Contemplating Revolver Purchase

S

SATRP

New member
Happy Thanksgiving Pistoleros,

It's been a long while since I've purchased a revolver. I am considering buying a 3" .357 Mag. I'll use it as a hiking/trail handgun in So Cal. It will be worn inside of an OWB holster.

Here are the three that I'm considering:

S&W Model 66 2.75"
Colt King Cobra 3"
Ruger SP 101 3"

It's primary purpose will be rattlers (shot capsules). It's possible to run across a lion. Lastly, bipedal vermin defense. It will not be for black bear defense, although 5 or 6 180 grain .357 Mag rounds ought to cause me to have to call a game warden to arrange for transportation of a black bear carcass.

Of the three, my guess is Ruger is the best. But I don't have actual knowledge that supports that guess; hence, I would greatly appreciate help from guys who do have knowledge of revolvers.

I don't want to jump on a Black Friday deal only to regret a hasty purchase, assuming I find a Black Friday deal.
 
Out of the three you are looking at, I would go for the Colt or S&W over the Ruger since I'd much rather have a six shooter than a five round revolver.

I haven't shot it much yet, but I have a Colt King Cobra which I am a big fan of.

I don't have a current 2.75" S&W 66, but I have a 17 or 18 year old 3" S&W 65 and I used to have an old 4" S&W 19.

Of the two left on your list, I'd go with the Colt. Even though it is only 1/4" and won't make a huge difference in ballistics, it will make some difference (especially if you ever think you might use it for bear defense). I'd also take a close look at the used market for a used 3" K-frame.
 
SATRP said:
Happy Thanksgiving Pistoleros,



It's been a long while since I've purchased a revolver. I am considering buying a 3" .357 Mag. I'll use it as a hiking/trail handgun in So Cal. It will be worn inside of an OWB holster.



Here are the three that I'm considering:



S&W Model 66 2.75"

Colt King Cobra 3"

Ruger SP 101 3"



It's primary purpose will be rattlers (shot capsules). It's possible to run across a lion. Lastly, bipedal vermin defense. It will not be for black bear defense, although 5 or 6 180 grain .357 Mag rounds ought to cause me to have to call a game warden to arrange for transportation of a black bear carcass.



Of the three, my guess is Ruger is the best. But I don't have actual knowledge that supports that guess; hence, I would greatly appreciate help from guys who do have knowledge of revolvers.



I don't want to jump on a Black Friday deal only to regret a hasty purchase, assuming I find a Black Friday deal.
Click to expand...



The SP 101 has a horrible trigger and grips. Unless you’re gonna get it fixed, i would pass.

Of the choices left I recommend the Model 66.

I wouldn’t count out a Taurus Taurus Model 66 357 Magnum 7 shot, either. I have it and love it.

But I carry the S&W Performance Center 627 2.5” 8 Shot 357 Magnum
155c0e40be423f688d1fb619c803c306.plist


b8961946655f6a453b2cadabbc848671.jpg
I also carry a S&W 640 357 Magnum 5 Shot in the pocket.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I have a 3" SP 101. It's about 25 years old and the action is great. But that came after polishing the internal stuff and shooting it thousands of times. It is possible to give an SP 101 a great trigger.

I also have a couple of older Six series revolvers - Security Six and Service Six. With the Sixes already in hand, I've never owned a GP 100 but I've shot a couple. Ruger makes a GP in 3 inch that matches your criterion for barrel length. From my experience and what I've read, the trigger on the GP is better out of the box than on the SP. A polish job on a GP should improve it even more. So a GP 100 offers a better trigger to start with plus the advantage of 6 rounds.
 
First recommendation I would give based on your intended use would be a minimum 4" barrel. Now I've been a S&W guy for over 35 years, but recently picked up a GP100 4" and with a little work and about $30.00 worth of parts it's as good as if not better than any Smith I've ever owned. I polished the internals, put in a light trigger spring and a 10# hammer spring along with a set of shims and I'm just absolutely loving this pistol.
 
I have a SP101 DAO in .357 ...the trigger was a little stiff out of the box. After putting several 100 rounds thru it there was minimal improvement. I installed a 10# hammer spring and an 8# trigger spring. I have since sent a couple of thousand down the pipe and couldn't be happier with it. The trigger is light and glass smooth. It has become the most enjoyable gun to shoot. I'd recommend it highly.
 

Attachments

  • SP101.jpg
    SP101.jpg
    63.6 KB · Views: 67
WheelGunMan said:
I have a SP101 DAO in .357 ...the trigger was a little stiff out of the box. After putting several 100 rounds thru it there was minimal improvement. I installed a 10# hammer spring and an 8# trigger spring. I have since sent a couple of thousand down the pipe and couldn't be happier with it. The trigger is light and glass smooth. It has become the most enjoyable gun to shoot. I'd recommend it highly.
Click to expand...



Well you’ve done two things that I recommend to people who want it.

It’s a beautiful piece.

Of the Ruger SA/DA revolvers, I find the SP101 to have the worst triggers and worst grips out of the box.

The GP has a decent trigger out of the box. I don’t care for the grips.

I have an Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull. Nice grips and decent trigger. I’m not messing with the trigger since I don’t want a ND out of it.

The other two Ruger Super Redhawk I have are a 44 Magnum 9.5” and Ruger Toklat 6 Shot 454 Casull. Decent triggers and good grips. I want to work for the trigger on these, too.
4216314b4711bd007b3a82daae9badf7.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
With a proper holster and sturdy belt, the 3" SS Ruger GP-100 .357 can be easily carried and offers SIX shots. Just a thought. Mine is pretty slick.
 
CDR_Glock said:
Well you’ve done two things that I recommend to people who want it.

It’s a beautiful piece.

Of the Ruger SA/DA revolvers, I find the SP101 to have the worst triggers and worst grips out of the box.

The GP has a decent trigger out of the box. I don’t care for the grips.

I have an Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull. Nice grips and decent trigger. I’m not messing with the trigger since I don’t want a ND out of it.

The other two Ruger Super Redhawk I have are a 44 Magnum 9.5” and Ruger Toklat 6 Shot 454 Casull. Decent triggers and good grips. I want to work for the trigger on these, too.
4216314b4711bd007b3a82daae9badf7.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Thanks for the compliment. That's the fourth set of grips that I purchased for it. Finally found something that's comfortable to me. With the additions of the trigger and hammer spring I find staging the hammer is consistent and greatly improves accuracy. The SP101 has become more of a range gun as I find it a little heavy for comfortable conceal carry. My current EDC is a Ruger LCR in .357 and a 3" LCRx in .357. I alternate between both because they're comfortable and identical to shoot. Nice collection you have there.
 
ds-10-speed said:
I tend to like S&W but the new Kimber looks interesting.



https://www.kimberamerica.com/k6s-da-sa-3-1
Click to expand...



I had one. It has a great trigger, nice sights and a 6 round capacity. However, This did not fit my hand well, at all, therefore I traded it for a S&W 640 357 Magnum 5 Shot and a Bond Arms 357 Magnum 2 Round Derringer .

I can do extended range sessions with my 640 (150 - 200 rounds of 357 Magnum) without pain. For the Kimber K6S I could barely do 100.

A Ruger GP 100 has nice weight, a better trigger and a higher round count. Then there’s the Ruger Redhawk 357 Magnum 7 rounder.

Don’t count out Taurus, since they’re actually very good. I have 5 of them. One I have had since 1994.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
When I consider the price, which is $899 MSRP for the Colt. I drop any consideration for the Colt Cobra. And I go to the Ruger, which costs $500 or less.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen a Ruger SP101 with any length barrel go for less than $500 around here for over a decade. You compare a non-existent price (or a price you might find used, or maybe in one or two geographical areas) to the MSRP, of course the Ruger comes out ahead on price. Heck, even where we get as close as we can to a national price, on Buds they have the 3" at $544 cash price, $560 credit right now, and that is before FFL fees, which can easily hit $75 or more around here. Since you are going with the Colt's MSRP, lets compare apples to apples... The 3" Ruger SP101's MSRP is $719. Much closer than the $500 or less you claim. With a $180 MSRP difference, I'd rather have the extra round and much better trigger of the Colt (in fact, that is what I did facing a similar choice).

With a proper holster and sturdy belt, the 3" SS Ruger GP-100 .357 can be easily carried and offers SIX shots.
Click to expand...

It won't be quite as comfortable to carry as the Colt or the SP101, but this is spot on. Heck, sometimes when I'm in the right mood for it, I will CCW a S&W 625MG (a 4" N-frame). The only thing, you can now get the GP101 in a 7 shot version, so I'd spend the extra money for that over the 6 round version (though, in a 3" barrel the 7 shot is only available through Talo, and if you can't find that version, you have to go with a 4.2" or 2.5" barrel).
 
For the purposes you describe, I'd recommend the one that looks/feels best to you. If you anticipate regular shooting of full power 357 Mag ammo in the snubby (which many people find unpleasant), I'd go with the Ruger.
 
chaim said:
I haven't seen a Ruger SP101 with any length barrel go for less than $500 around here for over a decade. You compare a non-existent price (or a price you might find used, or maybe in one or two geographical areas) to the MSRP, of course the Ruger comes out ahead on price. Heck, even where we get as close as we can to a national price, on Buds they have the 3" at $544 cash price, $560 credit right now, and that is before FFL fees, which can easily hit $75 or more around here. Since you are going with the Colt's MSRP, lets compare apples to apples... The 3" Ruger SP101's MSRP is $719. Much closer than the $500 or less you claim. With a $180 MSRP difference, I'd rather have the extra round and much better trigger of the Colt (in fact, that is what I did facing a similar choice).







It won't be quite as comfortable to carry as the Colt or the SP101, but this is spot on. Heck, sometimes when I'm in the right mood for it, I will CCW a S&W 625MG (a 4" N-frame). The only thing, you can now get the GP101 in a 7 shot version, so I'd spend the extra money for that over the 6 round version (though, in a 3" barrel the 7 shot is only available through Talo, and if you can't find that version, you have to go with a 4.2" or 2.5" barrel).
Click to expand...



My buddy bought a used SP 101 for $375

Barely shot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Have no problem with all your choices...

I have carried a Ruger Security Six, with Federal 180gr Hot cast lead for traipsing the trails of the Washington Cascades, in a speaddloader.
the cyclinder was mostly yhre Hornady 149 gr., XTP's [for biped varmits]

Alternate was Colt Combat Commander using the Hornady 230 gr FP-FMJ.

I prefer the 4" over the 3", but if that what you have, use it! [meaning a lot of PRACTICE]
 
If I was gonna carry in hip holster I'd get a 4" gun. A 19 or 66. I have owned and shot Ruger and Colts, the S&Ws have much better triggers as a rule. If a .38 suits you a model 15 it tough to beat and it's a little lighter than a 19.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top