Low prices on the Ruger SP101 in .357Magnum start at Champion Firearms-

You Can Never Be Too Prepared. Sturm, Ruger and Company was founded in 1949 by business partners Alexander ("Alex") McCormick Sturm and William ("Bill") Batterman Ruger. Prior to the partnership, Bill Ruger had previously designed machine guns for the U.S. military during World War II and afterwards, successfully duplicated two Japanese Baby Nambu pistols in his garage based on samples acquired from a Marine.

It would serve as the basis for launching the company when Ruger ingeniously combined the looks of a German 9mm Luger with rimfire engineering from the Colt Woodsman and the operating mechanism of the Nambu. Bill Ruger and Alex Sturm rented a small machine shop in Southport, Connecticut and immediately introduced the world to the greatest rimfire pistol in history-- the legendary MK-I, which still continues to this day in its third generation.

Alex Sturm was married to the granddaughter of President Teddy Roosevelt, was a Yale graduate, a talented artist and business entrepreneur that supplied the capital investment to start the fledgling company. In addition, he personally designed the famous Germanic heraldic red eagle that still serves as Ruger's company logo.

Bill Ruger supplied the business acumen plus technical-know-how as a skilled gunsmith and celebrated inventor. Tragically in 1951, Alex Sturm fell seriously ill and died at the age of 28 just as the company was beginning to gain traction.

After Sturm's passing, Bill Ruger mourned the loss of his old friend and business partner by permanently changing the company's distinctive red eagle logo to solid black (or white, shrouded in black), where it remains to this day in remembrance. Bill Ruger would go on to lead the company to world prominence, becoming the largest manufacturer of firearms in the United States.

A pioneering legend in American industry until his death in 2002, Ruger had a hand in the design and styling of every single gun the company produced while under his direction. To date, Sturm Ruger has manufactured more than 30-million firearms, while also becoming a leading supplier of precision investment castings in diverse industries such as aerospace, automotive and even golf clubs.

Introduced in 1989, the Ruger SP101 boasts the to handle the most powerful .357 Magnum cartridges in a small, controllable, double action revolver. Among the most potent, compact snubbies on the market, the gun has been over-engineered for strength and reliability.

In essence, the SP101 is a scaled down GP100, which is Ruger's full size service revolver. By limiting the capacity to five shots, the company was able to maintain smaller dimensions on this powerful wheel gun. The cylinder diameter is barely larger than that of a Smith & Wesson Chief's Special, but due to the innovative design, the SP101 is much stronger than any other gun in its class.

Most small frame revolvers on the market, whether five or six shot, are built on a design that is over a hundred years old. The removable frame side plates on these guns were built to handle low pressure cartridges of the period, which they did rather well.

When more potent cartridges were invented, however, these old designs were just made larger to handle the intensity of firing magnum loads. The problem is that these removable side plate designs tend to loosen up when a steady diet of magnum are fed through the gun.

Enter the Ruger SP101, which has always been manufactured without using removable side plates. This adds needed strength to the frame surrounding the cylinder without adding bulk to the revolver, which is why the gun can handle a steady diet of magnum ammunition. This is why the SP101 is the strongest small frame revolver available.

Featuring a recoil reducing grip, the SP101 is comfortable to shoot and perfect for personal defense. The shape of the grip is actually engineered to fit the human hand, resulting in greater recoil control and improved target acquisition.

For iron sights, the gun has a low profile integral U-notch pattern that gets on target extremely well. The Ruger SP101 has a highly corrosion resistant stainless steel construction, operates as a traditional double action revolver and has a 3.06" barrel.

While Ruger does not provide a written warranty, the company has always promptly, professionally and courteously repaired the extremely limited number of malfunctioning firearms we've sent them. In our humble opinion, they have a better warranty and service track record than many manufacturer's offering the so-called "limited lifetime" policy (which by the way, is not your lifetime, but what that particular manufacturer perceives to be the life of the gun). Overall, the Ruger SP101 is a heavy duty, reliable, accurate and weather resistant compact magnum revolver designed to save your life in an emergency.

Established in 1993, Champion Firearms is a retail gun store and indoor range located in College Station, Texas.

As a brick & mortar store, we pride ourselves on customer service, quality products and our competitive pricing.

Each listing is an item we actively plan to stock. While not all of our inventory is listed, the items contained on our website represent some of the most popular products we carry.

Our staff has worked hard and done their best to ensure the accuracy of every listing. In the event an error has been made, Champion Firearms asks your understanding while we make it right.

From all of us here at Champion Firearms, thanks for visiting our store. For assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know what we can do to help: (979) 693-9948 or [email protected]