This is a discussion on GP100 vs SP101 within the Ruger Double Action forums, part of the Pistol & Revolver Forum category; Looking to get a 3" for carry. Looking at Ruger's website the GP and SP 3" are both the same weight of 27oz. Need advice ...
Looking to get a 3" for carry. Looking at Ruger's website the GP and SP 3" are both the same weight of 27oz. Need advice on which one to buy. I have 4 GP100's in different lengths but no 3". Need to know the pro's and cons of both 3" to make my decision. Thanks.
If concealed carry is going to be this gun's primary purpose I would (and did) go with the 3" sp101. Sure you're sacrificng one round in the cylinder, but you gain a lot of comfort from the reduced weight and width. Besides I didn't consider 5 rounds of .357 to be too much of a disadvantage to 6. Either way you're bound to be carrying a speedy reload, just practice and try to make all 5 count.
If concealed carry is your goal I cannot wonder how the SP in .327 federal woudn't be the answer. In .327 the ballistics are around +P .38 or .357. It gives you six shot capacity and will shoot .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Mag, and .327 Federal.
I traded a 3" SP101 for a 3" GP100 (both .357), and replaced the GP100's compact grips with the standard size GP100 grips (old model with wood inserts). I'm a big guy (6'2"/210 lbs.) with big hands (XXL gloves). For me, the SP101 was just too small. It's no good to carry a small handgun if you can't get a proper grip on it in a hurry. The difference in weight/width doesn't make that much difference to me (Concealco IWB holster), but I really appreciate the larger grip and the 20% larger ammo capacity. No, you can't "pocket carry" the GP100, but I've always found that the SP101 was too heavy for pocket carry--even if you had pockets that were large enough. If I had smaller hands/body, my choice might be different.
All great responses fellas. After reading these replies I now am the owner of a 2" SP101. Boy is that hammer spring tough. I have some softer springs from my GP100 and wondered if they would work in the SP? Thanks again.
I would have to agree the SP over the GP. I own both and couldn't imagine hiding the GP in the warmer weather. I'm sure some can and do but I couldn't comfortably.
I really like my 3" GP100 and have never had an issue concealing it. In fact I am wearing it as I type this. I did look at a 101 with a short barrel for concealment at one point, but it just couldnt do anything my glock 27 couldn't so I stayed with that for deep concealment.
I'm not much for CCW since I learned that the the weapon you plan to CC has to be registered with the feds and once they've got "your number" you know what can happen
I would have a problem cc ing mine as all are at least 5.5 in barrel length