Originally Posted by
Bowflex
Is the SP101 still limited to 125 grain and smaller bullets? I seem to remember years ago you could only use the 125's. Not a bad load at all, super velocity and almost guaranteed expansion from a short barreled revolver.
The first ones that were produced back in the early 90's were limited to 125 gr. bullets or smaller and were roll-marked with that warning on the barrel. I believe it had something to do with the chamber and frame length. Ruger remedied that issue on subsequent productions of the sp101, so they can now shoot any standard .357 load. I do like the 125 gr. out of a .357 as a self defense load. Remington use to make a 125 gr. medium velocity load that was a bit more pleasant to shoot but still produced a good bit more pop than a 38 special +P load. They still make a 110 gr. load that's pretty pleasant to shoot. These days, mine stays loaded with 130 gr. Federal Hydra-shok ammo. I have put full powered 158 gr loads through mine.