SP101 in 9mm

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roylt

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Sep 21, 2010
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Just got this and Ruger quality is not very good now a days.
The grip is molded and the inserts are cheapy plastic with bad screws etc. I have an old SP with the factory rubber / black plastic and it is a lot nicer. Then the cylinder hits the frame when pointing the gun upward. If spun it drags on the frame. The crane does not sit smooth to the frame when looking from the front of the gun. Barrel to chamber seems fine but it just seems off to me.

Cocking the hammer is like dragging wood on sandpaper. The transfer bar is super loose and flopping around in there. I thought it was broke at first.

I need to look it over more this weekend and post pictures but does anyone else have one and notice any of these things? For a gun with retail over 700 I expect better quality.

I saved a long time to get a new gun (early Christmas present) and now think I should have spent less and got a used older unit.
 

FergusonTO35

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I've always thought the SP was too heavy and expensive for what it is. Sadly, this seems to be even more the case nowadays. I will admit that the current .22 LR version is pretty sweet though!
 

roylt

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I almost got that but opted for the GP in 22. I want to train my kids on the GP so later in life they can enjoy a 357 GP. This SP was just a little bit of a want for me. Figured 9mm is cheap and fun to shoot.
 
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roylt,
You bought a nice SP in an great caliber. It is well worth your time to list the flaws and call customer service. They may email or snail mail you a shipping label. When you return it include a copy of the list. Retrurn it to Ruger and when you receive it back you will have a nice smooth action and nicer handgun. Then buy a nice Hogue hardwood monogrip, a Simply Rugged holster to carry it in and blaze away!

Best,
 

Jimbo357mag

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roylt said:
Then the cylinder hits the frame when pointing the gun upward. If spun it drags on the frame.
When you open and spin the cylinder the cylinder will drag on a little bump on the side of the frame. That is what keeps the cylinder from falling off.
 

rammerjammer

Blackhawk
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Jan 22, 2010
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When the reintroduction of the 9mm SP101 was announced I knew my 1996 made 9mm SP101 would drop in value.

But I also knew that my SP101 was better made than what will come out of their factories now.
 

FergusonTO35

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roylt said:
I almost got that but opted for the GP in 22. I want to train my kids on the GP so later in life they can enjoy a 357 GP. This SP was just a little bit of a want for me. Figured 9mm is cheap and fun to shoot.

I know they are nice guns, but the GP .22 seems to be a case of diminishing returns as far as size and weight is concerned. It strikes me as the handgun equivalent of a Winchester Model 70 Safari in .22 LR.
 

roylt

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Sep 21, 2010
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Yeah it will be a bit heavy and maybe a waste but I do like the GP platform. I have an old SP101 in 22 that they have shot and they did so well I figured the GP would work. Time will tell. If it is nice and the schedule allows we will go out and try them otherwise they are Christmas present under the tree. The kids don't know about them yet.
 

roylt

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Jimbo357mag said:
roylt said:
Then the cylinder hits the frame when pointing the gun upward. If spun it drags on the frame.
When you open and spin the cylinder the cylinder will drag on a little bump on the side of the frame. That is what keeps the cylinder from falling off.

??

Been awhile but I'm pretty sure my GP and SP pistols won't just fall apart if I point them towards the sky. I am also pretty sure my GP and SPs spin freely.

Hope to have some free time this weekend. My ex gets the kids this weekend.
 

NikA

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GP and Redhawk/SRH cylinders are retained by a ball bearing mechanism within the crane. SP cylinders are retained by a raised lug on the side of the frame, which will rub if the gun is pointed up and the cylinder is rotated. The SP design is more traditional, having been present on S&W revolvers for over 100 years. As a bonus, one can remove the cylinder for cleaning and lubrication on the GP design without opening the lockwork.
 

roylt

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I guess I need to learn more about this. I'll check my original SP. It is an old 22lr version.

Wish I knew more about the GP too. How do you remove the cylinder?
 

NikA

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Start by removing the grips. Lay the gun on a flat surface with the barrel pointing to the left and open the crane/cylinder assembly. You should see a hole in the crane next to the ejector rod. In this hole is a spring loaded detent that retains the cross pin in the crane that controls the front crane catch and ejector rod. Push down on this detent with a 1/16" punch or the like and you can push out the cross pin with the tip of a pen or another punch. You can then pull the ejector rod and front latch forward, which allows the ball bearings holding the cylinder in place to retract into the crane. From here, you pull the cylinder towards the back of the gun and off the crane (grips will block this, hence their removal). Cylinder may take some force to come off if you haven't done this before/in a while, as there tends to be a bit of crud buildup at the front of the crane.

Reassembly is the reverse. Slightly more difficult because you must make sure that crane latch spring is in place and the hole lines up with the cross pin.

If you have trouble, let me know and I'll post some pics. I took some to describe the process but posting them will take me longer than the process itself.
 

roylt

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I have been focus on raising my kids and not tinkering on guns in some time. I have at least two projects that have a layer of dust on them. I do appreciate you posting this. it may take a few reads to got it right.

I do hope to make time to check out my new SP and GPs this weekend.

Thanks,
 

Jimbo357mag

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Although those a great instructions for removing the GP cylinder from the crane, under normal conditions you should never have to do that. A good washing with solvent and then some oil will usually keep the cylinder spinning like a top. If the cylinder starts binding and you can't wash it clean then you might have to remove the cylinder and get into those bearings.

Ruger Tech Videos

http://ruger.com/videos.html?vid=131271069&cat=3769277
 

JStacy

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May 6, 2016
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south Texas
I also bought a SP101 in 9mm, it will be here Friday. It will be interesting to see how good , or bad, of a job Ruger did fitting these guns. I also recently bought a SP101 4" in 327 Federal and it is a well finished gun. I put a Wilson spring kit in the gun, which improved the trigger pull greatly, but have made no other changes. I have a 4" Sp101 in 32 H&R mag from 20 or so years ago and it is excellent little gun , accurate and fun to shoot with 32 longs also.
I plan to use the 9mm as a CC gun but need to find a good holster for that use. I'll chime in about the fit and finish of my 9 mm when it gets here.
 

JStacy

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May 6, 2016
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south Texas
My SP101 9MM came in today. Totally dry and awful trigger pull both DA & SA. I did not have a large number of sharp machined edges as others have observed. I did have a saw tooth edge on the opening for the ejector rod slot under the barrel. That will ne quickly fixed with a triangle stone. A few drops of my blended gun oil and the pull became much smoother and some what lighter but It still needs a spring kit. I will test fire the gun with the ammo I plan to carry in it to make sure it is 100% after I change out springs. Extremely tight little gun very close tolerances. I am sure it will loosen up by shooting it. I shoot cast bullets in all of my guns so it will get shot a fair amount with cast bullets but I will carry Remington Golden sabres for CC usage. So far a nice gun with a bad trigger , but these things too shall pass.
 

roylt

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Sep 21, 2010
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Thanks for the input. I have yet to make time to inspect mine more. Have a big weekend with an early Thanksgiving so it will wait until next week. The kids will spend extra time with their mom over Thanksgiving so I should have time to tinker then. Who knows if the weather is nice enough I may even get to the range but that is pretty wishful thinking.
 
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