Just bought a Ruger SP 101

W

Will Batayte

New member
I just got back from the gun store after picking up a Ruger SP 101 in 357. mag. It has a 2 1/4" barrel. I got it used but it is like new:D . It also came with hogue grips. I haven't made it to the range yet but I plan on going as soon as I can. Anyone have any suggestions for defense ammo as well as practice ammo in both 38. and 357. mag? Also I didn't get any owners manuals with it so I was wondering if anyone had a link to a site that deals with the maintence aspects of this gun. Thanks guys
 
I have been trying different loads out in my new SP101 2.25". With 38spcl loads the 125gr +p and 130 gr+p's seem to shoot to the left of point of aim. Remingtons 158gr LSWCHP +p is pretty much dead on. In 357mag, Winchesters 145gr STHP gives good accuracy, but is a little stout, Federals 125gr Classic HiShok is pretty good but is also a little stout and has a lot of blast. The Winchester USA 110gr JHP 357mag load performs very well out my SP101, very accurate, a little blast (not bad) and mild recoil (on par with the 158gr +p 38spcl load).
 
Good Job! Great gun. You will find it is one of your most carried guns, compact, serious horsepower, low maintenance. I've carried one for 5 years most of the time as an off duty gun. You can write to Ruger for a free owners manual. Other than scrubbing out the cylinders and bore with any good gun cleaning solvent, a bore brush and some swabs...maybe hit a few high points with a toothbrush and a light wipe down with good gun oil (Mil-Tec...Break Free...for that matter, Marvels mystery oil seems to work fine, your new gun will likely outlast you.

If you think the guts are getting really cruddy, dissasembly is a breeze. Do a search here or wait for the owners manual. Option two is take the grips off and wash out the insides with Gunscrubber, a parts bath or even hot soapy water (Dawn works like a champ)...dry out with compressed air or a blow dryer. And then a couple drops of good oil in the workings, both ends of the crane and just work the action a few times. Remember, this gun was designed to be abused...REALLY abused and keep working. You will be hard pressed to screw it up. You will note the Rugers are a pretty popular item here. Theres a reason for that.
 
Oops...

Sorry....I practice with whatever .38's happen to be laying around and finish up with 20-30 rounds of the 125 GR Federals. Thats what I carry in it. As stated, they are pretty ferocious...but, not un managable with some practice. I may try the 110's though, especially if I am going to shoot 50+ rounds of .357....
 
110 gr. loads

Does anyone make a fast 110 gr. load? When I look at velocity it looks like the 125s are faster.

Jim
 
Mine tends to shoot a little low of point of aim (about 1 to 3 inches at 40 feet or so) - but straight on. The tendancy to shoot low is something I have heard of from many other SP shooters. The heavier the bullet the closer to point of aim - .357 seems to shoot flatter than .38. For practice I generally go for whatever is on sale. As far as defence loadings though, 125g SJHP .357 or 158g LSWHP +P .38 (when I can find them) are prefered.

I also have Hogue grips, and to tell the truth I don't notice a significant differance in perceived recoil between the .38 +P's and .357 for the first few rounds. But after 20 rounds or so of .357 you start to notice. The .357 delivers a more rapid energy pulse that you begin to feel in the web and palm of the hand (at least for me). There is, however, a significant differance in muzzel flash and blast. Because of this I have been considering using a 110g .357 as they tend to produce less flash and blast than the 125g.

As mentioned previously, maintenance is pretty simple. Be careful when removing the main spring though - small parts can go flying. Really shouldn't do a lot of tinkering with the trigger assembly other than thorough cleaning and oiling once and a while. But disassembly and thorough cleaning of the internals really isn't necessary until 300 to 500 or so rounds are fired.

I think you will be impressed with the SP. Not the lightest small revolver out there, but in my opinion the best of all the small frame .357's. It's a small gun, but I think you will find it has many of the same handling characteristics of larger frame revolvers.
 
I've got the SP 101 in 2.25" barrel. I use Cor Bon 125 grain +p (.38 spl) for defense, and any of the cheap loads for practice (Speer Lawman, UMC, American Eagle, etc). The little SP is amazingly accurate even with the "budget" loads, and while the DA trigger is heavy its reasonably smooth on mine. I've tried .357 magnum in it once, and after having my hand nearly twisted off I won't use magnums in it again. IMO, you need the GP 100 frame to absorb the .357 magnum recoil to a manageable level.
 
BTW, IMO the main reason the SP 101 shoots low (mine does too) is that the sight setup forces you to point the gun slighter lower on target. An easy fix is to file the front sight down, or install a lower front sight.
 
The difference in the 38+P and 357 rounds is ALOT. My perception is roughly after I shoot some Fed, Hornady or GD 125gr JHP's the +P's feel like a 22 mag round. I shoot mainly with my CTC Laser for my grip and its hard plastic...also read....
NOT FORGIVING AT ALL!!!!!!! With the Butler Creek boot grip on it the difference was alot less.
My gun shoots right to the POA with 125gr Defensive loads....which is perfect.
Great gun...Shoot well
 
You might want to try Remington Golden Sabre 125 grain medium velocity .357's for defensive purposes. They should produce about 1150 - 1200 fps out of your SP101. By the way, you've got a great gun there, congratulations.:)
 
FYI: My wife, Amy, just received her SP-101 back from the gunsmith. The trigger isn't quite as good as a post-trigger job S&W, but really a nice improvement.
 
Thanks for all the tips. I probably won't be able to shoot untill tues. but I plan on spending a long time at the range. I can't keep this gun out of my hands. The hogue grips are realy comfortable. I held the same model in the store but with the Ruger grips and it feel nearly as nice in my hand. This is one of those guns that feels like it was custom made for my hands.
When I went shopping today I went to two stores and at the first was where I found the SP 101. I knew I wanted a revolver and preferably a .357 because I could use .38 as well. I had searched the forums on quite a few diferent makers and one name kept comming up; Ruger. I knew that ruger made some good guns (I have a few others but no Revolvers) . So anyway I looked at probably 30 different guns and one kept calling my name, the SP 101. Just to make sure I wasn't missing some great deal at the other store I put my urge's in check and left. I looked at another five or six at the other place but low and behold the SP's voice was loud and it called me all the way back. It was in my hand 1/2 an hour later. I can't wait to try this beast.:D
 
You got yourself a darn fine gun there. The SP101 is a great little snubby. It is a little heavy but that is because it is built like a tank. I don't think you could kill this gun if you tried.

My small framed snub is a Taurus 605. It is a good gun, but it is just too darned small to shoot more than a cylinder full of .357s at a time. I always find myself shooting .38s and .38+Ps.

Well, one day the guy at the next lane was shooting an SP101 with Hogue grips and he asked if I wanted to try his. Never being one to pass up a chance to shoot a gun I accepted and I must say that gun with those grips handles .357 rounds about as well as any gun that size can. It wasn't exactly pleasant but I would be able to handle a decent amount of practice with the magnum rounds out of that gun. It is really tempting to get one myself.
 
I have the same gun. Like other Ruger products, it's built to last and be reliable.

This is my first small frame .357 revolver. I have found that .357 rounds of any bullet weight provide stout recoil and lots of muzzle flash. I've put about 50 rounds of W-W white box 110 grain JHP through the gun. It's reasonably accurate and there's lots of power, but shot-to-shot recovery is slow for me. .38+P 158-grain lead SWCHP (the so-called FBI load) is easier to manage and still has a lot of power, although not as much as the mag load.

I agree with the others that no matter what you shoot through it, the gun will last a long time, because that's how it's designed and built.

I had a local gunsmith here remove the SA sear, bob the hammer and do a duty tune on the internals (remove the grit and rough places to smooth it up, but did not lighten springs or trigger pull, etc.). I replaced the grips with Hogues, but the jury is still out on whether those are better for controlling the gun. I like the Hogues because they are slightly smaller and easier to conceal with an ankle holster.

I like my SP101 and Ruger products in general (I have several) and I think you'll be pleased with it.

Bob
 
Will

In my opinion you just bought the best stainless-steel, snub-nose revolver on the market today. Very well made, durable, very smooth trigger, and a good looking gun to boot. ;)
For a owners manual just go to the Ruger site, and they have a section where you can order a new owners manual for your gun.

http://www.ruger.com

Good Luck
 
It's great to hear that the gun is well liked, I didn't think I would go wrong with a Ruger but you never know. I just got through cleaning it, I like to clean used guns before I shoot them. I have to say that whoever owned this before me either took realy good care of it or just didn't shoot it much. There are almost no imperfections on the finish and the barrel and chambers had very little fouling. The action feels the same as the brand new one I looked at in the store.
 
I got mine a few months ago, quickly became my favorite gun. Added Wolff springs, Trijicon sight and Hogue grips.
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SP101s are great packing pistols. Stout and accurate.

125 Grain .357s for carry--either Remington or Federal go 1250+FPS from a 2 1/4 in bbl

I tried some 158 grain Rem softpoints at 25. While they were a handfull, they were also very accurate--about 2" for five shots.

Black Hills makes great practice ammo. 158 Grain SWC or the Cowboy line.

The triggers smooth out quite a bit after 500 rounds of either dry or live fire.:p
 
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