Ruger sp101 357 4.2 barrel.

I don't have the 4.2", but I have the 3" 357.

Years ago, I was on a Ruger forum, and there was a guy there whose handle was Iowegan. I believe he was a retired gunsmith and he wrote these "Books of Knowledge" on Rugers. Once a member had a certain seniority level without too much trouble, the member could download those.

I got one and did his home tune job, which consisted of replacing the stock springs with aftermarket ones, and polishing certain internal components in certain areas. It was like a whole new gun. STILL not like an old K frame S&W, though. Or even a GP100, as JohnK said.

I radius the edges of the trigger; as they were too sharp for a comfortable DA pull. I also polished the sides of the hammer while I had it apart; tarted it up a bit to give some indication that it is special now. :-)

I've had that gun for many years now. It went through a stint in a damp apartment basement and has some big blotches of rust now on the side of the frame, that really galls, but it's my fault. I've thought about getting rid of it, but I just can't. It shoots so well and is smooth, for an SP-101. I really spent some money and put a CTC laser grip on it. That's fun at the indoor range and might come into play with a nighttime intruder, but it's also nice that it makes room for the pinky. The standard SP-101 grip (for my hand) is too small for four fingers and too big for three. It's just a bad size. It was stupid of Ruger to just scale down the GP100 grip without putting more thought into it. Chintzy to do away with the ball bearings, too.

A new S&W J frame has a smoother trigger pull, but it stacks more and is heavier. On these small revolvers, its those coiled hammer springs that hold them back from greatness. I often wonder why they didn't just miniaturize the leaf-type hammer spring from the K frame and fine tune its thickness, so it could rival a K frame...

So this is what it needs, in my opinion, to be a Good Gun:
  • Radius the edges of the trigger
  • Polish the internals where they rub together
  • Install a lighter hammer spring and trigger return spring (Wolff or maybe Wilson)
  • Replace grips with something proper; either accommodate the pinky or don't. Pretty wood or cushioned rubber.

Well, that'll give you some stuff to think about.
 
Last edited:
Some shims on the hammer also help. I had a couple of small, very thin steel washers that fit perfectly. That prevents the hammer from dragging on the frame although it does make assembly a bit trickier.

One of the biggest benefits I got was from disassembling the trigger return mechanism and carefully smoothing the inside surface of the trigger return channel. It is usually really rough in there and can make the trigger heavier and also gritty as the spring coils rub over that rough surface during a trigger pull. Once that is done, the trigger will still be heavy, but at least it will be smooth.

I have one of the .22LR SP101s that I love. The DA trigger is heavy--even after all the work I did on it, it's around 13lbs with the original springs. But it's a smooth trigger and very shootable. It's a great trainer for trigger technique that is also fun to shoot and economical.

The rimfire SP101s are at even more of a disadvantage for trigger pull as it takes more hammer energy to pop the rimfire primer and that translates directly to a heavier DA pull.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I really like the balance and size of this little revolver. I carried it abit in a outside the waistband holster with a long shirt. I took it to shoot, and it is as everyone says. A very long trigger pull. Smooth but very long. So I dropped it off at a local gunsmith, and told him to do what he could. All and all a really nice little revolver that can be carried with ease.
 
Gulfcowboy said:
Thanks for all the replies. I really like the balance and size of this little revolver. I carried it abit in a outside the waistband holster with a long shirt. I took it to shoot, and it is as everyone says. A very long trigger pull. Smooth but very long. So I dropped it off at a local gunsmith, and told him to do what he could. All and all a really nice little revolver that can be carried with ease.
Click to expand...
Glad your happy with it. Let us know how it is after the smith gets done with it.
 
I have that size in .327 Federal. I mostly use it for longer-range plinking.

The advice on a trigger job is sound. I had one done locally plus an over-travel stop and it helped. It could still use some shims though. The hammer and trigger both have more lateral play than I'd like.

Since I'm not using this model as a CCW, I upgraded to a Hogue hardwood grip. It's remarkably comfortable in use. If you are carrying OWB on horseback, I'd recommend giving it a try.
 
Older post, but a update. Received my sp101 back from the gunsmith today. Definitely a big improvement. I definitely recommend a trigger job if you own one. Merry Christmas to all.
 
Does your Ruger have the green fiber optic front sight?

That 4.2 SP101 is one of my favorites. It fits my hand perfectly and the sights are easy to quickly align. I think it is unreasonably strong and I learned to hand load on that gun.

I have managed to shoot mine loose with heavy loads of 2400 and H110. I found it to shoot well with 110 grain jacketed hollow points at warp speed.

Black hawk holster company makes a retention holster for the 3 inch Taurus judge that can be adapted to fit. I super glued a small strip of rubber on the bottom of the holster on the inside to take up the additional space, to prevent the revolver from rocking and now it fits and locks perfect. The retention is a button style that grabs the front of the trigger guard with a small lever.

Get a bunch of speed loaders and make that gun warm!!
Hks36a speed loaders are what I use to reload quickly at the range. Periodically I pick some up off amazon or the local gun shop. I think speed loaders multiply inside the range box as there are over 12 speed loaders floating around in there now. Pachmyer makes an interesting very well made and attractive aluminum speed loader but it does not work so well in actual use.

How does yours shoot?
 
Definitely needs a trigger job

Older post, but a update. Received my sp101 back from the gunsmith today. Definitely a big improvement. I definitely recommend a trigger job if you own one. Merry Christmas to all.
Click to expand...
I know I'm being redundant but have been following this thread as I am a Ruger-Fan. About a month ago, happened to handle one of these at a local GS and the trigger pull was horrible. I used to own one and eventually traded it off for an GP-100. This is the only problem I have with these....... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
My sp101 does have the green fiber optic sight. It is a very nice compact package. Now with the trigger job it shoots like a larger revolver. Very handy little revolver.
 
Pahoo said:
I know I'm being redundant but have been following this thread as I am a Ruger-Fan. About a month ago, happened to handle one of these at a local GS and the trigger pull was horrible. I used to own one and eventually traded it off for an GP-100. This is the only problem I have with these....... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
Click to expand...
In my experience a SP101 will smooth up pretty quickly with some dry fire (a few hundred snaps). It'll never have a trigger like a larger revolver but I don't think they're any worse than a current production J-frame.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top