Ruger GP100 vs Ruger SP101
- Thread starter chrisintexas
- Start date
comn-cents
New member
<<<excelerater wrote
take the grip off an SP101 and youll see why its inferioir
to the GP 100...>>>
How bout you just tell us why it's inferior?
Interesting, I do believe that they are identical internally one is just a smaller version.
take the grip off an SP101 and youll see why its inferioir
to the GP 100...>>>
How bout you just tell us why it's inferior?
Interesting, I do believe that they are identical internally one is just a smaller version.
engineer88
New member
I will say this. The SP101 to me is the smallest, lightest 357 (save maybe a SW60) that I would put a ton of rounds through and still carry it. It is all degrees of difference. Shoot one of those featherweight 357's and that SP101 will feel mighty inviting, lol.
The GP100 is the better range, home and car gun as everyone has pointed out. That extra 8-10 ounces come in handy for everything but carry.
That said, I find my 2 inch DAO SP101 to be carry perfection. Nothing to snag the clothes or the mind. Just aim and pull away.
There is another thread on this forum (I think in General Handgun atm) talking about the versatility of the 357. This is true. I carry 3 speed loaders, two with 38 and one with 357 hardcast and a shot shell (6 round strip clip). I figure that prepares me for just about anything.
Whichever way you go, you will be happy.
The GP100 is the better range, home and car gun as everyone has pointed out. That extra 8-10 ounces come in handy for everything but carry.
That said, I find my 2 inch DAO SP101 to be carry perfection. Nothing to snag the clothes or the mind. Just aim and pull away.
There is another thread on this forum (I think in General Handgun atm) talking about the versatility of the 357. This is true. I carry 3 speed loaders, two with 38 and one with 357 hardcast and a shot shell (6 round strip clip). I figure that prepares me for just about anything.
Whichever way you go, you will be happy.
Lost Sheep
New member
Any handloader.comn-cents said:
The same week I bought my first gun, I started reloading. Otherwise I could not have afforded anything and been bowling instead.
That was my thought, too.comn-cents said:
Besides, it is not inferior. Just smaller and lighter than the GP. The smaller grip and lighter weight makes the SP's recoil fiercer and the rudimentary sights don't help make the gun any more fun to shoot at the range at all.
A gun that allows you to see your improvement as you practice in encouraging. One that is hard to shoot with bullseye accuracy is discouraging when you want to get positive feedback. The GP does that a lot better than the SP. (Note, I own and shoot multiple GPs, SPs and Security Sixes for good measure.)
Lost Sheep
seeker_two
New member
I would have recommended the GP-100 too.....but Ruger brought out the 4.2" SP-101. The SP-101 will not only make for a good starter gun, but the same speedloaders, holsters, etc. will also work for the SP-101 snub he/she will eventually get for CCW.....
Before I bought one I rented both the GP and SP and I liked them both very much. I ended up buying the SP101 in 2.25" SA/DA to carry but a 4" GP100 is on the short list. I roll my own so cost is pretty low for either the 38 or 357, about 11-12cents per round using 158gr hard cast.
I don't want to be one of those people who mentions a gun that is not one of the options, but...um....I'm going to bring up a gun that is not one of the options.
Smith and Wesson model 19s or 66s sort of split the difference in size between the SP101 and GP100. Comparing 4" models of each, the SP101 is listed at 29.5 oz, the GP100 is 40 oz., and a Model 19/66 is about 34 oz. It still offers 6 shots while being trimmer than the GP100.
The 19s and 66s can only be bought used though.
Smith and Wesson model 19s or 66s sort of split the difference in size between the SP101 and GP100. Comparing 4" models of each, the SP101 is listed at 29.5 oz, the GP100 is 40 oz., and a Model 19/66 is about 34 oz. It still offers 6 shots while being trimmer than the GP100.
The 19s and 66s can only be bought used though.
SP101 magnum rounds...
I'm not fond of full house .357magnum loads in a snub SP101 revolver.
It's like if you stuck your hand in a beehive or wasp's nest after 2/3 cylinders of .357 rounds.
For regular defense or carry, I'd pick a +P or +P+ .38spl round. A speed strip or a quik-strip(Tuff Products) of .357magnum JHPs could be used as spare rounds if needed.
The 125gr JHP .357magnum was a standard for nearly 30 years with many armed professionals & concealed license holders.
Clyde
I'm not fond of full house .357magnum loads in a snub SP101 revolver.
It's like if you stuck your hand in a beehive or wasp's nest after 2/3 cylinders of .357 rounds.
For regular defense or carry, I'd pick a +P or +P+ .38spl round. A speed strip or a quik-strip(Tuff Products) of .357magnum JHPs could be used as spare rounds if needed.
The 125gr JHP .357magnum was a standard for nearly 30 years with many armed professionals & concealed license holders.
Clyde
ClydeFrog wrote
<<<I'm not fond of full house .357magnum loads in a snub SP101 revolver.
It's like if you stuck your hand in a beehive or wasp's nest after 2/3 cylinders of .357 rounds.>>>
Many people enjoy shooting 357 magnums in their SP101. I know I do. Maybe your SP101 has terrible grips installed. Do you have wooden boot grips installed by chance? If never heard anyone say it was painful to shoot full power 357 mag rounds with a Hogue rubber grip installed.
Either you are talking about one of the light weight 357 revolvers from S&W or you're using pretty (but useless) grips on our SP101.
<<<I'm not fond of full house .357magnum loads in a snub SP101 revolver.
It's like if you stuck your hand in a beehive or wasp's nest after 2/3 cylinders of .357 rounds.>>>
Many people enjoy shooting 357 magnums in their SP101. I know I do. Maybe your SP101 has terrible grips installed. Do you have wooden boot grips installed by chance? If never heard anyone say it was painful to shoot full power 357 mag rounds with a Hogue rubber grip installed.
Either you are talking about one of the light weight 357 revolvers from S&W or you're using pretty (but useless) grips on our SP101.
Super Sneaky Steve
New member
The GP100 is easier to shoot. Larger grip and more weight to tame the beast.
I'll say this; less than a year ago I was in the same boat trying to decide what to gift myself for my 21st birthday. I had it narrowed between these two fine Ruger revolvers. A gun I could carry was important to me. A gun that I could shoot moderately well was also important to me. In the end, the sp101 won out. I got the 3" model as to add a bit more weight (recoil taming) to the gun. I started not liking the gun, as I was fairly new to handguns and the SP's are not an easy gun to shoot. I knew this all full well before I purchased mine. I kept with it, and found a steal on some Remington .357 158 gr SWC's. I shot those, and hundreds of other loads. For comfort, yeah the .38 wins but by the end of the summer (bought my gun in May) I was comfortable shooting .357's out of it. As far as ammo goes, to me it really pays to reload the .357. I figured I have shot over 1000 rounds in this short time and only about 350 of those being my reloads. I bought the rest for the brass, and will gladly use those until they are spent. I ended up loving this gun, as a in-betweener. I can use it for shooting at the range, plinking, carrying, and even hunting if I so desire. It doesn't excel at any of those tasks but it does a good enough job for me. I do have a second gun on my wish list now, as I would like something a bit lighter and with a few more rounds of capacity to carry.
The nice thing about the 3 inch Ruger SP-101 is that it can be a main carry gun and the velocity boost of the longer barrel helps a bit.
I have Bianchi IWB holsters for CCW carry and the 3 inch SP-101 gets the nod for most situations. The Ruger GP-100 is also a great carry piece, but the weight,even with the 4 inch barrel is a bit much.
Carrying extra ammo is not all that hard with Tuff speedstrips.
I have Bianchi IWB holsters for CCW carry and the 3 inch SP-101 gets the nod for most situations. The Ruger GP-100 is also a great carry piece, but the weight,even with the 4 inch barrel is a bit much.
Carrying extra ammo is not all that hard with Tuff speedstrips.
artoo, I don't find the SP101 to be difficult to carry, but rather the long barrel kind of pivots the grip out away from the body when sitting. Walking around and typical day to day activities, the SP101 is a comfortable carry piece. I like it in my Old Faithful Holsters IWB.
Stressfire
New member
Depends on use, but IMO the beefier GP would be better for a newbie. If you plan on ripping off a lot of full house .357 loads, the weight of the GP helps tame it quite a bit.
I bought the GP over the SP since I got a better feel for the reach to the hammer spur from the larger pistol. Yes, they are double action, but I don't always like to shoot double, so the comfortable reach to the hammer spur was a seller for me.
ETA: Carry is another animal entirely, the GP's a lot of gun
I went with the 3 inch
I bought the GP over the SP since I got a better feel for the reach to the hammer spur from the larger pistol. Yes, they are double action, but I don't always like to shoot double, so the comfortable reach to the hammer spur was a seller for me.
ETA: Carry is another animal entirely, the GP's a lot of gun
I went with the 3 inch
My 4.2" SP101 was my first gun. I can shoot boxes of .38 and .357 ball at the range without any discomfort. The SP101 (and the S&W 686) both felt better in my hand than the GP100. It's a good nightstand gun, trail gun, and general purpose shooter.
However, the 4.2" SP101 has similar concealment problems to the 4" GP100.
However, the 4.2" SP101 has similar concealment problems to the 4" GP100.
Lost Sheep
New member
As long as the ice has been broken, a Ruger Speed Six is a candidate. These, of course, are only on the used market, too.idek said:
This is coming from one who owns a Security Six with 2.75" barrel and 4" and 6", SP101s (but not the new 4") and GP100s in 4" and 6".
Lost Sheep
I traded my sp awhile back, but I still liked it. My original purpose for it was to have a range snubbie to practice with so I didn't have to put too many miles on my 642. It didn't seem practical to shoot a 357 out of such a short barrel cause of the terrific muzzle blast. I have and will keep my gp in 4" barrel. The 357 needs the larger frame in my opinion. They are both nice guns.