Mine has the barrel a whisker over three inches, as I wanted real performance with all ammo, inc. .357 loads. And the overall weight and bulk of the gun precludes easy pocket carry, anyway.
I do not subscribe to the theory of DA-only revolvers, so mine has the conventional spur hammer. This allows accurate SA fire at a snake's head, small game, or at more distant opponents. Those who carry the SP-101 as an outdoors gun probably do so with these factors in mind.
The DA trigger pull is smooth, but fairly heavy. I've thought of getting Wolff springs in a lighter weight, but want to make sure that all primers will fire. Some 357 primers are supposedly hard. Personally, I've never experienced a failure to fire, even in S&W guns.
If I was limited to two handguns, one of the two combos I'd consider are my SP-101 and its companion GP-100 (four-inch bbl.) or a .38 and a .357 S&W. (M-60 and M-66.)
Frankly, I'd pass on that DA-only snub and get a three-inch SP-101. You can hide it in an inside-trousers holster or wear it on the belt in one of Ruger's holsters best described as a "thumbsnap Threepersons" design. And El Paso Saddlery, Lobo Leather (board member) and others can fix you up with holsters. The SP-101 does NOT fit my holsters from Bianchi and El Paso for a three-inch barreled S&W Model 60-4. Note: the Bianchi Model 5 (lined) does not fit the M-60-4. It is made for a normal three-inch barrel, not the lugged sort in the M-60-4. Bianchi told me to just force it in and stretch the holster. They lost a customer. I bought two El Paso holsters for it, instead. The Bianchi holster will remain, until I can afford a more conventional three-inch M-60 or M-36-1. It works fine with those, of course.
Ruger's holsters are bargain priced at about $40 or less and look good in pics. They carry the Ruger heraldic logo. You can order direct from them on non-gun items. (Holsters, caps, shirts, etc.)
I think the SP-101 is a very solid, durable little gun. But it's not at its best as a DA-only snub. If that's what you need and you want light weight, a poster above suggested a S&W M-638. That'll provide all the recoil you want in a gun that light. And unlike a Centennial, it'll still allow cocking for SA fire, although the hammer is largely shrouded.
If you want less recoil, more durability with fairly heavy firing over the decades and you want .357 capability, buy an SP-101 with three-inch bbl. It is also a better club if you have to use the gun that way. Hopefully, you'll never have to grapple with an opponent while holding an empty gun.
Usually, the five shots in an SP-101 will suffice. But for what it's worth, the late David W. Arnold told me that in his time as a senior cop and anti-terrorist leader in Rhodesia (now black-ruled Zambia), he found that if a mob was fired on, they quickly left. Most crooks are not the hardened military vets of the 1986 FBI Miami shootout. If they get shot at, they disperse. But a burglar might jump you at close range in a motel room or your home, and knowing that you have a gun that can stun him long enough for you to wrench clear and shoot is comforting. I wouldn't be so sanguine about using an Airweight or Titanium S&W in that way.
I hope this isn't more than you wanted to know, but perhaps it'll interest some readers.
To sum up, I like the current SP-101 very much. But not in DA-only snub format.
