Ruger’s smallest revolver with a steel frame is the SP101. This review will discuss everything that makes the Ruger SP101 gun so unique. The Ruger SP101 is a smaller gun with a heavier weight and a smaller size. This gun is not perfect. This gun is one of few that can be used for bear defense and concealed carry. This is a rare combination in revolvers. Size/Purpose Ruger SP101 is a large revolver. My three-inch variant weighs in at 27 ounces and has a three inch barrel. The 2.25-inch barrel will make you lose an ounce. It is a large revolver. It’s twice as heavy as the Ruger LCR at 15 ounces or the Smith & Wesson 340 J-Frame, which weighs in at 13 ounces. The Ruger SP101 can hold five rounds of.357 Magnum and.38 Special. The gun is slimmer than other guns because it holds five rounds of.357 Magnum or.38 Special. I recently gave one of these guns to a friend who was having a boy. Both new and pre-owned
StockGuns.com Ruger SP101s It’s small enough to fit inside your waistband and conceal it well, but big enough to shoot well. It’s the perfect size revolver for Goldilocks. Glock 19-sized guns are often considered the best compromise between a duty gun and a carry gun. Ruger SP101 revolvers also conforms to this rule. This gun can be loaded with heavy-duty.357 Magnum rounds. You can also load it up with.38 Special +P to carry it in self-defense. You could also carry it on a long hike through bear country. It’s a versatile gun. Is it the best for any particular task? It is not. It can do many tasks well. Yes. Weighing We have already mentioned that this variant weighs 27 ounces in our Ruger SP101 review. Weight is important because it helps reduce recoil on revolvers. A revolver doesn’t have a recoil spring, or a tilting block action that can reduce recoil. You feel the full power of your revolver when you fire it. The recoil can’t be reduced by mechanical leverage. Ruger SP101’s three-inch barrel and extra weight make a big difference in firing this gun. It is possible to fire heavy.357 Magnum rounds through Ruger SP101. Would I like to fire heavy rounds through this gun all day? No. You can still put a cylinder through the gun, and you can fire a regular pressure.357 through the round. It’s even fun to shoot the Ruger SP101 using.38 Specials all day. Unfortunately, I can’t say that about guns like the Smith & Wesson 642 because, even though it fires.38 Specials, the.38 Special kicks more than regular.357 pressure rounds in Ruger SP101. Frame The frame of the Ruger SP101’s Ruger SP101 is made from cast aluminum. Ruger is well-known for its durable, cast frames. These frames are made in Connecticut and Ruger is well-known for its castings. Cast frames are often considered inferior, but they are not inferior when it comes to Ruger revolvers. It all comes down to who is casting the revolvers and if they are competent. Both new and pre-owned
Ruger SP101s in StockGuns.com A Ruger revolver frame that is cast will last longer than a forged Smith & Wesson revolver. Although many prefer the Smith & Wesson revolver, the Ruger steel frame revolvers are far more durable. The frame is well-rounded and has no sharp edges. It’s a nice gun. Although it is heavy, the structure is strong. The barrel design is well-protected, with a heavy lug at its bottom. This makes the gun durable and heavy. The lug adds weight to front of firearm, which will help with recoil control. Caliber & Barrrel Length. The Ruger SP101 comes in a variety of calibers and barrel sizes. The gun is available in a 2.25-inch barrel and a 3-inch variant. There are also variants of the gun in 4.25 inches. The 2.25-inch variant is the most popular. The Ruger SP101’s three-inch barrel is my favorite. The gun feels a bit too long with the four-inch barrel. The most proportional barrel is the three-inch. It fits perfectly with the gun’s overall size. The 2.25-inch barrel is a little too short. This gives you a weapon that has a lot more recoil and is not going to help you save much weight. These guns are available in either a.357 Magnum Magnum or a.327 Magnum. The.327 Magnum offers a sixth round. I like that. The sixth round would be a plus if I was going to use this gun for self-defense against people. The.327 Magnum can take multiple ammunition types. Through the.327 Magnum, you can shoot.32 Smith & Wesson and.32 short ammunitions. These rounds are ideal for beginners as they have less recoil. The.38 is easy to shoot. If you are a recoil-sensitive shooter and want to shoot something in centerfire, the.327 Magnum version is the best choice. You can also shoot one of these lower pressure rounds with the.327 Magnum. Versions of the Gun As we mentioned earlier, this gun is available in three-inch, two-inch, and four-inch versions. These guns only have one real aesthetic option: the grip. New and pre-owned
Ruger SP101s in StockGuns.com The Ruger SP101s currently available in production come with a black or stainless steel finish, but Ruger also offers a variety factory grips. Capacity: As we mentioned earlier, the standard capacity of a.38 in an.357 chambering holds five rounds. If you upgrade to the.327 Magnum, you can get an additional round. The Ruger SP101 has only two ammo options. Ruger revolvers have a unique cylinder latch. Most cylinder latches require that you push the cylinder latch forward. Ruger requires that you push the cylinder latch into their frame. This is a great design and I find it very easy to use. It’s easy to reach using my thumb and is quick to use. The cylinder latch is also well-rounded so you don’t need to worry about cutting or poking your self on sharp edges. Sights The Ruger SP101 is my biggest complaint. The Ruger SP101 lacks a great sighting system. It is difficult to identify the rear notch because it is embedded in the firearm’s frame. One reason is that stainless steel makes it difficult to see the rear sight. Instead, they created a small notch and groove to create a natural shadow that helps you pick up the trough. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. You have the option of replacing the front sight quickly because it is pinned to your gun. Ruger offers this pin sight rather than machining a front sight into the firearm. Ruger offers a variety of sights for different firearm models. They offer a four-inch model with a fixed front sight and a rear sight that slides into dovetails. The 2.25-inch version also has a rear dovetail sight. This is not available on the three inch variant. Trigger The trigger of the Ruger SP101 is a bit disappointing. This is my biggest complaint about Ruger’s steel-frame revolvers. Their motivations are a bit lackluster. Pre-Owned and New
StockGuns.com Ruger SP101s The triggers feel very mechanical. It’s very stagy when you pull the double-action trigger. You can feel the gears and mechanisms locking into place when you pull the trigger. It has a mechanical, spongy feel trigger. It’s not great. This is also a problem because there are not many gunsmiths who can do this kind of work. It is much easier to find a gunsmith to repair a Smith & Wesson revolver rather than a Ruger. The triggers of Smith & Wesson revolvers are much more effective out of the box. The double-action trigger is a little too stagy for me. It’s not difficult to pull through a lot of this, but it gets easier. It’s not the best trigger in all of the world. This could be a problem for some readers of the Ruger SP101 Review. The Ruger SP101 Review’s single-action trigger is a standard trigger. It’s a simple trigger. It’s a clean trigger. The trigger is almost at the rear of the trigger when you pull the hammer back. After that, you can give it a quick light press to cause the hammer drop. It is a decent trigger, even if it’s only one-action. Hammer The Ruger SP101’s hammer has texturing on its top. However, the texturing is inset into it so it is not as easy to pull the hammer back. Texturing can be a bit slippery. Depending on how you pull the hammer back you can be quick, but it’s best to pull back with your support thumb. The ergonomics of pulling it back with your firing hand thumb are not very good. It is quite heavy to pull back. When you pull it back, the hammer almost feels like it’s going to fall. This is my biggest complaint about this hammer. Grip The factory grip of the Ruger SP101’s grip is good. It’s not perfect, however. You’ll probably prefer to replace most revolver grips by Hogue grips. They are great at controlling the gun’s recoil. Aftermarket The aftermarket options for the trigger, as we have already stated, are not very good. It is difficult to find a gunsmith that can do quality work on these guns. There are not many spring kits that will fit your gun. There are a few aftermarket front sight options available, but not many. Grip options are plentiful. Nearly all revolvers offer a variety of grip options. An upside in our Ruger SP101 Review. Both new and pre-owned
StockGuns.com has the Ruger SP101s. The Luger SP101 is no different. You’ll be able to find grips that will work well with the Ruger SP101. Aesthetics I like the Ruger SP101’s look. This revolver is not a traditional-looking one, but it is modern. It is balanced perfectly by the three-inch barrel. The Hogue grip that I have installed is perfectly proportional to the firearm. It matches the Ruger SP101’s width perfectly. Everything seems perfectly proportional, from the barrel’s three-inch size to the size of the grips. The Ruger SP101 revolver is a modern-styled revolver. This is my favorite part of our Ruger SP101 review. The Ruger SP101’s finish is not something to be proud of. The finish on the Ruger SP101 is not great, as you will see if you look at other Ruger factory guns. My gunsmith assured me that I could polish this gun to a very high standard if I wanted. I don’t think I would spend the time to polish this gun, so it will likely be put to better use. New and pre-owned
Ruger SP101s in StockGuns.com I have learned to live with the poor factory finishes of Ruger firearms. The revolvers have a lot I like. It’s worth the sacrifice of mediocre finishes. This might not be the Ruger SP101 Review for you if you are looking for a reliable queen. Shooting The Ruger SP101 Review is a joy. The.38 Special rounds make this gun fun to shoot. This gun shoots like a 22-caliber.22 when it is shot in.38. This gun is very easy to control and fun to shoot. It is very tolerable when it is hit with.357 Magnums. Would I shoot more than one box worth of ammunition? It is possible, but it is not possible. This gun can handle heavy rounds very well. If I was going to load these with hard-cast bear rounds, this Ruger SP101 would be able to shoot a cylinder through it. These rounds are not something I’d want to use all day. I don’t think I would like to shoot a 20-round box. However, the weight does reduce recoil with the.357. It’s one small revolver that you can shoot enough.357 to feel proficient, while still having a small grip to conceal the firearm well. The MSRP price for the Ruger SP101 ranges from $719 to nearly $1,000. It all depends on the variant you choose and the quality of fit and finish. The Ruger SP101 base model is available for as low as $600. Pre-Owned and New
Ruger SP101s in StockGuns.com used, often sell for around $100 less. This price is a good value, I think. The finish is a little lacking. However, it’s still a great value. Concluding Thoughts: If you are looking for a revolver capable of handling heavy.357 Magnum loads, this is the gun for you. It is lightweight enough to conceal and can be used concealed. Ruger SP101 is a great choice for backpacking along the East Coast. It’s lightweight and easy to carry concealed. This gun is a standout and one that I absolutely love. This gun was a gift I bought for a friend and will be passed on to his son. This is a true heirloom piece. Although it’s not a gun you’ll feel guilty about taking out of its safe and shooting or using it, it’s one you’ll want for your grandkids and kids to have. This is a great way to end the Ruger SP101 Review. Pros SizeWeightGrip OptionsCons CapacitySightsDouble TriggerLike this…
