2.25 sp101 357

[silverback]

I have always avocated at.least a 3 inch barrel 357 sp101. Circumstances lead me into a 2.25 inch sp101. The more i shoot and carry it the.more i am becoming a convert. It is truely an ideal little gun. It carrires well in my carpenter pants pocket. Heavy but not to heavy. Shoots 125 grain 38 plus p rounds like a 22LR.
If i carry iwb it disappears. Hmm whats not to like. My 4.2 sp101 may be going on the chopping block. I think the final pairing if the 2.25 sp101 and my rossi 16 inch lever gun are going to be my go too 357 guns.

 

[Rocdoc]

Yep, the 2.25 SP was too cool not to get one, mine is blued, was wanting a J frame SW, but had to go with Ruger.

 

[JackAsinus]

I use the SP101 2.25 in as my EDC in a vertical shoulder holster. I have zero complaints.

 

[woodsy]

Have one also. Talk about rugged and reliable!

 

[Captain America]

I have always avocated at.least a 3 inch barrel 357 sp101. Circumstances lead me into a 2.25 inch sp101. The more i shoot and carry it the.more i am becoming a convert. It is truely an ideal little gun. It carrires well in my carpenter pants pocket. Heavy but not to heavy. Shoots 125 grain 38 plus p rounds like a 22LR.
If i carry iwb it disappears. Hmm whats not to like. My 4.2 sp101 may be going on the chopping block. I think the final pairing if the 2.25 sp101 and my rossi 16 inch lever gun are going to be my go too 357 guns.

I pocket carried one for years before the LCR came out, the LCR carries better because of the weight, the SP101 is more fun to shoot because of the weight.

 

[silverback]

Agreed! I like to sg3oot refularly . I try to get out once a week. Shooting the lcr even with plus p 38 can be a chore. I would rather put up with the added weight to maintain proficiency. Then there is the fact that ruger couldnt fix the cylinder spitting issue of my lcrx 357 3 inch. I have never had any issues with my sp101s. So i am sticking with those unless its my lcr 22lr.

 

[any ruger]

Looking at 2 sp101s 38 sp and a 357 mag. 38 3" 357 2 1/4 38 has a wide spur hammer 357 narrow when an why did they change. Do not have serial # but will get them . I will probably end up with both of them.

 

[silverback]

Hmm looking in their product page they look the same

 

[mjh]

I sure like shooting my 2.25 a lot better than shooting the LCR. 357 loads out of the SP for sure, out of the LCR, not so much. If I could only keep one it would be the SP.

 

[173rdLRRP]

I ot the 4” SP101 and now wish I had the 3” or shorter. The 4” handles 158 grain full power with a Weaver stance and bent elbows, Straight elbows hurt since we turn 82 this year. I got it as a trail gun. Older son lives in mountains of northern NM and a Bkack Bear took out his last Llama. Llama had a tendency to attack bears and probably ran into wrong bear. A shot in air is probably sufficient for 99.99% of Bear encounters. But then my wife’s son from first marriage (and my son for 42 years) had one of his best friends killed at age 9 or so by a Mountain Lion in 1970s near Tesuque, NM (erroneously noted as Arroyo Seco, NM in Wikipedia i.e. Rio a Tesuque is usually a dry River bed aka “arroyo seco”.

I think the double action trigger on my SP101 is about 110#. So I do 150 trigger pulls/dry fires each hand each day along with Heavy Hand 1.0 and 1.5 handgrips and their 1, 2, and 3 TUG finger grip every other day.

I primarily do 50 to 100 presentations from concealment with a 2.5” Taurus 605 from a Galco. It is quite manageable with 110 grain and 125 grain. 158 grain .38 Speciall is probably sufficient. The Marlin 94 likes 158 grain but 125 grain groups are erratic.

 

[elkhunter73]

Yep, the 2.25 SP was too cool not to get one, mine is blued, was wanting a J frame SW, but had to go with Ruger.

I agree, I got one for my wife

 

[Armybrat]

Bought mine new in 1993. Super nice snubbie that serves as my road trip gun.

 

[Alex]

Looking at 2 sp101s 38 sp and a 357 mag.

Does the 38 Special version allow +P?

 

[any ruger]

Never noticed will lt say 38 P+ on the barrel ?

 

[173rdLRRP]

Just looked at the Ruger website. The .38 Special +P and .357 magnum coat the same and weigh the same

 

[173rdLRRP]

A question.

What does one use in their 2.5” to 3.0” revolvers?

I find that the Buffalo Bore 125 grain .357 low flash short barrel is manageable but not something I care to shoot at $1.50/round. Will have to chronograph and use 158 grain to obtain equivalent recoil, e.g 125 grain at 1250 fps is same momentum as a 158 grain at 990 fps.

 

[JackAsinus]

A question.

What does one use in their 2.5” to 3.0” revolvers?

I find that the Buffalo Bore 125 grain .357 low flash short barrel is manageable but not something I care to shoot at $1.50/round. Will have to chronograph and use 158 grain to obtain equivalent recoil, e.g 125 grain at 1250 fps is same momentum as a 158 grain at 990 fps.

I currently have Hornady 125 gr Critical Defense in mine.

 

[JackAsinus]

Does the 38 Special version allow +P?

The answer is yes but I'm unable to find a link to a credible source to validate my claim.

 

[173rdLRRP]

Jack

Thanks for reply

I went with Buffalo Bore:

1. No firearms shop in Fort Collins had 125 grain

2. Buffalo Bore was cheaper than the advertised non existent 125 grain

3. The Buffalo Bore has low flash and designed for 3”

 

[JackAsinus]

Jack

Thanks for reply

I went with Buffalo Bore:

1. No firearms shop in Fort Collins had 125 grain

Jack

Thanks for reply

I went with Buffalo Bore:

1. No firearms shop in Fort Collins had 125 grain

2. Buffalo Bore was cheaper than the advertised non existent 125 grain

3. The Buffalo Bore has low flash and designed for 3”

Buffalo bore is a great product and I'd carry it. I also like Barnes 140 grain.

 

[173rdLRRP]

Buffalo bore is a great product and I'd carry it. I also like Barnes 140 grain.

Buffalo bore is a great product and I'd carry it. I also like Barnes 140 grain.

The Barnes’s looks good but:

Almost $2/round

“Out of stock” on line

Will try someday. Might be good for Marlin 94. 125?grain did not work

 

[akbluz]

I went with the 3inch version - because it was what I could find at the time.... plus I got a pretty good deal on it.

 

[173rdLRRP]

The Barnes’s looks good but:

Almost $2/round

“Out of stock” on line

Will try someday. Might be good for Marlin 94. 125?grain did not work

One final thing. Does anyone else use Crimson Trace?

I find it extremely useful in dry firing practice. If the dot does not move on hammer fall, then I am doing proper trigger control, body stance, and hand placement.

I read thar Singapore Police used to issue, and may still do, CrimsonTrace on all weapons. They found that placing dot on suspect chest resulted in almost no need to fire.

I have not set spot and aim point to coincide but maintain the 1” vertical and half inch horizontal parallex

 

[JackAsinus]

The Barnes’s looks good but:

Almost $2/round

“Out of stock” on line

Will try someday. Might be good for Marlin 94. 125?grain did not work

Here is an article that I've read several times and like the published trials in both 38 and 357

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/

 

[JStacy]

I like my guns, even 3" 101 , to shoot point of aim at 25 yards so I know that I am covered from point blank to 25 yards. The handloads I have tried with unique and the 125 shoot low at 25 yards and I also have found that the lighter bullet loads tend to shoot low and left. I carry a lead HP , Keith 357429 , loaded with 2400 in 38 spl case . My 3" seems to prefer the heavier bullet as opposed to the lighter 110's & 125's . My most potent load from my 3" uses a 146 HPSP from Speer, discontinued bullet, with 15.1 /2400 --direct load from the Lyman manual. It chronographs 1200+ and shoot close to POA at 25 yards. This is a powerful load and one that would not require multiple hits to stop an attacker. I have used this load from 6" barreled revolvers to kill a couple of white tail does and it shows violent expansion of the nose section while the base penetrates the deer completely.

 

[Zeke38]

I've shot Buffalo Bore since they opened. What their advertised chronograph listings state, hold true in real life. I've shot their 38s both standard pressure and +P , 357, 44 Spl and Mag and what he advertises they will produce. One of the above posters asked if the 38 SP would handle +P, they will with ease.
The same steel that goes into the 357 SP is in the 38 Sp. just chambered for the shorter round. Great revolvers!

 

[mistermills357]

Does the 38 Special version allow +P?

The answer is yes, those guns are brutes.

 

[173rdLRRP]

Here is an article that I've read several times and like the published trials in both 38 and 357

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/

Jack

Thanks. The information given for the Buffalo Bore low flash short barrel 125 grain is about 1150 fps with expansion to .0.64” and sufficient penetration from 2” barrel. Would expect similar from a 2.5” Taurus 605. Equivalent recoil would be obtained from lead 158 grain at 900 fps: cheap to reload and reduced chances of the “feared flame cutting” from shorter projectiles.

Sold my Dillon 18 years ago when we took up full time RVing for16 years (Yucatán every year for 13 years). What is a good replacement these days: .357 SIG, .357 Magnum, and 9 mm; and maybe 7.62x51 and 7.62x54R

 

[codebreaker]

Blue 3" with adjustable sights.

 

[Zeke38]

WOW, OH WOW! I'd give my eyeteeth for that 3" adjustable sighted, blued model! Seriously! Lipsey's are you listening?