ruger gp or sp??
 

i have a small problem deciding so i hope yall can help me out, i have a chance to buy a new gun but only one and would like to know which yall think is best for the uses i'll need it for? i have a choice of a 4inch gp100, or a 3inch sp101, it will be open carried around my home area,(i live in a rural area and open carrying is not a problem) out walking, and hiking in the woods. it will serve also as a home defense gun. now i know some will say get one and later get the other, but unless things get better with money this will be my only handgun for at least a year. so i need the best choice for what i'm using it for, i've checked both out and love both but can only get one. they are the same price and new, so for what i'm using it for which gun will be my best choice? thanks for any help.

I think that I'd go with the SP101. Since you're going to be out and about it weighs 27 ounces versus 40 ounces for the GP100, and it's made from stainless also.

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For a general carry, hiking and home defense firearm, I'd opt for the SP101 in .357 mag. It's lighter weight and a little more compact than the GP making it more comfortable to carry, particularly if you're going to be hiking with it. Getting it chambered in .357 gives you the option of shooting 38 special loads or higher powered .357 loads when you believe it might be needed. I have one in 357 mag with the 2" barrel. Even with full powered magnum loads, it's still very managable. With +P 38 special loads, it's a dream to shoot.

SP101...I love mine.

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.

Decide what its primary application would be of the two you listed.

If you are going to be hiking a bunch and have little chance of someone actually breaking in to your home then get the lighter weight sp101.

If you primarily want it for home defense and likely wouldn't be carrying it all that much then get the full sized GP100. A full sized gun is going to be easier to control and fire accurately in a very stressful situation provided it fits you well.