New one (first .357 mag) followed me home

[grousemaster]

Stopped in Gunstop today and saw a Ruger SP101 4.2" model in the case. It followed me home and now I have to part with one of beloved RTF2's per the wife's instruction

Anybody own/have an opinion of the 4.2" model? I'll get pics up in a bit....this thing sure is purty ....and a more legit round for "woods carry" vs. my .40's IMO.

[Ivan45]

My 3" SP101 is my current favorite carry piece. That 4.2" has the adjustable sights, right? That's the one thing I wish mine had, although it's pretty darn accurate the way it is
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[Ivan45]

One more thing, I found that holsters were hard to find. I ended up ordering from Simply Rugged, couldn't be happier.

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[grousemaster]

One more thing, I found that holsters were hard to find. I ended up ordering from Simply Rugged, couldn't be happier.

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I'm learning the same thing right now. I may order from them as well. Yes, my 4.2" has adjustable sights, and the fiber optic front sight.

[Thunderjohn]

Nice!
Congrats.

[GunGoogler]

Stopped in Gunstop today and saw a Ruger SP101 4.2" model in the case. It followed me home and now I have to part with one of beloved RTF2's per the wife's instruction

Anybody own/have an opinion of the 4.2" model? I'll get pics up in a bit....this thing sure is purty ....and a more legit round for "woods carry" vs. my .40's IMO.

Sweet! Congratulations on the new addition.

Also:

[grousemaster]

Pics added (extremely poor ones from my blackberry camera)

[Ivan45]

I also had some trigger work done at Bill's south, lightened the pull and had the edges of the trigger rounded, made a big difference.

[Ivan45]

I see you added pics... that thing is purdy! I like those stock grips with the wood insert.

[yuppiejr]

I'm also a fairly recent SP101 (2" snub with the bobbed hammer) owner, I actually handled the pistol you purchased at Gunstop a month or so back when I was shopping and agree the front sight upgrade is nice over the groove/ramp front.

The triggers in the various SP101 variations I've handled (and own) are, in my opinion, the worst in any double action revolver I've test fired (Ruger LCR, Redhawk, Super Redhawk, GP100, Smith L + K + N frames) and the grip leaves a lot to be desired. Still, in compact revolvers I do not like anything lighter and figured with some work on the rough edges the SP101 could be a heck of a carry pistol. The trigger job at Bill's or another reputable smith is a good call, I installed a Wilson Combat spring kit when I did a disassemble/buff + fluff/reassemble job and it was about a 2 hour project with one extended stops to locate an errant small part from the floor. The replacement springs and some light polishing and lube where machining or forge/casting marks were left during manufacturing smoothed things up a lot and eliminated a "hitch" at the very end of the double action pull that I noticed with all of the SP101's I dry fired. The combination of shooting the gun to naturally wear-work things together and the spring kit/buff+fluff really improved things and I haven't found any problems with reliable ignition since the upgrades so I believe the factory springs were lawyer heavy rather than functionally necessary.

For a woods carry gun it's going to be nice and light on the belt and, as you mentioned, harder hitting with the right loads than a .40 caliber semi auto particularly if you push into the heavier hardcast "bear" loads from Buffalo Bore, CorBon, Federal, etc... the Hogue grips will help but you are going for a ride out of that light wheelie when you pull the trigger so buy enough ammo to practice.

Congrats on the new addition!

[grousemaster]

i wondered where all the handling marks came from, thanks for molesting my new gun

I'm going to get different grips for sure, but I also like the one that came with it. HSM has a bear load for the .357 that pushes a 180 grain hardcast bullet 1489 fps with 886 lbs of energy. That would be interesting out of my 28 oz. SP101.....I think I'm going to order some, and practice on some extra squash from my in laws garden

I noticed the finish has a few blemishes on it, but every SP101 I looked at had some type of imperfection in it...I guess it beats paying for a pretty one. The price on the Ruger is right and I hear they can take a steady diet of the heaviest loads without a problem.

Any advice on defense loads? Should I just buy some quality 125 jhp's (Gold Dots, Winchester PDX1, etc.) or should I roll with a .38 spcl +p load? My Glocks will usually be my defense pistol, but I like to keep ammo around for all my firearms.

[Ivan45]

I like carrying mine for the woods and may favorite factory load so far is the Hornady Leverevolution 140gr, seems to be the most accurate while still being manageable. Haven't shot anything hotter than that but I'd like to The Hornady 125gr personal defense stuff is decent, but if I'm more worried about people vs. critters I'd be more apt to carry my .45acp with twice the capacity

[grousemaster]

I like carrying mine for the woods and may favorite factory load so far is the Hornady Leverevolution 140gr, seems to be the most accurate while still being manageable. Haven't shot anything hotter than that but I'd like to The Hornady 125gr personal defense stuff is decent, but if I'm more worried about people vs. critters I'd be more apt to carry my .45acp with twice the capacity

Me to. my G23 will get the nod all the time, unless I'm in the woods/mountains. As a dealer I have found these pistols impossible to get, and Ruger ceased taking new orders for the time being. I felt lucky to find one, especially at the price I paid.

I really liked the 3" version...until this one came out. I figure I'll get a little better velocity, plus the longer barrel with extra steel adds some weight to the front.

[redaudi]

i like

[Ivan45]

Just saw that the booze was having an effect on my spelling... damn you alcohol! (shakes one fist while drinking with the other) Anywho... that extra inch and change of a barrel would be nice, I think that will be a real nice shooter