# SP101 too much recoil



## NasHouston

Hey people,

I bought a SP101 snub nose. I picked it up on a whim, I always liked the way the look and the reputation of power. I took it to the range today and shot 50 rounds of 357 federal 158 grain and that sh*t hurt. I'm not a little guy, I've shot plenty of 40 and 45 and at worst the muzzle flip was annoying. This the first time it actually hurt to shoot, even gave me nice little blister. I made a mistake buying it without renting it first I was just so confident. What the hell is a 44 feel like?

Anyways, I think I see why people recommend 38 special.


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## Spike12

The SP101 is not a range gun. It's a CCW gun. As such, shooting comfort is low on the priority list. The 357MAG is a powerful round and the SP is a small gun. The results are obvious. Using different grips such as Hogue will help felt recoil but they can't change basic physics. 

Shooting .44MAG will create even more recoil obviously. So the weight and design of the gun will have a direct impact on how much felt recoil there will be. A Ruger Alaskan will be much different than a Super Blackhawk. It depends on what you're needs are: range, hunting, CCW.


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## Cait43

You might want to look into the 2" Rhino.... Bullets come out the barrel on the bottom which leads to less(a lot) muzzle flip/recoil.....

Review: Chiappa Rhino 200DS - Handguns


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## Steve M1911A1

A short-barrel gun, especially any "snubbie" revolver, tends to twist in the shooter's hand when fired because the gun is too lightweight to help the shooter resist the rotational forces caused by the spinning bullet.
This is basic Newtonian physics, and that's how it is.

So, what can be done about it?
First, stop using .357 Magnum loads in your little gun. Use .38 Special cartridges, instead. They will work just as well on bad guys, at the distances at which you'll be firing at them.
Second, use .38 Special loads which are known for "soft" perceived recoil. There are cartridges loaded specifically for use in snubbies, and some of them recoil manageably.
Third, switch to slightly softer grips. But _don't use bigger grips_, because they make concealment more difficult.
Fourth, grip the gun very, very tightly. Use a "death grip" for every shot. The tendency is to relax the grip, either as a "flinch," or as an attempt to escape the unpleasant recoil. _This does not work._ The only way to control recoil is to grip the gun as tightly as you can, all of the time.

If you grip the gun as tightly as you should, it may cause your trigger control to "go south" because your trigger finger will "follow" the actions of the other fingers of that hand.
You can overcome this problem only through practice. You will need to practice what my dancer-wife calls "isolation." That is, you will need to learn to move your trigger finger completely separately from the movements, and the grip, of all of your other fingers. (This is one reason why pistol shooting isn't as easy as it looks.)


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## acepilot

Steve M1911A1 said:


> So, what can be done about it?
> First, stop using .357 Magnum loads in your little gun. Use .38 Special cartridges, instead. They will work just as well on bad guys, at the distances at which you'll be firing at them.


Well, I would counter with use .357 magnum if you use it as a carry gun. If you ever need to use it as a carry gun, I doubt you'll even notice the recoil. At least until your nerves settle down and the adrenaline is burned off. Just ask anyone that has just emerged from a car accident. They usually respond with "I'm OK", only to start feeling the pain the next day. EMT types call them the "walking wounded"...


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## pic

Try the death grip as Steve above recommends. With the proper grip you should not be getting blisters. 

Use a Strong grip and let the recoil absorb into wrist, elbow, and shoulder. You eventually will have control of the recoil absorption into more of the shoulder or elbow. And follow up shots will be quicker.

I would master the 357 round, great defensive round. The 357 snubbie can be a great training tool.
I also recommend a great set of ear plugs.
BTW my first CCW was a 357 snubbie. It's ok to shoot 38's, but master the 357 magnum


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## Bisley

The worst handgun recoil I have experienced was with a Kahr K-40, using 180 grain self defense ammo. Even so, I was able to tighten my grip and adjust it after a few rounds so that I could control it without any great difficulty. The SP-101 is hefty enough to do the same. Heavy recoil usually forces a good shooter to go back to the fundamentals that made him a good shooter, and increase his focus on grip, trigger pull, and follow-through. Once you have mastered the recoil, so that it doesn't defeat your fundamental skills, then you can go back to lighter loads for repetitive accuracy practice. Once you have stopped cringing at the thought of pulling the trigger, you will adapt well to the recoil, and will probably shoot everything better.


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## pblanc

I find that .357 Magnum has much stouter recoil than .40 S&W or .45 ACP, and I am usually shooting it out of the larger GP100. I have shot .357 out of a smaller revolver and find it tolerable, but would not want to shoot more than a couple or three cylinder loads.

If you plan to use the revolver as a carry weapon I would simply load it with 38 Special +P which most people find more controllable than .357 Magnum in that size revolver. If you don't plan to carry, you might want to look into a larger grip to distribute the recoil over more of your hand. The grip stud design of the SP101 and GP100 allows various grip sizes to be fit. Grips can also be swapped pretty quickly so you could consider buying a larger and/or softer grip for range use.


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## pic

pblanc said:


> I find that .357 Magnum has much stouter recoil than .40 S&W or .45 ACP, and I am usually shooting it out of the larger GP100. I have shot .357 out of a smaller revolver and find it tolerable, but would not want to shoot more than a couple or three cylinder loads.
> 
> If you plan to use the revolver as a carry weapon I would simply load it with 38 Special +P which most people find more controllable than .357 Magnum in that size revolver. If you don't plan to carry, you might want to look into a larger grip to distribute the recoil over more of your hand. The grip stud design of the SP101 and GP100 allows various grip sizes to be fit. Grips can also be swapped pretty quickly so you could consider buying a larger and/or softer grip for range use.


Totally disagree,,you may practice with the 38's, but as a defensive carry, it should be loaded with the 357 mags and as above mentioned you should master the 357 load and practice back n forth with both loads


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## Steve M1911A1

pblanc said:


> ...you could consider buying a larger and/or softer grip for range use.


I recommend strongly against this!
Train and practice with the actual gun that you'll be carrying.
You need automatic response to any threat. You must not put yourself in a position in which you have to stop and think, or stop and adjust your grip, or stop and do anything at all other than protect yourself.


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## desertman

Bisley said:


> The worst handgun recoil I have experienced was with a Kahr K-40, using 180 grain self defense ammo. Even so, I was able to tighten my grip and adjust it after a few rounds so that I could control it without any great difficulty. The SP-101 is hefty enough to do the same. Heavy recoil usually forces a good shooter to go back to the fundamentals that made him a good shooter, and increase his focus on grip, trigger pull, and follow-through. Once you have mastered the recoil, so that it doesn't defeat your fundamental skills, then you can go back to lighter loads for repetitive accuracy practice. Once you have stopped cringing at the thought of pulling the trigger, you will adapt well to the recoil, and will probably shoot everything better.


The worst recoil that I have experienced was with my .44 Magnum Ruger Redhawk Talo with a 2 3/4 barrel, 240 grain loads. The web of my hand felt like it was getting hit with a sledge hammer. I've also got the same gun with a 7 1/2 inch barrel that I've fired thousands of rounds through without any issues regarding recoil. Same for my four inch Model 29 of which I've also put thousand's through. A couple of cylinders full from that 2 3/4 inch Redhawk Talo was enough. I've also got a Model 629 Talo .44 magnum with a 2 3/4 barrel which I haven't even fired yet. I can only imagine what that would be like as it is not as beefy as the Redhawk. Sometimes I have to question what I was thinking when I bought those two. Other than that they are pretty cool mean looking bastards. No, I do not plan on getting rid of them though. Even though I rarely carry them or even shoot them for that matter. Of course with .44 Specials they are like shooting .22's. For self defense at least for me it's .45 semi auto's all the way.

I also have an S&W Model 640 J-Frame .357 which is also a hand slamming little beast with .357 loads. But it is nothing like those short barreled .44 Magnums. Because of it's weight (all stainless construction) it is excellent with .38 Specials. A little heavy in the pocket though, in which case a Glock G26 or better yet G43 is a better choice for that type of carry. I'm used to shooting large caliber handguns so handling a small lightweight "nine" is nothing. When I first got into handguns I had to have the biggest, baddest, loudest handgun available and at the time it was the Model 29. At the time I just liked to go out and make a lot of noise, feel the concussion and could care less whether I hit anything or not. I'd go out and go through boxes of ammo through that thing firing it as fast as I could, so much so that I wore out the forcing cone, replacing the 8 3/8th's barrel with a 4 inch. Man those were the days!


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## denner

Robot Check

Robot Check

The Hogue is larger(harder to conceal, but more purchase) than the Pachmayer, but either grip choice will make a very noticable difference concerning recoil. Try shooting 125 grain and or 38 Spl+P to find something that feels tolerable to you.

Well, one thing for sure is that 357 Magnum is one of the best SD calibers that can be had.


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## pblanc

The Speer Gold Dot 135gr 38 Special +P load offers excellent expansion and decent penetration when fired from short barreled revolvers. Sure, the .357 Magnum has greater penetration but that doesn't count for much if the recoil is such that you can't control follow up shots well, or you find it so unpleasant that you don't care to practice with it. I have shot Ruger SP101s with the stock Pachmayr grip (assuming that is what you have) and I thought it was pretty crappy when it came to managing recoil.


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## NasHouston

I'll probably just sell it rather than shoot 38 special out of it. It loses it's appeal. I didn't want a 38 special.


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## denner

pblanc said:


> I have shot Ruger SP101s with the stock Pachmayr grip (assuming that is what you have) and I thought it was pretty crappy when it came to managing recoil.


I could be wrong, but I don't believe the Ruger SP101's come stock with Pachmayr grips.


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## Steve M1911A1

Try something with a 3" or 4" barrel, instead.
The heavier the gun, the better...in terms of recoil management.


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## denner

NasHouston said:


> What the hell is a 44 feel like?


44 magnum? A hand full.


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## NasHouston

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Try something with a 3" or 4" barrel, instead.
> The heavier the gun, the better...in terms of recoil management.


I'm thinking more like a 6 or 8 inch barrel. Lol

Off topic, I didn't listen to you when you told me I shouldn't get a taurus and my dumbass went and got a taurus. 4 failures to feed, several struggles to return to battery and when I tried to clean it, the barrel wouldn't come out of the slide. I had to send it in. :buttkick:


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## desertman

NasHouston said:


> I'm thinking more like a 6 or 8 inch barrel. Lol
> 
> *Off topic, I didn't listen to you when you told me I shouldn't get a taurus and my dumbass went and got a taurus.* 4 failures to feed, several struggles to return to battery and when I tried to clean it, the barrel wouldn't come out of the slide. I had to send it in. :buttkick:


Friends don't let friends buy Taurus!


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## pic

NasHouston said:


> I'll probably just sell it rather than shoot 38 special out of it. It loses it's appeal. I didn't want a 38 special.


I don't want to ask your age, but if you're a young man, go get some leather gloves, work on your grip. 
You might be limp wristing the revolver.
If your getting to be an old fart, then the 357 might be to much. Lol. Good luck


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## rustygun

I found the .357 mag ammo from freedom munitions to be quite a bit softer to shoot than the federal stuff in 158 grain. The freedom munition stuff is somewhere in between a .38+p and full on .357. At least that is what I have found from my experience. I found shooting it in my 2 5/8 N frame much more pleasant. I do believe though you should practice with what ever load you plan on using for carry. Certainly this would be an advantage of reloading your own. You could work up a nice load. .44 mag isn't so bad, though I am usually ready to put it down after maybe 30-50 rds. It still puts a smile on face.


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## pblanc

denner said:


> I could be wrong, but I don't believe the Ruger SP101's come stock with Pachmayr grips.


I believe you are correct. My brain was playing tricks on me. I was thinking of the rather hard black plastic grip that came stock on many SP101s. I much prefer the original Lett Santoprene grip on my GP100 and Ruger is once again offering a grip of that type for the GP100. But I don't see it listed for the SP101. Altamont however, does make a grip of that type for the SP101. I have not shot an SP101 with either the original Lett or the Altamont, but I have heard SP101 owners to speak highly of the Altamont grips:

Altamont Company - Ruger

There is/was a pretty good discussion of grip options for the SP101 on another forum:

Is there a better sp101 grip than factory? - Ruger Forum


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## pblanc

NasHouston said:


> I'm thinking more like a 6 or 8 inch barrel. Lol
> 
> Off topic, I didn't listen to you when you told me I shouldn't get a taurus and my dumbass went and got a taurus. 4 failures to feed, several struggles to return to battery and when I tried to clean it, the barrel wouldn't come out of the slide. I had to send it in. :buttkick:


If you like Rugers and want to shoot .357 Magnum, see if you can try a GP100 4". I think you would find that the GP100 with a 4 inch barrel and its full-length barrel underlug manages recoil quite well. The longer barrels are fine but feel rather top heavy to me.


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## Bisley

NasHouston said:


> I'll probably just sell it rather than shoot 38 special out of it. It loses it's appeal. I didn't want a 38 special.


You can learn to shoot it - it's just much harder when you start out with a small platform, because all of your fundamental errors are magnified. The SP-101 is a great small revolver, and if you stick with shooting until you get pretty good at it, you will probably wish you hadn't sold it. The problems you have shooting it may be present in any other compact handgun, and can only be overcome with thoughtful practice, on a regular basis.

Personally, I like to practice with subcompacts because they are very challenging, and I find that my shooting improves on every other firearm I own.


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## pblanc

Bisley said:


> You can learn to shoot it - it's just much harder when you start out with a small platform, because all of your fundamental errors are magnified. The SP-101 is a great small revolver, and if you stick with shooting until you get pretty good at it, you will probably wish you hadn't sold it. The problems you have shooting it may be present in any other compact handgun, and can only be overcome with thoughtful practice, on a regular basis.
> 
> Personally, I like to practice with subcompacts because they are very challenging, and I find that my shooting improves on every other firearm I own.


I agree with this. The SP101 will never be as comfortable to shoot .357 Magnum out of as a GP100 or Smith 686, but it has enough mass for a smaller revolver to do a decent job of managing the Magnum round recoil. The nice thing about a .357 revolver is that you can increase power in nice graduated steps.

Start out shooting 38 Special. Once the recoil of that is no longer a distraction, go to 38 Special +P. You can then step up to some lighter .357 loads, etc.


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## budrock56

I have the SP101 in 3" and it is not too bad. Can manage it. Great gun.


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## Spike12

I really think the idea of 'train w/38 but carry 357' is totally bad. It kills one of the biggest reasons to train! Training is suppose to build automatic reflexes, muscle memories. One of those memories is supposed to be how to get ready for a follow up shot ASAP. 

Now if you've trained on how to do that with the recoil event of 38spl, having the wildly different recoil of a 357MAG derailing your thought pattern and muscle memories is NOT something I would want to introduce to my head at that critical point in time. 

Putting my money where my mouth is: I carry a commander 1911, but rather than load it with a full 230 grain I put in only 200's. Yes, 230's are more effective but I can control 200's not just for the first shot, but the second and so on.


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## Tiremanws

My brother owns the same Ruger you do and yes it's going to kick but I love shooting it when the sun is down and watch the light show it brings, he uses 125 grain hollow points.


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## Blackhawkman

NasHouston said:


> Hey people,
> 
> I bought a SP101 snub nose. I picked it up on a whim, I always liked the way the look and the reputation of power. I took it to the range today and shot 50 rounds of 357 federal 158 grain and that sh*t hurt. I'm not a little guy, I've shot plenty of 40 and 45 and at worst the muzzle flip was annoying. This the first time it actually hurt to shoot, even gave me nice little blister. I made a mistake buying it without renting it first I was just so confident. What the hell is a 44 feel like?
> 
> Anyways, I think I see why people recommend 38 special.


I wish I was close to where you live, I'd trade you for your sp101. I have lota 38 special ammo. Low recoil. The sp101 would be my "boot gun". jmo


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