3" SP101 357mag. Recoil ?

G

Gapper 1

New member
Thinking of getting Ruger SP101(3in.) 357mag. Can anyone tell me if the 3"
barrel reduces recoil/kick with 158gr. 357's. I own colt 2in. carry magnum and it is a little much (muzzleblast&kick w/357 rounds).......I use 38+P fed.nyclad HP's.

Was wondering if 1 inch of barrel makes much difference. Hope you can give
info on this one. THANKS MUCH......GAP
PS..... SP101 is 4 oz. heavier than Colt.MC
 
I own one (3" .357 sp101).

I don't sit at the range and cook off 150 rounds of .357 with it each time, but when I take it out I usually only shoot .357 with it. I get about 30-50 rounds before my hand starts to hurt a little (usually my middle finger knuckle from the trigger guard bashing it).

Occasionally some .38sp will come with me, but mostly its .357. It is certainly more manageable than a 2" Smith .357 snubbie. But, that's because it is heavier.

It seems to be most accurate with 158gr bullets. I shot about 100 rounds of 125gr .357 and they were not as well grouped. I can keep 158's in a 1" group at 25 feet.

If you want a full range report, send me a private message and I will go to the range on saturday with it. I'll even photograph the target.:)
 
158gr vs 125gr

So do 158gr .357's have a bit less snap than 125gr as far as felt recoil? I've read the heavier bullets will kick more, but I've also read that 125's are the nastiest ones, so which is it? :confused:

Do the Rugers tend to shoot better to POA with the 158gr stuff? Going to the range today to try something heavier than the WWB 110gr's. They were low in my new GP100 3".

**EDIT**

My GP100 shot dead on with the 158gr American Eagle and 158gr CCI Blazers. The Blazers were pretty tame, didn't seem any worse than the WWB 110gr I tried already. The Federal/AE 158gr felt noticeable hotter but were a blast to shoot. Something about cranking off a .357 that's so fun...
 
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In my experience, my Rugers seem to be less ammo sensitive than my Smiths when it comes to grouping. The Smiths show a real preference for the 158 grain stuff, while the Rugers seem to shot all weights pretty well.
 
158gr. vs. 125gr.

To LH2......... I find 125gr. (357's) kick quite a bit more than 158gr.
Some shooters on this site claim they load for cc with 180gr. I Thought 180's
were for hunting?
Guess you just have to try them all.:confused:
 
The 158gr. definitely have more recoil energy than the 125gr. loads. Now felt or perceived recoil is another animal. The 125gr. loads tend to be louder and have more flash so that could contribute to why some think the 125gr. loads are nasty. I haven't found the 125gr. loads to be bad at all while the 158gr. definitely give your hand a good smacking. Its simple physics, the 158gr. loads have significantly more bullet momentum than the lighter loads. More bullet momentum=more recoil. From my experience no 357Mag revolver that weighs less than 40oz. or so is going to be "comfortable" to shoot with standard power 357 loads. Especially the 158gr. variety. In my 686 and Ruger GP100s I can shoot about 100-150 standard power 357 loads before my hand starts feeling it. That is about the same time my finger gets tired from pulling a DA trigger anyway. In my M60 with a 3" barrel I'll be lucky if I get through maybe 3 or 4 cylinder fulls. That is for practice, its not in any way a fun thing to do out of such a light revolver. Everything is a compromise. You want a small and light gun in a hard hitting caliber, you are going to deal with brutal recoil.
 
my little sp101

I have carried several different 357's, and my 3" sp101 is my favorite; this is the piece I take when I venture to the veteran clinic just off the vegas strip; a nasty little gun for nasty little people.
I don't have any trouble with its recoil as the rubber grips absorbs much of the recoil with remington bjhp 125 grain; but beware. the rubber grips seem to catch on shirt tails, or light jackets and prints as tho it was not concealed. so the answer to this problem was a set of ebony grips;
 
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