SP101 snubs - caliber confusion

[Ninja42]

Ive been looking at the 2 1/4" DS/SA Ruger SP101 snubbie for a while now, but something confuses me about the .38 P+ version and the .357 mag version.. Both guns weigh the same, costs the same, and has the same overall size, and holds 5 rounds, so what is the diffrence? Why would anyone ever buy the .38 version? Even if a shooter only plan to use .38 in his carry gun, why would he/she turn down the free option of shooting .357?

 

[Jimmie]

I'd bet they've sold many fewer 38 models than 357 models.

 

[MCgunner]

I got an SP101 because it was the lightest, smallest revolver I could comfortably shoot in .357. I carry .357 in it. If I wanna carry a .38, it'll be my little Taurus ultralite which weighs nearly half as much and is more compact. The Ruger shoots very well with .38, though. I don't see the point in getting one in .38 special unless maybe you're VERY recoil sensitive.

 

[rcmodel]

I think the reason they even made them is because some PD's, in some areas, do not approve carrying the .357 Mag as a back-up, but allow .38 Spl.
Or so I've been told.

And if .38 was all you ever intended to shoot in one, the .38 Spl. chambers would be easier to keep clean then in a .357.

Some would even argue a .38 chambered .38 would give slightly better accuracy then shooting .38's in a .357.
I would have to agree with that.


rcmodel

 

[spwenger]

I Own One in .38 Special

I purchased this gun, with the three-inch barrel, as a teaching gun and do not expect any of my students to use Magnum loads in training. For my purposes, the .38 Special chambering means less work cleaning the chambers. For most students, I recommend this chambering because they are more likely to use +P .38's than Magnum loads and will likely get a little more velocity from the .38 Special chambers, along with the easier cleaning.

(I emphasize close combat in the training I provide and the muzzle and barrel-cylinder-gap blast with Magnum loads become very noticeable when you are not holding the gun out at arm's length.)

Recall that this revolver was originally designed as a .38 Special and that the Magnum chambering was offered by the factory only after one or more gunsmiths began reaming the chambers to accept 125 gr. Magnum loads.

 

[19-3Ben]

Mine is a .357 model, but I almost got the .38 for the reasons rcmodel just mentioned. Easier to keep clean, better accuracy, and possibly better velocities from shooting .38's in a .38.
I went with the 3" model, so I couldn't really justify limiting myself to .38's, however, had I bought the 2" model, I might just have gotten the .38 and called it a day.

 

[Snubster]

+1 to what everyone said about being easier to clean and theoretically better accuracy and velocity when using .38s. That said, both of my SP-101s (a DAO and 3-incher) are both .357s. The SP-101s are the smallest snubs I actually enjoy practicing with .357s.

 

[Ninja42]

And yet another day went by with me learning something. Thank you for your replies

 

[JB696]

I have them in both .357 and .38 Special. From my personal experience, the .38 Special +P is a superior self defense round to .357 Magnum for several reasons. If you are shooting inside the house, the bullet is less likely to penetrate through more than one wall and kill someone by accident, like your family or an innocent bystander. If shooting at night, the muzzle blast is far less, and you are not as likely to be blinded by your own fire. Also, if you are shooting from inside a moving car or other confined area, the sound of the blast is about half as loud. The crack from the .357 will make your ears ring for two days. .38 Special, not so bad. Mine are the early short-framed .38 Specials (KSP-183) from 1989, so they don't have that gap between the frame and cylinder like the newer ones which share the same frame as the .357. But the early ones are hard to find. If I were buying a new SP101 I'd get it in .38 Special anyway. Just to avoid having to always scrub that nasty carbon ring out of the .357 cylinder. Something to think about.

 

[MCgunner]

If I'm going to carry a .38 concealed, it ain't gonna be a 27 ounce one. My M85UL weighs 17 ounces and the airlites are even lighter. It's also +P rated.

My SP101 shoots about the same accuracy with .38 or.357, hard to discern any difference, both about 2.5"-3" groups at 25 yards and in my experience, that's about as good as I can shoot such a short sight radius. My Taurus shoots about 3" at 25 off a rest. I clean my revolvers and scrub the cylinders with a brush after every range session regardless of what I've fired in 'em. Cleaning is part of using. My mama taught me this about dishes and cooking and I guess it carried over to guns, but if I fire one round out of a firearm in the field, when I get home it gets cleaned.

A range, training gun, the .38 SP101 makes a lot of sense. But, for carry, I'll go airweight if I go .38 and save some pain. That Taurus is pocketable, the SP101 isn't, not in MY pocket anyway. It's just too heavy.

Recall that this revolver was originally designed as a .38 Special and that the Magnum chambering was offered by the factory only after one or more gunsmiths began reaming the chambers to accept 125 gr. Magnum loads.

IIRC, the frame had to be lengthened a tad so a longer cylinder could be fit in the .357s. The early ones were built on the .38 frame and labeled ".357 125 Grain" or something like that. A 158 wouldn't fit, protruded from the cylinder. I've fired 180 grain JHPs in my SP101.

So, is the current .38 SP101 on the newer .357 frame or do they still use the old .38 frame? If it's on the newer .357 frame, I fail to see how it could possibly be any more accurate, same freebore as in a .357 cylinder. Like I say, I can't tell if mine's any more accuate with .357 than .38, both seem about the same.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The only difference in the guns is the depth to which the forward chamber shoulder is set. If all you ever want to shoot is .38 Spl., Ruger will accommodate you.

I had a .357 model for a time but sold it to get something else. .38 Special loads, even +Ps, are relatively gentle to shoot from this gun due to its weight and cushioned grip. Even some milder .357s (e.g., the Winchester "white box" 110-gr. JHP) are not bad. I drew the line at the Remington R357M1, their 125-grain SJHP. The blast alone could nearly knock a bad guy over, never mind the bullet. This is why I look askance at the fleaweight, exotic metal revolvers that weigh less than half as much.