Yesterday, Ruger publicly announced their a revolver I've had a hard time keeping under wraps: their new SP101 in .357 Magnum. Keeping it quiet isn't because because it's another radical departure like their LCP or LCRs of the past couple of years, but because it's darned pleasant to shoot, and to shoot very accurately.

Ruger's New SP101 Model 5771 (KSP 341X) lengthens the barrel and adds adjustable rear sights and a fiber optic front sight. MSRP: $689

I like Ruger's line of SP101 revolvers. Like virtually all Ruger revolvers, it's clean, simple and built like a truck. An SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum has been a great carry gun when camping or otherwise traipsing around in the woods for the past couple of summers. It packs significantly more punch than a .22 or .22 Magnum, but with little addition weight. Loaded with American Eagle's 85-grain Hydra Shocks, it's sufficient for the varmints normally encountered in my part of the world. My only complaint with that SP101 is the short sight radius of a two-inch barrel. If you're blessed with presbyopia like me, that short sight radius means it's harder to get the sights aligned quickly. It's the reason each of my concealed carry guns, semi-auto or revolver, has laser sights. If I need to get "out there" quickly, I need the assistance the laser offers. I can bring it quickly on target while I'm getting on the sights. After I acquire the sights clearly, I forget about the laser. The new .357 version has made getting on target easier - without being equipped with an assistive device requiring batteries or a second index finger to activate- by virtue of its longer (4.2-inch) barrel. It's almost as if someone at Ruger was listening to a collective voice of older shooters who wanted two things: a longer barrel (for the longer sight radius) and a fiber optic front sight. This SP101 also sports a fiber optic front sight - and fully adjustable rear. Meaning I can actually set the sights up where they are correct for my personal hold. When I bring the gun up (slightly canted most of the time) the sights are corrected to allow me to squeeze the trigger and break the shot when the sight picture is "good enough". If you're a bulls-eye shooter, I realized I've just spoken heresy..there's no "good enough" sight picture to punch the center out of the X ring, there's only dead on. But I'm not a very good target shooter with a handgun. To me, the handgun is designed to quickly eliminate a threat. It's the first-line of my last-ditch defense, not the precision weapon used for applying surgical solutions. If I can avoid trouble, I'll never need to draw my weapon. Walking away is always better than the alternative. For me, the handgun is all about "solving a problem before the problem solves you." To meet that requirement, whether it be a steel target for time, a coiled snake on the trail or a two-legged varmint in a parking lot on a dark night, I need to be able to get my gun onto the target quickly and apply sufficient force to either stop the timer, or convince the threat that they've failed the target selection exam in their crime-quiz. In this .357 version, I get a revolver that's capable of meeting my requirements and packs the proven punch of five rounds of .357 Magnum. And .357 gives me the training option of using lighter, and better-behaved .38 Special ammo. I've run just over 100 rounds of .38 Special through the KSP-341X sent to me for testing, along with 15 full-house loads of Hornady's 125 Grain FTX Critical Defense Ammo. The gun has functioned with no problems - and is already starting to feel familiar to me. It took a few minutes for the combination rubber/wood grips to feel "right" - but I think that's because there's no exposed metal. The grips completely cover the backstrap- not a feeling I'm accustomed to - even in my Smith & Wesson revolvers with Pachmayr grips (I used the Gripper Professionals due to my smaller hands). Although I don't intentionally get my hands slick when handling firearms, I can imagine the rubber grips would provide a more solid hold if your hands are damp or slick with sweat. I did try the gun with shooting gloves, and there's plenty of room in the trigger guard, although it would be tight (and consequently not very safe) with cold-weather gear. If you're carrying a gun in cold weather, you need the option of bringing the trigger finger outside the glove. That's not a luxury; it's a necessity for safe operation. My overall impressions of this new revolver are positive. It has clean lines with no sharp edges other than the hammer spur. Trigger pull is clean and firm in double action and easy to squeeze - smoothly- in single action. Its all-steel construction gives it enough heft to handle .357 Magnums without excessive muzzle rise or overly-sharp recoil. That makes for a shootable revolver- and there's not a thing in the world wrong with that. --Jim Shepherd