Sp101 recoil

A

antmistr

Inactive
I’m considering buying my first revolver. I’m looking at a 3 inch sp101, I’m just not sure about the recoil with full 357 loads. The most powerful thing I’ve shot would be a pistol grip only mossberg 500. I know it’s not a fair comparison but how would the recoil be compare to that. The only pistols I’ve shot have been 9mm, 45 acp and a 380 S&W bodyguard.
 
Like any .357 you can go from mild to wild. The SP101 is a great .357 host because it has some heft.

My suggestion is to start with .38, work up to .38+P and then start experimenting with .357.

Grips make a huge difference.
 
You should also consider what you want to do with this gun. SP101 is a nice 5-shot carry gun. But if you want a range or home protection gun, I think you might have more success with a S&W 686 or Ruger GP-100. More gun, more capacity, more grip. Not that I'm knocking the SP101, I have two, including a .357.
 
I’m only looking to buy one revolver (for now at least that will probably change I’m sure.) so I’m looking for something that is small enough that I could carry but still able to fire full power loads. I’m probably gonna shoot 38s 99% of the time, but I’d rather have the option to shoot 357s. Especially with the market the way it is right now. I was originally looking at a 3 inch lcrx in 38 but there’s only like a $50 difference between that and the sp101 in 357, so it’s kind of a no brainer. Just don’t know what to expect with full power loads.
 
You will be fine with the SP101. Put on some rubber grips, and you should be able to handle the hottest .357 loads out there. I know I can with the .357 LCR which is lighter.
 
antmistr said:
Just don’t know what to expect with full power loads.
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For perspective, I LOVE 3" revolvers including the SP, and I love 357 Magnum as well
I've been shooting both for 50+ years including as LEO back in the stone age

158gr 357 Magnum out of a 3" SP101 is not fun
It will promptly grab your attention and I find most folks are done after the first box
If not then their practice suffers as they try to push through another

But the reality is that there really isn't a need to run 357
38 Special is perfectly fine for self defense and a great match for a 3" SP
Yes I know the tuff guy crowd will start bleating about how you "have" to use 357... that 38 is for "the ladies"
It's utter BS

38 Special is actually fun to shoot out of a 3" and you'll want to practice more
It's also (normally) much cheaper than 357 Magnum
38 is also cheap and easy to reload with less than $50 bucks worth of equipment

Either way the 3" SP101 is a fine gun :)
 
I've found that the SP101 is fine for all-day shooting with .38+p or .327 Federal. The grip can matter. I really like the hardwood grips from Hogue. While they don't have the give of rubber, they fill my hand a bit better and distribute the force nicely.

I don't love shooting .357 magnum from an Sp101. The weight helps and with decent grips, it's better than the LCR or a lightweight J-frame. It's still a bit much and the shock adds up for my carpal tunnel. I prefer shooting .357 magnum from a GP100 or L-frame Smith and Wesson with 4" barrel or longer. Grips matter there too.

The only time I used to carry .357 magnum defensively is with one of those boat anchors and only when I'm out on the trail. For normal carry, I'm much more apt to carry a semi-auto in .357 Sig. I say "used to carry" for the bigger revolvers because I've found myself carrying .357 Sig in the woods lately too. It does a decent job replicating performance relative to barrel length for 125-grain loads and solids can be used. The ratio of felt recoil to pistol size and weight seems friendlier.
 
TBM900 said:
For perspective, I LOVE 3" revolvers including the SP, and I love 357 Magnum as well
I've been shooting both for 50+ years including as LEO back in the stone age

158gr 357 Magnum out of a 3" SP101 is not fun
It will promptly grab your attention and I find most folks are done after the first box
If not then their practice suffers as they try to push through another

But the reality is that there really isn't a need to run 357
38 Special is perfectly fine for self defense and a great match for a 3" SP
Yes I know the tuff guy crowd will start bleating about how you "have" to use 357... that 38 is for "the ladies"
It's utter BS

38 Special is actually fun to shoot out of a 3" and you'll want to practice more
It's also (normally) much cheaper than 357 Magnum
38 is also cheap and easy to reload with less than $50 bucks worth of equipment

Either way the 3" SP101 is a fine gun :)
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t expect to practice extensively with 357. Like I said I would use 38s 99% of the time. I just want to know how bad full power loads are in this gun. Even with the pistol grip shotgun I wouldn’t shoot an extensive amount of full power loads. It’s not cost effective or necessary. I just want to know if I had to use them, what the recoil is compatible to.
 
Has anyone here fired a pistol grip only shotgun. I know it’s not a fair comparison, but I would just like to get an idea of the recoil compared to something I’m familiar with. Even with the shotgun (I know it’s different) with full power loads it stings your hand, but it’s still manageable. I’m not really recoil sensitive but don’t want to be shocked either.
 
With .38’s it is a a great revolver, with full power .357’s a range gun it is not. I’m a huge fan of the heavy hitters, .44mag, .454 Casull, .460 S&W etc...but my SP-101 2 1/4 “ barrel was the last thing I would look forward to shooting with magnum loads.
 
I have the 2.25" SP101 (my first handgun 25ish years ago). Put Pachmayr rubber grips on it and shoot 357 loads all day.

You are looking at a great gun. I pocket carry mine quite often. And I IWB a 3" SP101 in 327 magnum.

Work on your grip (grasp) of the gun and you can mitigate recoil quite a bit.
 
Snappy, but as said, try it with 38 and work your way up. New grips will go a long way but even with stock grips it won't be unmanagable.
 
antmistr said:
I’m not really recoil sensitive but don’t want to be shocked either.
Click to expand...

A bit too subjective to give a proper answer
Typical 158gr 357 in an SP101 will wake you up
Most folks I've seen first hand won't make it past a handful of cylinders
It is not conducive to proper practice, and certainly not for "all day" shooting
It just isn't... fact
 
My SP101 is a 3” .327 Federal, so not quite the same.

But, I can shoot fullnpower .327’s out of it for as long as I can stand the noise/muzzle blast. The recoil is there, but not horrible, and is doable for a range gun.

Having shot both SP101’s and J frames in .357, I would much rather shoot the Ruger, that extra material/weight compared to the J frame makes a difference in recoil.
 
The SP101 is NOT a fun gun to shoot with max loads. It has a very small grip-to-guard length that will cause the back of the guard dig into your knuckle (even with medium sized hands). It is better with a Hogue grip, but still not nearly as comfortable to shoot as other .357's.
 
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