1911 Officer or Ruger 3" SP101

I'm 6'1 @ 170 lbs and the SP101 can disappear on me in shorts and a t shirt. It's a very easy gun to CCW.

I find it even easier to hide than my Walther PPS. That could just be caused by the way I'm built, but the SP101 is hands down the easiest gun for me to conceal. I will add that I only carry IWB in Crossbreed ST's so the holster probably plays a big hand in it too.
 
Neither, get a Smith and Wesson 637 Airweight in 38Spl+p

If it has to be one of your options I would select the 3'' Ruger. I'm assuming its the 357mag.
 
If the 3" 1911 Style pistol was 100% reliable, I might consider carrying it, but having a 3" SP100, I lean in that direction.

I'm one of those who thinks a 1911 has a 5" barrel, or it doesn't qualify.:)

My 3" SP101 shoots Remington 125 grain SJHPs at 1375 fps for 528 ft. lbs of ME. With Hogue grips on it, the recoil doesn't bother me at all.

Carry a few speed loaders and practice using them.
 
I am 5'9" and 150#. Also 50+++ years old :)

I own and carry S&W revolvers and 1911s. The 1911 is lighter, thinner and easier to conceal, and it carries more rounds with a faster reload capability. Also, I shoot a 1911 better than a revolver...not by much, but a bit.

I have owned about 20 1911s in the last 25 years. Only three have been 5", and the majority of the remainder have been 3 or 3 1/2", with three 4 or 4 1/4 inchers to round out the study.

I have had trouble with one 5" and two of the sub-5", which gives me a reliabilty ratio of 67% for 5"ers and 88% with the sub 5"ers.

Note that this is a fairly reasonable sample size...unlike some people's experience which was "I once shot a 3" and..." or "I once knew someone who told me..."

FWIW, I have a Commander sized 1911 on my hip as I type this.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys! So far, pretty much everything you have said mirrors what I've come across in my research. Here's my list of pros and cons for each:

1911 Officer
+ slim
+ familiarity with controls and trigger (my main handgun is a 5" Gov't)
+ I feel that 45 ACP is an ideal compromise in stopping power/recoil/muzzle blast
- reliability is questionable until ~500 rd. break in
- relatively blocky/angular shape may increase printing

Ruger SP101
+ reliable
+ speed strips more concealable
+ relatively organic shape may prevent identification as a gun when printing
- I'm OK with using 38 Special (FBI Load), but I'd be more comfortable with 9mm and above. 357 Mag is really powerful, but at the cost of recoil and muzzle blast.
- almost no practice on DA trigger

Man, it's still looking pretty even to me. I think the question of reliability in the mini 1911 and the lack of proficiency with a DA revolver can both be solved with time and effort. I guess it's going to take a bit more fondling time to answer this question. Usually someone yells out "Buy both!" by this time, and I intend to do so eventually, but for now I'm at the point where I'll be selling off a gun or two to fund this purchase.

Oh yeah, here's another question. I live in CA, but soon I'll be moving back to VA where I can legally carry again... whoohoo! However, I'd like to have my carry gun ready for my cross country drive back to the East Coast. I have a FL permit, and it looks like it has reciprocity with most of the states I'll be crossing through. Any thoughts on choosing between the reliable yet unfamiliar DA revolver vs. the potentially unreliable but familiar SA auto if you were in my shoes?
 
A word about ammunition: you need to be more selective about what you feed the Officer's Model than you do about the SP101's diet.

The velocity loss when shooting .45 ACP ammo from such a short barrel is often enough to cause some JHP loadings which expand reliably at 4.25-5" barrel velocities to give iffy expansion. Many people who carry such short barreled .45's choose to carry +P ammunition and lighter bullets in the 185-200grn range to offset the velocity loss. 230grn bullets of modern design such as Speer Gold Dots or Federal HST's may not have the same problem, but you need to be careful about older designs like Federal Hydra-Shoks or Winchester White Box JHP's.

The .357 Magnum, on the other hand, gives you a lot of flexibility when it comes to ammo. You don't necessarily have to go straight from .38 +P to full-house magnums as there are several good loadings in between that offer comparable ballistics to a 9mm +P. Good examples of this include Remington's .357 Magnum Golden Saber and Buffalo Bore's Heavy .38 +P loadings.

Also, remember that grips make a great difference in the controllability of a revolver. My dad replaced the factory grips on his SP101 with a set of Houges and the difference was like night and day. The last time I shot that revolver, we were using Federal American Eagle 158grn JSP (a full-house loading) and while the recoil was stout, it was by no means uncontrollable. Even my teenage sister (who has since claimed the revolver as hers:D) was able to control the magnums without any trouble.
 
Wheel Guns Are Real Guns

I'm going to stand on my blatant revolver bias, particularly for CCW. ;)

You mention that the Ruger is unfamiliar. I have to ask rhetorically, "how unfamiliar can it be?". Draw, aim, squeeze, BANG....every time. Your concern with the DA trigger is a valid one, yet provides a good reason to spend more time at the range. Get some snap caps and practice at home.

That 5 round cylinder isn't much wider than a 1911.
 
Shooting a double-action revolver double action feels a little awkward at first, but I think you'd be surprised at how accurate it can be.

You feel like the sights are moving all over the place, but what counts is where they are when the hammer falls.

You just keep lined up and pull straight through. I'm always amazed at the groups I shoot with my 3" SP101 double-action, because I always expect them to be larger.

On the other hand, my brother and nephew both bought 3" Colt Defenders, and both have been 100% reliable, which I must admit, amazed me as I had read of a lot of problems with short barreled 1911 style pistols on a lot of forums.

I shot one, and liked it a lot. I'm just not a fan of the the 45's performance in such a short barrel, not that I'd like to get hit with one.
 
Accuracy

At the range, shooting 25 yards my Commander is slightly more accurate than my Glock model 22. Surprisingly I shoot my 2-1/4" SP101 as well or better than both. I do feel that in a low light situation the bigger, painted sights of the semi autos would be better.
 
My Colt Officer is the most accurate sub 5inch barrel gun ive ever shot. Its honestly one of my favorite guns ive had a chance to shoot or own. Wouldnt trade it for any revolver in the world. The recoil from the .45 is very controlable with follow up shots easy and on target.
 
It's a trade off. The Ruger is heavy for the capacity you get, hard to control and ensure fast follow up shots using full powered .357 loads so most end up carrying it with .38 SPL +P. In that case you could get a lighter gun in something like an LCR or 642 which would probably serve better.

That said a "reliable" officers size 1911 will have more capacity of a larger round in a slimmer carry profile which will be as or more heavy than the revolver.

Comes down to what you shoot best. But, if you're going to "download the RUger to .38's then look at dedicated .38 spl guns to get a fair comparison.

Touch off just one 125 gr. hot .357 load from a short barreled revolver without hearing protection and let us know how that SP works for ya. .38 spl and .45 ACP will be loud as well, but .357 magnum is a round that was never intended as a short barreled cartridge and is hard to use as such.

Sorry for the rant, but I get a kick out of recommendations for snub nosed .357 magnums as great carry guns from folks who have never used one other than at some range while wearing great big earmuffs firing single action at bullseye targets in lengthy intervals.

Next question is single or double action shooting. What do you do best? A 1911 will offer consistent short travel 3-6 pound trigger pull while to be similarly effective a revolver will have a longer trigger travel length and generally higher pull weight.

In the interest of full disclosure, I own both a 3" Ruger Sp101 in .357 magnum and a Springfield EMP 1911 pattern 9mm. The Ruger gets carried in the woods with a hardcast 180 grain load while the EMP serves for carry in most situations. I can shoot the EMP faster and more accurately, but it cannot match the power of a 180 grain LFN at 1300 FPS. Would never want to touch off the SP indoors however as outdoors is violent enough the 3 times I have had to use it without ear protection.
 
Last edited:
I owned a 3" Ruger Sp101 in .357 magnum, but sold it because it was only controllable with +P .38 Special, which you can do with lighter pistols. I also own a Colt Officer's Model .45 ACP but no longer carry it, as it is a boat anchor compared to my SA XD .40 SC. There is a third option.

Good Luck :)
 
Uh, don't assume.

"Sorry for the rant, but I get a kick out of recommendations for snub nosed .357 magnums as great carry guns from folks who have never used one other than at some range while wearing great big earmuffs firing single action at bullseye targets in lengthy intervals."

The SP101 has a fair amount more weight than your average .38 snubbie. My last trip to the range I was shooting 158 grain .357 Mag rounds, DA only, shooting it quickly, taking about 4 seconds on average to empty the 5 shot revolver at 25 yards. I was keeping all the shots inside an 8" circle and 90% inside a 4" circle. I fired about 40 rounds at this range session from this gun.
I have fairly strong hands, I'm not saying that everyone can do that but I find it controllable with magnum loads. On the other hand, I haven't found my fairly new Colt Commander to have the nice soft recoil that 1911 lovers carry on about. It kicks harder than my Glock Model 22 .40 cal.
 
I have a Colt Officers model and two SP101's. The SP101 get used, the Colt just sits in the safe waiting to be sold one day. I just feel more comfortable with the little Rugers.
 
QUOTE: I get a kick out of recommendations for snub nosed .357 magnums as great carry guns from folks who have never used one other than at some range while wearing great big earmuffs firing single action at bullseye targets in lengthy intervals."

Is this actual first-hand knowledge, or an assumption?
 
Officer Model 45acp

That's my carry gun, but I didn't accept it for that before I had fired 500 rounds with no malfunctions and no cleaning of the gun. I decided to see how many rounds I could go, but I gave up at about 800 rounds. I cleaned it and carry it from then on. Now I make sure I keep it exercised with about 50 rounds per week. It's not really a 1911, its a 1991. Love the gun.
 
It's a trade off. The Ruger is heavy for the capacity you get, hard to control and ensure fast follow up shots using full powered .357 loads so most end up carrying it with .38 SPL +P. In that case you could get a lighter gun in something like an LCR or 642 which would probably serve better.

Well, I'm not sure who you've been talking to, but most of the people I know that bought a SP101 chose it over a lighter gun because they intend to carry magnums in it. I didn't have much trouble keeping 158grn Federal JSP's inside a pie plate a 15 yards, double action, rapid fire the last time I shot an SP101.

Touch off just one 125 gr. hot .357 load from a short barreled revolver without hearing protection and let us know how that SP works for ya. .38 spl and .45 ACP will be loud as well, but .357 magnum is a round that was never intended as a short barreled cartridge and is hard to use as such.

I have shot .357 Magnums from a short barrel (a 2 1/2" barrel to be exact) without hearing protection in low light. However, they were 140grn Cor-Bons and 158grn Remingtons which have much less flash and blast than full-house 125's do. While they were certainly noticeable, they weren't any more painful or disorienting than any of the other handguns I've done this with (including a snub-nosed .44 Special). Any handgun will be loud enough to cause hearing damage if shot without protection. Also, remember that .45 ACP was meant to be shot from 5" barrels and .38 Special was meant to be shot from 4-6" barrels.

Next question is single or double action shooting. What do you do best? A 1911 will offer consistent short travel 3-6 pound trigger pull while to be similarly effective a revolver will have a longer trigger travel length and generally higher pull weight.

It's just a matter of what you're used to. I shoot my DA revolvers noticeably better than my 1911, but then again I've done a lot more revolver shooting.
 
Well, I'm not sure who you've been talking to, but most of the people I know that bought a SP101 chose it over a lighter gun because they intend to carry magnums in it. I didn't have much trouble keeping 158grn Federal JSP's inside a pie plate a 15 yards, double action, rapid fire the last time I shot an SP101.
That's some good shooting and if someone practices with and gets used to shooting DA revolvers they can indeed get great performance. IMHO though most folks I know who have bought small .357's for carry end up using .38SPL +P rounds in them because they're easier to shoot better. This includes a a friend who shoots a good bit that has switched to an LCR because he shoots it better rather than the fact it's an easier gun to carry.

Guess I should have qualified my comments better, but the meaning was for the numbers of folks who buy a carry gun and don't shoot it that frequently and have not taken the time or expended the rounds to get proficient with a short barreled double action revolver. Likewise the drama entailed with firing full-powered .357 loads in those guns causes them to shoot even worse.

Not saying the small 1911 is a better solution - just a different one. It's as hard to master that platform as a small revolver and there are the questions of .45 ACP effectiveness from short barrels and reliability of some of these. Again . . . tradeoffs.
 
I'm 5'5" at 140 lbs., size 30 waist

I'm 5'6" / 142 / 31". I have an inexpensive (but good quality) Don Hume belt holster and with a solid belt the 3" SP101 rides nice and tight on my hip. Even with the Hogue monogrips with the long butt, you could conceal the SP101 under an open shirt or jacket. I'm used to carrying a lot of stuff around on a daily basis, so the weight of the SP101 really doesn't bother me.
 
I own both

but I carry the SP101 mostly. Easier to carry, easier to hide. about the same weight.

The SP packs a lot more ump then the 45.


steve
 
Back
Top