My buddy from VT has a camp that has been infested with coyotes lately... As a result he's been spending a lot of time up there, thinning 'em out to help out the local deer herd. As a result of the ones he's shot -- and had to shoot again -- he's told me "Not to bother carrying a .22 as a woods gun anymore..." He says he's had really poor results with his rimfire rounds for a coup-de-grace on coyotes that didn't DRT from his buckshot blasts. So with that direct hands-on feedback, plus the knowledge of more & more reports of cougar sightings in this area, and the ever-present (and growing...) threat from 2-legged vermin, I decided to trade-up in power for my woods & trail piece when I'm out predator hunting or just roaming around the woods.
I had to search around to find this one, and pay more than I would have 10 years ago, but I recently picked up a nice NIB/unfired Ruger SP101 in .32 H&R Magnum with a 4" barrel. Here she is, along with a nice set of elk stag grip inserts that I originally got from Sack Peterson for my 4" SP101 in .22 Rimfire: ** If you like the grips, Sack's website is:http://www.sackpeterson.com/
I briefly considered the newer .327 Federal round, but decided against it as they only make that in a 3" barrel, I already have 2 nice holsters for the 4" SP (a nice leather belt model, and a nylon chest-carry/bandoleer-type for when I'm wearing many layers while out predator hunting), plus Starline isn't making any 327 Fed brass yet -- and they recently told me they have "no firm plans" to do so for quite awhile.
I think the 32 H&R Magnum will be just dandy for a "more power" trail piece. I can load (3) lead SWCs for finishing shots on predators or headshots on partridge (aka "ruffed grouse" to those outside of Maine), followed by (3) JHP Magnum loads -- "just in case" they are needed. Plinking with 32 S&W Long loads will be some fun too, and I'm sure my petite daughter may like this more than my larger/heavier GP100 in 357 Mag.
** By the way, I will soon be selling a very hard-to-find and now out-of-production Ruger SP101 in 22 rimfire, with a 4" barrel/full underlug and a windage-adjustable rear sight. Basically, it looks the same as the 4" SP101 above. I will plan to list it in the Classifieds here first, and I will also include another nice set of custom Elk Stag grip inserts and an HKS 6-shot speedloader -- only for a buyer who is a member of this forum. When/if that piece goes onto GunBroker, it won't include those 2 extras with it. If you want to get a heads-up when that will be listed, just send me a PM titled "4 inch SP101 22RF". It's been carried some, but always in a good holster, and it's been fired very little -- maybe 300 rounds total over the 6 years I've had her, or about a box a year. She's in great shape, maybe 98% condition, and is a very difficult caliber to find in Ruger's dandy little SP101 revolver.
Gee, sorry about turning this into a sales pitch... But I guess that's due to the gun-trading bug we've all been infected with...
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
So now I'm looking to find a nice Marlin 1894 or Marlin Cowboy levergun in 32 H&R Mag -- that would be sweet for sure!!! May have to save up BIG time for that though...
Tight groups,
Old No7