Ruger SP 101, will trigger smooth out?

[Bugkiller99]

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?

 

[Rock185]

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

 

[gman51]

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.

 

[Telecaster]

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.

 

[steamloco76]

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?

 

[31FordA]

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.

 

[white cloud]

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.

 

[Andyd]

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.

 

[kbm6893]

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.

 

[msauter]

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.

 

[OLDSTER]

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.

 

[Wee Hooker]

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.

 

[colkid]

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.

 

[kaaskop49]

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.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[ldryder]

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

 

[Milton]

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.

 

[dmar]

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.

 

[kaaskop49]

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.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

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.

 

[Naphtali]

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.