Lcr 22lr questions

[conw]

I'm in the market for one of these and thought I'd throw a few questions out for those who own one or have more experience.

*leave it stock or modify?

*I was thinking of just some orange front sight paint to start and maybe will need to file the sight down for poa adjustment for my preferred ammo

*favorite ammo for practice in this gun? How about sd purposes? (please no lecturing on 22lr being insufficient for sd )

*factory grips: comfortable but bulky. Anyone made, bought, or otherwise found something more slender? Recommendations?

*routine maintenance recommendations?

*any known issues to watch for?

*anyone noticed variability in trigger pull quality or weight after comparing multiple examples of this particular caliber of lcr?

Thanks! I appreciate anyone who has anything to share and is willing to take the time to do it.

Conw

 

[22-rimfire]

It is periodically difficult to eject the empties on mine. Have not shot it in a month or so. Planning on trying different rimfire brands to see it the problem is manufacturer related or gun.

I like the little revolver. It's fun to shoot but much more difficult to hit consistantly with it at any kind of range other than up to 10 yds. Even then, I have to pay attention to my trigger pull. I suspect this is normal for someone not used to shooting DA only snub nosed revolvers.

My trigger is okay, but I have not compared it to many others or others in the centerfire chamberings. I suspect I would like it in 38spl.

Mine is stock. I can see the utility of the laser sights with one. I have not painted or adjusted the front sight. Painting is no big thing and can always be removed.

Have only shot Federal Champion/Lightning (#510/510B) in mine to date.

Accuracy seems reasonable to me for plinking or close range self defensive purposes.

Have not noticed any functional issues other than the stiff ejection at times.

 

[DNS]

My edc; bad wrist and a couple knuckles. Mine shoots a little low from the front sight being too tall and I've been able to compensate with a little windage. Considering the paint too.

The cylinders were honed pretty good on mine from the factory but it will get sticky after the fourth or fifth cylinder. I use Federal bulk in mine and I believe Ruger specifically says to not use the coated/lubed stuff since it causes build up. Accuracy is on par with my other snubs.

Routine maintenance; fresh ammo since its polymer, stainless and aluminum, all it needs. I do give it a little break-free in the trigger mechanism every so often.

The DAO trigger is a little over 9 pounds but is very consistent during pull. It takes a little more to get a rimfire primer going so its normal. Another reason to leave the bigger grips on there for the torque issues IMHO.

Carries like a dream. I prefer to carry OWB or off body since sweating on rimfire ammo is so much worse than on centerfire. My better half complained about the price but now wants one for herself.

 

[conw]

Thanks both of you guys - very helpful.

I will report back once I have mine.

So far I've ordered some 22 snap caps and 2 10-round orange TUFF speed strips. Now I just have to find the gun and some carry methods to play around with.

I will start with my belly-band (nice versatile piece of kit)...

DNS, what OWB holster do you use?

 

[marv]

I have an LCR in .22 and .38. Due to the difference in the triggers I shoot the .38 better. I put the HiViz front sight on the .38 and it makes it quicker to pick up. I got a bottle of Cheap bright yellow nail polish from ChinaMart for the .22. I put it on the ramp of an M10 and it improved it immensely. I have a boot grip from Ruger that is interchangeable between the two.

 

[Hokkmike]

It is periodically difficult to eject the empties on mine..... 22-rimfire

Have noticed the same thing. Wonder if it is a design flaw?

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

I have one I'll probably get rid of. It's well-made and handles every kind of ammo without extraction problems. It has good potential accuracy but in reality, the loopy trigger spoils the accuracy.

 

[Green Lantern]

I have a .38 LCR, and actually shoot better with the smaller boot grips it came with as opposed to the full size ones I bought extra to compare. I don't know that they're interchangeable, but according to marv they are. May not hurt to try both kinds and see which ones you like best.

 

[DNS]

My OWB is a Tagua. Keeps it high enough under an un-tucked shirt.

I also have a Blackhawk size three for pocket carry but its mostly for winter.

 

[KenW.]

My OWB is a Tagua. Keeps it high enough under an un-tucked shirt.

Which model is it?

 

[22-rimfire]

I have a Tagua for my 22LR LCR. It's a very snug OWB holster.

 

[doc2rn]

For those of you who have problems with empties sticking try a little jewelers rouge on a copper brush run up and down the cylinder a few times from a cordless drill. Got that little bit of advice from oldfuff.
Fixed my S&W 641.

 

[conw]

For those of you who have problems with empties sticking try a little jewelers rouge on a copper brush run up and down the cylinder a few times from a cordless drill. Got that little bit of advice from oldfuff.
Fixed my S&W 641.

Thanks for that insight doc!

On a separate note, I'd be interested in hearing which model of Tagua holster lcr owners around here are using.

I am probably going to be carrying in the appendix position so I'm not sure the experiences of others will translate directly, but I'd still like some more holster feedback.

I've ordered Claude Werner's snub nose fundamentals DVD (available at www.snubdvd.com) . May also seek some training from him as I'm lucky to have him in my local area.

All I need is the gun itself... LOL.

Thanks guys (and maybe gals).

 

[DNS]

Mines the brown S/W J-frame thumb break holster. Number on the bottom is bh1-712.

It actually says right hand but its working great for me. I'd rather have it snap out rather than in towards my gut.

 

[skidder]

I've had two LCR 22s. They were both born with defects. Ruger said they were unrepairable.

I wish you better luck than I had, but as for me and my house.... "never again".

 

[conw]

skidder, what were these defects? thanks for your response.

 

[JERRY]

tagged...

 

[DNS]

You might want to youtube the LCR22 in action.
A lot of guys buy one since its about identical to the .38/.357 for training.

 

[Manny]

I bought mine with CT grips not only for the sighting aid, but because I much prefer the smaller size and feel of them over the standard Houges.

The only real gripe I have is the front sight and the fact that thus far there is no suitable aftermarket replacement that will maintain the proper poa/poi. I've added nailpolish to brighten it up, but still not ideal. Other than grips and front sight I'd strongly urge you not to modify it if it has any possibility at all of being used for defensive purposes.

I've used CCI Blazer for all shooting thus far, but have some Velociter I plan to try. No ammo issues at all thus far, the gun gets a bit stiffer to operate and eject empties when it gets significantly dirty, but still functions 100%. The accuracy with the aid of the CT's is amazing. If you can master the sights and trigger the gun can deliver in spades.

IMHO it's not only the perfect understudy and training piece for the centerfire LCR, it's a great light carry gun/BUG in it's own right.

 

[conw]

Manny, thanks for the reply.

For what it's worth: I've found one or two thick coats of whiteout underneath two thin, even coats of orange sight paint to be ideal. Usually I apply a thin coat of clear nail polish afterward.

It also works better if you give about 12-20 hours of drying time between each of the coats of orange paint, and also the clear coat.

It's all about even application and letting it dry enough. I've observed huge improvements using these methods. The white base coat helps a lot, too.

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

I've got a $20 set of sight paints that has worked great. There are neon colors in yellow, green, and orange, plus bright white and a medium red.

Made by Bright Sights. It stays on well without flaking, but you can scrape it off with a pen knife or thumbnail if you want it gone.

 

[conw]

That's what I have, hlp. I only bought the orange though. Thanks for posting, couldn't think of the name.

It goes on well using a toothpick cut at an angle.

 

[skidder]

skidder, what were these defects? thanks for your response.

Sorry for the late response.

The first one had a trigger, cylinder, and button screw problem. The trigger would snap back at the first 10% of the pull and recycle back to the beginning. This only occurred when the gun was pointed above a level plane. Pointed down it worked fine. Another problem was the cylinder had to be pushed forward to close properly. Last but not least, the button screw came out on my first trip to the range.

Ruger sent me a new replacement that had two defects:
My brand new replacement had a problem with the extractor rod and the cylinder stop. The Rod would stick when ejecting the shells, and the cylinder stop was always engaged with the trigger. If you opened the cylinder and pushed the cylinder stop down it would move the trigger back. This caused heavy scraping upon closing the cylinder.