I got a Ruger SP-101 at the end of 2022 - 3” barrel, .357 Magnum, conventional DA/SA setup- that had been manufactured earlier that year. It has been awesome. I liked it so much that it ultimately became my favorite carry. And then I decided I wanted a duplicate as a back up, which I bought at the end of this past July. The second one had been manufactured in 2023. I take the second one to the range for the first time and after 30 rounds I start having serious cylinder binding problems. Then a more knowledgeable friend points out that the gun has endshake in the cylinder. So it goes back to Ruger the following week. I get it back four weeks later, and at least the endshake issue with the cylinder has apparently been fixed. They said they also put in a new pawl and made sure the timing was correct, in addition to fixing the headspace on the cylinder. So I take it to the range again, and damned if it doesn’t start binding up again on me after 30 rounds. Another friend who was at the range with me, a retired cop and a dedicated “revolver guy”, said that either my cylinder was out of round and/or the ejection rod was defective. So back to Ruger it went again, where it is right now as I write this. Hope they can get it done properly this time. I suspect Ruger has been experiencing some QC issues in recent times. Or maybe I just had bad luck. Is the Ruger SP-101 relevant today? For my personal taste/perceived needs I consider it a practically ideal carry gun. Being limited to five shots is not a big deal for me, as it is five shots of .357. I don’t expect to need that many to resolve a situation, especially if I do my part as a marksman. I go to the range regularly and I consider myself competently accurate with this weapon. It is just small enough for pocket carry, which is my preferred method. The weight is significant but after a while it doesn’t bother me at all, and the weight is a benefit for shootability with .357 Magnum. Just as size wise, if it were ANY bigger, I really couldn’t pocket carry it, also, if it were ANY lighter, I’d be reluctant to train with it. To me, with the Ruger SP-101, the folks at Ruger struck a near perfect balance between power, concealability, and shootability. With the defensive ammo I use, I’m getting around 450 foot pounds of energy; there is no pocket sized automatic on the market that can hit that hard. I’m not a fan of the “spray and pray” mentality. Every bullet you send has a court date attached. I’d rather keep the quantity of lead in the air to a minimum while landing a telling blow all the same. And I want the platform in question to be 100% reliable and as accurate as I can be. The SP-101 checks all of those boxes quite well (at least my first one did). As far as I’m concerned, you bet it’s still relevant. It’s not for everyone, but it’s for me all day every day.
Relevancy is a personal question. My Great Grandfather survived five gunfights as County Sheriff between 1918 - 1934 with an S&W .32 Hand Ejector. When I drop that little 3" revolver loaded with Magtech 98 gr WC in my jacket pocket for a run to the store it becomes very relevant. I have a Ruger Speed Six that's also still relevant.
Rugers! Tough as a tank, but a tad heavy. And the hammer spur tends to get caught on things. I still occasionally pack my S&W Mod.37 Chiefs Airweight .38. I swapped the hammer for one from a Mod.38 'Humpback' Bodyguard.
Enjoying your content, sir. A week ago, bought a GP100.22 on impulse as it just felt so good in hand. Had to send back to Ruger as it had binding cylinder and damage to crown. Hope when it returns, it will shoot as sweet as my vintage 617. Those Ruger cases are so bad. I wish they shipped in cardboard. Best wishes
