I would like to see Crono results from the SP and the Glock 19, I bet they would be very close.

 

If you want to carry a revolver----- yes.

 

I chronoed some Remington 125 SJHPs from my 3" SP101 and got over 1300 fps out of it.

 

If you go to the library, you will find a post called "Ballistics by the inch" it explains what the velocities of different barrel lenghts are. Good reading
Sorry SUNDEVIL, I didn't notice right away. You have to have 10 posts to get into the library. Well worth the wait. There is a lot of great info in there.

 

Muzzle velocity of a 125gr .357 JHP round from a 3" barrel is 1450 ft/sec. delivering 588 ft/Lbs of energy. A 9mm 115gr JHP round runs 1225 ft/sec with 383 fl/Lbs of energy. Round for round, the .357 has a huge advantage in stopping power. The G19 has the advantage in capacity, but shot placement is everything - if you can deal with the threat in 5 shots, the SP101 wins hands down.

 

With the 3" barrel do I still have enough velocity to make it worth it carrying full-house loads (buffalo bore 125 grain, Federal 125 JHP)? In other words, will I still get the stopping power that makes the .357 legendary? I guess I don't want to carry it much unless I have a decent advantage over my G19, with corbon +p. In all honesty the sp101 if my wife's house gun loaded with the .38 FBI load, but I'm trying to find an excuse to carry it too, since I do like the gun a lot and she doesn't carry.

Thanks in advance for your input.

I have both the 2 and 3". 3-4fps difference. Not enough to sneeze over.

 

Is this a misprint? If you aren't getting about 50 to 80 FPS more in a three-inch bbl. than from a snub with .38 ammo, something is odd.


.357 ammo will also show a considerable difference with a three-inch bbl. and the guns are easier to shoot well than a snub.

Lone Star

 

I carry the BB in 180gr

 

So, I'm assuming the general consensus is "yes"?

 

Yes

 

full house from 2.25"

Sundevil357,
I found this some time back, it's a pretty good endorsement:
Sarges Roll Call: April 2008
And here's the relevant bits:
"I took along my .357 Mag SP101 and my old 1911A1. Don't worry about ammo...you can find seriously-heavy handgun loads at the local WalMart. I grabbed an 18-pack of “Alaska Backpacker” .357's using a 200 grain hard-cast, gas-checked LBT. Upon returning home, I chronographed a few and found them to produce 970 fps from the 2 ¼” SP101. Recoil was noticeable but not unbearable. The load's velocity didn't impress me much- until I started shooting things with it. It easily bored through a 3 inch seasoned oak limb, digging an inch groove in the trunk behind. It shot through an old mower deck- that .45 hardball only dents. This load grouped into about 2 ¼ “ at 25 yards, and the point-of-impact with the little Ruger was only 3” high at that distance. I do believe Alaska Backpacker's 200 grain .357 would shoot through a bear's noggin' and that's about all you can ask of a pocket gun.
"
Hope that's helpful, Cheers
Frank

 

Good info! Thanks fds5116. I guess the power difference is enough to warrant carrying the sp101 instead of my G19. I have a simply rugged sourdough holser on order, which should hopefully arrive soon. Can't wait!

 

Actually it's the silver dollar...oops.....it's just the smaller version of the sourdough.

 

SUNDEVIL357 mentioned .357 loads then wife's .38. My comment was based on .357

 

Holy Moly! I wish my WalMart sold those 200 grain .357 hard-cast, gas-checked LBTs!
Probably only Anchorage and points North ... too bad, cause we've got some wild boar
here in Texas just begging for some of that medicine.

 

Go with Buffalo Bore insted of the other brand as thats what most in Alaska do

 

3"

I'm starting to like the 3" barrel revolvers more and more, a 3" fixed sight SP or even a GP IMO makes a solid all around gun, a "true GP" as in General Purpose.....short enough to carry, use as a glove box gun, and also enough length for sight radius to make it a productive range shooter.

real snubs are great to carry, but I can't say something like a S&W J-frame 2" is something I find enjoyable to shoot a lot.

 

real snubs are great to carry, but I can't say something like a S&W J-frame 2" is something I find enjoyable to shoot a lot.

My Centenial S&W with .38 ammo was more irritating than my SP-101 with 125gr .357 JHPs. I sold the S&W and bought a second SP-101, both 3".

 

I use BB in both my SP101 and LCR. Also, check Double Tap's short barrel velocity. They are using true .357 pressures, not the "down-sized" psi for Smith's Mod. 19. Both of these companies make REALLY serious loads!

Best.