Daughter's SP101

Taking dad's advice, Clovispup got a 3" barrel, SP101, as a dual purpose gun last year. Moving from a 4" Model 10 Smith with a really smooth 3 1/2 lb trigger, she had a few teething problems with it. She shot it respectably, but it took her a while to get her groups down to something close to what she gets with the Smith and a full sized 1911.

Anyway, I digress, during the last year or so that she has had it, I have been shooting it some most range trips. The trigger has smoothed out nicely, and while it is a little heavy pull, it is probably where it needs to be for a carry gun.

Bottom line is, the more I shoot her 101, the more I like it.

Out of curiosity, last night I dug out an old holster for the Smith, and tried on the SP101 IWB.

I may have to get a 101 for myself.

The only drawback to the SP-101 is its weight. That's why I carry a Scandium J-frame Smith and that's why Ruger makes the LCR. A 3" revolver is hard to beat for a do all handgun. Bob! :mrgreen:

I bought my "used" (lnib) 3" SP-101 7-8 years ago from a guy I knew that hung out at our favorite LGS. I picked up one box of factory ammo to give the SP-101 a little field test and it immediately became my choice for daily carry in the field. I was so attracted to this one that I ordered leather .... and the basic necessaries to (finally) take up reloading .... the next morning after buying the gun. For quite a few years I'd carried various 38 spl j-frames, most of which couldn't handle the nasty conditions from daily outdoors field carry, and none of which seemed adequate in fire power to handle the increasingly possible encounters with the growing population of feral hogs in the area. The few ounces of weight difference make a very good trade off for the sake of having the more appropriate .357 power. To me, my daily carry handguns don't necessarily have to be comfortable - they have to be comforting.

Regardless of the others in the stable, the SP-101 is my all time favorite.


jd

rangerbob said:

The only drawback to the SP-101 is its weight. That's why I carry a Scandium J-frame Smith and that's why Ruger makes the LCR. A 3" revolver is hard to beat for a do all handgun. Bob! :mrgreen:

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Actually, the weight was one of the things that attracted me to the 101. I can easily handle a little extra weight on the hip. An extremely light revolver is difficult to handle at the range. I want a carry gun that is not a chore to practice with. The 101 has just enough weight to make it reasonable at the range, but not feel like a brick in the holster.

On the other hand, my full size 1911 in .45 is great at the range, but a bear to try and conceal and carry. Open carry in the woods during hunting season is fine. IWB under a cover garment is another story.

Of course, everyone has a different weight threshold for shooting, carrying etc. That's why they make different sized, weight models.

That 3" barrel makes sighting far easier than the 2" smaller cousins. I'm surprised that the 3" barrels are not more popular.

The SP101 is a great revolver and one of my favorites!

i have a ruger sp101 chambered in .357 with a 2 inch barrel and i love it! and its my favorite my all time favorite.

I picked up my SP101 3inch .357Mag last Fall and I love it - it's easy to carry and conceal. The green fiber optic(?) front sight is a treat for me to see easily.... and what else can I say, it's a Ruger.

I was moving things around in the bedroom last night and one of the things was the resting place for my house gun, the 2" bbl SP101. I slipped it in my front pocket of the Utility pants I was wearing and went on about my tasks. I usually carry 125gr 38spl +P in the house and shoot at the range with the 357mag. After I had eaten supper, finished tidying up and watched some TV, I was getting ready to hit the sack and realized the SP was still in my pocket. I had forgotten how easy it was to carry and how little the extra weight really mattered. I really like that Ruger, It usually goes with me on trips and outdoor excursions, but now I need to get a better OTWB holster and carry it a wee bit more.