SP101

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EricReynolds

New member
I just got mine in a 4" barrel and was told that it's rare and they are typically snubbier that that. I searched for pics and every one I looked at is smaller than mine. Does anyone else have one? I wonder exactly how rare (and maybe valuable) it is.
 
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Kreyzhorse

New member
I've never even heard of a 4" Ruger SP. They would make a nice 22lr plinker.

From a value standpoint, I saw a used .22lr selling for $374 at Auctionarms.com
 

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gwnorth

New member
Only ones I've heard of are the .22s, discontinued some time ago by Ruger. All the current production are 2.25" or 3.06250" barrels.

The SP101 .22s are highly regarded and relatively scarce so that is a nice find. Presumably those who have them must tend to hang on to them.
 
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EricReynolds

New member
Well I guess I did find a good deal then. This one looks exactly like the one in that link there, except it's fitted with nice custom rubber grips. Not that the factory grips aren't nice too. (also included) A .22 would be nice for an inexpensive plinker, but this one is chambered in .327. The cost was $299 Is that a good deal, you think?
 
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gwnorth

New member
:confused: I'm pretty sure that Ruger has only ever offered the SP101 chambered in .327 with a 3&1/16 inch barrel.

The .32 H&R version was also made with a 4" barrel but it should not chamber the .327 round as it is not heat treated to temper the steel for the higher pressure of the newer round. Like the .357 vs 38spl, the .327 cartridge has a longer case then a .32.
 
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Legionnaire

New member
Yeah, good deal. A nice SP is a good deal at $299 regardless of caliber or barrel length. I'd have been all over that one, just on principle! Good get!
 
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hammie

New member
@gwnorth: "...the .32 H&R...is not heat treated...for the higher pressure of the newer round."
I don't mean to be argumentative, but do you have a source for that? The validity of that statement is important to me, because I was considering buying a .327 federal reamer and rechambering my 4 inch, .32 H&R SP101 for .327 federal. It would seem that heat treating cylinders differently for the same model gun would introduce a needless manufacturing complexity and also the possibility of mixing cylinders.
 
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azredhawk44

Moderator
The .32 H&R version was also made with a 4" barrel but it should not chamber the .327 round as it is not heat treated to temper the steel for the higher pressure of the newer round. Like the .357 vs 38spl, the .327 cartridge has a longer case then a .32.
Click to expand...

Incorrect.

Ruger tempers all cylinders identically.

It's S&W that has variable cylinder heat treatment.
 
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azredhawk44

Moderator
Thank you. Also, if a .327 wasn't meant to be chambered in my model, the round likely wouldn't fit in the cylinder.
Click to expand...

Unsafe assumption.

Try it some time with a .45 Colt revolver and a .44magnum cartridge. (Trust me, there's idgits that have tried it...:rolleyes:)

Correct interpretation:

Thank you. Also, if a .327 wasn't meant to be chambered in my model, it wouldn't be written on the side of the barrel.
Click to expand...
 
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Webleymkv

New member
Ruger has never offered the SP101 with a 4" barrel chambered for .327 Federal Magnum. To date, the only barrel length available on an SP101 in that caliber is 3.06". Ruger does, however, offer the GP100 in .327 Federal with a 4.2" barrel. The two guns are fairly easily distinguished as the GP100 is significantly larger and heavier than the SP101 and will have a seven-shot cylinder as opposed to the six-shot cylinder of the SP101.

The only other possibility that I can think of is that you have an SP101 which either has out of spec chambers or has been modified by a previous owner (either a .32 H&R gun had the chambers reamed out or a .327 gun had a different barrel installed).
 
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EricReynolds

New member
Az: Touche friend. Just a flub in my speech there, but I stand corrected nonetheless. Web: It sounds like you're calling me a liar. Trust me, Ruger did make the SP101 IN .327 with a 4" barrel, however it's been discontinued. I'll figure out how to post a pic
 
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Webleymkv

New member
Web: It sounds like you're calling me a liar
Click to expand...

No, not a liar, just mistaken. I just googled it and I'm still unable to find any reference of Ruger making any SP101's in .327 with a 4" barrel.
 
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TX Nimrod

New member
While I don't know the whole story, here is a reference to a 4-inch SP101 in .327 Magnum:

http://www.e-gun.net/more.asp?gid=20808&photoNum=3

My SP101 in .32 H&R has a 4-inch barrel - not so rare but not common either. A great field revolver it packs fine and points well for me after I installed a set of Pachmayr grips on it. A 100-grain Hornady chrono'd at 1300 fps is close enough to the .327 for me. ;)



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