Dog gone, gone and done it... switched to carrying a wheel g

Ridgerunner665

Handloader
Oct 28, 2008
2,508
262
Never really cared for wheelguns, not sure why (capacity envy maybe? )... But after getting the Blackhawk 41 mag I looked at them in a different light.

Just had to have one... Got a Ruger Sp101 357 mag with the 3" barrel... Awesome little powerhouse, shoots to point of aim, very good trigger after some touch up work.... And, most importantly, it is completely comfortable to carry in the appendix position sitting, squatting, or bending over... No beavertail poking me in the gut.

Fully loaded it is 2 ounces lighter than the Glock 32.
 
Tough to beat the reliability of a good wheelgun.

JD338
 
Maybe the best part of all....

My 11 year old son can handle it just fine with 38 Special loads, he seems to have taken a liking to wheel guns too, he really likes the 41 mag but it is way too big for him to shoot for a good while yet.
 
A 3” 357 is a great carry piece. I regularly carry a 686 + 7 shot 357. It’s a lot of power in a compact package


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When I was still an LEO, I carried a stainless 2.25 inch SP-101 as a back up gun for a significant portion of my career. I put a Wolff spring kit in it that made the action much nicer without any grinding/polishing and I never had any ignition issues regardless of the ammo. I carried 125 gr. Remington or Federal JHP's because nothing was too good for our clientele :grin: . I also installed a Trijicon front night sight and some larger rubber grips to absorb some recoil and fit my hands better than the factory ones.

I picked a revolver over a semiauto as a back up because if I was in a situation where I needed to arm someone (such as one of my fellow officers who chose not to carry off duty) I could hand them the revolver and didn't have to give a nomenclature class on "this lever does this and that button does that".

Although I carry my Shield 45 most often these days, I still carry the 101 occasionally, just because.

Ron
 
JD338":825sr0ps said:
Tough to beat the reliability of a good wheelgun.

JD338
Amen to that and still tough to beat the stopping power of a 357 on those two legged critters if need be.
 
Have had a hard time finding holsters for the 3 inch... Got A Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 ordered, quoted up to 20 weeks to get it though.

I figured out that it rides pretty good in appendix carry in a High Noon Mr. Softy holster I had for the Glock 32...had to remove the tension screw but it's not needed anyway in this application... And it is about 1/2 inch too short to cover the barrel.

After a day of looking for a good appendix holster and not finding anything.... I ordered a Mr. Softy for a Glock 17...with the added length that should work about perfect....and it only cost $30.

Sometimes you just have to improvise...
 
My new favorite handgun... Wow this thing is sweet.

Easiest gun to carry I've ever carried, even easier than the officers framed commander length 1911 (Baer Stinger).

In my research before buying everyone was talking about how bad the recoil was with 357 ammo... I'm not seeing it... It bucks a little but it isn't painful to me in any way... 50 rounds and I was wishing I had more ammo.

I've settled on carrying Hornady 135 grain Critical Duty ammo... Those bullets look a little gimmicky to me, but they do work as advertised....I put them into glass, steel, and wood and they do the deed every time.

I chose Critical Duty over Critical Defense ammo because I'm a truck driver...I pray I never need it, but I figure my odds of needing to shoot into, or out of, a vehicle to defend myself are better than most.
 
Ridgerunner665":39e9joh3 said:
My new favorite handgun... Wow this thing is sweet.

Easiest gun to carry I've ever carried, even easier than the officers framed commander length 1911 (Baer Stinger).

In my research before buying everyone was talking about how bad the recoil was with 357 ammo... I'm not seeing it... It bucks a little but it isn't painful to me in any way... 50 rounds and I was wishing I had more ammo.

I've settled on carrying Hornady 135 grain Critical Duty ammo... Those bullets look a little gimmicky to me, but they do work as advertised....I put them into glass, steel, and wood and they do the deed every time.

I chose Critical Duty over Critical Defense ammo because I'm a truck driver...I pray I never need it, but I figure my odds of needing to shoot into, or out of, a vehicle to defend myself are better than most.
Being a retired truck driver I know where your coming from and will carry a few battle scars with me to my grave from attackers before I had a NJ police officer tell me it was better to be judged by 12 then carried by 6.
 
Had some free time sitting in the truck... Decided to de-horn the SP101 a little.

Used a fingernail file and smoothed some sharp points and edges on the frame and trigger housing.

Also took the file to the contact surfaces of the hammer strut, it's amazing the difference 2 minutes of filing had on the trigger smoothness.
 
The SP101 in the Glock 17 holster (High Noon Mr. Softy)... Not a perfect fit, but it actually works pretty darn good... Rides nice and low.




 
I’ve had a serious Jones for a new wheelgun too. Specifically Ruger Blackhawk Bisley 45LC/45 ACP convertible with 3.75 barrel. Swapped off my XD45...tired of chasing brass.
 
Lots of articles talk about how much harder snubs are to shoot accurately than semi autos....

I must be odd, because the opposite is true for me, that's why I made the switch, I found out that I can shoot the wheel gun faster and more accurately.

And it is not a lack of practice with the semi autos, I have fired many thousands of rounds out of a few Glock and Springfield Armory pistols... G36, G32, G19, G40, XD 45 full size, XD 45 compact, XDS 45 are the ones I've owned and/or carried.... There are a few others I've rented.

It all comes down to the trigger... I just can't master the mushy striker fired trigger to the degree that I can others.

I could shoot a pretty mean bullseye match with a 1911, or a revolver (even double action)... But not a striker fired pistol.


I honestly just picked up a revolver and "took to it like a fish to water" as the saying goes... It just works, for me at least.
 
rjm158":1ttfncz1 said:
When I was still an LEO, I carried a stainless 2.25 inch SP-101 as a back up gun for a significant portion of my career.

I picked a revolver over a semiauto as a back up because if I was in a situation where I needed to arm someone (such as one of my fellow officers who chose not to carry off duty) I could hand them the revolver and didn't have to give a nomenclature class on "this lever does this and that button does that".

Although I carry my Shield 45 most often these days, I still carry the 101 occasionally, just because.

Ron
Not only is that the truth, but very funny Ron!! Point, aim, and shoot a six wheel without a degree in what firearm is in your hand........ And besides they don't jam either!
 
Same here; I used to carry a small semi-automatic pistol (a Polish P64, a Makarov clone in 9x18) because it's tiny and was easy to hide, but I've recently jumped the gun - pun intended - and bought myself a Ruger LCR, and I love it; the round it shoots is definitely more potent than 9mm Makarov, but the gun is still more comfortable to shoot.

Oh, and I once carried a .44 Magnum S&W629... but that was my uncle's, I went on a hike in the Alaskan woods when visiting him a couple years ago. You're never careful enough in grizzly country...
 
Congratulations on the new Ruger. I recently sold a 4.2 inch sp-101 to fuel the purchase of not one or two, but three new wheel guns. Two are a more or less matched pair (nonconsecutive SN) of LCRx .357 with the 3 inch barrel. The third is the LCR snub. I find the 3 inch 357 to be an amazing general purpose, do anything tool. It is my principal hiking, fishing, yard work gun.
 
Revolvers make better shooters in my opinion.

You have a longer harder trigger pull and a limited ammo capacity. That tends to make one more conscious of their shots and not “spray and pray.”

I packing a J frame and a 3” K frame most days.

Vince


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Thebear_78":3es6afx1 said:
A 3” 357 is a great carry piece. I regularly carry a 686 + 7 shot 357. It’s a lot of power in a compact package


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I really like the 686. It's a fine revolver. I had a Model 28 357 I carried as a duty weapon for years until I switched to a semi-auto pistol. Only revolver I have currently is a little Ruger LCR with a 3" barrel in .22 LR. Man that thing is fun to shoot.
 
Nothing wrong with a good wheel gun.

I find bad guys tend to run away as soon as you start shooting. My favorite carry gun is an N Frame .41 Remington Magnum but sometimes I switch to a J Frame or 3” K Frame.

The most important thing is to have a gun on you.

Vince


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For years I carried my tuned 1911 while driving my trucks after getting knifed in NYC one mourning. The actor left with the knife in his guts but I have found that any type of gun will stop an attacker or robber in his tracks with out firing a shot.
I now have a small Colt detective I carry in my pocket that shoots 32 SW long.
Up close and personal it is all you need.
The hype about needing to carry a large caliber hand gun is just that hype.
A long time friend and CIA operator carried a silenced High Standard chambered in .22 short and claimed he didn't need anything bigger and his back up was a Ruger Mark II chambered in .22 long rifle which was also silenced.
The trick to shooting any gun accurately is practice so if your going to carry shoot more and often and the little guns will work.
 
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