Been looking for a few years for a sp 101 9mm, saw a few that met my criteria but held off as I couldn't justify paying just over or under a G note for a gun that Ruger was not supporting any longer.

Learned today that Ruger has reintroduced the model-msrp $575 with street prices a few bucks lower-put a deposit down for two examples; you never know when Ruger is going to bail on supporting models they make....

The attraction to this gun is its heft (the sp 101 .357 is very manageable with magnum loads) its concealable and it will, as the lcr 9mm, fire with out clips (having to poke out the spents isn't an issue with me) unlike Smiths current revolver offering.

Wonder if Kimber will do the K6 in 9 that works without moonies?

Sort of feel sorry for all the people who spent the big bucks on the old ones.

make that $719 msrp

then again those who bought the old ones don't have any mim parts.

Nope, just cast like all of them.....

Like the paleontologist said about the hominids, I've never been very interested in Rugers-- they're too recent.

I've put one on my want list for next year - but hopefully they'll bring out the 3-inch version too. I tried an LCR 9mm but it seemed too cheap for what they go for new (mine was third-hand). I'm thinking that - cast or MIM - the parts on the SP-101's tend to last quite while. Something on the order of at least one lifetime. Goes without saying that they aren't as nicely polished as a Model 60, and they weigh more, and the factory triggers aren't good at all - but I still like each of mine and the only way I'll part with them is when I start circulating formaldehyde ...

The additional speed/energy developed by that extra one inch of barrel has got my attention-in both .22 lr, .22wmr and especially 9mm the difference-on paper-is very significant.

For those people who have themselves convinced that the .22 won't cut it for civilian self defense than the 9mm snub deserves alot of scrutiny.

The sp101 .357 full house magnums is very shootable the 9mm version I would imagine is ideal-as in residential boilers/water heaters; mass (water content-weight) is your best friend.

SP101's couldn't be too bad - as renowned revolversmith Grant Cunningham is quite fond of them. At least, judging by the multiple pictures of them in his books he appears to be.

G43 3.39in barrel / G34 5.4in barrel

AE 115 gr 1026 / 1206
Federal 124gr HST 1138 / 1264
Hornady 124gr XTP 1124 / 1215
Speer Lawman 124gr 1010 / 1103
Speer Lawman 115gr 1121 / 1190

So you're saying that if barrel length is cut one more inch to 2.5 that the 9mm will drastically drop? Meanwhile a 38spl in a 2in barrel is still doing something like 800fps?


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If I could get him to do an action job on an SP101 I might like it too. Stock triggers are awful.

Could that be because his needing to work on them makes him a lot of money??????

The trigger quality or lack of always turned me away from Rugers Double Actions. I like their Single Actions, but their DAs are heavy and rough.


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The .32 ACP takes a large hit in a shorter barrel, so does the .380 ACP, but the 9mm does quite well in the short sub compact pistols.

It'll lose a bit due to the cylinder gap, but it'll still be significantly superior to a .38 special in a short barrel.

My point exactly

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I've got the short SP101 from 1994 in .357 and it's never missed a beat. It's got some heft to it but with full power, 158gr SWCHP .357 it's quite manageable and with the same bullet in .38 Special +P it's downright pleasant.

Only complaint I have is that I didn't buy two so I'd have a pair to carry.

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BCCI Life Member #2068

A little work, and some new springs do wonders for Rugers triggers. My GP100, Security Six and Redhawk have exceptional triggers.

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-Mike-

That equates to around $600-$615 out the door in the local guns shops around here. I don't know many shops that sell anything at Ruger's rather inflated MSRP.

I asked my local shop to call me if they can get one in.

I own a few older Ruger DA pistols including a Speed Six, a Service Six and a Security Six, as well as several S&W revolvers from the same era.

My experience is that both companies displayed some variation in how well an individual revolvers trigger was out of the box. and once you sort out the exceptions, one isn't really better on average than the other - just different.

Ruger pretty much pioneered the use of investment cast parts, and their fire control parts were generally larger due to some conservative engineering. Their triggers were a little more mechanical feeling, but over all weight was about the same.

S&W triggers tended to be smoother, without the mechanics being as noticeable.

Today, Ruger uses an 8 pound trigger return spring in the SP 101, which gives it an objectionably heavy trigger pull. The good news however is that Wolfe sells a trigger spring kit for them that uses a lighter trigger return spring and gives you the option of three lighter weight hammer springs. The trigger return spring replacement will give you about 90% of the total improvement, with the hammer springs making comparatively little difference.

Once you change the trigger return spring, the pull is very decent in terms of weight - comparable to a S&W, and it gets a little smoother over the next few hundred rounds.

Arik, I'll take a revolver anyday over the semi, can't get used to that tilting barrel thing. Like someone on another forum posted-its like the gun is giving you the finger...

The trigger on the sp101's I have shot were all stock and quite acceptable to me-no where near an out of the box Smith but acceptable.

Must have taken advice from the guy who designed the MAS 49/56 trigger pack.

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Release the Kraken

IMO those are the best DA revolvers Ruger has ever made. Never seen an SP101 or LCR trigger as good as those.

I had one. Don't remember having a bad trigger

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Maybe a former owner had slid one leg of the trigger return spring off its perch. That works.

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Release the Kraken

Hope Ruger eventually offers some variations on the new 9MM SPs. I have an old 3" model, but might be interested in a new one.

Reference 3" vs. 2"velocities, I've done some chronographing with the 3" Ruger and a 2" S&W 940. Federal 124 +P HST JHP: 2"=1195 FPS
3"=1291 FPS.

Federal XM9001 115 JHP: 2"=1117 FPS
3"=1235 FPS

Not a direct comparison because my 2" gun is a S&W rather than a Ruger, but I suspect results would be at least similar.

gsn, don't feel too sorry for me for me spending "big bucks" on the old SP in 9MM. It was $337.00 OTD

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

I have a SP 101 3" 9mm, I've owned it from new. It has a great trigger and, balance. I normally shoot 9mm Federal rimmed ammo when I can find it, other than that the moon clips work fine. Great shooter.

Yet people scoff at my 9mm 3" semi-auto for the short barrel,
and it doesn't have a cylinder gap to lose gas/velocity through.

Go figure.

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

I think your velocities are a little to high (no offence intended).

Federal lists that load, HST 124+P at 1200 fps from a 4" bbl.

I'm getting 1108 fps (125 round running average)
out of a 3" semi-auto (no cyl. gap) with that same load.

You might want to check your equipment.

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

Rem 3200, The 124 HST averaged 1166 FPS in my S&W 3913 with 3.5" barrel, 1215 FPS in a SIG P226 with 4.4" barrel. That this may not agree with the results you achieved with the lot of ammo you used, in your guns does not surprise me. It does not cause me to suggest that your results are too low, and that you might want to check your equipment. I've been chronographing ammunition since 1977. I am often surprised. I've accumulated a fair amount of data in chronographing 9MM and 10MM in revolvers and semi-autos. It is not unusual that revolvers often produce velocities higher than semi-autos of similar barrel length. This, even though revolvers have that barrel/cylinder gap, and the semi-autos don't. I know this may be counterintuitive, but it is fact.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Id take a 3” 9mm SP101. Like my .357 2” just fine. But the wife stole it.

rock, wish I could find that wayy-back machine we bought a while back-imagine what a few g's would get you; Cobra's-Pythons-547's-940's-and of course the original 101's in 9 and don't forget a couple of the Speed 6's in 9 also. Of course you'd have to grab some spare parts 'cus we would know that Ruger is going to bail.....

gsn, me too. I bought a new 3" 547 whan they were in production. Many years later, I came across a LNIB 3" 547 at a gun show, paid $325.00. I don't even want to think about the guns I used to have, that were nice guns, but I had no idea would become rather expensive "Collectibles" in future. A 98% Pre War National Match Colt, SIG P210s, a Bren Ten and on and on.....

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

I think that the Security Six is a darn nice gun.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"