The Ruger SP101 isn’t winning any popularity contests in 2025… but maybe it should be. With a few smart upgrades, this chunky little revolver proves it’s still got serious potential beyond everyday carry. We’re taking a fresh look at the SP101 lineup, from modern mods that unlock its best features to often overlooked models like the .327 Federal Magnum and .22 LR variants.
Details are in the video below, or keep scrolling to read the full transcript.
Hey everybody, I am Chris Baker from Lucky Gunner and today I’m going to talk about the Ruger SP101 revolver – a gun that is renowned for rugged durability in a small package. But as small revolvers go, it’s actually kinda bulky and heavy. Most other revolvers this size are six-shooters. The SP101 only has a 5-round capacity. Other 5-shot guns like the LCR or J-Frames are a bit more compact than this.
So despite its reputation as a well-built gun, it doesn’t seem to be all that popular for daily carry, even among revolver enthusiasts. But today, I think the appeal of the SP101 is in all the stuff you can do with it other than daily carry.
Origins of the SP101: Built Rugged Since 1988
But first, let’s look at where this gun came from. The Ruger SP101 was launched in 1988 as the company’s first small frame revolver – essentially a scaled-down GP100. Originally a 5-shot .38 Special with 2.25-inch or 3-inch barrels, it had a pinned front sight and an integral trench-style rear sight. The original grips were rubber with wood inserts, but that quickly changed to black plastic inserts, which is what you’ll still find on the most basic models today.
Ruger priced the SP101 a little higher than the competition, which was unusual for them at the time. They were normally the budget-friendly alternative to Smith & Wesson. But Bill Ruger firmly believed the SP101 was “a better gun than anything else of its kind.”
Back in ‘88, the MSRP was $370 – about $960 today. Ruger lists the current base model at $919, but actual prices tend to be in the high 600 to low 700s. Aside from Taurus, that’s actually a bit less than most other small steel frame revolvers.
In 1990, they added 4-inch adjustable sight models in .38 and .22 LR. Overall, sales were modest, but then after persistent urging from Massad Ayoob, Bill Ruger decided to offer a batch chambered for .357 Magnum. That turned out to be a huge success, and .357 quickly became the most common chambering for the gun.
Most SP101s are double-action/single-action, but some are offered as double-action only with a bobbed hammer spur. While all models were stainless steel for a long time, Ruger added some blued versions in 2018. They’ve also added 9mm and .327 Federal Magnum options along with numerous other variants and distributor exclusives.
What Makes It Tough?
On paper, the SP101’s size and weight suggest it’s a close match for a Smith & Wesson J-frame. But in the hand, it feels noticeably bulkier — and that’s intentional. It’s made entirely from cast steel and has a stout, overbuilt frame that gives it a much more substantial feel than most other small-frame revolvers.
It’s often taken for granted that that appearance means the SP101 is also unusually durable, even though very few shooters will ever run enough rounds through a small revolver to find out what it takes to wear one out.
So I asked a few guys in the industry who have serious time with the SP101 and they confirmed that yes, the legend is real. The gun is as tough as it looks. It will handle a steady diet of magnums better than a K-frame (at least the old ones). Compared to a J-frame, it’s not even close. In general, Ruger’s approach to revolvers is to build them stronger than they need to be.
Of course, that extra bulk and weight also makes the SP101 more shootable than most small frame revolvers. That, combined with its durability made it a popular backup and plainclothes gun for cops in the 90s. It caught on with armed citizens as concealed carry laws expanded in that decade. But then came the polymer wave. By the early 2000s, revolvers were a tough sell, especially heavy steel ones like the SP101. The wheel gun market has bounced back somewhat in recent years, but today, the SP101 faces stiffer competition than it did in 1989.
Why Revisit the SP101?
The model I have here is the 2.25-inch Wiley Clapp edition of the SP101. We’ve had it in the company collection for over a decade and it’s seen a lot of use. It’s possibly the best evolution of the SP101 for concealed carry thanks to the improved sights.
For holsters, there are tons of leather options, but modern Kydex appendix holsters are limited. The best one I know of is the Apollo from Dark Star Gear. It fits both the 2- and 3-inch SP101s. I tried pairing it with a Phlster Enigma with the optional sport belt, and that’s turned out to be a nice combo. You get excellent support and concealment regardless of what kind of clothes you’re wearing.
So we’ve got an SP101 with excellent factory upgrades. We have a state of the art concealed carry system to go with it… and the gun still feels kind of outdated.
Even if, like myself, you’re a stubborn out-of-touch contrarian who thinks revolvers are still relevant, the size-to-capacity ratio is not great. At 26 ounces, it’s the heaviest 5-shot .357 or .38 on the market. The steel-framed Kimber K6S, Colt Cobra, and Taurus 856 all weigh less and hold 20% more ammo. And it certainly doesn’t help that the double action triggers are heavier than most and they can be kind of gritty. 12-14 pounds seems to be fairly typical.
If none of that bothers you, it’s not a bad carry gun. They’re reliable and shootable and that’s what matters. But let’s look outside of the concealed carry role. The SP101s in smaller calibers with longer barrels are incredibly fun, versatile revolvers. I’ve got three examples here we’re going to look at along with some simple upgrades I’ve given them.
.32 Versatility
We’ll start with these two in .327 Magnum. This gun and caliber were made for each other. You get six shots with ballistics equal to or better than .38 Special. The gun’s weight tames recoil even with magnum loads. They’re still a handful, but the lighter .327s are not bad. Shooting .32 H&R Magnum or .32 Long ammo makes it even more pleasant. The standard options are the 3-inch stainless fixed sight model and the stainless 4-inch with adjustable sights.
But my favorite SP101 is this 3-inch Lipsey’s exclusive model. It has a blued finish, half-lug barrel, adjustable rear sights, and a gold bead front. It comes with wood insert rubber grips, but here it’s wearing a set of walnut wood grips from Badger Custom Grips.
Back in 2020, Lipsey’s did a .357 Magnum version of this. It was just begging to be made in .327, which they finally did last fall. The Lipsey’s guns are the only SP101s I know of with adjustable sights that are not 4-inch – handy when shooting various .32 loads with different points of impact.
This shoots and handles like an 80% scale K-frame. With .32 Long, there’s virtually zero recoil which is tremendously satisfying and also makes it ideal for teaching new shooters. If I was going to carry any SP101, it would be this one. I tend to lean toward lighter revolvers for everyday carry, but this would be perfect for a light-duty woods gun with some hotter .32 Magnum or .327 loads.
The one thing this gun is really missing is a memorable name. Right now, it’s officially called Ruger 15709 which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. I bet if they called it something like “The SP101 Trailmaster”, they could sell twice as many of them.
Customizing with Grips
Swapping out the grips is one of the easiest ways to upgrade your revolver. The factory grips are functional – maybe even better than most. But they’re a bit small for my hands. Wider grips can improve recoil control and trigger reach. Some of them also just look really nice and they can give the gun a custom feel without the expense.
I read a lot of positive reports about these Badger grips. They’re some of the shortest SP101 grips I could find, but more hand-filling than the factory grips. And they look great in photos. But I just could not get used to the unusual grip angle. I really had to crank my wrist down when I was using them. If I were to take this gun out for a hike, I’d go with the Crimson Trace Lasergrips instead. Even ignoring the laser, they’re very comfortable grips. They don’t look nearly as classy, but I really like having a laser on a revolver.
The 4-inch .327 is also impressive. This is what I’d go with for a dedicated range gun. It has the rear sight with a green fiber optic front. Full lug barrel. Recoil is even less than the 3-inch model. It only weighs 2.5 ounces more, but that weight is all at the end of the muzzle and it definitely makes a difference with those heavier magnum loads.
For me, the balance didn’t feel quite right until I put a set of the wood Pachmayr grips on it. Now it handles like a full size revolver but without all the weight. These don’t look as nice as the other wood grips. They’re mass-produced and it shows. But they’re very affordable and functional.
By the way, Pachmayr also makes a rubber version. It’s probably the best option for recoil management. I shot some lighter .357 Magnums through the 2-inch gun with those grips and it was really not bad at all.
Rimfire Fun
We also have the .22LR version which has a 4-inch half-lug barrel. This is currently the only .22 version in the Ruger catalog. The original .22 SP101 was a six shot gun. In 2011, they relaunched it with an 8-shot cylinder, which is 33.333% more fun in between reloads.
I’ve replaced the rear sight with an Alchin optic mount with a Holosun 407C. The mount is only held by one screw, so I’m not sure how it would hold up under heavy recoil, but it’s worked on the .22 so far.
One challenge with dot optics on revolvers—this one included—is elevation. Even with the elevation adjustment maxed out, the dot can still sit several inches below the point of impact. So all your shots will end up well above the target. A simple fix is to shim the front of the optic by about one degree. ADE Advanced Optics sells shims for around 12 bucks, and they get the job done.
The grips I have on this one are rosewood snakeskin grips from Altamont. They’re similar to the grips that come with the Match Champion variant of the SP101. I think I like the feel of these even more than the Pachmayr grips. They did require quite a bit of hand fitting with a Dremel and some files before I could install them, so be prepared for that.
I picked this one up just in time to include it in this video, so I haven’t had a chance to shoot it a ton yet. But so far it’s a lot of fun. You might end up seeing this again in the near future as part of another project I’m working on.
Fixing the SP101 Trigger: Spring Kits
Let’s talk about the trigger. The factory hammer spring is 14 pounds on the centerfire guns. The actual measured double action pull weight varies, but… it’s heavy. You can easily swap that for an aftermarket spring from Wilson Combat, Wolff Gunsprings, or M*Carbo. Those range from 9 to 12 pounds. The 9 to 10 pound springs give you the best trigger, but may cause light primer strikes, especially with imported ammo. Domestic loads tend to work fine in my experience. A 12 pound spring isn’t quite as nice, but should be more reliable.
The .22LR version is a bit different. Like all rimfire revolvers, it comes with a heavier hammer spring to help set off the primers. The aftermarket springs for this one are about 13 pounds. I didn’t have a chance to get one of those, so I tried it with a 12 pound spring. That gave me failures to fire about 10% of the time with various CCI loads, but it worked fine with the premium Eley brand ammo.
So with either the rimfire or centerfire guns, you might have to experiment to find a spring and ammo combo that works for you.
Most of the spring kits also include a reduced power trigger return spring, but I skip those. They do reduce the trigger pull a bit more than the hammer spring alone. But they soften the reset too much, and it’s easy to outrun the trigger under speed and short stroke it. The factory return spring avoids that problem.
Swapping just the hammer spring takes 15 minutes and costs under 20 bucks. Polishing the internals helps too, especially if your action feels rough. MCarbo has an excellent walkthrough video on that. It won’t lighten the pull, but it smooths everything out. With a 10 pound spring and some polishing, the SP101 triggers are comparable to a factory LCR trigger, which tend to be really nice out of the box.
Final Thoughts
The SP101 isn’t the hottest carry gun of 2025. But give it the right role and a couple of smart upgrades, and it’s still got a few tricks left. If one of those tricks is eating .32s, .22s, .38s or .357s, we’ve got you covered—with lightning fast shipping at Lucky Gunner.
