Can I replace my LCR?

[redbullitt]

I happen to like the snub 38 lcr a lot. In my hands it is much better than a belly gun! I am not that great but typical 10 or 15 yard targets had better duck and cover behind some actual cover lol.

The gun can shoot better than you, me, or pretty much anyone else can hold I figure. 135 Gold dots do very well out of our lcr, as in the shooter is the limiting factor. There is a bit of a learning curve though. The revolver is small and the grip is smallish but it can be changed if you need. The trigger is very different than a semi if that is what you are used to. As far as most similar revolvers go, that lcr of yours has an excellent trigger and you will be hard pressed to beat it.

That said, it took both my girlfriend and myself a long time to be decent with the lcr. The snappy recoil and short sights make it very easy to mess up! She had a hard time getting used to the trigger, but afterward no issues. She usually shoots a medium glock, so I figure thats part of that issue.

Are you finding the rollover point right before it fires? That helped a lot for both of us.

I did put an XS dot on for a front sight. I confess that helped a lot for me as I really do not see that well. Nothing else really needed changed really. All that said, shoot it. A lot. Use reduced loads if you can. I fully believe that is what allowed both of us to get good and be confident with the LCR. We both shot lots of cast plinkers and low powered stuff.

 

[Pistolay]

My wife has an SP101 in 22lr, and she loves practicing with it, because the weight and trigger pull make LCR seem like a single action featherweight in comparison, and as a result she's become much more accurate with the snubby.

 

[Manny]

I use a KLCR with .38+p's and a CT grip and find it to be outstanding. Were I to look at something else though, the new Kimber revolver would be at the top of my list.

 

[RugRev]

On my SP101 I have had it tuned and I tried various Wolff spring combos and can get the DA pull down to 8.4 lbs. A stock LCR is probably slightly higher. A 2.25" SP weighs (per Ruger) 26 oz vs. the 13.5 of 38 LCR so is almost double the weight. A Colt Det. Special weighs a bit over 20 oz. so would fit in the middle. The Kimber K6 weighs per Kimber 23 oz so is a bit lighter than the SP and holds an extra round with a slightly smaller diameter cylinder,

There are a number of grip configurations, sizes and materials available for the SP101 from a number of manufacturers. They are a bit weighty, though.

 

[waterbaby]

The price of the K6s puts it out of my league. Otherwise it would probably be No. 1 for me.

 

[Kendal Black]

Something that helps me with lightweight snub revolvers is to hold on very tight. Bigger grips might help you there.

What you've been told about dry firing is right--and the laser can only help. If it hasn't worked, I dunno, try more of it? Watching the sight picture or the laser dot closely is key.

 

[8ring]

The LCR's small grip, light weight, and funky reset on the trigger make it a difficult gun to master. I'm an experienced revolver shooter who owns a number of various Ruger and SW revolers and I've ended up buying and selling two LCRs. The first was a .38 spl LCR with a Crimson Trace grip. The second a LCR-X with adjustable sights and 3" barrel and a larger Hogue grip that allowed me to get 3 fingers on the grip. I could shoot neither Ruger anywhere near as well as my SW638 Airweight with a Apex Tactical spring kit and a Hogue J-frame 3 finger mono-grip.

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Note, with a good IWB holster, the SW 638 is still easily concealable with the Hogue grip shown above.

The SP-101 has considerable weight to moderate heavier loads. However, the out of the box trigger is not good and you will need trigger job and a lighter mainspring. If you want to do the work on the trigger and can carry a 24-26 oz revolver, the SP-101 may be for you.

My advice - if you want to shoot a compact revolver well, get an aluminum or steel J-frame, a good 3 finger grip, and an Apex spring kit. Then draw and dry-file it alot.

Chris

 

[Creature]

To my way of thinking, a Colt Detective Special is the ideal concealed carry revolver.

I agree.

 

[stoky]

Another option, or adjunct, to snap caps and a laser sight could be a LaserLyte or (second hand) Quick Skill practice target. Just don't get into the bad habit of not holding on tight when you practice.
With snap caps, try to be cognizant of where the front sight is when the hammer falls.
I think about ten minutes at a time makes for good non burnout practice.
With some minor polishing and Wolffe (or some such) springs, an SP101 trigger can be made very good indeed.
I agree on the Colt DS, but they're not getting any easier to find.

 

[Blacksmoke]

Anyone handle the Kimber K6? I am curious about the DA trigger.

Agreed that Colt DS, Cobra and Agents are a good size for a six shot CCW. They shoot well.

 

[waterbaby]

The DS is sweet and just what I'm looking for, the only problem with a DS is finding one and THEN being able to afford it!
I've looked and looked at DS, J-frames, Taurus 85, etc. and the SP 101 keeps looking better and better. It is right at the top of my "cost vs value curve."
I've done a "trigger job" and more to every firearm I've ever owned both handguns and long guns and I'm starting to get pretty good at it and besides I like "messing around" with guns.

 

[Blacksmoke]

The DS is sweet and just what I'm looking for, the only problem with a DS is finding one and THEN being able to afford it!
I've looked and looked at DS, J-frames, Taurus 85, etc. and the SP 101 keeps looking better and better. It is right at the top of my "cost vs value curve."
I've done a "trigger job" and more to every firearm I've ever owned both handguns and long guns and I'm starting to get pretty good at it and besides I like "messing around" with guns.

I had that same worry about the DS. Hard to find and the high prices they command nowadays. Then I went to a local gunstore I had not visited in years and sure enough out came a nice Cobra at a reasonable price. They are out there.

 

[Tallball]

Here is a poor-quality picture of my LCR with the larger grips. I can shoot it just fine now.



My friend and I bought brand-new SP101's a few months apart. His has a pretty good trigger. Mine is very stiff. Apparently you can get lucky or unlucky with that. You can get lucky or unlucky with Taurus, too. I have owned over half a dozen, and only one ever gave me any trouble. My first Model 85 was stolen in a burglary. I replaced it with a Model 84 ultralight (aluminum alloy frame). I carefully removed most of the hammer spur to make it snag-free. I often carry the LCR in cargo shorts in the hot months. The 85 ultralight is perfect for back-pocket carry when I walk my dog at 4:00AM. (The picture is kind of deceiving - due to the angles I worked with, there is less hammer spur remaining than what the picture seems to show.)

 

[djont57]

Here is a poor-quality picture of my LCR with the larger grips. I can shoot it just fine now.

Looks like the grips I put on my LCR. It improved my accuracy a lot.

 

[Tallball]

Yeah. I think maybe Hogue makes them? They are the ones which are stock for the LCRx. I have XL hands, and the longer grip makes a huge difference.

 

[Fiv3r]

It's a funny thing about LCR grips. they tend to be very much personal preference in my experience.

I actually shoot my 9mm lcr better with a bantam boot grip over the more hand-filling tamer that comes with it. Conversely, I shoot the .357 SP101 with the chunky Pachmayr Compact grips better than the skinny stock grips, but I prefer the stock grips on my 4" .327...go figure.

I'm actually kinda glad the boot grip works so well for me on the lcr. I bought it to have the smallest, lightest, snub nose that I can actually shoot well and conceal. The tamer grip is kind of blocky and tough to get in and out of my coat pocket.

 

[S&Wfan]

Get someone to load your LCR next time you are at the range, so that you do not know when you will encounter a live, or an empty chamber. Really focus on that front sight in its notch, and keep looking at it without blinking when the revolver goes off. It can really help to have someone randomly loading the revolver this way. Heck, sometimes I "load" it completely empty, just to watch the shooter "milk" that last-chance-to-go-boom chamber! Short barrels are totally unforgiving with sight picture, but they are not less accurate. Get a great sight picture, grip it high and correctly, watch the muzzle flash when you don't blink, and shoot it a lot with less than full cylinders and you'll soon get very confident with it.

If not, a 3" barrelled Model 37 S&W Airweight (five-shot) aluminum framed 38 Special revolver, is very, very easy to hit accurately with!!! Or any 3" revolver actually. Good luck!

 

[FLNT4EVR]

Waterbaby if you have the opportunity ,you could always try the .327 mag, It will shoot about any .32 load and can be a good SD choice .

 

[SeanSw]

I had a double action only sp101 and traded it off (for a half lug gp100). I also thought it would be a good alternative to the LCR that would allow me to shoot .357 or .38 with lower recoil but aside from them both being a hammerless short barreled revolver they are very different. The sp101 is a brick by comparison and the trigger is going to need some work. LCR is definitely a better carry gun in my opinion but carry what you shoot best. If I were interested in making allowances to carry the heavier sp101 mine would still have the hammer.

 

[22-rimfire]

My wife has an SP101 in 22lr, and she loves practicing with it, because the weight and trigger pull make LCR seem like a single action featherweight in comparison, and as a result she's become much more accurate with the snubby.

That is an interesting comment and approach. The trigger is the dominant reason I will not buy a SP-101 in 22LR, but she turned that into a learning aid. As a comparison, I shot my 6" Colt Python horribly for years and finally just sold it. The purpose for the gun was home defense, range shooting, woods walking, and hunting. Well, I was never good enough with it to hunt with. That changed when I purchased a S&W M57. I shot it well considering that I am mostly a 22 revolver person. Later, I picked up a Colt Trooper Mark III (357) and all of a sudden I could shoot a 357 pretty well. So, maybe if you shot something with more recoil for a while and came back to the LCR later, it might help a lot.

My suggestion with the LCR is just keep shooting it at close range (like 7 yds) and pay attention to your form, trigger control and so forth. You'll improve. One thing, I never really expected to be able to shoot a snubbie as well as a longer barreled revolver. For me, 10 yds (30 feet) is about my interest limit with one other than plinking.

 

[22-rimfire]

One thing that is important is that you LIKE the LCR. If you didn't like it, I doubt you would be making the effort to improve. As I said in my last post, shoot something with more recoil for a while, continue to carry the LCR because you like it. I suspect that it will still do quite well for self defense if necessary at normal ranges. Beyond the normal, something else is likely better. The stronger recoil might well change your mind about handling the LCR.

 

[webrx]

I had a sp101, hated the DA only trigger, traded it off and later bought an LCRX, I carry the lcrx, it point shoots great, but I am not sure it would ever be a target pistol or hunting pistol with the short barrel and me pulling the trigger. The lcrx is my primary carry revolver, and I am accurate enough from 7 to 10 yards to be comfortable carrying it. How accurate are you trying to be with a carry gun? I am happy with minute of bad guy (4-5 inch groups point shooting from 7 to 10 yards). Try shooting some Ruger ARX ammo through yours see if you like them better for SD ammo they are a little lower recoil due to the lightweight bullet.