The gun is a Ruger SP101 357 magnum with a 2-1/4 in. barrel. It is solid stainless steel......weighing in at 25 ounces.....with no side plate. Solid little gun......solid. Ruger designed this gun to eat a steady , numerous and frequent diet of the hardest hitting 357 loads you can find. Its a shooters snubby......which...IMO....any carry gun should be practiced with regularly.
The SP101 got its first outing yesterday.....and it was quite satisfying. We ran standard 38's down the barrel and some 158 gr 357's......big difference BTW. I was the only one willing to fire the 357's......and to be quite honest....it wasn't that bad at all.
Ruger has developed a nicely made stock grip....the grip and the extra weight in the gun help to absorb what could be a nasty recoil in a weapon of its size. One thing I don't like..... is how far the trigger needs to be pulled before it breaks (like 3/16 - 1/4) from the back end of the trigger guard......on the other hand....its a good safety measure. I got used to it pretty quick though.
I fired it strong hand only.....two hands...SA fire...DAO fire...rapid fire..etc etc....and it was all good. If I were to compare the recoil of the 357 to other things ive shot.....I would say it has the snap of a 40 cal and the push of a 45.....no big deal. I have to say.....this little gun is quite accurate...(when I do my part) and I can see its usefullness as a BUG , CCW , or home defense weapon/nightstand gun. I had 2-3 in groups from the 10-15 yard range in SA....with the 357 loads.
The sights on this model are set up with a pinned front ramp and a channel leading back toward the hammer in a "U" shape to form the rear sight. The sights are set up to be aimed at the 6 o' clock area....in other words.....aim at the belly button....and you will hit center mass.
The downside is that taking this gun out to shoot yesterday....has given me the itch for bigger and more powerfull magnum type revolvers. Hmmmmm.... maybe a 454 is in my future
I really have to say that Ruger did good making this one....its a hell of a gun.......good all around everyday weapon.......I'm very , very pleased with this one. I got a keeper.....and Ruger got a happy customer.
The SP101 got its first outing yesterday.....and it was quite satisfying. We ran standard 38's down the barrel and some 158 gr 357's......big difference BTW. I was the only one willing to fire the 357's......and to be quite honest....it wasn't that bad at all.
Ruger has developed a nicely made stock grip....the grip and the extra weight in the gun help to absorb what could be a nasty recoil in a weapon of its size. One thing I don't like..... is how far the trigger needs to be pulled before it breaks (like 3/16 - 1/4) from the back end of the trigger guard......on the other hand....its a good safety measure. I got used to it pretty quick though.
I fired it strong hand only.....two hands...SA fire...DAO fire...rapid fire..etc etc....and it was all good. If I were to compare the recoil of the 357 to other things ive shot.....I would say it has the snap of a 40 cal and the push of a 45.....no big deal. I have to say.....this little gun is quite accurate...(when I do my part) and I can see its usefullness as a BUG , CCW , or home defense weapon/nightstand gun. I had 2-3 in groups from the 10-15 yard range in SA....with the 357 loads.
The sights on this model are set up with a pinned front ramp and a channel leading back toward the hammer in a "U" shape to form the rear sight. The sights are set up to be aimed at the 6 o' clock area....in other words.....aim at the belly button....and you will hit center mass.
The downside is that taking this gun out to shoot yesterday....has given me the itch for bigger and more powerfull magnum type revolvers. Hmmmmm.... maybe a 454 is in my future
I really have to say that Ruger did good making this one....its a hell of a gun.......good all around everyday weapon.......I'm very , very pleased with this one. I got a keeper.....and Ruger got a happy customer.