SP101 Question

[Vic Z]

2nd time at the range yesterday and I realized that I prefer to shoot 38SP as opposed to 357 rounds. Just not as abrasive. Does that make me a wimp?
When I hold the gun it feels like the grip might be small (short) for my hand.
When i grip it high as i believe i am supposed to, the trigger guard hits (sits on) my middle finger. With the 38SP rounds no big deal. With the 357 rounds after 20 shots my finger feels bruised.
Am i doing something wrong? Is this common for this gun? Do I need different grips?
By the way, not a bad showing for me as far as hitting targets. Not great by any means but not embarrassing either.
And the Ruger 22 Bearcat is an awesome little gun as well.

 

[CampingJosh]

It's a small gun. It's not going to be particularly pleasant with magnums. You're not doing anything wrong, and this doesn't make you a wimp.

The gun can safely fire .357 magnum ammo. I don't know of anyone who spends a lot of time shooting magnums through one.

 

[IndianaGlock85]

I don’t know how many watch Hickok on YouTube but he has pretty good explanation about why firing 38+p loads are much better for a smaller revolver like the 101 especially if it’s got the 2.25in barrel.

 

[Tactically Fat]

IF you shoot a steady diet of unjacketed .38 Special through that revolver, there's a chance that you can build up enough lead in the chambers that you can have a real bad time when you next fire a .357. I have no idea how many rounds that would take. But good examination of the business end of the chambers would be in order after each range session, IMO. If shooting FMJ - then probably not much of a concern at all.

Also - look into Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 Special.

 

[HKUSP]

IF you shoot a steady diet of unjacketed .38 Special through that revolver, there's a chance that you can build up enough lead in the chambers that you can have a real bad time when you next fire a .357. I have no idea how many rounds that would take. But good examination of the business end of the chambers would be in order after each range session, IMO. If shooting FMJ - then probably not much of a concern at all.

Also - look into Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 Special.

It's not a chance. It's a certainty. I bought my SP101 from an elderly gentleman who shot his own cast .38 Spl loads in it. It took me three days worth of spare time to get the buildup out of it. A .357 wouldn't even chamber.

 

[Vic Z]

I shot 50 rounds of 38 and then 30 or so of 357. The 357s slid right into the cylinder, but I noticed that it was a little difficult to eject. Yes there is a noticeable line in the chambers after firing 38s.
I also noticed that it was a little bit tougher to pull the hammer back (I fired 90% single action) toward the end of the session, starting at 50 or 60 rounds in. Felt like it was in the cylinder, but remember that I know very little. Is this due to heat, new gun that needs to be broken in, or needs more oil?
Thank you for help with these probable simple questions.

Vic

 

[HKUSP]

Nope. It's the .38's. The tolerances are pretty tight on those cylinder bores. If you use the .38's first everything you described will happen. It's It's nature. My SP101 is probably 20 years old and it does the exact same thing.

 

[tsm]

2nd time at the range yesterday and I realized that I prefer to shoot 38SP as opposed to 357 rounds. Just not as abrasive. Does that make me a wimp?
When I hold the gun it feels like the grip might be small (short) for my hand.
When i grip it high as i believe i am supposed to, the trigger guard hits (sits on) my middle finger. With the 38SP rounds no big deal. With the 357 rounds after 20 shots my finger feels bruised.
Am i doing something wrong? Is this common for this gun? Do I need different grips?
By the way, not a bad showing for me as far as hitting targets. Not great by any means but not embarrassing either.
And the Ruger 22 Bearcat is an awesome little gun as well.

Try changing to Hogue grips. I put those on my SP101s and they definitely lessened the pounding my hand experienced.

 

[JHB]

What you are experiencing is carbon buildup in the cylinder. 38s are .100 shorter than .357s.

If you think that Ruger hurts your hand try a S&W 360PD it is almost a pound lighter.

 

[Mgderf]

Try changing to Hogue grips. I put those on my SP101s and they definitely lessened the pounding my hand experienced.

I put the same Hogue grips on my SP101 in .327fedmag just to have a better grasp.
Works well and fills my hand.

 

[mmpsteve]

I put the same Hogue grips on my SP101 in .327fedmag just to have a better grasp.
Works well and fills my hand.

I did the same with my .327, and it's a much better feel for full magnum rounds. I'm not a total wimp, but I don't know that I'd enjoy full power .357 rounds out of the SP101.

.

 

[WebSnyper]

I did the same with my .327, and it's a much better feel for full magnum rounds. I'm not a total wimp, but I don't know that I'd enjoy full power .357 rounds out of the SP101.

.

Agreed. Been a while since I had an SP101, but I remember Federal 125 grain JHP 357 magnum loads being a handful in it, and the SP101 is not a lightweight.

The SP101 is one of only a few guns I regret trading/selling off.

 

[goldsmithr3]

You might try a Hogue rubber monogrip. For me this absorbs recoil better, and seems to fill in behind the trigger guard a bit. If you're careful, you can trim this down so that about 2/3 of the last finger groove remains. This is a bit better for concealment. Harret used to make a great finger groove wood compact grip for J frames. I don't know if they make these for the SP-101. I agree that it's a bit stout with the magnum. I agree with others that you really need to brush out the bore and cylinder after using .38's.