[slimjim9]

This has to be a glitch right?
https://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx?item=5739-RUG

I can't find this anywhere else on the net but Davidson's is showing 99?

Can't be right can it?

 

[ExArmy11b]

GAH you just cost me about $500

I love .38 Special Ruger DA's, and this 3" will go with my .38 Special GP100's......

Yes, they have been made before, the French police used these for decades.

I'm guessing these 3" .38 SP101's were an over-run, a run of "clean ups" or a cancelled order from a foreign police force.

A lot of South American and European countries only allow security guards and in some cases police, to carry revolvers, since semis are for "military only"......so yes, there are still orders for .38 Special only SP101's.

The 3" and 4" .38 GP100's, were said to be a cancelled overseas security order.Those took a while to sell, I'm guessing at 99+ demand for .38 3" SP101's won't be through the roof.

Some states in the US have laws where private security firms can only use .38 Special revolvers, although these laws are changing. It's possible these were ordered by a security company and then cancelled, maybe for admin personnel or "vault counters" who would carry a smaller gun.

 

[osprey]

NOW I know what I was going to spend that tax refund on !!

Finally my GP100 will have a little brother (or sister) to share the gun locker with. And .38 Special to boot really is not a deal breaker for me on a CC revolver.

Dang, being a member of this forum can be an expensive proposition.

Or to paraphrase the Borg from "Star Trek: Next Generation":

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. You will purchase more Ruger firearms. And THEN you will be a happy firearm owner.''

 

[Petrol and Powder]

Don't disparage the 38 Special, it's a great cartridge. In that stout SP101 you could shoot a lifetime of +P rounds and not even begin to stress that gun.
It's interesting how public opinion can be swayed. I bet when the 44 Special was introduced it eclipsed the 44 Russian. The 44 Special was the best thing since sliced bread until the 44 magnum came out and then suddenly the 44 Special somehow instantly became not just inferior but undesirable. ????

I have a lot of guns chambered in 38 Special that would normally be chambered in .357 Magnum and consider that chambering to be advantageous. The guns are far stronger than they need to be.

While there's no dispute that the .357 Magnum can deliver more energy than the 38 Special, the 38 Special is a better cartridge than many people will acknowledge. For many decades in big cities across the U.S.A., criminals went to the morgue and police officers went home due to the 38 Special.

A 3" SP101 that is going to spend most of its life shooting 38 Specials even if it's chambered in .357 magnum isn't handicapped by a 38 Special chambering. If I was in the market for such a gun I would jump on that opportunity.

 

[opos]

I've had both an SP101 and a Gp100 in 3" 38 special only...great to just shoot and I kept the GP in a drawer with +P Golden Sabers in it...I have several 357's and I often end up shooting 38 special handloads in them for cost savings...so why not a dedicated 38 special in a super strong platform.

Pic is the GP...can't find the pic of the SP

 

[cbriggs57]

My avatar photo is the 1751 model GP100. The 38/44 equivalent loads I've tried in it don't even make it work up a sweat. The real challenge is making light-bullet 32 S & W long equivalent loads for it. It's a darn fine gun, and one of my best acquisitions ever.

 

[gqucool]

I just sold a 3 inch SP101 last Dec. in .38 Special great gun I should have kept it. It's replacement is a 3 inch SP101 .327 FM Whoa stout loads. Way pricey ammo. Had my SP101 been .357 would have kept it. Changing calibers is expensive I now reload my .327 loads! That's a understatement.357/.38 special much cheaper!!!

 

[blackvoid]

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. You will purchase more Ruger firearms. And THEN you will be a happy firearm owner.''

Ain't it the truth.

 

[DPris]

It'll apparently be something of a limited run.
Denis

 

[lostnlate]

It'll apparently be something of a limited run.
Denis

I agree.

My LGS recently had a used 3" SP101 in .38 Special. It did not stay on the shelf long. Yes, I got there much too late

IMO, the .38 Special is underrated as an SD/HD cartridge.

 

[DPris]

Ruger agrees too, that's what I was told earlier today.
Denis

 

[bwinters]

I have a 3 inch sp101 in 357 and the only limiting factor in its firing sessions is my 60 year old hands.

 

[slimjim9]

I've had both an SP101 and a Gp100 in 3" 38 special only...Pic is the GP...can't find the pic of the SP

I have a "baby bear" LCR357 that's not exactly "fun" to shoot even with 38s. Your GP looks like my "papa bear" 38-only model 1722 which is extremely fun to shoot but feels overbuilt for the cartridge. I think that SP would be a "mama bear", "just right" gun for 38.

I'd love to see a left hand side pic of these. I wonder if they are NOS with the warning on the side or like the new 357 model with the warning on the bottom?

 

[MM53]

Looks good. I all so like the 38 but at $720 I got my Wiley Clap SP for $700 out the door at my LGS. $550-$600 would be a good $$$

 

[firemanjones]

That is the MSRP, I am sure it is cheaper.

 

[slimjim9]

Yeah, the Gun Gallery price is about $550 or a little less total to get one sent to a store near me. Pretty much same as any other SP except the WC.

 

[Edster]

If you get the Instant Quote you will see that the out the door price is considerably less than the posted MRSP.

 

[Petrol and Powder]

IMO, the .38 Special is underrated as an SD/HD cartridge.

I don't believe a handgun is the optimal choice for home defense where the gun doesn't need to be carried or concealed. That's the domain of a shotgun.

In a self-defense situation away from home, the 38 Special is often underrated. The 38 Special may not have the muzzle energy of a .357 magnum but it is far from ineffective. Contrary to the claims of your average mall ninja, the 38 Special is a proven self defense cartridge.

 

[0311INF]

Nothing wrong with a .38, especially if it can shoot +p indefinitely. In fact .38 cases can be loaded to be pretty damned stout.

If I had a choice between .38+p vs .357 for a defensive situation, I'd strongly consider the .38 due to rapid and accurate follow-up shots, especially when fired from a smaller platform like a snubby-even the portly SP101.

 

[Flatbush]

I have one of the 38 special 3" SP's from I think the early 90's ( can look up production date later). I like the gun a lot. The 2" SP I don't seem to shoot very well. The 3" is much more fun to shoot and more accurate for me.

I will watch Davidson's to see how well the guns sell. Have not seen them on GB yet.
Am strongly considering picking one up, but not in a great rush. If the price drops a bit if/when they try to move them aggressively- then I will look to hit it. If I do see any "deals" out there, I will let you guys know.

Flatbush