38 vs 357 in SP-101

C

CrazyTrain

New member
Revolver newbie here. Tomorrow I am going to buy a .357 Ruger SP101 with a 2.25" barrel. I am not going to get the 3" barrel, and I am not going to buy a GP100.

I have fired both .38spl and .357 from an SP101 before. My question is - is the .357 a waste with such a short barrel? Would .38spl, or .38spl +P be a better choice?

My intent is to use the 101 as a truck and motorcycle personal defence gun.

Thanks for any advice ;)
 
Oh I'll be getting the .357 SP101, as stated. But would use of the .357 round over the .38 be a waste with such a short barrel? :)
 
The most important thing is to PRACTICE, practice and more practice.

Use whichever ammo you can consistantly put into a ten inch circle at 7 yards. In five seconds or less from legal carry (if permitted by your governments.) I recommend starting with .38 Special target wadcutters and working up to .357 hollow points.

As the experts are fond of saying, a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a canon.

Geoff
Who prefers an autoloader.
 
Whoops, misread your post. I'd been using 110gr JHP .357 for years but recently swithced to 158gr JSP +P .38 Special. For me it has less flash than the 110gr magnum and recovery is faster even though it has the heavier bullet. Like Geoff said it's really about practice and seeing what you and your gun like.
 
The SP-101 is heavy enough to make rapid shots with .357 a realistic proposition. In my 2.25" barrel SP-101s, I carry Federal .357 125 grain JHPs and have excellent accuracy and shot recovery time out to ten yards. Ten yards and under is the distance I most commonly train at; in my circumstances, I see little possibility of engaging beyond that distance.
 
Get the magnum, not much difference in price and you can shoot both .38 and .357. Size is the same as far as I know, only the cylinder length is different.
 
Even in short barreled revolvers, there is a significant difference between the standard .38 Special and the standard .38 +P.

Even in short barrels, the Magnum is more powerful.

The only question is, how well YOU handle full charge Magnum ammo in a short barrel.

Muzzle blast is extreme, and recoil is higher.

Some people rate the Magnum out of a short barrel as being virtually a "stun grenade" if fired in an room or enclosed space.

No one can predict your tolerance.

Many people practice with standard .38 or .38+P ammo, and use the Magnums for "business".

At one time, Remington, I think, made a "light Magnum" for defense use that was a compromise between a full Magnum and the .38 +P loads.

My best advice is this: NO .38 Special load is as effective as a Magnum load.
If you can effectively handle the Magnum ammo, use it.
If it's just TOO intense, especially in the application you're planning on using it, (inside the home) look at the better .38+P loads.

There's a LOT to be said for the time-proven .38 Special, 158 grain, lead, semi-wadcutter, hollow point.

The bottom line is, yes the Magnum looses power in short barrels, but it's still more effective than the .38 Special.
 
I actually prefer the heavier bullets in my SP. The gun, too, seems to like them, they hit POI, which the lighter bullets seemed to hit high, if I remember correctly. The heavier bullets (158 Mag loads) don't have the violent snappy recoil of the 125 mag loads. Still a handful, and I don't shoot them more than maybe 2 or 3 cyclinders a session, but it's what I carry, and the gun is shot everytime I go to the range. I practice mostly with what I call my 'Lite Mag' handloads. They chrono about 1100 fps out of my 2.25" bbl, where as the full power Mags do a hair over 1250 fps. Those same loads do 1350 out of a 6" barrel. So, you don't loose nearly as much velocity as a lot of people think.
 
That's a lot of great information, guys - thanks. I'm dry-firing tonight with some snap-caps and I'll hit the range tomorrow with some of the different ammos you've suggested. :)
 
357

Pratice most of the time with 38's and pack with 357's. Hell, even if you miss the bad guy, if he's withing 15 ft you'll pepper him with powder like never before. I suspect he'll be smokin' and blind to boot.
 
I've fired quite a few rounds from a snubbie .357 SP101. I'm talking about 110gr. JHP's that clock an honest 1700+ fps out of my 6" GP100 and some 125fmj's that move out over 1600fps.

The recoil isn't bad...but the muzzle flash and concussion is violent to say the least. It's one helluva range stopper. People lean out and wonder "what the **** is that guy shooting!" Lotta fun!

I'd get the .357, no question about it. Versatility is nice. Enjoy!
 
Here's the first blush report:

I went to the range (15 yards - twice as far as I'd anticipate having to use it) and went through 145 rds of different types.

.38 Win 130-gr FMJ
.38 S&B 148-gr WC
.38 S&B 158-gr SP
.357 Rem 125-gr HP
.357 Speer 125-gr HP
.357 Speer 158-gr HP
.357 S&B 158-gr SP

I made notes on accuracy and recoil. But cutting to the chase I can say that .357 rounds were very very unpleasant for me in this pistol. Lots of flash, lots of recoil. To the point that after the first couple rounds of each cylinder I just wanted it to be over. I love the low bore-axis of the gun compared to most revolvers I've shot or handled. But the #2 knuckle of my middle finger rests against the back of the trigger guard and I use the pad of my trigger finger to fire the round. After a .357 round goes off, my knuckle gets hammered and my trigger finger comes to rest with the #1 knuckle on the trigger. 24hrs later the pad of my trigger finger still hurts and my #2 knuckle of the middle finger is still sore.

I had to readjust my grip after every shot with .357s.

Maybe I can find an aftermarket grip that will give me a larger-diameter hold and my knuckle will then not ride against the trigger guard.

By contrast I can say that I could shoot .38s out of it all day long.

My experience with both calibers out of this gun leads me to believe that I'd get more shots off, and more accurately, in an emergency with .38s than with .357s.

I'll keep the .357 ammo in the closet and will hopefully add a full-szed .357 to the arsenal one of these days, and/or a .357 lever-action rifle, to shoot those things. The SP-101 will be loaded with .38s. Of the .38s I tried, I'm going to keep the thing loaded with Sellier&Belloit 158-gr softpoints for carry in the truck or on the m-cycle.

:)
 
Oh I'll be getting the .357 SP101, as stated. But would use of the .357 round over the .38 be a waste with such a short barrel?
Click to expand...

To answer your question directly - no it would not be a waste at all. While shorter barrels do result in some loss of velocity it would not be a waste to use a 357.
 
I wouldn't say it would be a waste, just hard to control and master. The recoil will be stout and there will be tremendous muzzle flash. An average 125gr. 357Mag still has the equivalent of a +p 9mm power level from the 2" barrel. Still over 400ft/lbs of energy, even over 500ft/lbs of energy with some loads like Double Tap, which uses low-flash powders.
 
Thanks for the report!

Pretty much confirms what alot of guys on these forums are saying - .357's out of a smaller platform like the SP are punishing.

But why not have less flash/bang and quicker follow up with a .38 +P. Cheaper to practice with .38's too isn't it?

I was strongly considering the SP a couple days ago... now I'm thinking If I'm gonna carry, even occasionally, and shoot .38's anyway, why not get something more compact like a Taurus 851 or S&W Bodyguard?
 
Now if you had purchased either of these I'm betting your range report would be allot different...:D
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