Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
In another thread a member spoke about a Ruger SP101 chambered in 327 Magnum and that reminded me of Ruger’s little brickhouse SP101 revolver.
Back in the days of the Ruger DA “Six” series (Security-Six, Service-Six and Speed-Six), Ruger didn’t offer a small DA revolver. About the smallest DA Ruger you could get in those days was the Speed-Six with a 2.75” barrel. Now the 2 ¾” Speed-Six is a great gun but it’s about the size of a 3” S&W K-frame. (It competes directly with the 3” S&W Models 13/65).
In 1988 the last of the Ruger DA Six series guns left the factory and in 1989 the SP101 appeared (there may have been a few in 1988). Those of us that loved the DA Six’s were sad to see them go but Ruger now had the GP-100 and the SP101 to fill that market segment. The GP-100 was introduced in 1985 and I’ll leave that discussion for another day.
The SP101 became Ruger’s small-ish?, smaller??? , DA revolver circa 1989. I’ve always had great respect for the strength of the SP101 and I’ve always held a little grudge against its weight and size. But since 1989 I’ve also always owned at least one example of the SP101. There is something endearing about that little anvil that can spit out bullets. They are incredibly durable and reliable.
The SP101 is STRONG. If you break a SP101 you were doing something stupid. That strength comes at the cost of weight and a little bulk. Such is life. In terms of size, when fitted with the 2.25” barrel, the SP101 lands squarely between a snubnose S&W J-frame and a snubnose K-frame. The SP101 is just a little too big/heavy to fit in the same category as a 1 7/8” S&W J-frame.
The vast majority of SP101’s have been chambered in 38 Special or 357 Mag. but they have been made in .22LR, 9mm Luger and 327 Federal magnum. Barrel lengths run from 2.25” to 4.20” (106.68 mm or slightly longer than 105mm for our Canadian friends). The SP101 is pretty much stainless steel throughout except the springs and sights. It is a tough little puppy.
The early SP101 revolvers had slightly shorter cylinders than the current models. When chambered in 357 magnum the early models were limited to 125 grain bullets and the barrels were inscribed accordingly. Early on, Ruger redesigned the gun and lengthened the frame and cylinder so that the gun could take all factory 357 magnum ammunition. The early guns became known as short frame models. My two SP101 revolvers are both 38 Special early “short frame” models and have serial numbers that fall within 700 digits of each other.
For front pocket carry, the SP101 is probably not the first choice for most folks and if you carry one in an ankle holster it will make you run in circles. But in a coat pocket or a holster, the SP101 is solid choice.
The SP101 has been offered in dozens of configurations so there is no standard model, but I would venture a guess that the 38 Special and 357 Magnum models with a 2.25” barrel and fixed sights, are the most common variants. The factory grips are an amazingly universal fit. I’ve seen more than one owner of an SP101 replace the factory grips with some aftermarket grip only to turn around and put the factory grip back on the gun. The factory grips don’t fit everyone, but they sure seem to fit a lot of people.
SP101 revolvers are not known to leave the factory with super slick actions but they respond beautifully to a little bit of attention. Some judicious polishing, maybe some shims and maybe a slightly lighter spring or two, yields excellent results.
The SP101 has been with us since the later 1980’s and it continues to prove its worth.
Back in the days of the Ruger DA “Six” series (Security-Six, Service-Six and Speed-Six), Ruger didn’t offer a small DA revolver. About the smallest DA Ruger you could get in those days was the Speed-Six with a 2.75” barrel. Now the 2 ¾” Speed-Six is a great gun but it’s about the size of a 3” S&W K-frame. (It competes directly with the 3” S&W Models 13/65).
In 1988 the last of the Ruger DA Six series guns left the factory and in 1989 the SP101 appeared (there may have been a few in 1988). Those of us that loved the DA Six’s were sad to see them go but Ruger now had the GP-100 and the SP101 to fill that market segment. The GP-100 was introduced in 1985 and I’ll leave that discussion for another day.
The SP101 became Ruger’s small-ish?, smaller??? , DA revolver circa 1989. I’ve always had great respect for the strength of the SP101 and I’ve always held a little grudge against its weight and size. But since 1989 I’ve also always owned at least one example of the SP101. There is something endearing about that little anvil that can spit out bullets. They are incredibly durable and reliable.
The SP101 is STRONG. If you break a SP101 you were doing something stupid. That strength comes at the cost of weight and a little bulk. Such is life. In terms of size, when fitted with the 2.25” barrel, the SP101 lands squarely between a snubnose S&W J-frame and a snubnose K-frame. The SP101 is just a little too big/heavy to fit in the same category as a 1 7/8” S&W J-frame.
The vast majority of SP101’s have been chambered in 38 Special or 357 Mag. but they have been made in .22LR, 9mm Luger and 327 Federal magnum. Barrel lengths run from 2.25” to 4.20” (106.68 mm or slightly longer than 105mm for our Canadian friends). The SP101 is pretty much stainless steel throughout except the springs and sights. It is a tough little puppy.
The early SP101 revolvers had slightly shorter cylinders than the current models. When chambered in 357 magnum the early models were limited to 125 grain bullets and the barrels were inscribed accordingly. Early on, Ruger redesigned the gun and lengthened the frame and cylinder so that the gun could take all factory 357 magnum ammunition. The early guns became known as short frame models. My two SP101 revolvers are both 38 Special early “short frame” models and have serial numbers that fall within 700 digits of each other.
For front pocket carry, the SP101 is probably not the first choice for most folks and if you carry one in an ankle holster it will make you run in circles. But in a coat pocket or a holster, the SP101 is solid choice.
The SP101 has been offered in dozens of configurations so there is no standard model, but I would venture a guess that the 38 Special and 357 Magnum models with a 2.25” barrel and fixed sights, are the most common variants. The factory grips are an amazingly universal fit. I’ve seen more than one owner of an SP101 replace the factory grips with some aftermarket grip only to turn around and put the factory grip back on the gun. The factory grips don’t fit everyone, but they sure seem to fit a lot of people.
SP101 revolvers are not known to leave the factory with super slick actions but they respond beautifully to a little bit of attention. Some judicious polishing, maybe some shims and maybe a slightly lighter spring or two, yields excellent results.
The SP101 has been with us since the later 1980’s and it continues to prove its worth.