Ruger Forum

dginter · July 18th, 2012, 09:29 AM

i just got a used .38 sp101 in 3" w/ hogue grips, love the dang thing and was wondering how you can tell if it will handle the +P ammo. it doesnt say +P on the barrell, is that the only way to tell or with the serial number? as well as these are built, i would think they would

tglazie · July 18th, 2012, 09:39 AM

Yes. The +P stamping on a barrel thing is something S&W started in their light .38s for some reason. Most .38s that are +P rated are not marked accordingly. I think the LCR is stamped +P, which is odd since the SP101 isnt.

If you get the manual for your gun you will find that Ruger states that the gun can handle it. I forget the wording, but it basically says if its a legit, factory load then have at it.

You should check with Ruger to confirm of course.

If you do end up shooting +P I highly recommend the Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWCHP .38 Special +P ammo. This is what I keep in my .357mag SP101. I prefer it to any .357mag round for HD. The ballistics out of a 3" SP101 are quite impressive- 1143 fps (458 ft. lbs.)

dginter · July 18th, 2012, 10:13 AM

Thanks! Just looked on rugers site and yup it"ll handle +P... n also saw that you could check out what year it is by serial #, got my gun out n noticed i have my girlfriends 357 n not my 38 n she's goin' shootin' tomorrow, ha ha
thanks again for the help

dginter · July 18th, 2012, 10:15 AM

Think i'll try out those buffalo bore bullets ya mentioned too
or should i say i'll have her try 'em out for me

dginter · July 18th, 2012, 10:38 AM

i did notice when i had her 357 out that when the hammer is cocked there is some play in the cylinder, like the cylinder latch is kinda loose... is this normal?

exlogger · July 18th, 2012, 11:05 AM

full lockup is when you let the hammer down with the trigger still sqeezed. Test it this way and see if the cylinder wiggles less (unloaded of course).

dginter · July 18th, 2012, 11:20 AM

did that and the wiggle is less... one position it barely wiggled at all and the other four positions wiggled about the same but less than when uncocked

jcohen24 · July 18th, 2012, 04:24 PM

I concur with tglazie about the Buffalo Bore ammo and I alternate between:

Standard Pressure Short Barrel Low Flash Heavy .38 Special Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

and

Detail Page for Part # 23921

I find that the short barrel ammo has less flash, noise and recoil. But, it's a personal preference.

tglazie · July 18th, 2012, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcohen24

I concur with tglazie about the Buffalo Bore ammo and I alternate between:

Standard Pressure Short Barrel Low Flash Heavy .38 Special Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

and

Detail Page for Part # 23921

I find that the short barrel ammo has less flash, noise and recoil. But, it's a personal preference.

Interesting. I never thought about alternating in the SP101, not sure why not. In my P89 I alternate the Buffalo Bore 9mm +P+ 115gr ammo (1400fps/500ft.lbs) with oldschool Federal Hydrashoks. I shoot this gun so much (with slightly lightened springs) that having at least half a mag of proven defense rounds with butter-soft Federal primers makes me sleep well at night. If a Federal primer doesnt go bang for me it will be the first time (and possibly the last...)

jcohen24 · July 18th, 2012, 04:44 PM

Unfortunately, I've had an experience confronting a burgler at night in my home. One shot from my SP101 2" scared the s**t out out him, but also blinded me. Fortunately, he fled but I'm not sure I could have shot another couple of rounds with any accuracy since I had a real hard time seeing.
Ever since then, I have my SP101 loaded with short barrel ammo next to me in the nightstand. I'll sacrifice some fps in exchange with being able to have followup shots if necessary.

tglazie · July 18th, 2012, 04:51 PM

Wow, good info. Thanks for sharing, and glad you lived to tell the tale.

exlogger · July 18th, 2012, 05:50 PM

Quote:

did that and the wiggle is less... one position it barely wiggled at all and the other four positions wiggled about the same but less than when uncocked

I just checked my sp101 in full lock and mine is about the same as yours. As long as it is not excessive you should be fine. They are very strong guns and will eat +Ps for breakfast. They are fine weapons....Enjoy!

dginter · July 23rd, 2012, 05:00 AM

thanks everyone, gonna check between the 357 and 38 and see if they're about the same...
jcohen, glad ya scared em off n are still here... know what you're talkin" about, with the flash that is, i've shot the 357 and 38 at night n whew boy whatta flame, out the front n both sides...

WheelyGuy · July 23rd, 2012, 07:39 AM

Go to youtube and do some searches on 38 special ballistic gel tests. There are several guys (tnoutdoors9 among them) who have done some pretty good testing with some of that ammo in gel. Some of it that sounds good on the box doesn't perform very well in the 4 layer denim test.

Speer Gold Dots seem to be one brand that works as advertised. They even have some specifically designed for short barrels. The one test I saw with the aforementioned Buffalo Bore ammo showed no expension in the gel.

YMMV. I know this is a never ending debate, but I find Al Bore's wonderful internet to be a good source of even MORE perhaps misleading info to continue to muddy the waters. But I will be picking up some Gold Dots when I can find them.