Last week I pulled the trigger and purchased a LNIB SP101 w/2.25" barrel. I've always wanted one for some reason. I know Ruger revolvers are built like tanks, heavy, so so triggers, reliable,  and definitely not a S&W. And this little guy with have some fierce recoil with full house factory loads I know. My only plans as of now is to order a Mika Pocket holster if I decide to carry it. Pretty much that's it with my plans.

Would any SP101 owners like to chime in and share your thoughts and experiences concerning ownership of this revolver. I would like to hear from you. Thx!

wagsfn

I am an ex-owner.

No complaints, it shot just fine.  I had to practice regularly to do well with magnum loads, however.

I sold it to a friend who wanted it.  As far as I know, he still has it.  They should last a long, long time.

It was a handful for me back then.  As I have grown older, I have become more recoil sissified.  If I had one now, .38 + p would be its diet.

It is a very potent small size package.

Love mine. Doesn't seem any heavier to carry than my g27. Hogue monogrip and its extra few ounces make magnum loads manageable to me. You will probably never wear it out (overbuilt!). The trigger is not a refined target/competition but its a carry gun. I would not want a light trigger on a self defense weapon.

I've had two. Sold the first one to my father, decided I missed it and bought another.

My second one was one that had the canted barrel issue. Did not affect accuracy, but it bothered me so I traded it.

I had one for quite a few years. Carried it off duty and as my backup on duty at my PD job. Mine was the 2 1/4" barrel and I bobbed the hammer spur because I kept getting it caught when drawing.

When I bought it brand new, it was so filthy that my impression was that Ruger was saving money on trash services and were dumping the floor sweepings in the guns. VERY filthy, LOTS of metal chips and shavings. Trigger was so gritty with the dirt and shavings that, before I even shot it, I detail stripped it, cleaned it very well and GENTLY stoned the burrs off of trigger group parts and hammer. I made damn sure to not change any angles, just removed the burrs. Made a HUGE difference and the trigger was SMOOTH! Smoother than my S&W M649 but a little heavier because of the heavier springs.

The thing shot like a dream! I absolutely loved the gun and shot it very well. Issued ammo at the PD was Winchester 125gr +P Silvertips and recoil was mild. Even with full house 125gr .357 ammo, recoil was OK. Heavier but still controllable. Out to reasonable SD distances (say 25-30 feet or so), POA equaled POI with both 125gr .38 and .357 ammo, or close enough to not make any difference. With careful trigger control, accurate shooting out to 25+ yards was pretty easy. I carried it for quite a few years, until manpower issues mandated that we were, basically, "on call" 24/7 if the on duty Officer needed help. I decided that I didn't really want to run towards a man with a gun carrying a 5 shot snubbie, so I replaced the SP101 with my G26 for backup and off duty gun. Not a problem with the gun, just my preferences.

When my mother decided she wanted her CCW, she listened to the counter idiot at the gun shop and bought an LCP because it had a "cute" laser mounted in the trigger guard. When she got home and decided that she couldn't work the slide because of arthritis in her hands, I traded her the SP101 for the LCP, so I don't have it anymore. She loves it, so it went to a good home and I'm happy.

OP, I don't know how familiar you are with revolvers, but the trigger will be heavier and longer than, say, a Glock or any other striker fired gun. When you pull the trigger, roll it all the way through, don't try to stage it (pull it most of the way, stop and realign your sights, then pull the rest). Just a smooth, constant pull. Start out slow and, as you get the hang of it, speed will come. Shooting DA revolvers is getting to be something of a lost art. I find it calming and fun to take my GP100 out once in a while and just shoot it. Give it a try and enjoy your new purchase.

Bub75

I have a WC version. I like it, shoots great but it's heavy. You could carry in a pocket but it's like a steel brick.
I have gone to an LCRx for carry as it's much lighter with a better trigger.  If I need to carry something heavier I carry G26 as it holds more rounds for a similar weight as the SP101.

When you get it check it out really well. My Sp101 went back to Ruger for late cylinder timing.

You should also consider adding a shim to the trigger and hammer pins, maybe even the hammer dog pin as it really helped on mine. Doing a trigger job and lightening the trigger spring to 12 pounds also helps a lot. I got my trigger pull down to 7-8 pounds.

I want to thank you for all the feedback. It gives me plenty of ammo for things to look for, and real world ownership experiences. I'm still not sure what role this revolver will play in my day to day needs, but it sounds like I have a reliable new firearm. Thanks again.

I don't have an SP101 but I am craving purchasing their new 4.2 inch offering.  I have a 6" GP100 in stainless with the full lug barrel.  Love that revolver as an around the farm gun but it's heavy.  I'm thinking the SP101 would replace the GP as the farm carry revolver.

Every shop I see one in I have to fondle it.  I just haven't been able to pull the trigger on purchase yet.

I've owned several, including 2 of the Wiley Clapp limited models.  They really benefit from a fluff n buff and spring swap, but beyond that the revolvers are fantastic.  Zero complaints here with everything from .38 practice loads to full house high pressure .357 short barrel loads.

Today is the day my new to me SP101 is supposed to arrive at my FFL holders home. I've appreciated the honeet feedback here along with useful but objective videos over at youtube university. I did determine my revolver is a 2005 mfg date. No problem, it's been a safe queen with very little trigger time. Looks new from the pictures. Late last week I made a few purchases for it, grip inserts and ammunition. The inserts are from chigsgrips.com which I chose the Ruger medallion (top) too. And I bought 500rds of ammo, 300rds of Federal 38spl 130 FMJ for plinking, and 200rds of Remington 125gr JHP High Terminal Performance for carry. Then I checked my 38spl stash and still a hefty supply of + P. So I'm good for now on ammo. I have not owned a 357 magnum since the early 80's to be exact, but do remember the 125gr were less punishing than the 158gr. Plus someone mentioned this earlier in this thread.

I've decided to leave the trigger stock. Heavy is my preference. And I'm still up in the air concerning a holster? As of now I highly doubt I'll pocket carry this revolver, but that could change. And that goes for a quality leather OWB holster. Still yet to determine the role of this revolver. Pictures to follow soon. Again, I appreciate the feedback!

http://chigsgrips.com/

Thought I'd better post a picture due to the great feedback the SP101 family here gave me. On a holster, I carried this pistol around for a couple days in a pocket holster for a Charter Arms Undercover 38 special (16oz vs. 25oz). This little tank carried well, and it isn't too heavy for me for pocket carry. Today I ordered a DeSantis Super Fly pocket holster. Should do the trick. Tomorrow is my first range session. Again, I appreciate all the feedback.  

Just installed an XS front sight on mine last night, as the previously installed Trijicon was nearly dead.  First impression is that it will be much easier to pick up.  That white circle really stands out.

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Hogue monogrip makes it feel nice to me.

I have the hogue grip on mine and I really like that.

I also added some lighter springs to it and that really helps thevtrigger pull.

I had the bobbed hammer version of yours OP.  I enjoyed it.  Could never get it to shoot accurately, and neither could any of my friends.  Something wasn't right with it, but could never figure it out. Eventually let it go for a deal to someone who wanted a project.

Would like to get another at some point, although I'd want the exposed hammer spur this time around.

As you observed, they are usually a bit too heavy for pocket carry.

Nice looking stocks BTW.

Finally, I made it to the range today. I had an assorted range of ammo from factory 125gr JHP, to full house 158gr hard cast and factory JHP. This little guy shoots like a dream. Granted the trigger is heavy DA, but more than manageable in SA and DA. At 10yds I was consistently shooting 9 and 10 rings SA (off hand). I could do the same DA if I really took my time. The factory 125gr JHP were stout, but surprised me on how fast I could get back on target. The 158gr full house and factory JHP didn't disappoint in recoil, but more than manageable. I did notice the trigger did nick my trigger finger due to a sharper edge when firing the hotter loads. I'll have trigger edges rounded. All in all a great shooting little revolver and I'm glad I picked it up.

The trigger pull is pretty easy to fix with a little polish and a spring swap.  A lot of the 'gritty' feeling is that the mainspring guide is a stamped or plasma cut part (honestly not sure) so besides a quick clean up job, the surface is pretty rough.  So when you compress the spring, the gritty feeling is the coils slipping over the bumps and grooves.  

A quick polish of those edges, swapping the trigger return and mainspring, and misc polishing of other internals with something super high grit.  I personally use Flitz, Mag Polish, and Simichrome since Flitz 3-3.5 micron grit size, Mag is ~4, and Simichrome is 10 micron grit size.  So super non-aggressive so long as you don't go nuts with it.  Changing dimensions, angles, going through surface treatments, etc is bad.  Smoothing the tiniest edges is pretty much all you need.

A 3" .357 SP101 was the first new gun I purchased, and it was my main carry gun for about five years. I learned to reload by making .357 and .38 special rounds for it, putting a few thousand rounds through it each year while it was my main carry gun. I still love it, but I don't carry it as often.

I never did any work to my trigger other than shooting it and dry firing it quite a bit, which smoothed the action right out. If you ever wear out an SP101, you are a lucky man to be able to shoot that often.

I have one also.  Mine is the 2.25" barrel, bobbed hammer DAO.  I had some trigger work done soon after i bought it.  It's a dream to shoot.

Can anyone clue me in on a good leather OWB holster?  I just returned a Bianchi 55L to Midway that was *supposed* to fit.

I've had 2 of them, both 3" versions. The very first thing you should do after buying a new one, is to install a set of Wolff springs. In my case, I also put a set of Hogue grips on them, but that was it. The 3" is heavy enough, and the Hogue grips soak up enough recoil, that I was able to shoot well over 150rds of .357 ammo each range trip with reasonable  comfort.

I WILL have another (that I won't sell, like a dumbass), but this one will be a 4-incher.

Trigger shims

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Yup, the SP101 WC came with them installed and between those, a spring swap, and fluff n buff, the trigger was downright fantastic.

The springs are coming for mine. I'll do the fluff and buff and measure at the same time to order the proper shim size.

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(notes from experience, but I am not a certified smith, grain of salt with this, etc)

Big things to remember for the fluff n buff:

-Check inside the bore for the trigger return spring for any burrs.  There shouldn't be any, but they do make reset a lot rougher if there is.  Compress the return pawl with your thumb a touch and push the pin out.  Otherwise it'll take forever because of spring pressure locking the pin in place.  Just be careful not to peg yourself in the head with the pawl if you lose your grip.

-don't change the geometry, just smooth it.  Personally I start with Simichrome, then Mother's Mag Polish, and finish with Flitz on a soft cotton wheel.  Those are around 4000 grit and up, so unless you go nuts with pressure, no angles will change.  I have a post in the refinishing subforum about the exact micron sizes though.

-a tiny dab of grease will help stick the shims in place for installing, but shouldn't interfere with trigger/hammer movement in cold weather.

-polish up the mainspring strut if you have the time/ability to do so.  It's a stamped part, so any rough surface will be felt in the trigger pull.  Weirdly enough, a good kitchen fork is a godsend for compressing the spring afterwards.  Just put the assembly in a gallon ziplock, rest the strut on your leg, a book, whatever, and compress with the fork.  Slide in captive pin when it's compressed.

Thank you for the insight, I'll definitely look at the mainspring strut.  I have a felt wheel set up that I have used in the past on my Glocks and Security Six.  The polish is Blue Magic.

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Is the XS big dot front sight an easy install on the SP101 or should I get a gunsmith to do it?

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My drill bit kept snapping in half for some reason, and I ended up scratching the barrel pretty awful.

Be careful.

I've had my sp101 for probably 10 years and it has been great.  Mine happens to have (in my opinion) the best double action trigger of any of my revolvers, and I own quite a few Rugers and Smiths, most being older ones.  The trigger isn't the lightest, but it's really smooth and it stacks so nicely that I know exactly when it's going to break.  I love it.

I loved mine.  I gave it to my father when he expressed interest in having a handgun at home.  It was a great shooter.

Anyone put this site on a gp100? Mine is a flat top/no adjustable

Just bought this Sunday. Never seen a blue one before.
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First one for me too.
My SS is about 7 yrs. and thousands of truck miles old now.

But, i like that 3" GP 100 more and more.

Oh I like that!!!

I was gifted a 2.25 in .357 by my brother in law after I joined the Army. It's my only revolver. Thing is built like a brick shit house. The weight helps soak up some of the recoil, but a change in grips would help significantly.

I suck at shooting it in double action, but it's suprisingly accurate in single. With light .38spl loads it's a fun plinker too.

I'd like to shoot a 3 or 4 inch .22LR model, I'm sure those are great little plinking guns