SP101 vs GP100

[76shuvlinoff]

All these years and I can happily report I finally have my wife shooting a handgun she is not intimidated by, a well worn 4" .38 revolver. I did not invest much for fear of another disappointment. Over our 25 years together she has rejected all my autos no matter what I spent on them.

It is time to buy something of quality and substance for her. This would be a house gun for her so no concerns about carrying. Since there was success with the .38 I would like to purchase a .357 so she can work up to it if desired. For the money I like Rugers. The SP101 and GP100 are top of the current list. I like the GP for the 6 shot capacity and being a heavier gun I assume it would have a lesser recoil with the same loads. I like 4" for a house / range gun. I fear 6" might be heavy out front?

We have been working on DA and SA shooting. She likes to plink a little using SA but that and all above means little if it has a heavy or gritty DA trigger.

Are we on the right track?

 

[EVIL]

Are we on the right track?

I would say so - the 4" stainless GP 100 would make a great Range/House gun - a real easy shooter in .38 SPL. The SP101 is a mild shooter in .38 SPL too - but since you have no intent to conceal or carry - I would definitely go with the heavier, six round capacity, 4", GP 100 for your stated requirements.

 

[oldfool]

you doing great, 76shuvlinoff, on track
while both the GP and SP are excellent choices, now that she is acclimating to 38s..

as a 'in-house gun', 357s loads are a tad loud and really really bright (muzzle flash) in low light, as you no doubt know. So I would not myself be inclined to overplay the need
for 357 power. 38+P in a 3" or 4" barrel size will do for me and mine, but that's just our preference, need not be yours, or more importantly her's.

Milady's all-time favorite is the 3" SP101, and it is our 1st and quickest available to hand house gun, works just fine for both of us. Very comfortable shooting 38sp and handles 38+P every bit as easily as a 6" k-frame, plenty of heft to mitigate felt recoil. Only other similar I can think of myself (we don't own, tempting though it be) is the 3" S&W 60 Pro

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Thanks folks

The GP100 DA trigger out of the box: good, bad, ugly?

I had to "doctor up" the trigger up on the beater .38 she is working with. It's pretty smooth now and tripping at 9.5 lbs.

 

[GP100man]

GP triggers of late have been as good as Ruger ever put out !!!

4" Stainless Steel revolver is as good an all around weapon as they come !!

The 6" half lug GP balances `bout the same as the 4" full lug , but are fewer in between.

& don`t forget ,for smaller hands the compact grips will make it more controllable & concealable if it were to enter into the equation.

 

[oldfool]

GP triggers, opinions vary
some like 'em better than S&W triggers, some prefer S&Ws
I don't think it's a better/worse thing myself, I think it's just a personal preference thing, and that you would have to shoot a lot of both before deciding which is "better" for you.
Nor can you fairly compare small frame revolver DA triggers vs large frame revolver DA triggers.
Most shooters would likely agree that the out-of-box SP DA trigger is stiffer than full frame size frame GPs or S&Ws, pretty much how it usually is for any/all brands.

I just happen to be an old model S&W woobie freak, that's all

PS
my last edit got lost in cyberspace...
think about looking at extra nice old S&W k-19/66, 6"
great egronomics, pert-near perfect 38+P, and can shoot 158 gr 357 JHP all day long
k-frame trigger one of the best out of box ever was
works for our his-n-hers pair of 66s
woobie thing maybe

 

[pearsonm]

My wife and I just shot a 2" SP and 4" GP back-to-back Wednesday. We both really enjoyed the GP but hated the trigger on the SP. The SP action was so long and stiff that she was pulling the gun way off target. I've been told that the SP accepts modifications well but we've decided that for our purposes (fun and home defense) we’ll just go with a 4" GP (or maybe a 686) knowing we'll like it right out of the box with the option of making it even nicer on down the road.

I was especially disappointed with the SP in that my wife was fine with the recoil (we were shooting .38's) so we would have had the benefit of concealability. If and when we pursue a carry weapon I'll start a new search starting with S&W snubbies and single-stack 9mm's.

Hope that helps. You might want to check out the thread in the Revolver forum titled '3" 38/357 Realistic as a Starter?'. There’s some excellent info in there.

 

[sixgunner455]

What "worn 4" .38" does she have now? If it's a S&W K frame, and she likes it, you may be done looking already.

 

[19-3Ben]

One thing that I have found to be an important factor with my wife (note that women, like men, are individuals. Just because my wife is a certain way, it doesn't mean that all women are), is weight of the gun. My wife doesn't really like anything north of about 30-35oz (give or take a little).

A 3" SP101 is just about perfect for her. Easy recoil with .38s, effective load, and she can shoot it for a long time without fatigue.

 

[-eaux-]

I'm a Ruger fan, all around. If I had to choose between the two, I'm going with the SP101. That's purely me, your mileage may vary. (pic I took of myself on my own trailcam because it was an amazing shot that I couldn't duplicate in a thousand years)
PS. oh yeah, with a 2"bbl SP101 .357mag

 

[roaddog28]

Ruger GP100 is a great all around revolver. A perfect house gun. The SP101 is a good revolver but I would not recommend the SP101 as a house gun. I have had a GP100 and enjoyed it. I sold it because I have too many 357 magnum revolvers. The only thing I would say is make sure if you buy a GP100 to check the double action and overall action of the trigger. Sometimes Ruger will make a run of GP100s that have poor triggers. Lately they have been good but I had to have a trigger action job because of the trigger hanging up which prevents firing a round. My revolver was new. This does happen with the GP100.
If your wife does have a S&W 38 special then she might not need another revolver. Looks like from your comments you have had trigger work done on the revolver. If the revolver is a K frame she may not like the action on the Ruger. They are two different types of actions and break differently.
If this was my wife, I would let her make the decision. You can always rent a SP101 and a GP100 at the range and let her try both. You maybe surprise at what she prefers.
Good luck,
Howard

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Thanks all
the "worn .38" is a neglected Taurus 82 I bought for nearly nothing, 1) to see if I could save it and 2) to give my wife and daughter something to train with. I never had a revolver open before but had little to lose. I scrubbed it down to bare steel, cleaned out the action, polished every internal moving part with 400 grit, cut two coils off the hammer spring and 1 off the rebound spring. The results were 9.5 lbs DA and 4 lbs SA. I hit the thing with a few coats of permablue and called it good.
With the 1st time home smithing mods I am not really comfortable to use it for much more than plinking. Functionally it works great for her and now I'm shopping for an upgrade.

 

[GLG20]

If you decide on the GP, here is the difference between the standard grips and the compact factory grips which come on three inch guns. Customs inserts are available.

 

[skidder]

The Security Six is not a bad option, they fall in between the sp101 and GP100 in size and weight.

I purchased these for a total of $640 within the last 5 months.

 

[nyrifleman]

Have you looked at the new 4.2" barrel SP101? I just got one, and I think it's the best of both worlds. The GP100 is a big, bulky gun, and I think the 4" SP101 would be a lot closer to the heft and handling of the Taurus. You are giving up 1 round in the cylinder, but I've never seen that as a huge deal.

 

[briansmithwins]

Since weight and concealablity are not a consideration I'd go with the GP-100 all the way. It's weight will reduce felt recoil and you get one more shot.

As to which GP-100, my favorite has always been the 4" with full underlug. For me the balance and feel is perfect. Plus, the shorter barrels get to 'blasty' for me to be comfortable with them.

Personally, I love the Houge grips. They fit me, raise my grip, and lock my hand onto the gun.

BSW

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

If she likes that Taurus, the GP-100 may be too heavy for her. A K-frame or L-frame Smith would be better, and she will love the trigger better than any Taurus or Ruger.

 

[roaddog28]

Now that I know what 38 special revolver you have I would recommend a S&W model 10 or 64 in a 4 inch barrel length. The double action trigger on either of these revolvers are excellent. Nothing wrong with a GP100 or SP101 but the S&W will be better handling and and point better than the either of the Rugers.
Opinion only,
Howard

 

[jad0110]

In the end, be sure to let her pick. But if you are interested in Rugers, specifically the SP and GP, you might keep your eyes open for a used Ruger Security/Police Service/Speed Six. These 6 shot medium frame revolvers neatly split the difference in size between the SP and the GP. In fact, the Sixes are only very slightly beefier/heavier than that Taurus 82 you own now.

 

[oldfool]

if that T-82 pleases her, yeah, what roaddog said

That Taurus 82 was very specifically designed to emulate a S&W model 10 4" heavy barrel, and they came mighty close - EXCEPT for the trigger (just dry test a model 10 trigger, any model 10 trigger, and see for yourself)
Really nice ones can had all day long for ~$350, makes for a real fine 38+P revolver
most k frames like the 64/65/16/66s are just a tad heftier in hand, though not a lot
(the S&W model 10 series just might have been the #1 all time street cop/security guard best seller of all time, you know, before they all went to autoloaders... their top competition from Ruger was the Speed/Security Six series revolvers, also excellent revolvers with good triggers and, most would say, built slightly stouter than the S&Ws.. fine examples there by skidder)

not trying to discourage your newer model Ruger inclinations, though
just something maybe worth a 2nd look

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Might I suggest not cutting springs on your new revolver like you did on the Taurus. That could cause the gun to unreliable which is a bad thing in a HD gun. If you want lighter springs buy a set of Wolff Springs for your new revolver. (and your old one too)

 

[Confederate]

I predict she'll prefer the SP-101 for a house gun. In fact, I'd prefer it, too, but I tend to use an old Smith 60 .38. For home guns I really think the .38 Special is the way to go, but for travel, either in the wilderness or road travel, I'll take a .357. It not only is the number one manstopping round, with heavier ammo you can stop larger animals.

When traveling cross country, I want something that will penetrate tires and car and truck bodies. Had Dennis Weaver had a .357 mag revolver on him, his movie Duel would have lasted only ten minutes. I'm sick of all these suspense movies where the protagonists either don't have a gun (when they should) or they have one and lose it or throw it away (and not go back for it). They'll be hiking through the woods and they don't even have a knife...but that's another rant. For outdoors travel, I'll take a .357. For rest areas, I'll take a .357. But when I'm at home, I'll go with .38 Specials.

The SP-101 is perfect and it can be discreetly hidden in the event it's not needed. (I remember the day when my wife and her parents went shopping. I was upstairs and about an hour or so after they left, I heard someone downstairs moving around. I looked through the windows and they weren't back, and I knew they all left, so I took my Ruger Speed-Six downstairs very quietly. Then I heard someone putting away dishes and I didn't know any intruders that would do that...so I put the gun in my pocket and peeked around the corner. There was my father-in-law putting up dishes from the dishwasher. He had gotten bored and asked to be taken home. So he never saw the gun and he was never in danger.)

In the end, ask your wife and let her decide.

 

[Josh45]

I own a Ruger GP-100 3' and I can tell you that .38 spcl are easy on the wrist when shooting. Very fun to boot. The recoil will defeintly be light for .38 spcl loads in it considering it's weight.

The .357 has some kick in it. I can shoot about 80-100 rounds out of it before it get's heavy for me. I reload my own so maybe that's why...

 

[Confederate]

My wife and I just shot a 2" SP and 4" GP back-to-back Wednesday. We both really enjoyed the GP but hated the trigger on the SP. The SP action was so long and stiff that she was pulling the gun way off target.

The gun really smooths up if you dry fire the gun about a few hundred times. I hated the stiff action of the SP-101, but after dry firing it about 250 times, it's much better. I ordered some ceramic stones from Amazon and I'm planning to smooth the action even more. There's a "how to" on YouTube that seems very helpful.

 

[TreeDoc]

I've owned 3 sp101s and sold them all. Horrible trigger, gritty 12-15# pull. Felt great in the hand, but that trigger was to rough and I wasn't willing to spend the extra $ to get it cleaned up. Have had several GP100s, much better triggers, don't know why ?, accurate, shooting 357 full loads comfy. Pretty heavy and got tired of the muzzel blast. They were sold as well. Have went to a S&W model 10, round butt, heavy barrel, 38. They are not as cheap as they once were, but lightly used guns can be found for almost 2 bills under the Rugers and have a very nice trigger and balances well in the hand.