New Ruger SP101 - Courtesy of Uncle Sam

Like many of you, we received our stimulus check and promptly put it back into the economy. My wife and I had been wanting a gun that she could enjoy shooting but something also worth defending the home with while I’m at work.

Enter the Ruger SP101 chambered in .357 magnum: Strong enough for him, balanced just right for her. We looked at many revolvers and had initially settled in the S&W 642 in .38. After doing some homework on the internet, I didn’t want her to have to deal with trying to tame such a light gun. So after several trips to local gun shops we found the Ruger to be just right. Many of you are aware that you can fire .38’s from a .357 which makes it great for her and if I choose, I can throw in some .357 and knock down a bear or two.

Last night we took the gun out to the lake with some friends and set up a series of targets using 9″ styrofoam plates and colored 3″ x 5″ cards. I hadn’t fired a .38 in years but was happy to find it has very mild recoil and is actually a lot of fun to shoot. My wife loved shooting it (which is the most important part) and was a pretty good shot! The best part about this gun is that it just disappeared with an IWB holster under a light button-up shirt!

I changed out the stock grips for a nice set of Hogue grips which dampen the recoil even further and allow the shooter a full hand of control. The gun felt every bit as strudy as I had read about while not being too much. The gun still fits it a pocket but carries enough weight with it’s short barrel to be more accurate than a snubbie might otherwise be. All in all it’s a great gun that knows how to work but also likes to play.