38 Spl. +P in older .38 Spl. Marked SP101?

[Dump1567]

Were the older SP101's chambered in .38 Special +P rated?

Buffalo Bore makes some pretty stout .38 +P offerings, and wanted to make sure the older guns could handle that stuff.

Im looking at a used one (haven't checked when it was manufactured yet), but wanted to make sure it's up to the task if I get it.

Was there any size difference in the older .38 guns vs the .357 guns?

**********Update***********

I just ran the serial number of a 3" .38 I picked-up. It comes back to 1990 and says .38 Spl. +P.

 

[hittman]

Length of cylinder is the only difference I think
Yeah hot loads be no problem

Could be wrong … and may be older threads here with info too

 

[hittman]

https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/sp101-38-v-357.248909/

 

[NikA]

Very first SP-101s had cylinders that were 0.1" shorter. There were models chambered in both .38 and .357. The longer cylinder had been adopted within 3 or so years of the start of production. .357 models with shorter cylinder are marked for 125gr loads only.

Absolutely no concerns firing .38 +P in a .38 SP-101.

 

[Dump1567]

I just ran the serial number of a 3" .38 I picked-up. It comes back to 1990 and says .38 Spl. +P.

 

[Paul B]

Many years back, about early 1965 IIRC, I bought a Col
t Cobra, the earliest version of the model. Instructions stated the hot or heavy loads are safe to fire in the but but suggested very limited use. One the gun was very kight and a Plus P level load would whack the web of your hand hard enough that you'd notice. Just ask me how I know. Second, the concern was not that the load would blow up the gun but that the pounding of the hotter round would cause stretching of the aluminum alloy frame.

Now I know your Ruger does not have an aluminum frame and Ruger is notorious for making hell for stout firearms so I think you gun should me safe for Plus P loads. I would also add the same caveat about sustained shooting of Plus P loads and would also include Plus P Plus although I see no reason to even want to endure their recoil..

What I did do with the Cobra was do a range session sing factory level wadcutter reloads for practice. When done I then ran a cylinderful of the hot loads to retain the memory of the recoil.

Currently, my back up gun is an S&W M60 .38 Spl. running 125 gr. Federal Plus P ammo. I still do range sessions with factory or factory level wadcutter loads. I got a smokin' deal on Winchester factory wadcutters on the cheap so have been using the to get the brass. Practice load is the Lyman #358495 over either 2.7 gr. Bullseye or 3.1 gr. W231. I cast te bullets and lube and size them myself.


Whatever works for you.
Paul B.

 

[G2]

Mine is an early one, (4 dgt sn#) 38 Special Cal. It's a Ruger,,, so if I wanted to +P ,,, I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[AzGeno]

Yes this had me thinking as I have a very early Sp101 in 38 SPECIAL.
It is a little weird in that the Box is marked KSP-182, but the shipper is marked KSP-821.
Never noticed that catalog numbering inconsistency before.
In the original instruction manual, page 5 states the SP101 is safe to use with +P AMMO

 

[Dump1567]

Yes this had me thinking as I have a very early Sp101 in 38 SPECIAL.
It is a little weird in that the Box is marked KSP-182, but the shipper is marked KSP-821.
Never noticed that catalog numbering inconsistency before.
In the original instruction manual, page 5 states the SP101 is safe to use with +P AMMO

This is in "Ruger & His Guns" by R.L. Wilson. I don't know if that makes anything less confusing?

 

[GasGuzzler]

There is no Ruger chambered in .38 Special that cannot take .38 Special +P. There is hardly any load, custom or OEM, that will hurt a .38 Special Ruger.

.38 Special has a lower pressure rating than .380 AUTO, .32 AUTO, and even less than .22 Winchester Magnum Rifle (22WMR, .22 Mag).

That being said, safety is paramount so to know the real answer, ask Ruger, not the internet.

 

[jmca]

I loaded some 125gr hollow points about 20yrs ago that are mid-level or slightly up on the Chart (below Max) in Winchester plus P cases. Since then We bought an S&W Model 10(older) and a Colt. I have shot only a couple of rounds out of them to check point of aim. I keep them loaded for night stand defensive rounds. I probably loaded them for my Security-Six?

 

[Star43]

I have the SP 101 in 38 Special. Bought it when it first came out.....Yes, it will take any 38 Special load.....Plus P or Plus P Plus....

 

[Timbo23]

As others have stated, the first SP101 chambered in .38 Special had a shorter cylinder and smaller frame window than current models.
When Ruger chambered them in .357 Magnum the cylinder could only handle cartridges with 125 grains bullets because of LOA issues and marked such guns in the frame window. I wish I had one of those.
They soon lengthen the cylinder and enlarged the frame window to handle any .357.
Examples with the shorter cylinder were still produced in .22LR and 9mm because those are short cartridges. I have examples of each.
All that said and to answer the OP's question: Yes the early SP101s marked .38 Special can safely fire any factory .38 Special ammo.

 

[Elder User]

Very first SP-101s had cylinders that were 0.1" shorter. There were models chambered in both .38 and .357. The longer cylinder had been adopted within 3 or so years of the start of production. .357 models with shorter cylinder are marked for 125gr loads only.

Absolutely no concerns firing .38 +P in a .38 SP-101.

I think the 125gr caution was only because of the overall length of the heavier bullets in a 357 case.

 

[pisgah]

Gunsmiths commonly bored them out to accept .357 Magnum loads -- even though, in early examples, it meant the cylinder was too short to hold any .357 load with a bullet heavier than 125 gr. Later, the cylinders were slightly lengthened and the chambering changed to .357 Magnum. A .38 Special SP101 shooting .38 +P is practically immortal...

 

[Star43]

If one scrolls up only about 3 posts or so that I made back in May, Yes the SP101 that originally came out in 38 only is what I bought back then when it first came out, and yes, it is extremely well made and will shoot ANY 38 loading of any sort with no problem at all...