I've very happy with mine now, but it definitely was not an august beginning.

Ruger quality is not what it used to be.

Standard wartime manufacture, no modifications.

@@LiamMartlew I never expected these videos to be enjoyed all these years later, enjoy your SMLE! They’re great, fun rifles!

Glad you’re still enjoying it all these years later!

My original requirements: Under 30 oz (for concealed carry purposes), .357 magnum, 3'' barrel, combat sights. This met the criteria.

The Novak sights are definitely built for carry purposes. I feel like the 4.2'' barrel might be a bit much for concealed carry, but high quality iron sights are undoubtedly a must as we enter the golden age of the red dot optic lol.

I originally intended to purchase this revolver as a one-off project to add a revolver to my collection that would check as many boxes as possible. I believe this revolver still achieves that goal well, particularly adding a cartridge that is substantially more powerful than 9mm out of my carry piece. That being said, if I could go back in time and talk to my younger self one year ago, I believe the smarter decision would have been to go with a higher power autoloader in 10mm or .45 Auto.

My rifle is in the original 7.92x57mm. I weighed about 150 lbs in this video and I'm about 157 now. My rifle is a typical vet bring back where the rifle and the bolt don't match each other but do match themselves, but I'm especially lucky that mine is very smooth. This rifle has been with me since I was 18 years old (basically my entire adult life span) and I still shoot it from time to time. :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3fLk4qra82Chsk kzbin.info/www/bejne/raHTp5JrjtOonKs

Almost bought one because I couldn't find the ruger I was always looking for (ruger gp100 wiley clapp talo edition 357mag in 3"barrel Hawkeye matte steel model #1752) instead I got the gp100 model #1771 7shot 4in barrel. Truly was looking into concealed carry and a 3"barrel is ideal for our mountains here in western slope Colorado for outdoors.. glad the wiley clapp ii is still in production cause it's pretty dang close to the #1752 model that has been discontinued (and very hard to find online gun stores) so I will be saving up to get me one to match my 4.2 barrel 1771 and our Henry big boy All Weather in 357mag to use same ammunition for all 3. Nice wheeler!

@@blueskeleton7744 It's a great piece, congratulations

800

I'm really hopeful that my research and choice of the WC SP101 will pay dividends as a shooter. I'm really looking forward to practicing and even conceal carrying revolvers for the benefits they bring to mindset and skill refinement, especially when transitioning back to striker fired autoloaders. With some polishing and work on the internals, I'm really hoping that this will become an heirloom piece.

I have a Smith& Wesson model 640 Pro and the trigger pull was 13 and 1/2 lb because it's double action only. I brought it to a well-known gunsmith that specializes in revolvers and brought it down to nine and 3/4 lb. He told me once you go under 9 lb there is a fear of a light strike on your ammo and hence that's why he doesn't go under that weight. Have you had any issues with light strikes?

@@johncaban4310 Happy to report: none to date

With a standard SP101, at least you never have to worry about the rear sight being ejected under magnum recoil. For the WC edition, Novak makes other variations of the front and year sight, I personally have been thinking about definitely getting a tritium front and possibly a two-dot tritium rear. As for a standard version, you can get aftermarket front sights but they have to be of the pin type, rather than the dovetail type of attachment to the barrel. And thank you for the kind comment, the SP101 is definitely a good looking revolver and the 3'' version is, IMO, proportionally correct. I personally think the WC sights look better than the standard sights, but you can probably get a used 3'' standard SP101 for sub $600 while the WC cost me $902.

I have a feeling that Ruger's business MO is to spam as much product as possible, fully realizing that 5-10% are lemons, and once they have your money and you complain about your lemon, they offer to send you a brand new one that has a little more attention paid to it and then you feel like you've been taken care of and Ruger still has your money. I still can't believe that my original Wiley Clapp SP101 (the WC being their "top end" model of the SP101 and GP100) was in such crappy state when I got it... First, how can Ruger's QC let that thing out of the factory and second, I think the website I bought it from sent me their worst one, they had three listed as available and... well... I'll tell that story later. Again, given the modern state of American manufacturing (one of the reasons why I went with Ruger in the first place is that it is 100% Made in the USA), maybe I should have just gone with a Glock 20 in 10mm and for $900 get the pistol, some extra mags, and ammo!

@@LifeofCharlesyeah, that definitely seems like it could very well be the MO of quite a few major American gun brands. That seems to be my perception on kel tec and sig Sauer lately. They seem to knowingly ship a lot of lemons and then “take care of you” (ie give you an actual functional gun) after you send your first one back in. I can definitely see why you’d think it about Ruger too. You talked in this video about that 10mm Glock too. I had been thinking the same thing recently about hand cannons. Stuck between 10mm and big revovlers. I’ve yet to commit to a purchase yet, but I’m also considering a 10mm Glock. My other contender would be a .44 magnum, probably from Uberti.

@@bobocan17 My focus on revolvers was on the carry side and since CCing a revolver is somewhat obsolescent, I decided that I might as well get the "full power" factor of .357 Magnum. Between the two choices you listed, I would definitely go Glock 10mm for CC but if it's just for fun/range toy then do what tugs your heartstrings the most. I'm going to film another video more thoroughly explaining why I chose to do what I did when it came to the SP101 and CCing a revolver.

@@LifeofCharles hm. I seem to remember a very fun looking range session of yours from several years ago featuring lil Jon that makes that .44 magnum so tantalizing as a range toy 😉 Looking forward to the revovler videos, keep up the good work brotha

@@bobocan17 “YeEaAhhh!”

I purchased my first revolver at age 21 or 22, but it was an M1895 Nagant Revolver and so I never truly felt like I owned a "real" revolver until this year. But I'm glad I can "truly" consider myself a revolver collector and shooter now! My personal recommendation is to go for a second-hand S&W revolver, pre-lock would be ideal, but save yourself the trouble of any modern production revolvers like my Ruger SP101. However, I got word that Ruger manufactured my replacement and will be here on Weds 2/28 so there's at least that to look forward to.

I have yet to shoot new vs old S&W revolvers side by side, but I have a feeling that you are right: modern S&W revolvers are inferior in feel and finish compared to pre-90s S&W revolvers. This is a shame, since the engineering (minus the horrid "Hillary Hole") on the new Model 19/66, the Model 60 in .357, and other revolvers is superior to the old ones.

The VZ boot grips I ordered are very nice, but I want to try shooting with the pachmyers first before I make any other changes. I may end up going with the combat-style wood grips that would have been available "back in the day" and they certainly look classy.

Because the Model 10 is tactical!

They’re good guns, but I definitely feel like autoloaders these days clearly eclipse these venerable revolvers. But the benefit of being judicious with your rounds and mastering the double action pull is worth it for becoming a better pistoleer.

@@LifeofCharles oh of course, in a practical situation yes modern autoloaders are much more practical however, it doesnt mean 6 (or 5 for the 36) shots of 38 wont get the job done either if you do your part, youll find these revolvers are very mechanically accurate and you can achieve some great accuracy with these humble platforms in a way it puts the modern tools into perspective at how easy it is to use the plastic fantastic red dot mounted pistols over fixed trench sight revolvers like these and you appreciate both even more have fun with your revolver journey! its a rewarding experience

Whoa, you’ve been around this channel a long time then!

Indeed! I’m pretty impressed and lucky that such deals exist in today’s world.

I believe they had the carbine version with the carbine load of .45-70 of my memory is correct. I love your reviews btw, and definitely influenced some of my CCW purchases!

I was 18 and in love with my $600 vet-bring back rifle. I’m 31 now haha. My collector friends tell me my Kar. 98k had one of the smoothest bolts they’ve experienced as far as Mauser 98 rifles go. I have to agree.

The Mauser derived rifles are all pretty comparable. I think the 7.92mm cartridge has probably a little too much recoil for your average conscript who’s a child of the Great Depression, but the Kar. 98k is still my favorite bolt action in my collection.

@@LifeofCharles Not to mention, The Mauser bolt action system was the most copied style in the world!!!!!

Wow! You've been here for a long, long, time then. Thank you, and I hope that you are also doing well, and that you continue to enjoy what I have to offer. If I can make a couple changes in my life, I could provide more videos. If so, I hope to see you then!

You have good taste, and your rifle is rare, all matching from that plant! Keep her clean and oiled! Do you have another Mauser 98 you shoot? Fun, accurate, safe, powerful rifles. 😊

Haha, everything here is still valid.