SP101 vs 640 Pro vs K6s?

[Striker]

All Ruger for me.
The Sp101 is not small, but it handles real .357mags very well.
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Ditto.....I like my J-Frames, but if I only could have one of the three, it would be a 3" SP101.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Just curious. For those of you who have a K6s, have you shot a lot of magnums through them, and do the guns seem to be holding up alright?

 

[SteadyD]

I’ve put 200 rounds of standard pressure 38 and a little over 500 rounds of plus p 38 through mine. No magnums, nor am I likely to. Mine still locks up tighter than any revolver I own. I do believe they are well built but I can’t attest to how they handle magnums.

 

[azrn]

sp 101 357 3 inch will do you right.

 

[Don Dayacetah]

The K6 is a defensive gun, not a plinker. So I haven't shot more than 2 boxes thru it. It handles well and shoots accurately.

 

[valor1]

Wanted the Kimber K6 sweet and smooth action. But I would still go for the Ruger SP101. A little heavier but really built like a tank. Kick it, throw it on the floor and what have you. Oh well, it shoots nicer with the magnums.

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

This may be of interest to you. I am going to be run out of town for saying but when I put my hands on the K6 I started to contemplate it being the only CCW I would need for my purposes and that meant potentially selling off J frames. Keep in mind I have never sold anything . So I decided to document/review my thoughts via video against a couple of really nice and rare 640's, I ended up with a series of videos through this process.

 

[If1HitU]

SP 101 .357 Mag. 3" i'm going back to the grips that came with the revolver. The wood looks good but don't feel good.

 

[Styx]

SP 101 .357 Mag. 3" i'm going back to the grips that came with the revolver. The wood looks good but don't feel good.

I haven't handled or carried one, but they sure do look like they could be used as boat anchors. They look very heavy and not all the concealabe or comfortable to carry... Yet, I see many people are recommending them. Guess I'm going to have to take a closer look the next time I'm at the range/gun shop.

 

[Zendude]

I would have to choose the six shooter. I understand that the K6 trigger is first rate. Therefore, I can’t see any advantage of the Ruger or Smith in this case.

 

[paulsj]

I still own 940 which is same as 640 except for chambering being .38 rimless x19mm. If I had to buy new revolver it would be new .38+P Colt.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Same exact dilemma for me a year ago,I went with K6S and cant be happier. And I am a Ruger fan

 

[AZAndy]

Just curious. For those of you who have a K6s, have you shot a lot of magnums through them, and do the guns seem to be holding up alright?

I have ~600 rounds through mine, all .357, but they're light .357-- 1000fps on the 125 grain, and around 900fps on the 158 grain. (I don't even like full loads in a Model 19.) So far, it's still mechanically like new, everything's just as it was out of the box.

 

[HeavyDuty]

I went through this a few months ago with the same three guns when I decided to pick up a new 3” snub, and went with the K6s. It’s a great shooter with both magnums and 38s. Very accurate, great trigger and compact. I wanted to like the SP-101 but it just seemed crude in comparison.

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

3inch snub if I had to have one I do not know what I would do. The Kimber has 6 rounds but if you ask me with 3inch barrel it is so ugly and unappealing, that would probably push me to the S&W model 640 in 3inch or by pass it all together and go with a 4inch, so much more out there to chose from. On the original question of snub nose between the 3 the K6s is it.

 

[340PD]

Just curious. For those of you who have a K6s, have you shot a lot of magnums through them, and do the guns seem to be holding up alright?

Yes. Still looks and functions as new. In my opinion the K6s is more like a Ruger than a S&W

 

[Sistema1927]

The Kimber has 6 rounds but if you ask me with 3inch barrel it is so ugly and unappealing...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the 3" K6S shoots and handles beautifully and is finely crafted.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Get the Ruger

The S&W safety hole still ircks me.

Not a fan of anything Kimber--so have never bothered even looking at their revolver

 

[Bo]

When I bought my S&W 642 PC, I compared it to a Kimber K6.
The S&W is much lighter than the K6, (38 spl. vs 357mag.), and being a Performance Center pistol, the trigger is , hands down, a much better trigger than the K6.
I have no experience with the Ruger.

 

[bassjam]

3inch snub if I had to have one I do not know what I would do. The Kimber has 6 rounds but if you ask me with 3inch barrel it is so ugly and unappealing, that would probably push me to the S&W model 640 in 3inch or by pass it all together and go with a 4inch, so much more out there to chose from. On the original question of snub nose between the 3 the K6s is it.

I think all the small frame revolvers look a little goofy with a 3" or longer barrel. If I wanted that length I'd probably step up to a k-frame or security six. But, beauty is subjective.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I think all the small frame revolvers look a little goofy with a 3" or longer barrel. If I wanted that length I'd probably step up to a k-frame or security six. But, beauty is subjective.

I agree except for the 3" SP101. The little larger frame makes the longer barrel acceptable to my eye.
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[Sistema1927]

I agree except for the 3" SP101. The little larger frame makes the longer barrel acceptable to my eye.
View media item 94

Rob did a very nice job on that holster.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Rob did a very nice job on that holster.

Yep, that one is pretty nice. They do good work at Simply Rugged. Good functional stuff.

 

[Confederate]

The .357 Magnum round has a very decisive whallop when you decide to use it. Usually, one well-placed round is all it takes to put down a bad guy, but you're most likely never going to have to use it. Chances are, you're going to go your entire life just carting the thing around and never having to shoot it. And even if you do produce it, chances also are the bad guy's not going to ever make you use it. Statistically, he's going to take off or simply surrender. So you're going to probably carry it your entire life and not shoot it to end a fight.


The size and weight of the Ruger SP-101 and the
Speed-Six are so substantial that sacrificing one round
really made it worth it to many.

People who do shoot in self defense also tend not to notice the recoil because of the situation. Practice will hone one's use of a firearm, but carrying it day in and day out is a primary consideration. If you want to shoot the gun well, any of the guns will do. The Ruger's most likely the gun you'd want if you knew you were going to run into a situation where you were going to be doing any shooting. It's built like a tank, but it's also made for shooting magnum rounds day in and day out if necessary. I have a 3-inch Ruger Speed-Six and I love it. It's a great hiking, camping gun. Six shots. Very accurate. I also have a high regard for the S&W Model 66 2.5-inch. But what I HATE is when Ruger and S&W make guns heavier than they need to be. I recall when Ruger came out with its Heavy Barrel Security-Six. It only came out [officially] with the 4-inch barrel, not the 6-inch or 2.75-inch models (though Ruger came out with all sorts of heavy barreled 2.75-inch models). I have one that's my favorite, and it's got a standard barrel and I've got two others that are substantially heavier. They are bull-barreled models and I'm not nearly as fond of them as they remind me of GP-100s. The heavy-barreled 4-inch wasn't an issue, though, as the difference was only that of a couple of first-class envelopes.


The S&W 686 (top) and the Security-Six makes hunting and outdoor use with the latter
a no-brainer. The Ruger is lighter and every bit as stout as the 686. With lighter springs
and a bit of smoothing, the action made the Ruger the perfect outdoor gun, while the
S&W is the perfect range and competition gun.

The gun magazines back then routinely had articles on these guns, especially on how great the 6-inch barreled stainless models were for hunting. They would show writers donning hats and cowboy boots carefully taking aim at off-camera game as the snow came down about them. And there were also the gratuitous photos of the guns (one or the other) with beaded water on them highlighting the guns' resistance to snow and rain. These were things you'd see with Security-Sixes and 66s, but not with GP-100s or 686s. Even if you scoped the damn things, they'd be so impractical that it would be ludicrous showing men in their 50s and 60s trying to aim a scoped .357 with underlugs at anything! (They couldn't even make a case for aiming an un-scoped GP-100/686!) Most writers would rather invest the extra weight in a Model 629 S&W .44 Magnum!

That said, the .357 mag is such a fantastically super caliber for self defense that the extra ounces in an SP-101 is more than worth it.

 

[Crowman]

I’ve got an early six shot Ruger SP101 in 327 Federal with adjustable sights that lives in the dark recesses of my safe. Didn’t bother with picture, didn’t wanna dig it out. There is no comparison between it and the Performance Center 640 Pro Series with night sights and moon clips. The S&W wins hands down. Better trigger, quicker reloads and better sights. There is one other option, the 2017 Colt Cobra. Has better trigger yet,good daytime sights and very easy double action. After I got one, I kicked all my J-Frames to the curb. Now I’m lusting for a 2018 Night Cobra. Got all my
LGS guys hunting. Beautifully functioning gun.


PC 640 Pro Series

2017 Colt Cobra...da bomb!