WAY back when, I used to carry .38/.357 snubs for backup and off duty carry for my PD job. I had a S&W M649, the "Bodyguard" variant. I can't remember the "dash" revision number but it was the first variant able to shoot .357 but before the infamous internal lock. Loved it but it was a little rough with .357. Not a real big deal, really, because the PD mandates no .357, we were only allowed to carry .38+P only. I liked shooting .357, though.
I bought a 2 1/4" SP101 to replace the S&W because the factory rubber and wood stocks fit my hand better than the S&W and, for me, mitigate recoil much better. When I bought it, the action was so full of dirt and metal chips that I thought Ruger was saving money on trash removal by dumping the floor sweepings into the guns before shipping them out. After a good, thorough cleaning, the trigger was decent. Not as good as my S&W, but decent. Detail stripping the whole gun and some judicious and careful stoning on the action parts to remove tons of burrs resulted in a wonderfully smooth trigger, Still a little heavier than my S&W because I left the factory springs in it for maximum reliability but was even smoother. Very accurate, too. The only trouble I ever had was getting the hammer spur caught on clothing once in a while when drawing from IWB. I bobbed it myself and no more trouble. I carried it for several years, till budget cuts at the PD mandated that, if you were off duty but still in town (for those that live in town), you were considered to be on call to back up the Officer working if needed. I didn't want to run towards the sound of the guns with just a snubbie .38, so I retired it and went with a compact 9mm auto for off duty carry. A few years ago, my mother was wanting her CCW. She has severe arthritis in her hands, so she can't grip a slide hard enough to operate it. She loved my SP101 and shot it well, so it went to her. I'll get it back, eventually, when something happens to her, but believe me, I'm in NO hurry to get it back!
SP101s are great guns. Find a load that you can shoot well to carry in it and shoot the crap out of it with anything you want. The gun should stand up beautifully to a steady diet of .357, if you want to do that, With .38, it should last pretty much forever.
And, because we all like pics, here is one of my SP with some aftermarket grip panels I bought from a member over at Rugerforum.com quite some time ago. Beautiful and works well! What's not to love?
Bub75