I’m thinking about picking up a 9mm revolver. I was considering getting the Ruger SP101 and was wondering if anyone here has one? If so, could you tell me the pros and cons or if there is another company/model I should look at.
Thank you ahead of time and Merry Christmas..
I like 9mm revolvers and I own a couple of them. I feel the 9mm cartridge offers some advantages in velocity and power out of a short barrel over the .38 Special. But with the advent of new bullet design and new ammo loaded specifically for short barrels, my opinion is not as valid as it used to be.
I used to own one many many years ago and sold it. When I sold it, I didn’t like it. It was accurate enough and concealable enough. The problem for me was that it cut into my hand when fired. It has a smaller grip and I have a larger hand. Because it is a smaller revolver and lighter it has a bit of a snap when fired especially +P rounds. I even tried putting Hogue grips on it. While it helped, I still didn’t care for it.
Fast forward 20 or so years. With all that said, my nephew in CAL has one from the same time as the one I owned. And last time I was there I fired it and I want one again. I offered to buy his but he doesn’t want to sell it. So I will consider a new one since they are making them again. I don’t know why I like them again. Maybe mine had a sharp edge or maybe with the +P ammo it was just enough to turn me off to it. It was so long ago I don’t recall exactly.
The originals were in stainless only. The new ones also come in blue now. That might reduce the price a bit. I have not seen one in blue in person but the photos make it look like Ruger did a nice job on the polishing and blueing. If it fits your hand well, balances well and the trigger pull is acceptable to you, I would not hesitate to buy any Ruger revolver. Just remember that using 9mm cartridges requires using moon clips. Or I made a poker to poke out the cases after being fired. If you use moonclips I suggest you get the tool that makes loading and unloading moonclips easier. What I do is buy a shitload of moonclips and load them all up before I leave for the range. Then I don’t have to spend as much time unloading and reloading the clips at the range. I also prefer using moonclips to using a speedloader for my speed reloads.