[lmj301]

I haven't posted much, but I have been lurking quite a bit. I finally got a handgun (I have been stashing $ for some time now). I will be taking a cfp course asap now.

I picked up a Ruger revolver mostly for hiking and camping with the wife and the 3 little ones. It is a 2.25" barrelled SP101 .357 with laser grips. I have only fired 10 rounds of +p white box personal defence rounds, and it is great. It was dusk when I fired it so the first five rounds w/o laser only hit the 8.5"x11" paper 3 times at 15 yards, but I rapid fired 5 shots with the laser (5 shots in three seconds or so) and hit the paper all five times. I was very pleased, and noticed that I must not get laser dependent (like calculater and speed dial dependent). Not bad for the first time with a handgun in 4 years. The recoil was very mild, just a little more than a .22 Airlite Smith that I had about 6 years ago.

It is quite heavy compared to smiths, but I wanted something substancial for full house hunting rounds for hiking for cougar etc.
http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdVie ... 7&return=Y

 

[JonB]

I carry a 3" SP101 and I love it. It's a bit heavy but it points better (for me) than anything I have ever held.

Although it's a great gun, the trigger was a little rough, so I cleaned it up a bit after owning it for a few months. I replaced the hammer spring with a lighter one and found an online guide that helped me polish the internals. I also smoothed the edges on the trigger and the hammer, which I found a bit sharp.

 

[ranger45]

...the trigger was a little rough, so I cleaned it up a bit after owning it for a few months. I replaced the hammer spring with a lighter one and found an online guide that helped me polish the internals. I also smoothed the edges on the trigger and the hammer, which I found a bit sharp.

Do you have a link to the online guide you used to clean up your sp101s trigger? I (and I'm sure others) would like to do the same to mine.

 

[JonB]

Do you have a link to the online guide you used to clean up your sp101s trigger? I (and I'm sure others) would like to do the same to mine.

The guide is a Word doc called the IBOK, which stands for Iowegan book of knowledge. It is for the the Ruger GP100, but it works for the SP101 as well. If you can't find a copy through Google, PM me and I can help you hunt it down. If you decide to try the job, you will need an old fork (yes a fork), some fine grit sand paper and a Dremel with and emery polishing wheel, some felt wheels and polishing compound. Dremel also makes wheels that are impregnated with the polishing compound (#520), which I love. There is one step in the job that suggests a drill bit, but I used a piece of sandpaper rolled into a small tube and it worked fine.

You will also want to buy a replacement hammer spring--I used a 12 lb. Wolff spring. The gun seemed to do better with a the stock trigger spring.

 

[lmj301]

quick update (as i have still only fired 10 rounds).

the gun and grips do well in water. i was hiking with the wife and a couple of friends to a red neck water slide near i80. not knowing what to expect i brought the gun (i did buy it for hiking mostly). well lets just say that the gun and grips got submerged in about four feet of water. the grips failed while wet, but once dried out they work great. the ruger did well except for the factory front site started to rust. the internals are in great condition. i have not tried to fire the ammo that was in the gun at the time yet.