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Old 05-18-2017, 01:45 PM
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Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out? Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out? Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out? Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out? Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out?  
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Default Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out?

Recently purchased a SP101 in .327 mag. The trigger pull on it is heavy, to say the least.
My hope is to make this my EDC, eventually.
For those of you have one, does the trigger get better with use? Or is it going to have to have some work?
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Old 05-18-2017, 01:56 PM
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I've owned an SP101 in 9MM for several years now. The trigger pull is heavy, but smooth. I did try lighter trigger and mainsprings but got sluggish trigger return and failed to fire with harder primers. Went back to factory springs and all was well. If for EDC, I would leave the factory springs. Should you ever have to use your SP101 in a lethal force situation, you'll not likely notice a heavy trigger pull.........ymmv
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Old 05-18-2017, 01:58 PM
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I had an SP101 but I sold it not long after buying it. Yeah the trigger in DA sucks bad. Most that own the SP101 have replaced the trigger actions and said they were very satisfied after that. Don't count on the stock DA getting better by use.
When I got my SP101 I didn't have any 327 mag ammo but I had found a box of .32 for it. I shot it and thought wow this gun is like shooting a 22lr for recoil. Then I got some 327 mag ammo and I only shot maybe 3 rounds before I put the gun up. The recoil with the stock grips was bone rattling to say the least. It was way to painful to shoot and I ordered a set of Hogue Tammers for it. The tammers made a world of difference.

I really am surprised Ruger brought this gun back into production. Ruger and a few other companies made these guns years back and they all quit making them. For one the ammo is very high cost and the recoil is almost as bad as a 357. My LCR 357 isn't near as bad as the SP101 327 was for recoil and the LCR trigger is the best revolver trigger action I ever experienced.

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Old 05-18-2017, 02:11 PM
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Get the Wolff springs, you'll be glad. It'll get smoother, but you can polish the rough parts easily. A little searching on YouTube will show where to look.
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Old 05-18-2017, 02:18 PM
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I put Wolff springs, 2lbs lighter than stock, in both the SP 101 .357 Magnum and The SP 101 .22 I owned. Also polished the sides of several parts to remove roughness. After lightly applying synthetic oil to the action, I dry fired both guns, a lot, with snap caps. The .357 ended up with a pretty good D/A trigger, the .22 was better than stock, but not that great. It's an easy job and doesn't cost much, so why not try?
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:30 PM
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I own several .357 SP-101's, and all of them still have stock triggers. They were stiff when new, but smoothed out after a few hundred rounds. The newest is from 2008, so they are pre MIM. One of the 2.25" 101's has been my primary for work since '08, have shot several perfect scores with it.

I also briefly owned a recent production .22 SP-101, the trigger on it was very heavy and never got better. Even after over 1,000 rounds it didn't smooth out. I eventually sold it off and replaced it with a Model 18. The Model 18 has a much better trigger.
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Old 05-18-2017, 10:57 PM
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These guys have the right idea. New springs and some polishing and presto, you have a nice revolver. SP101s are rugged and well made. I put nicer grip panels on both of mine.
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Old 05-18-2017, 11:48 PM
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Changing springs alone will not give the best achievable improvement; the trigger resistance is the result of the spring weight plus the friction. Polishing in the proper places, as well as good lubrication, in combination with carefully selected spring weights will give the best results.
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Old 05-19-2017, 05:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 31FordA View Post
I own several .357 SP-101's, and all of them still have stock triggers. They were stiff when new, but smoothed out after a few hundred rounds. The newest is from 2008, so they are pre MIM. One of the 2.25" 101's has been my primary for work since '08, have shot several perfect scores with it.

I also briefly owned a recent production .22 SP-101, the trigger on it was very heavy and never got better. Even after over 1,000 rounds it didn't smooth out. I eventually sold it off and replaced it with a Model 18. The Model 18 has a much better trigger.
I owned a SPNY, the NYPD authorized SP101 in .38 in DAO. Never felt like pulling the trigger was work. I have a Service Six and the trigger is different than any of my K frames, but no harder to pull. And the trigger on my SP101 in .22 has definitely smoothed out. The first day I shot it, I put 500 rounds of 20 year old Thunderbolts through it and every one of them went bang on the first try.

Ruger triggers are different. They're not bad. And for a self defense gun, you'll never notice it anyway.
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Old 05-19-2017, 07:03 AM
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The SP101 triggers seem to be pretty inconsistent ... my neighbor bought a new Wiley Clapp version snubbie and it felt like there was gravel in the action. It did smooth out, however, after a few weeks of dry firing and a couple hundred rounds. I just bought a 4" in 327 Fed Mag and I have to say the trigger is pretty good, right out of the box. The DA trigger stroke feels a little longer than a S&W trigger, but very smooth.
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Old 05-19-2017, 07:09 AM
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I owned an SP101, liked it and shot it a lot. My son has it now for his "glove box" gun on the ranch. He likes the ruggedness also. However, regards your question, I tinkered with the action a couple times ( springs, polishing innards, dry firing, etc.) but never got the trigger pull to be as nice as any J frame out-of-the-box.
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Old 05-19-2017, 07:44 AM
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x3 on the spring kit and polishing if you ever want to love the gun. It's a pretty cheap and easy process that yields significant results. I'd also vote for grip upgrades as I think the factory 101 grips don't offer good control.
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Old 05-19-2017, 05:36 PM
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Bought a SP-101 in 327. Cocking it might break your thumb. Haven't shot it yet. May never, to hard to cock. Bad ruger, bad ruger.
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Old 05-19-2017, 11:57 PM
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Simply cannot understand why Ruger would not improve the DA trigger pull in-house. The gun has been out there almost 20 years and virtually 9 out of 10 shooters dislike the DA pull. My 101 languishes in the safe for this reason, while my S&W .357 snubs see daily use. Sad.

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Old 05-20-2017, 12:16 AM
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I added a set of Wolff springs, did NOT add any shims, and simply followed the instructions in this link. When I was finished, the trigger on my Wiley Clapp SP101 2.25" was around 8 lbs and as smooth as glass.
Ruger SP101 Trigger Job Guide
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Old 05-20-2017, 05:29 AM
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Bugkiller99,are you comfortable working on the inside of revolvers? If you are let me know as I have a set of directions to help concerning the SP101 trigger.
I reworked mine without changing the springs and the trigger pull is better.Mind you it will never be a S&W but it can be improved.

I posted this before I looked at Idryder's post.Follow the instructions on his link to get a better trigger pull.

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Old 05-20-2017, 09:10 AM
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My SP101 DAO (no external hammer) snubby had a surprisingly good trigger out of the box, and has gotten even a little nicer with use. Mine is from around 2008, and is about as nice as a new S&W trigger. It is not at all gritty and the action does not have that heavy, awkward/springy feel that many Ruger revolvers seem to have in DA. Must have been luck of the draw! In aimed shooting, I'm able to consistently pull the DA trigger to a stack point and have a nice SA break. In regular shooting, it's just a nice smooth pull all the way through.

My old blued Ruger Redhawk, in .44 Mag is the only Ruger that I've owned with a nicer trigger.
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Old 05-20-2017, 12:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmar View Post
My SP101 DAO (no external hammer) snubby had a surprisingly good trigger out of the box, and has gotten even a little nicer with use. Mine is from around 2008, and is about as nice as a new S&W trigger. It is not at all gritty and the action does not have that heavy, awkward/springy feel that many Ruger revolvers seem to have in DA. Must have been luck of the draw! In aimed shooting, I'm able to consistently pull the DA trigger to a stack point and have a nice SA break. In regular shooting, it's just a nice smooth pull all the way through.

My old blued Ruger Redhawk, in .44 Mag is the only Ruger that I've owned with a nicer trigger.
^^^^what he said. I envy dmar. I try to be fair. My Wiley Clapp 3" bbl GP100 has a wonderful DA trigger, as did my Super Redhawk Alaskan. The SP101 would be more useful to me with an improved factory trigger. Can't let it go, though; there's potential in there somewhere.

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Old 05-27-2017, 11:07 AM
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I bought an early SP101 22 (new 8 shot model) and the trigger pull in DA had a distinct hitch in it. I wasn't gonna pay for a trigger job on a $500 revolver so I made Ruger take it back and fix it. They did. It's not a 617 but it is as smooth as one can expect from a Ruger. As far as heavy-it is heavy bot I don't think you can unheavy a trigger by dry firing-you have to change springs. In my experience though as long as the pull is smooth heavy really isn't that important.
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Old 05-27-2017, 11:44 AM
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I have two 357 Magnum SP101s, one of which has a superb D-A trigger, one not so much. The superb one is better than a first model S&W Model 66 (had stainless steel rear sight) and a Model 29 of the 1970s. My now-given away Model 640-1 trigger action was not even close.

Both trigger actions are smooth with no unintentional hitches.

With the good trigger I can control the D-A action, being able to have/create a near single action ignition because it seems to have a sort've "sweet spot" where trigger can be halted with almost no additional pressure to complete trigger pull.

The good D-A trigger action is essentially as effortless as my LCR - and that's pretty doggone easy.
***
What I notice as being different between the good revolver and not-so-good is that hammer has significantly more play. It can even be moved slightly, hammer down, that hammer nose rests in a different spot.

I strongly suspect the not-so-good trigger action will improve significantly with a trigger job to shim hammer's play and reducing rough spots along moving metal-to-metal contacts and connecting joints.

I also suspect that it is extremely unlikely the finished D-A trigger action improvement will match the good one.

Hope this helps.
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Old 05-27-2017, 11:45 AM
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Like Cajun says heavy isn't that important. In fact, if I get a trigger job,
I have it written on order that I want smoother, not lighter, and keep a
copy for liability purposes. In my crazy imagination I can hear that
attorney asking "is it true crazyphil that you had your gun altered to
give it a hair trigger?"
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Old 05-27-2017, 11:52 AM
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Bought a SP101 in the mid 90's. Very heavy trigger DA, livable in SA. Dry firing and springs didn't do much to help. Finally gave it to a professional gunsmith that got it "not bad". That SP101 lived in a couple trucks for 15 years or so. Got interested in revolvers again a few years ago when a friend let me shoot his 686. I asked what trigger work he'd done to it for such a nice trigger. Told me all he did was a lighter trigger rebound spring. I sold the SP101 and bought a 686. That 686 has of course led to buying more S&W revolvers!
I have nothing against Ruger firearms and own more than a few. I just couldn't see owning one of their revolvers with a heavy trigger that couldn't be improved. Now a couple gun shows ago I picked up a special edition GP100 and had to ask the vendor if this was the factory trigger. It had a butter smooth, light DA trigger that rivaled any of my S&W's. Has Ruger improved their triggers? Would be nice if they have.
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Old 06-17-2017, 06:19 PM
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Update:
Installed Wolff Springs and shims. Polished up surfaces. Just a touch of lubricate. MUCH smoother trigger.
First time working on a Ruger to that degree. "Bit of a fiddle", but nothing time, patience, and a clear plastic bag couldn't take care of.
I'll be curious to see how it shoots. As long as I don't have too light of hammer strike, I'll be happy with the improvements.
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Old 06-19-2017, 09:21 PM
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Last update:
Fired multiple types of ammo, from my reloads, 85 and 100 gr American Eagle, 32 H & R, and finally, some SD rounds. Fired in both single, then double action.

All went bang.

Trigger is nice and smooth, with a reasonable pull.

An amazing improvement for just a small investment of time and money.
Thanks to all for your suggestions and comments.
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Old 06-20-2017, 10:41 PM
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I lube all my ruger revolvers with a moly paste. Then dry fire it while watching tv. The trigger will breakin and smoothout.
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Old 06-21-2017, 01:39 AM
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The application of some Mill-Comm TW-25B grease made a small but noticeable improvement to the trigger of my older SP101.
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Old 06-21-2017, 09:19 AM
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Good job on making that SP101 the way you want!

I had a SP101 for a while and was able to get good results with Wolff springs. I experienced no problems with the 9 or 10 lb hammer spring. Either one fired any ammo I had and was 100% reliable. I ended up using the 9lb hammer spring with the 10 lb return spring. That resulted in a DA pull of around 9.5 lbs. The trigger pull was pretty nice but it never felt as nice as my GP100 Match Champion or LCR 357...so I ended up trading it off for a lever action rifle. Kind of wish I still had that SP101.

Enjoy your SP101 and be safe!
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Old 06-21-2017, 10:13 AM
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Be patient, dry fire until you almost pass out. The trigger gets smooth but not much lighter. I have had mine since 1990 and really enjoy it. I also have some smiths.
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Old 06-21-2017, 11:09 AM
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I have a 3" Sp101 that received a trigger job by the previous owner. Smoothing and springs. The only better revolver trigger I have ever felt came on the new stock Kimber K6S.
Do research on Ruger trigger jobs.
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Old 06-21-2017, 01:00 PM
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I've been shooting my whole life and am now a senior. I handload most all calibers and shoot mostly 100 yard plus gongs and bells. I think I have one of everything.

Till I'm dead, I will always hold a grudge against Ruger because of the new SP101 I purchased. Too many guys here write using qualitative terms without measurement. Good triggers, light triggers, and sweet triggers.
My SP101 trigger measured over 15 lbs in DA and over 8 lbs in SA. It was gritty. It wobbled. After days of attempting to tune, it is now passable.

A 15 lb pull is the most irresponsible design I have ever seen. I live in Prescott, with the Ruger plant, and have listened to the staff complain about the lawyer designed SP101. I tried to get Ruger to tune the action and they refused, even if I paid. They said 15 lbs is within specifications.

After 20 years and thousands of complaints, they have done nothing. I talked to one gunner who claimed to have gotten a nice one by reviewing a dozen. His comments about one in a dozen being nice is what I think the odds are of getting a good one.

I love my other Rugers, but this gun and Rugers attitude is unacceptable. And Ruger will hear about it forever. Not that they care.
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Old 06-21-2017, 02:35 PM
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One other bit of information I failed to mention...

I also tried the 9# hammer with the 8# return spring. It functioned great. Not one light strike and the trigger measured about 8.5-8.75 in DA and just over 2.75 in SA. The only problem was the sluggish feeling on the trigger return. I feared "short stroking" problems so I went back to the 10# return spring which added about a pound back to the DA trigger pull.
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Old 06-21-2017, 10:12 PM
gman51 gman51 is offline
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Ruger has recently brought out the SP101 357 in Match Champion. It supposedly has a much better trigger, has adjustable rear sight and better front sight.
Ruger® SP101® Match Champion Double-Action Revolver Models
It is around 2-$300 more than the standard SP101. But it might be worth it.

Last edited by gman51; 06-21-2017 at 10:14 PM.
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Old 06-22-2017, 06:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gman51 View Post
Ruger has recently brought out the SP101 357 in Match Champion. It supposedly has a much better trigger, has adjustable rear sight and better front sight.
Ruger® SP101® Match Champion Double-Action Revolver Models
It is around 2-$300 more than the standard SP101. But it might be worth it.
Ha. 2-$300??? For a new set of grips and what I've already done for $25 in material and a little time? That's a bit much.

But I guess if you want it to run right out of the box, there ya go.
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Old 06-22-2017, 09:25 AM
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The SP101 MC is only $90 more MSRP as shown on Ruger's website. You get a target crown too. If one likes the grips then I'd get it over the standard 4.2 inch barrel. I'd throw a 9 or 10 lb hammer spring on it and be done with it. If you don't like the grips then I'd skip it and do my own trigger work as the OP did.

The GP100 MC was a nicer upgrade imho than this new offering. It also has a slab side barrel, half underlug and the option of fixed Novak sights. I picked up a barely used fixed sight model and it's awesome. After installing the 10 hammer/8 return springs it is the best revolver trigger I have shot.
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Old 06-22-2017, 10:04 AM
gnystrom gnystrom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oddshooter View Post
I've been shooting my whole life and am now a senior. I handload most all calibers and shoot mostly 100 yard plus gongs and bells. I think I have one of everything.

Till I'm dead, I will always hold a grudge against Ruger because of the new SP101 I purchased. Too many guys here write using qualitative terms without measurement. Good triggers, light triggers, and sweet triggers.
My SP101 trigger measured over 15 lbs in DA and over 8 lbs in SA. It was gritty. It wobbled. After days of attempting to tune, it is now passable.

A 15 lb pull is the most irresponsible design I have ever seen. I live in Prescott, with the Ruger plant, and have listened to the staff complain about the lawyer designed SP101. I tried to get Ruger to tune the action and they refused, even if I paid. They said 15 lbs is within specifications.

After 20 years and thousands of complaints, they have done nothing. I talked to one gunner who claimed to have gotten a nice one by reviewing a dozen. His comments about one in a dozen being nice is what I think the odds are of getting a good one.

I love my other Rugers, but this gun and Rugers attitude is unacceptable. And Ruger will hear about it forever. Not that they care.
I completely understand your frustration. I have two friends that bought the GP100 Match Champion. One had a trigger to die for and the other was like dragging a bag of rocks through a beach.
Rather than hold a grudge and let this bother you forever as you state, sell the gun and move on.
I have never kept a gun that did not exhibit exemplary performance and met every one of my standards. Life is way too short to keep something around that makes you sick every time you look at it.
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Old 06-22-2017, 10:37 AM
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I have a ruger chambered in .357 magnum with a 2 inch barrel, and the trigger is stiff i would Not monkey around with the springs inside at first.

I would how ever recommend that when you go to the range take it with you and shoot it as much as you can, when you can't get to the range dry fire it as much as you can.

That may help smooth it out.

But if after a while it does not help talk to a good gunsmith about changing out the springs or monkeying around with the guts.
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Old 06-25-2017, 12:25 AM
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These guys have the right idea. New springs and some polishing and presto, you have a nice revolver. SP101s are rugged and well made. I put nicer grip panels on both of mine.
I had left one of my SP101s with my mother in law who lived in Ft. Worth. She was a fine Christian lady who I miss a lot. I took this revolver back to S.C. last week and had a chance to shoot it a bit today. This is the DAO bobbed hammer .357 version. I had done a bit of polishing, put in Wolfe springs, added a tritium front sight and some elk horn grip panels. I had forgotten how nice a gun these revolvers can be. Easy to shoot even with 125 grain Golden Saber .357s, reliable and a good looking gun to boot. I get a nice snag free draw from a Lobo horse hide offset clip holster. What's not to like?
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Old 06-25-2017, 04:34 PM
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No, the SP101 trigger will not get lighter without addressing the 14# factory hammer spring. Ten thousand dry or live fires may smooth the action but the trigger will be no lighter.

The coil spring in the Ruger rides on a stamped hammer strut that is usually quite rough. Sometimes it can be so rough that the coil "snags" adding to the gritty feel.

If you are feeling brave, remove the spring and hammer strut. Polish out all the rough spots on the strut where the spring rides and break the four edges so they scrape less on the inside of the coil.
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Old 07-02-2017, 09:40 PM
Wee Hooker Wee Hooker is offline
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A little late to the party here but figured I'd weigh in since I just got done doing some spring and polishing work on my new (old stock)2", 357 mag. SP101. FWIW, this is the third SP101 I've owned and reworked. Here are my thoughts and results.
First, these are pretty easy revolvers to break down and work on. There is lots of youtube guidance available to get anybody through the process. It's a good thing it's easy too as the internals can be screaming for attention. The factory DA trigger was off my Lyman scale (i.e. over 12#). The SA was just about 5# but inconsistent.
I went with the wolf spring kit ( 8# return and 10# main) . I also bought a shim set from triggershims.com but only used part of the kit as mine as fit fairly tight to start. . Beyond the new parts, I basically polished everything that moved against anything to get the grittiness out. Some parts (like the main spring strut and inside the trigger return spring hole in the trigger guard, were very rough and required me to start with 400/800 grit. Other parts only took a few swipes with a patch and some mothers mag polish. While I had it apart, I relieved the edges of the trigger itself as they were almost sharp. (This improved trigger feel all by itself.)
In the end, the trigger now pulls ALLOT smoother and at 3#3 oz in SA and 9# 12 oz in DA. There is still some stacking (unlike my S&Ws) and a touch of creep but it's 1000% better. If I need to go back up to to a 12# spring, it only takes 3 min to swap out. As I recall though, the 10# should work fine.
Now to do something about these terrible grips :-)
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Old 07-12-2017, 02:10 AM
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"Has Ruger improved their triggers? Would be nice if they have. "
I bought my SP-101 327 about two years ago. If i made guns i would say this gun was an "Ishiwaka or something other then my real gun name.
I will never shoot this gun. Will probably sell it as new,unfired.
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Old 07-12-2017, 11:00 AM
kaaskop49 kaaskop49 is offline
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Some very "heavy" posts in this thread; sad that no one "upstairs" who might do something about the SP, will. Hard to understand that my Wiley Clapp GP100 can have such a good trigger, or is my gun an anomaly (Star Trek word )?

I remember when the SP first appeared: the problem back then was a weak trigger return. I spoke to 2 NYPD officers using SPs as their off-duty gun: they mentioned having to consciously allow the trigger to return forward. That problem has been cleared up, but I wonder if that may have something to do with the gun's present action malaise.

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Old 07-12-2017, 12:13 PM
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Put some moly paste on the metal to metal contact moving parts. You will see the difference right away. Trust me.
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Old 07-12-2017, 01:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bugkiller99 View Post
Recently purchased a SP101 in .327 mag. The trigger pull on it is heavy, to say the least.
My hope is to make this my EDC, eventually.
For those of you have one, does the trigger get better with use? Or is it going to have to have some work?
I don't own one, but I have researched the Ruger SP101 357 for a couple of weeks. I watched a guy on you tube that had a I think Wolff spring and washer kit for his SP101. It should work for the your 327. Just go to google or you tube and type in ruger sp101 trigger job
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Old 07-14-2017, 03:06 PM
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I trust you bigbill. i trust you. Especially since you are from North
America.lol
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Old 07-14-2017, 04:28 PM
Wee Hooker Wee Hooker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaaskop49 View Post
Some very "heavy" posts in this thread; sad that no one "upstairs" who might do something about the SP, will. Hard to understand that my Wiley Clapp GP100 can have such a good trigger, or is my gun an anomaly (Star Trek word )?

I remember when the SP first appeared: the problem back then was a weak trigger return. I spoke to 2 NYPD officers using SPs as their off-duty gun: they mentioned having to consciously allow the trigger to return forward. That problem has been cleared up, but I wonder if that may have something to do with the gun's present action malaise.

Kaaskop49
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I used to own a Gp100 Match Champion which had about the best factory DA trigger I've felt in a Ruger. From my research, I found that Ruger tumble polish's some of the MC's internals before (rather than individually at ) assembly. I'm betting they do the same in the Wiley Clap models. Not quite a trigger job but a whole lot better than standard issue!
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Last edited by Wee Hooker; 07-14-2017 at 06:35 PM.
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