The Ruger SP101 is a series of double-action revolvers produced by the American company Sturm, Ruger & Co. The SP101 is a small frame and all-steel-construction carry revolver, with a five-shot (

.38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & ...

.357 Magnum The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...

, and

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgu ...

), six-shot (

.327 Federal Magnum The .327 Federal Magnum is a cartridge introduced by Federal Premium Ammunition and also sold by Sturm, Ruger & Co. It is intended to provide the power of a .357 Magnum in a six-shot, compact revolvers, whose cylinders would otherwise only h ...

and .32 H&R Magnum), or eight-shot (

.22 LR The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smooth ...

) cylinder.

History

The Ruger SP101 was introduced in 1989 as the smaller-frame counterpart to the GP100. Both of these revolvers, together, replaced Sturm, Ruger & Co's long-standing staple in the American firearms market, the Ruger Security-Six series revolvers. A 9 mm version was available until its discontinuation around 1998, but was later re-released in early 2018. A basic

version was also available until 2003 while a redesigned version was introduced in 2011.

Features and description

*The SP101 is currently manufactured in

, 9 mm,

, and

. * Barrel lengths 2" (57.15mm), 3" (77.79mm), and 4" (106.7mm) with full underlugs. 4" (101.6 mm) and 4" (106.7mm) with half underlug. * Stainless steel construction * Transfer bar safety mechanism ** Firing pin mounted in frame **The Transfer bar in the SP101 is connected directly to the trigger *Fixed (all calibers) or adjustable (.327 Federal Magnum, .357 Magnum and .22 LR)

sights A sight is an aiming device used to assist in visually aligning ranged weapons, surveying instruments or optical illumination equipments with the intended target. Sights can be a simple set or system of physical markers that have to be aligne ...

*Spurred or spurless (double-action only) hammer

Specifications

*Weight: **2", 25 oz. (708 g) **3", 27 oz. (765 g) **4", 22 LR: 30 oz. (850 g), .327 Federal Magnum: 29.5 oz (836 g), and .357 Magnum: 29.5 oz.(836 g) *Barrel lengths: 2" (57.15 mm), 3" (77.79 mm), 4" (101.6 mm) *Double-action/single-action **Double action only on select models *Five-shot (.38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9×19mm Parabellum), six-shot (.327 Federal Magnum, .32 H&R Magnum), eight-shot (.22 LR) *Maximum effective range: 33 to 55 yards (30 to 50 meters) depending on barrel length and cartridge load

Models

*All models are made of stainless steel *Caliber: .357 Magnum SP101s handle all .357 Magnum factory loads and accept factory .38 Special cartridges *Spurless-hammer models (double-action only) are designated by an "L" in their catalog numbers

Notes

References

Ruger's SP101 pageRuger SP101 -- A Sturdy Rimfire "Secret"
by Clair Rees, Guns

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruger SP101 SP101 .327 Federal Magnum firearms .38 Special firearms .357 Magnum firearms 9mm Parabellum revolvers .22 LR revolvers Police weapons Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1989