Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Does anyone have a Ruger sp101 .357 magnum, if so what do you thing of it?

I have a friend that has one. He let me use it a couple of times. It is on my list of Ones I what to get. For there size they are fun to shoot and very easy to handle. If you have an opertunity to get one I recomend it.

I have two - one I've had for about 6 months, and I love it so much that when I came across a good deal on another one, I picked it up, as well. Now I have twins.

I have the GP vice the SP, but generally Ruger revolvers are very nice for the money. IMO, they are about on par with modern S&W, but only because I think S&W has let quality control go way down. The old S&W are much better.

I have both the gp 100 and sp101 and they are both well made guns but he extra weight of the gp makes it much more enjoy able to shoot.

I've owned 2 over the years and highly recommend them although I would recommend avoiding the shaved hammer version...

I had one for a brief time they are a very solid and reliable pistol. Well worth the $.

As a Ruger Armorer I can tell you that they are indestructable and that a person that knows what they are doing can do a real nice action job on one real easy in a short time.
Bill

SgtBill wrote:As a Ruger Armorer I can tell you that they are indestructable and that a person that knows what they are doing can do a real nice action job on one real easy in a short time.
Bill

What is done on a Ruger GP/SP action job?

gunderwood wrote:

SgtBill wrote:As a Ruger Armorer I can tell you that they are indestructable and that a person that knows what they are doing can do a real nice action job on one real easy in a short time.
Bill

What is done on a Ruger GP/SP action job?

Many things to smooth up the action and take down the single action poundage and to put the weapon in perfect time. I can do one in about a half hour if no new parts are needed.
The nice thing about the gp 101 and the sp 101 is that you can take the whole trigger meck. out of 50 diffrent weapons and put them all back into diffrent frames and they will still work.
Bill

Something right where my hammer is rattles really bad....Is it a problem? I believe the transfer bar is really loose

Those Rugers have always been very, very reliable. If I had to give them a knock,it would be for the grips....never cared for them.

ProShooter wrote:Those Rugers have always been very, very reliable. If I had to give them a knock,it would be for the grips....never cared for them.

One word: Hogue.

murse87 wrote:Something right where my hammer is rattles really bad....Is it a problem? I believe the transfer bar is really loose

All the transfer bars are loose. It won't hurt anything and is not a problem. This is one of the reasons that all the part's fit in all of them and are transferable to another weapon. With both a Colt and or a Smith & Wesson the parts need to be hand fitted for most all of them except maybe the safety bar in the S & W Revolvers.
Bill

One other word - Pachmayr - Sold by AIG Tactical

Thank you for the info SGT Bill. I appreciate it.

I have two, they're perfectly servicable but I don't much care for them. They lack soul, and are not especially pleasant to shoot.

The .357 is a drawer gun. I know it'll work if I need it, but I also don't much care if something happens to it (confiscated, stolen, whatever).

gunderwood wrote:One word: Hogue.

I have them on the .32 mag. Not much of an improvement. Does Pachmayr make SP101 grips yet? I'd switch in a heartbeat if they did.

Better yet, Uncle Mike's. Their old K-frame grips are the height of rubber grip design.

I issued out to members of our department over 400 of then with a new type holster and 2 speed loaders along with their choice of the stock wooden grips or a set of Pacmayer grips. At the time it was morale let down as we were carrying a lot of S&W mod. #19 and Mod. 10 and several other types of S&W along with Colt MK3 and old Colt Trooper's. We had a smorgasboard of weapons within the department and I thought it was always a bad idea.. I put in reports through the Chief of Police to The Commisioner of Public Safety about the problems with so many diffrent types of weapons and tried to get the Dept. switched over to a S&W Mod. 66 or 65 in all stainless steel. He approved my trade in of all city revolvers for ALL new weapons but he went to a local vendor and had him come in on the lowest bid with Ruger Security six revolvers. I was screwed with no option but to go through with the trade, the morale within the dept droped like a rock when I issued then out. You can't keep your head up when you go from a Smith & Wesson 4" 357 Magnum with target stocks that you were awarded for being the highest shooter in your Academy to a plain jane Ruger. This is not to say that the Ruger is a bad weapon, IT IS NOT I owen several of them and can afford to buy whatever I want out on the market.

After 2 years of bitching and doing reports the new Comm. let me trade in the Rugers for all new Smith&Wesson mod. #65 revolvers and the morale went back up and I started giving out a trophy to the high Academy Shooter.

Bill

Own a snubby for CC, and love it with the Hogue grips...

Makes a HELLUVA blast though with hot rounds! And it is STILL CONTROLLABLE! I went thru Dominion's CC class, and they make you show proficiency with your handgun before they sign off on your certificate, and I qualified with it.

I have the 3" barreled .357 and shooting the heavier magnum loads is not fun, but controllable. I prefer running 125gr ammo through it, the heavier bullets tend to print high for me at the closer ranges it was designed for.

Jim