3” GP100 7-shot or SP101 for First Wheelgun?
Howdy folks.
I am looking to be a first-time firearm owner. I’ve been narrowing down my options pretty thoroughly, combing through and doing a lot of homework and testing of what I might like.
I’m looking for sort of a “do it all” firearm, where I can easily take it to a range to practice, carry it, and be confident in its defensive capabilities. .357/.38 seem to be good options in that regard, and Ruger is ticking off a lot of the boxes for what I’m hoping for. I don’t need an art piece or a competition shooter, reliability is going to be priority for me.
Really, I like the size of the SP101 for the idea of a carry weapon, but the five round capacity gives me the slightest pause. The best situation is that I never have to worry about the capacity, and never actually need it for anything other than target shooting. But five rounds does not feel like much, especially as someone with minimal experience. That said, I realize that for some, even the seven-round capacity could be seen as not enough. The flipside to all of that, of course, is that if you need to utilize it, you hope to be able to resolve the situation without using the full capacity— But I prefer to be pragmatic, and acknowledge that in a bad situation, that may be easier said than done.
So I’m ultimately asking for people’s thoughts and opinions on the matter. If I’m looking at a 3” .357, which of these two makes more sense?