Just put 50 rounds of Magtech .38 special and 100 rounds UMC .357 magnum through my SP101 and it worked flawlessly, after touching up the upper hammer. Did a field strip, cleaned and polished some of the trigger mechanism with Flitz. Every time I field strip it, it seems I knock something off the trigger mechanism. Fortunately, there are good diagrams available for reassembly.
Lightly oiled the surfaces and it's signifcantly smoother. My son dry fired before and after, and he noticed it right off-it's not just me getting used to the gun.
After trying different grip positions and finger trigger positions, I think I have it just about right. I started out with too low a grip, and too much finger in the trigger - shots were going to the right, and upper right (when they hit the target at all). Now I can consistently put 5 rounds spread round in a pie plate at 30' with .357, 158 gr. loads, in about 3 seconds, estimate. Not bad, for me anyway. I'm starting to learn to just "ride along" with the recoil. A higher grip really reduced muzzle flip, making it much easier to get back on target.
The recoil bothered me less the more I shot. The first 50 rounds hurt a bit, but after resting, the last 25 didn't bother me at all. I don't know if that means I'm getting used to it, or whether or not the nerves in my hand are just wearing out. Anyone else have a similar experience?
I planned on using .38 +P for self defense, but if it keeps working out ok with .357 magnums, I might just stick with those. I'm getting more confident with these loads the more I shoot. All I need to do now is apply a little orange nail polish to the front sight. Can't see it at all on a dark background.
This is a great little gun. I wanted something to stick in my pocket in a winter coat, and this fits the bill perfectly. Yay, Ruger!
Lightly oiled the surfaces and it's signifcantly smoother. My son dry fired before and after, and he noticed it right off-it's not just me getting used to the gun.
After trying different grip positions and finger trigger positions, I think I have it just about right. I started out with too low a grip, and too much finger in the trigger - shots were going to the right, and upper right (when they hit the target at all). Now I can consistently put 5 rounds spread round in a pie plate at 30' with .357, 158 gr. loads, in about 3 seconds, estimate. Not bad, for me anyway. I'm starting to learn to just "ride along" with the recoil. A higher grip really reduced muzzle flip, making it much easier to get back on target.
The recoil bothered me less the more I shot. The first 50 rounds hurt a bit, but after resting, the last 25 didn't bother me at all. I don't know if that means I'm getting used to it, or whether or not the nerves in my hand are just wearing out. Anyone else have a similar experience?
I planned on using .38 +P for self defense, but if it keeps working out ok with .357 magnums, I might just stick with those. I'm getting more confident with these loads the more I shoot. All I need to do now is apply a little orange nail polish to the front sight. Can't see it at all on a dark background.
This is a great little gun. I wanted something to stick in my pocket in a winter coat, and this fits the bill perfectly. Yay, Ruger!