Ruger SP101 .357

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miles1

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I recently held a SP101 and it held nice.Ive recently become intertesed in wanting a SS .357 revolver and have my eyes on a GP100.For those that have a SP101;a couple questions.

1.How durable are they?Can they shoot a steady diet of .357 with no worries it will break?I doubt I would shoot anything less.

2.Any particular dislike's with it?

3.Hows the recoil compared to say a GP100?

I dont know if i will be CCW with it but it is a remote possibility but not certain.
 
Smaller than the GP 100, 5 instead of 6 shot. Tough as a tank. You can't afford enough .357 ammo to wear it out. Only problem is that it is heavy. Belt carry is wonderful-pocket is marginal.

You have a wonderful firearm which will outlast your grandkids. Shoot heck out of it. Enjoy.
 
I carry mine IWB and I love it!

As for wearing one out, Many opinions here say that it will never happen. I personally feel like they are both among the toughest revolvers you can find.
 
I have shot a couple of GP-100's & SP-101's. My only knock on the SP is that it is a bit heavy for everyday CCW. Standard disclaimer applies here: Your Mileage Will Vary.

As to reliability, your great-grandkids will still be shooting it. Being slightly lighter, there is a bit more 'kick' than the GP-100, but totaly manageable. If you have a Shooting Budd with an SP-101, or can rent one at the range, that is the best way to find out.
 
I recently bought a Sp101 and I love it, BUT, after being used to Classic S&Ws the trigger is a little hard to take. It is gritty and hard to pull. My other Rugers were also but they cleaned up in about 500 rounds.

They are on the heavy side but you sure will get your money's worth. They are built like a small tank like someone else said, but shooting a 357mag out of it, you want some weight. It won't break your fingers like some of the super light titanium component revolvers out there today that only weigh about 12 oz.

They are really a nice piece of workmanship on Rugers part but I think the triggers should be better than they are.
 
Thanks and for the responses so far.My biggest concern was if it could handle .357 ammo on a constant basis and it sounds like it can.For whatever reason where i live 38sp ammo cost as mush as 357 ammo...go figure.
 
Great .357 carry guns...the triggers are easy to slick up if you are somewhat mechanical, and you will be amazed at the difference it makes.
 
Ruger did a torture test on the .357 when they first came out with it. Basically, they let a group of gun writers put 5k rounds of magnums thru one as fast as they could. They even dipped the hot gun in water to cool it off. In the end, they checked the critical specs of the gun and found no wear or stretching...Reading that test 15+ years ago prompted me to go out and buy one.
 
Bought mine new in May 94. Only have 15-16 hundred full power .357s through mine,but have little doubt that at my current pace of shooting it, it would likely make it until at least the year twenty one hundred and something if not longer.
As far as recoil;
Several different small framed gals have shot it over the years with .357s, and after getting over the "magnum" thought, all but one ( think she'd have objected to a .22) really enjoyed it.
Great .357, but heavier than most other "small" ones for carry.
 
Great gun. It'll handle any factory ammo you put in it. I CCW'd one for 5 years, then sold it off when the LCR came out. It went to a buddy of mine so I still get to shoot the SP101 occasionally. Every time I do, I wish I would have kept it, and just got the LCR anyway. Never had any problems with it other than it was a bit heavy, which helps with recoil/durability. Recoil with full power 357's wasn't terrible, but after a box I was ready to be done with it for the day.
 
Wore mine IWB today instead of my usual 1911 as I was doing some Doc visits. Comfortable and comforting. BTW I got at least 2k hot rounds through it. no you cant wear it out. Trigger smooths out over time
 
Hot 125gr loads are painful, everything else is fine. The trigger broke in nicely for me. It's smooth and breaks clean.

The only drawback for me is that if I shoot a lot of messy cast reloads it does get a little gummed up, but only after shooting a few hundred. Not an issue for SD.
 
As strong as any Smith L frame. I like 'em, but they need a Hogue grip before I'm comfy with the hot, heavy bullet loads in 'em. Mine was very accurate with a 17gr 2400/140 Speer JHP load that laid down 550 ft lbs out of a 2.25" barrel.

The Ruger grip doesn't fill in behind the trigger guard and it was painful with heavy 180 grain stuff. Hogue on it and, while not unnoticeable, recoil was NOT painful with even the heaviest loads. The 140s were actually less painful than my old Security Six. Better gun than my Security Six was. Compared to a Smith 340 I've fired, it's positively recoiless. :D
 
I bought the SP101 3" .357 about 4 months ago, love it! I carry CCW with it, I don't think its heavy, carry in a pancake holster. Like was mentioned earlier, my trigger was gritty also, had a $60 action job done on it, springs and stone work on hammer and trigger, DS is smoother now than SA was!
 
I originally bought an LCR and it had a crack in it. I sent it back to Ruger and they told me they couldn't replace it. That was odd. I finally asked if they could send me an SP-101. They said yes and I got it, even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I thought about a 3-incher, but I had a 3-inch stainless Speed-Six.

I invested in a very nice leather holster for mine and it's completely comfortable. I would have hated to shoot a .357 out of the LCR, especially a 125-gr. JHP! But shooting .38s is painless. I am ticked that the .38 FBI load is so damn expensive, and they're hard to find. All they are is lead, no jacketing. And yes, Georgia Arms has a version of it, but tests showed it was no good; the bullets had zero expansion.

I still wish I had the LCR, but I like the SP-101 okay. I think it's inexcusable that Ruger wasn't able to replace my gun, though. What kind of company can't replace one of its current products?? Still, Ruger customer service is a pleasure to work through.
 
Used to carry a DAO SP101 with 2.5" barrel...
IWB holster from AKJ Concealco...great stuff!

This revolver was solid, but carried fine for concealed carry purposes....

reliable, great for range practice, lots of accessories available....
great value....

GET ONE!
 
GP and SP are both good solid pistols, I've always liked both. I'm personally more partial to the older GP's over the new ones; but I like older weapons better in general. You can't go wrong with either.
 
Just an Update:

I ended up getting a 4" SS Ruger GP100.

The SP 101 3" felt great in the hand but for roughly $100 i couldn't pass on the GP.Thanks for the input and I'm happy with my purchase.
 
1.How durable are they?Can they shoot a steady diet of .357 with no worries it will break?I doubt I would shoot anything less.
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Yep, they are durable! Strong little guns. Any gun will break in time but for the SP101 it will take alot of time!

2.Any particular dislike's with it?
Click to expand...

Yea, they don't hold 15 rounds.

3.Hows the recoil compared to say a GP100?
Click to expand...

Bit more cause they are lighter.

I have one SP101, a DAO, with Eagle secret service stocks. Dang good little gun. If you run out of the 5 shots it has, just club the bad guy with it!

Deaf
 
Two completely different platforms for the same caliber. I have both. I like both. The SP101 is great for cc and for dropping in the coat pocket down at the farm when I'm bushwhacking. The GP is for long range sessions with the warmer loads and heavier bullets (and, once in a while, for deer). My SP wears Hogues as I got tired of banging my middle finger knuckle on the back of the trigger guard.
For what its worth department, I prefer my Security Six for most recreational 357 shooting. Heck for tough and lighter and trimmer than the GP. Room in my house for both.
 
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