil a little, it quit hurting so bad...that applies to all the magnums. I was almost to the point of giving up on the high end revolvers until I just relaxed a little. Are full house magnums "fun" to shoot in an SP-101? Not for me, but, its workable.

 

[Bob F.]

SWMBO's SP-101 w/ factory grips is a pussycat w/ 38's, fun with .357 mid-range. Full house mags are a bit much. 10 rds will do it for me. Don't remember what exactly I was shooting when I arrived at that conclusion. Her carry load was the now-defunct 66gr PMC Ultra-Mag. No accuracy at any distance but at self-defense ranges they're said to act like power-saw blades!

Guess I've been reading too many scenarios, but multiple attackers are all too common and 5 rds just ain't enough!!

Stay safe.
Bob

 

[cookekdjr]

Re the light alloy carry guns...

They don't hurt until you've shot a few cylinders. They shoot just like other S&W pistols. And they're amazingly accurate. It's easy to shoot tiny groups until your hand hurts too much. I'd happily carry one. But I'd practice with the steel version.

Actually, I could shoot my Titanium Taurus really well. But it slapped my hand hard on every shot. By the time I hit ten shots, I wanted to quit.
I sold it.
-David

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Sgt127 has it- you have to roll with it -

No locked wrists or elbows. It WILL come up, so don't fight it, just control it. You'll find the groove of control vs. fight with a little practice.

My little 2 1/4" dao sp101 is on it's third set of houge monogrips and nearing the 55,000 round mark. I am happy as a clam with it.

 

[gggman]

I have a S&W 342PD which is an 11 oz. 38spl, and I'd rather shoot my SP101 all day with full power magnums than fire just 2 cyls. full of 38+p out of the Smith. I find the SP101 very managable even with the factory grips. The Smith 342PD is just plain nasty. The Ruger weighs more than double what the smith weighs, and it seems to make a huge difference in the amount of punishment your hand takes.

 

[TimboKhan]

hmm... Well, while I have no doubt that it hurt as much as you say, I shoot .357's out of my snubby 100 rounds at a time on the range with little to no discomfort, and thats generally after 100 rounds of .45 and a few rounds of 9mm. Interesting how different our experience with that round is....

 

[Random Discharge]

Ditto on what Sgt127 said. I shot 158gr. W296 handloads in my SP101 without problems and enjoyed it. I do not have a strong grip or strong arms, but I also take care in my stance to not lock anything down (wrists, elbows, knees, back arched forward instead of arched back, etc.). Letting your whole body absorb the recoil instead of just your hands spreads it out to where you can enjoy shooting some pretty stout loads.