Ruger SP101

C/O · March 15, 2012, 08:18 AM

I recently traded my SP101 for a Ruger LCR .38. After a few weeks, I asked the guy if he would be willing to trade back. Fortunately he was.

I really missed the SP 101, just something about how solid it feels in my hand. It handles .357 easily and shooting .38 feels like a .22. Yeah it might not conceal as well, but I feel a lot more confident with it. This gun will not be going anywhere else. I guess I just got the hankering for something new and did not fully think it through before I traded it.

Anyone else really like the SP101?

MrDontPlay · March 15, 2012, 09:02 AM

I love mine. I carry it all the time in a crossbreed supertuck.

MonsterB · March 15, 2012, 09:59 AM

Lucky for you the guy traded back. Good learning experience, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

kcub · March 15, 2012, 11:09 AM

I carry one. There are lighter .357s, sure; and they all suck to have to shoot so what's the point in having that?

Get a Kramer pocket holster and you'll be happier with it.

C/O · March 15, 2012, 11:52 AM

Yeah, I am on the hunt for a good pocket holster for it. It is a little heavy, but like was said earlier the lighter guns are a pain to shoot, so I will put up with the extra weight for shootability.

Walklightly · March 15, 2012, 12:24 PM

OP

Somthing about cold dead hand's comes to mind.

ronto · March 15, 2012, 12:46 PM

I never leave home without it.

Walklightly · March 15, 2012, 12:59 PM

OP

Quote:

Somthing about cold dead hand's comes to mind.

I'm now fondling my SP101 right now, feels good!

C/O · March 15, 2012, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walklightly

OP

I'm now fondling my SP101 right now, feels good!

That's just a little weird.

JNad · March 15, 2012, 03:53 PM

Love mine. I put a meprolight sight on the front and a Hougue hard nylon grip on it (the stock rubber kept grabbing my shirt, and I was scared to change the grip angle as much as the badger grip was going to do if I went with it). It handles full house .357's easier than the LCR (shot one, don't own one) handles standard .38 specials. Couldn't ask for a better life saving machine.

jimbob86 · March 15, 2012, 04:19 PM

I miss mine ..... loaned to dad, till he gets something for himself. He's the King of Procrastination.

dnsharpshooter · March 15, 2012, 04:54 PM

sp101 is the next one on my list

C/O · March 15, 2012, 05:07 PM

I put a Wolff lighter mainspring in mine to lighten the trigger pull, but the double action trigger is still pretty heavy. Tried a lighter trigger reset spring while it lightened the trigger really nicely, it caused the trigger reset to be kind of mushy so I went back to stock reset spring. That is the only complaint I have with this gun, the heavy double action.

Neal_G. · March 15, 2012, 05:08 PM

I love mine, and have a nice holster/belt for it. Just wish I could shoot it as good as my G26!

It is a challenge for me to get real nice groups with it, wich is all on me, but I am very good at drawing and presentation with it so thats something!

C/O · March 15, 2012, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JNad

Love mine. I put a meprolight sight on the front and a Hougue hard nylon grip on it (the stock rubber kept grabbing my shirt, and I was scared to change the grip angle as much as the badger grip was going to do if I went with it). It handles full house .357's easier than the LCR (shot one, don't own one) handles standard .38 specials. Couldn't ask for a better life saving machine.

How hard was it to replace the front sight?

C/O · March 15, 2012, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neal_G.

I love mine, and have a nice holster/belt for it. Just wish I could shoot it as good as my G26!

It is a challenge for me to get real nice groups with it, wich is all on me, but I am very good at drawing and presentation with it so thats something!

I also have a nice OWB holster for mine. It is a Don Hume 721OT and I really like it. Now to find some good pocket and IWB holsters. Thinking of getting a Stoner 415 IWB. I have one for my Glock 23 and I really like it. Sits low in the waistband like I like. All I have at the moment is a cheap Bianchi suede IWB, it works but I don't care for it.

Undecided on a pocket holster, would like some suggestions.

matthew261 · March 15, 2012, 06:15 PM

I've had mine since August of 1993. Other handguns have come and gone from my collection, but the SP101 has been my enduring favorite. Mine is a 3" barrel and is full factory. I'm accurate with it and have trusted in year in and year out for 19 years and I plan on trusting it for at least 40 more.

The SP101, my grandfather's Belgian Browning 20 Ga., and the .410 that was my first shotgun are the only three of my collection with which I would NOT part (and I've got a better than average collection).

Congratulations on getting her back!

skidder · March 15, 2012, 06:43 PM

Going on 17 years and no regrets (1995). They are solid weapons, and handle the 357 loads better than most snubbies. I'm glad she found her way home.

kcub · March 15, 2012, 07:22 PM

I red fingernail polished my front site and that really helped.

C/O · March 15, 2012, 07:35 PM

Thanks, I am glad I got it back. I don't know what came over me.

jimbob86 · March 15, 2012, 10:46 PM

Quote:

That is the only complaint I have with this gun, the heavy double action.

Dry fire. Every day. It'll both smooth up the trigger and strengthen your grip, both conducive to better accuracy.

Quote:

I red fingernail polished my front site and that really helped.

Red is the first color to disappear in low light ....just sayin' ....... I used white.

kcub · March 16, 2012, 04:14 AM

I usually use gold but it doesn't work well on stainless steel guns.
I would have suspected white would wash out on ss as well, but whatever works for you. I'm happy with red on this gun. I can regularly hit soda cans at 15 yards with any .38 or .357 loads.

Single Six · March 16, 2012, 06:13 AM

Love mine. I use it as a BUG; it's rock-solid, fine DA trigger, tough as nails. Typical Ruger.

Dan-O · March 16, 2012, 09:49 AM

I love both mine:

JNad · March 16, 2012, 12:25 PM

Originally posted by CO: How hard was it to replace the front sight?

I was going to do it myself until I called a gunsmith and he told me it was only a $20 job. I figured it was worth that just to NOT potentially put a nick in the finish.

You punch out the pin, and then have to drill the new sight. The instructions with the new sight say to drill 1/2 way through from each side. I have a drill press, so I was pretty sure I could do it, but it is such a tiny hole it wouldn't take much for the drill bit to flex and scratch the gun. I just knew how sick I would be if I screwed it up, so I paid a gunsmith.

March 15, 2012, 08:18 AM	#1
C/O Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2004 Posts: 232	Ruger SP101 I recently traded my SP101 for a Ruger LCR .38. After a few weeks, I asked the guy if he would be willing to trade back. Fortunately he was. I really missed the SP 101, just something about how solid it feels in my hand. It handles .357 easily and shooting .38 feels like a .22. Yeah it might not conceal as well, but I feel a lot more confident with it. This gun will not be going anywhere else. I guess I just got the hankering for something new and did not fully think it through before I traded it. Anyone else really like the SP101?

March 15, 2012, 09:02 AM	#2
MrDontPlay Senior Member Join Date: December 25, 2010 Posts: 587	I love mine. I carry it all the time in a crossbreed supertuck. __________________ Someday I'll be good enough to know if a gun is accurate or not.

March 15, 2012, 12:46 PM	#7
ronto Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2007 Location: Smack Dab in the Middle of Nowhere. Posts: 505	SP101... I never leave home without it. __________________ "We will do this: we will hang together, we will keep our organization, our arms, our discipline, our hatred of oppression, until one universal shout goes up from an admiring age that this Missouri Cavalry Division preferred exile to submission, death to dishonor". General Joseph O. Shelby, CSA (1830-1897) The only Confederate General who refused to surrender himself or his 1,000+ "Iron Brigade".

March 15, 2012, 06:43 PM	#18
skidder Senior Member Join Date: August 17, 2008 Location: Montana Posts: 640	Going on 17 years and no regrets (1995). They are solid weapons, and handle the 357 loads better than most snubbies. I'm glad she found her way home. __________________ Gun permit?? A bread crumb tossed to a sleeping society awoken by the sound of complacency. "They are for your own good", and "you will understand when you see all the lives they save". Yes master, what else will you toss me from your bag of infringements?? Do you want me to roll over and play dead? I do that very well. --skidder

March 16, 2012, 04:14 AM	#22
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 3,318	I usually use gold but it doesn't work well on stainless steel guns. I would have suspected white would wash out on ss as well, but whatever works for you. I'm happy with red on this gun. I can regularly hit soda cans at 15 yards with any .38 or .357 loads. Last edited by kcub; March 16, 2012 at 05:36 AM.

March 15, 2012, 09:59 AM	#3
MonsterB Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2010 Posts: 347	Lucky for you the guy traded back. Good learning experience, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

March 15, 2012, 11:09 AM	#4
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 3,318	I carry one. There are lighter .357s, sure; and they all suck to have to shoot so what's the point in having that? Get a Kramer pocket holster and you'll be happier with it.

March 15, 2012, 11:52 AM	#5
C/O Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2004 Posts: 232	Yeah, I am on the hunt for a good pocket holster for it. It is a little heavy, but like was said earlier the lighter guns are a pain to shoot, so I will put up with the extra weight for shootability.

March 15, 2012, 12:24 PM	#6
Walklightly Junior member Join Date: September 28, 2011 Posts: 985	OP Somthing about cold dead hand's comes to mind.

March 15, 2012, 03:53 PM	#10
JNad Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2012 Posts: 105	Love mine. I put a meprolight sight on the front and a Hougue hard nylon grip on it (the stock rubber kept grabbing my shirt, and I was scared to change the grip angle as much as the badger grip was going to do if I went with it). It handles full house .357's easier than the LCR (shot one, don't own one) handles standard .38 specials. Couldn't ask for a better life saving machine.

March 15, 2012, 04:19 PM	#11
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	I miss mine ..... loaned to dad, till he gets something for himself. He's the King of Procrastination.

March 15, 2012, 04:54 PM	#12
dnsharpshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2011 Location: Ahwatukee, AZ Posts: 212	sp101 is the next one on my list

March 15, 2012, 05:07 PM	#13
C/O Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2004 Posts: 232	I put a Wolff lighter mainspring in mine to lighten the trigger pull, but the double action trigger is still pretty heavy. Tried a lighter trigger reset spring while it lightened the trigger really nicely, it caused the trigger reset to be kind of mushy so I went back to stock reset spring. That is the only complaint I have with this gun, the heavy double action.

March 15, 2012, 05:08 PM	#14
Neal_G. Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2010 Posts: 226	I love mine, and have a nice holster/belt for it. Just wish I could shoot it as good as my G26! It is a challenge for me to get real nice groups with it, wich is all on me, but I am very good at drawing and presentation with it so thats something!

March 15, 2012, 06:15 PM	#17
matthew261 Member Join Date: February 9, 2012 Location: North Alabama Posts: 49	I've had mine since August of 1993. Other handguns have come and gone from my collection, but the SP101 has been my enduring favorite. Mine is a 3" barrel and is full factory. I'm accurate with it and have trusted in year in and year out for 19 years and I plan on trusting it for at least 40 more. The SP101, my grandfather's Belgian Browning 20 Ga., and the .410 that was my first shotgun are the only three of my collection with which I would NOT part (and I've got a better than average collection). Congratulations on getting her back!

March 15, 2012, 07:22 PM	#19
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 3,318	I red fingernail polished my front site and that really helped.

March 15, 2012, 07:35 PM	#20
C/O Senior Member Join Date: December 8, 2004 Posts: 232	Thanks, I am glad I got it back. I don't know what came over me.

March 16, 2012, 06:13 AM	#23
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	Love mine. I use it as a BUG; it's rock-solid, fine DA trigger, tough as nails. Typical Ruger. __________________ Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

March 16, 2012, 09:49 AM	#24
Dan-O Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 2011 Location: Northern Colorado Posts: 969	I love both mine:

March 16, 2012, 12:25 PM	#25
JNad Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2012 Posts: 105	Originally posted by CO: How hard was it to replace the front sight? I was going to do it myself until I called a gunsmith and he told me it was only a $20 job. I figured it was worth that just to NOT potentially put a nick in the finish. You punch out the pin, and then have to drill the new sight. The instructions with the new sight say to drill 1/2 way through from each side. I have a drill press, so I was pretty sure I could do it, but it is such a tiny hole it wouldn't take much for the drill bit to flex and scratch the gun. I just knew how sick I would be if I screwed it up, so I paid a gunsmith.