Sp101

[Tatume]

Hello Folks,

The 32 itch is causing me to look at the Ruger SP101. The only SP101 I've ever fired had a horrendous trigger. Can the SP101 double action trigger be tuned to be really nice, of just so so? I really don't care about the single action trigger.

Thanks, Tom

[megasupermagnum]

That depends on your definition. Most SP101's are better than a J frame, but not as good as a GP100. I've had two, and both were similar. Decently smooth, and likely around a 11-12 pound pull. I'm sure lighter springs could help out, but I left mine alone.

Just so you are aware, there is only one model of a 327 federal SP101 with sights, the 4.2" barrel model. Every other model has nothing but a frame groove. If you were looking for a 3", it would be worth finding a used model that has the windage only adjustable rear sight.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I put the wolf spring kit in mine 3" love it it shoots better in Double action then single

[Drm50]

I have never seen a Sp101 out of the box that had a better trigger than a J S&W. However with spring kit can be pretty slick.

[onelight]

I have the 327 and 357 sp101 they can be tuned to have very good triggers but stock are just ok in my opinion .
Megasupermagnum Places them well , personally for stock triggers I find the lcr better than a j frame or sp101 for da pull.

[Rgmcfarland]

Yes, my sp101 polished and sprinted into a very nice DA.

[megasupermagnum]

I agree, the LCR has a better double action. If Ruger made the LCRX in a 3" fully adjustable sight 327 federal, I'd buy it. And even though I now have a custom 3" fully adjustable sight SP101, I'd have a hard time not picking the lighter and smoother LCRX.

[onelight]

I agree, the LCR has a better double action. If Ruger made the LCRX in a 3" fully adjustable sight 327 federal, I'd buy it. And even though I now have a custom 3" fully adjustable sight SP101, I'd have a hard time not picking the lighter and smoother LCRX.
I would buy one to:bigsmyl2:

[megasupermagnum]

I have never seen a Sp101 out of the box that had a better trigger than a J S&W. However with spring kit can be pretty slick.

I'm sure like anything, J frames vary. They always seemed heavy to me. My dads favorite airweight has to be a good 14-15 pound pull. It is tough to shoot.

[rintinglen]

If Your experience with j-frames is such that they have worse triggers than the SP101’s do, I can only say that you have been either very lucky with your Rugers, or terribly unlucky with your S&W’s. I have 6 J-frames right now, and have had 3 or 4 others. The worst of them out of the box was better than the best SP 101 I have shot, again, out of the box. I only have one these days, a 4.2 inch 327. New, it was awful. But a set of hammer and trigger shims coupled with a bit of fine Clovers compound And a Wolff Spring kit turned it into a very shootable firearm.263303

[EMC45]

The hammer strut on an SP101 has a ball end. I polished it and filled the "socket" end of the hammer with Rig Stainless grease. I also stoned and oiled all bearing surfaces in the moving mechanism.

[NSB]

The trigger can be improved quite a bit. The single biggest improvement shooting double action only is practice. Shooting a revolver double action requires a lot of trigger time and lots of it. It's a skill quickly lost without constant practice. Here's a target I shot with my SP101 at twenty-five yards. The bullseye is 3.8" in diameter. It can be done.
263140

[Groo]

Groo here
My sp101 357 was set up as a last ditch dangerous game gun ,,DAO , 2inch, gold bead,laser grip, trigger job [ by local Gun Doctor] AND 4 port Magnaport system.[Designed for the Sp101]
The action is very smooth , better than my GP100 and many S&W's [factory] .
The gun shoots 180-200gr "Groo Monster Maulers" with out pain and standard 357's quite well...
The 327 MIGHT be even better,, more like an M-1 carbine, drives deep , less kick AND one more round...

[EMC45]

Another thing for me is that I shoot S&W revolvers more than any other type. When I do shoot the SP101 it is a different animal to me. The "stack", pull feel and release is totally different on a SP101 for me at least.

[Petrol & Powder]

Hello Folks,

The 32 itch is causing me to look at the Ruger SP101. The only SP101 I've ever fired had a horrendous trigger. Can the SP101 double action trigger be tuned to be really nice, of just so so? I really don't care about the single action trigger.

Thanks, Tom

I too am getting that 32 itch and have been looking at the SP101. I don't need 327 Federal Mag but choices in 32 H&R Mag are limited and the SP101 looks like one of the better current options in a 32 caliber DA revolver.

As for the SP101 in general, I've owned several over the years.
A few observations about the SP101 platform:
It is one of the strongest smaller DA revolvers you will ever find. In fact, it may be a bit too heavy/bulky for its class. They are little tanks.
I've been listening to people bash Ruger about the trigger pull on their DA revolvers about as long as Ruger has made DA revolvers. A little bit of that criticism is deserved, most of it is inflated, in my opinion.
The Ruger DA revolvers have solid side plates and removable trigger groups. This requires slightly different geometry of the parts in the action but it's not as drastically different as some will suggest. When you get right down to it, S&W adopted their pattern in the late 1890's and didn't change it. Ruger had the advantage of coming to the DA party much later and they took a different path.
Ruger does tend to "over spring" their revolvers a bit and there is a lot of speculation as to why they do that. The internal finish of most Ruger DA actions could probably stand some improvement. However, the flip side of that coin is the Ruger lockwork is incredibly robust and durable.

Ruger DA revolvers respond very favorably to some judicious polishing, shimming a few parts and sometimes a reduction in spring weights.
If you're willing to take the time to do a little work, you end up with a smooth action that is very strong.

An "out of the box" S&W will generally have a lighter/smoother action than an "out of the box" Ruger DA. However, the Ruger's are NOT as horrible as some folks make them out to be AND they respond very well to a little bit of work.

[contender1]

Petrol & Powder has said quite a bit. All of it very, very good.

The action design between the S&W & the Ruger is different. So, when the mechanics are different,, you will get a different feel. Comparing a S&W action to a Ruger action is like comparing apples to oranges. Both good, both different, both have their good & bad points. NOTHING wrong with either one,, they are just different.

That said,, both designs enjoy tweaking to make them better. Most folks want a "S&W feel in a Ruger." That won't happen. But you can easily get a Ruger to smooth up,, feel slick & smooth. But even the smoothest, slickest Ruger will still feel different than a S&W.

Get the Ruger & let a good Ruger gunsmith work it over. It will be a very pleasant gun to enjoy.

[NSB]

I shot Team Challenge Matches for several years and I shot the precision event twice with a highly tuned Roger revolver when my custom race gun was back getting work done to it. Both times I fired perfect scores with the revolver. That event required my to shoot twelve 4”x4” steel plates at 35 yards in the time remaining on the clock. Average time allowed was around 40 seconds. This included running around fifteen yards to the bench, load, one reload, and stopping when the buzzer went off. My revolver was tuned by Bill Davis and was the slickest double action gun you can imagine. Rutgers can be great double action guns if tuned correctly.

[Petrol & Powder]

Back when the Ruger DA Six series [Service-Six, Security-Six & Speed-Six] was in production, I never considered the 2 3/4" Speed-Six to be a snubnose. It is a great gun but it's more in the class of a 3" K-frame.
When Ruger dropped the DA Six's we lost some great guns but we got the GP-100 and SP101 as replacements. There was a little overlap with the DA Six's and GP-100 but by the time the SP101 was introduced in 1989 the DA Six's had finished in 1988.

So starting in 1989, Ruger did have a DA snubnose.
I think the SP101 is good platform. In a 2.25" snubnose configuration, it's a little big to be a pocket gun but an excellent snubnose otherwise. In a 3" or 4" (4.2" for our Canadian friends) it fills a lot of roles.
You could do a lot worse than a SP101. They're solid workhorse guns.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

My recommendation would be to buy one from a gun store as opposed to online. Ruger has really dropped the ball on quality lately. You need to give them a good look over before buying them.

[megasupermagnum]

My recommendation would be to buy one from a gun store as opposed to online. Ruger has really dropped the ball on quality lately. You need to give them a good look over before buying them.

I'm still buying Rugers, and still getting perfect ones. Ruger quality is as good right now as it ever has been, and better than most brands right now.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I like Ruger. Have 6 in the safe right now. But they have been producing some lemon wheel guns lately. Poorly timed barrels and rough or tight forcing cones are some of the issues I have seen. Nice that you have not had problems.

[charlie b]

I buy all of my guns in person so I can inspect them before paying for them.

And, yes, my SP101 had a decent trigger and shot well.

Yep, it was a little 'tank' and was my field pistol. Had a lot of knocks and spills with it, rain, dust, even went 'swimming' with it once when fishing :)

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Years ago I picked up a 38 special SP101 at a gun show for my wife. It's marked NYSP so it was a police trade in. Great little revolver that will last forever. Accurate too.