Ruger LCP Vs. Taurus TCP

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If you ever have an issue with a LCP, you will find that Ruger's customer service is second to none. You will have shipping paid by Ruger both ways and have your LCP back before you know it... They will likely even throw in a free mag or ball cap.

If you ever have an issue with a TCP, you will find that Taurus' customer service is about as responsive as a dead cat. You will have to pay shipping to the authorized repair shop and you will get your TCP back when they damn well feel like it... Or maybe even longer.
 
I just bought an LCP because I wanted the smallest, lightest, most reasonably priced, reliable and powerful pocket gun I could find.

I didn't want something "almost as small", "almost as light" , etc. You can keep rationalizing something a little bigger, a little heavier until you're back to full sized pistols again.

I don't intend to target shoot it, I don't intend to fire thousands of rounds through it. I don't intend to preserve it as a collectible. I just want it to work if I need it.

From everything I've read, this gun is the ideal pocket pistol.
 
Personally I love my LCP. It has a smooth trigger, and I can hit reliably and accurately at the distances meant for such a gun. It also is as smooth as many guns that are much more expensive. I own a couple of nice guns, from a Gemini customs SP-101, to a Kahr K40 etc... The LCP does not come to those standards. BUT it's damn close. The slide doesn't rattle. Very fine fit, smooth finish, nice trigger, etc... I've also never ever had a failure of any kind with it with any kind of ammo. My friend brought his P3AT to the range with some crap russian ammo. It choked every ~3rd round. Popped the same ammo into my LCP, and it ran like a top.

Definitely better than the $300 I paid for it!!! It has a TON of value built into it. It's also nice that it is backed by a company with some of the best customer service in the industry.

Considering that .380 is a relatively diminutive caliber, I am far more interested in carrying the gun that I can use substantially faster and more accurately, and at greater ranges.
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I find this statement hard to follow. I can fire the LCP into a 6" circle on a "blue man" target's chest at 50 feet. That is well past the distance such a pistol is meant for. At 20' and less, i can keep every shot in the center of the forehead with no problem at all. How much farther are you really planning on shooting this thing? It's a tiny little .380. .380 is already not a powerful round. When you pair it up with a short barrel, what do you think happens to the power?
So when you talk about shooting at greater ranges, it's hard for me to imagine what ranges you are talking about. 50' is really stretching it for this round, at at that distance, kill-shots are easy with the LCP.
 
then of coarse there is the gold standard the seecamp lws380 but the 800 dollar tag and year wait kept me off it
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I always here people making this claim, but I have never really agreed for a few reasons.....

1) Value - Everyone is always complaining about the price tag

2) Availability - Once again this is always an issue whenever "Seacamp" is mentioned

3) Because they are both 1)expensive and 2)elusive there is the aura of 3)Greatness, which in my opinion is a mystical phenominon birthed by points 1 & 2.

4) 11.5 lb trigger pull (Do I need to explain this?) Even the NAA Gardian has a lighter trigger pull of 10lbs.....LCP 8 lbs.... ***???? Gold standard my white buttocks....

5) Mag release is on the bottom of the magazine well. I guess this comes under pure opinion; however, I'm not sure I would want that feature in the event of requiring a quick reload. It would be a negative for me because every pistol I have ever trained with has been engineered relatively in the same manner, with a mag release on the grip. With the exception of Walther firearms which have mag releases on the trigger gaurd I'm not sure a variation to this on a modern pistol is well excepted.

6) The only reason I would choose a Seacamp over any alternative P3AT, LCP, TCP, P238, NAA Gaurdian is for resale value. If I were being given a choice of which firearm I would like to have given to me at no cost I would choose the seacamp, and then go buy 2 or three of the above.

Would anyone like to start making wagers on how long it will take the Sig P238 to become the new "gold standard" in this realm?
 
TCP vs LCP

I bought a Ruger LCP and I did not like it, i had to push the mag release to get the magazine in. The ammo did not feed (it would hitch when loading the first round) it was frustrating the trigger pull threw off my shot even though it was somewhat accurate. The TCP has half the weight on the trigger. I was able to get two more shots off faster with the TCP. The Kevin or micro eagle is a goodern as well as the p238.
 
The only thing the Taurus has over the LCP as far as my preferences are concerned is LSHO... and that's about it.

I work in firearms at Gander Mtn and it seems like more Tauruses come back in for repair to our gunsmith than any other manufacturer. Most of the guys I work with try to talk people out of buying them. Its very strange to me... I want to like Taurus. I wish I could like Taurus. I like a number of their designs, how they feel, how they shoot, and their prices are good. I just can't seem to forget about the serious reliability issues I have seen with them... although is a widespread lack of reliability forgivable anyway? Not IMO.

I do know many people who own Taurus products and are very happy with them, with no problems however, and I'm sure a vast majority are problem-free. The percentage of lemons just seems to be waaaay higher than the industry average.

I'm not a huge fan of either gun (or pocket pistols in general). My hands are too big to shoot them comfortably and operate the controls without adjusting the gun in my hand. However Ruger has - as mentioned above - a high level of customer service and overall they have a much better reputation for reliability from my experience. My dad has an LCP and likes it. In the end it's still your own preference. Just my .02

Late Thought Edit: The Micro Eagle has such a high potential for railroading your hand it comes with a warning tag from the factory. SHOOT IT BEFORE YOU BUY ONE!
 
Tad & S-bob are echoing what I was going to say.

The Sig P238 is superior in almost every facet. With the slight increase in size and weight, you gain the following:

1. Single action trigger -- much improved speed & accuracy
2. Smaller recoil signature -- the LCP is kind of sharp
3. Full size sight posts -- makes aiming way more possible
4. Accessible slide lock lever
5. Same basic configuration as the 1911
6. Superior grip & trigger ergonomics

The only major differences between the 238 and a 1911 are:
1. The manual safety can remain activated during slide reciprication
2. With the hammer down, and the safety on, the slide will not reciprocate

The Sig P238 can be fired at distances and speeds that would be foolish to attempt with the LCP. I think the minor additions of size and weight are far outweighed by the increased capabilities. Considering that .380 is a relatively diminutive caliber, I am far more interested in carrying the gun that I can use substantially faster and more accurately, and at greater ranges.

Let me put it this way:

LCP: bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, r e - l o a d, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
SIG: babababababang-reload-babababababang
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My boss carries a 238 that I have fired back to back with my LCP. I agree with everything you say ...

Except if you're moving up to 238 size and weight, you might as well move to a PF-9 or PT709 and go for a 9mm ;)

With respect to the LCP vs. TCP, well, I haven't fired a TCP. If the TCP trigger is anything like the PT709 trigger, though, that right there is a reason to buy it over the LCP.

The only pistol i've really grown to hate, even though it's been perfect, is my LCP.
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haha. you sound like my father. every time we go to the range, he'll fire his LCP some, then spend 10 minutes bitching about how much he hates the thing.
 
If you ever have an issue with a TCP, you will find that Taurus' customer service is about as responsive as a dead cat. You will have to pay shipping to the authorized repair shop and you will get your TCP back when they damn well feel like it... Or maybe even longer.
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that's apparently no longer true. from all reports, taurus will pay for shipping both ways now, and has a 2 week turnaround. quite frankly, for some of the markets they have entered, they need to do this. how can they expect to compete with ruger and kel-tec in the pocket market if they have awful customer service compared to the two?
 
Echo17 said:
The only thing the Taurus has over the LCP as far as my preferences are concerned is LSHO... and that's about it.I'm not a huge fan of either gun (or pocket pistols in general). My hands are too big to shoot them comfortably and operate the controls without adjusting the gun in my hand. However Ruger has - as mentioned above - a high level of customer service and overall they have a much better reputation for reliability from my experience. My dad has an LCP and likes it. In the end it's still your own preference. Just my .02

Late Thought Edit: The Micro Eagle has such a high potential for railroading your hand it comes with a warning tag from the factory. SHOOT IT BEFORE YOU BUY ONE!
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In addition to the last round lock back the TCP trigger is far superior to the LCP and felt recoil is much lower with the TCP. I only have about 200 rounds through my TCP and so far it's been 100%. If it continues that way I'll be more than happy with it

As for the Micro railroading your hand, that might be true for someone with very thick hands but as you can see my hand isn't even close to being bitten by the slide. By the way my Micro shoots every kind of ammo and never complains!
Micro%20DE.jpg
 
I had to give up on my LCP. As many others have said, the gun is what it is. I don't care about the smilies, finish wear or kissing distance accuracy. I was even willing to work with it on finding ammo it liked. I had a ton of light primer strikes with Remington Express, Golden Saber and Aguila. I havn't heard others complain about that, so maybe it's just my gun.
The unforgivable fault for me was when I do double or triple taps one handed, my thumb hits the mag release and out it falls every time. That just won't do, so sorry Elsie, it's just not working out.
 
LCP

The Ruger LCP is fine for its intended purpose- a "last ditch" close encounter defense pistol. My biggest complaint is with relatively hot (not +P) ammo I can't stand more than a mag full because of the punishing recoil and trigger finger slap. WB
 
If it say Taurus on it, I don't want it!
:neener:

There are many Taurus owners out there who have never had a problem with their gun but I can remember when they were like the Highpoints of today, cheap and not very reliable (I know, I know some of you have a Highpoint that's totally reliable).

Getting a dependable one was like trying to win the lottery. You put down your money and you take your chances. While Taurus has come a long way since then I just can't bring myself to own one. It's a personal thing and may not apply to you.
:)
 
The Ruger LCP is fine for its intended purpose- a "last ditch" close encounter defense pistol. My biggest complaint is with relatively hot (not +P) ammo I can't stand more than a mag full because of the punishing recoil and trigger finger slap. WB
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you think that's bad, try some of the buffalo bore +p stuff. it works and cycles fine in my lcp, but my god, more than 3-4 rounds and your hand is screaming for relief.
 
Can anyone tell me how the P238 compares to a Glock 26? I carry the Glock as my EDC. Other than the Sig looking like a fantastically cool and desirable gun - does it make any sense size/caliber/weight wise?

Thanks,
Bob
 
Bobandshawn said:
Can anyone tell me how the P238 compares to a Glock 26? I carry the Glock as my EDC. Other than the Sig looking like a fantastically cool and desirable gun - does it make any sense size/caliber/weight wise?

Thanks,
Bob
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As far as I'm concerned the Sig P238 is head and shoulders above the rest with the possible exception of the Kahr 380 which I have not shot.

The P238 is more like a 1911 than a Glock. It has a single action trigger like a 1911 but heavier which I think is good for a pocket carried gun.

All the controls like the safety, slide lock and mag release are similar to a 1911 and the Sig also has excellent sites which most of the pocket 380s don't have.

I have a P-3AT, TCP, Micro Desert Eagle and a Sig P238 and at one time or other I had a Diamondback, NAA Guardian and a Barretta Tomcat and I have shot my son's LCP. The ones I don't have anymore are gone because they were either unreliable or didn't shoot very well for me.


Pocket%20pistols.JPG
 
How much better is the TCP trigger than the LCP trigger? I played with a TCP at the store the other day, hoping the trigger would be like my 709, but it was heavier. :( Didn't feel good enough to me to warrant me picking it up, as I have a LCP that functions flawlessly.
 
harmon rabb said:
How much better is the TCP trigger than the LCP trigger? I played with a TCP at the store the other day, hoping the trigger would be like my 709, but it was heavier. :( Didn't feel good enough to me to warrant me picking it up, as I have a LCP that functions flawlessly.
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IMO I think the TCP trigger is fine for a pocket pistol and over all like the TCP.

As I stated earlier I like my P238 best of all but for the money the TCP is a pretty good gun.
 
JMOfartO:

Respectfully, you realize that all we are doing here is just swapping opinions on the pistol WE each prefer because we are happy with it?

What is perfect for one person might be absolutely the wrong choice for another.

Personally I have two 380cal. firearms..

A Seecamp LWS380, and a Ruger LCP w/CT laser.

I like 'em both.:)

Both have been absolutely reliable right out the little white cardboard box they came in and RELIABILITY is, for me, JOB ONE in a weapon used for self defense.

But just because I already have two excellent performing 380cal. pistols does not mean that I'm through looking..

I really, really like the "looks" of the Sig P238.. But I keep reading horror stories about reliability.. Plus I'm a lefty and the little Mustang Clone is not lefty friendly. Even so, I'll still probably get one, "just fer" later on down the road when perhaps the bugs are eliminated..

I don't want a Taurus anything. Just too many customers unhappy with the quality, and the Lifetime Warranty provided by folks who apparently manage to screw up such a great concept with POOR warranty work.

I like the looks of the small Kahr 380, but Kahr's are apparently "hit and miss" in ALL their models.. I don't expect the new one to be different. Plus I don't want some manufacturer telling me I have to "run 200rds thru it to determine reliability..

Actually I have an LWS380 and LCP w/CT, while my wife has an LWS32, and a Ruger LCP. We both, like both.. :D

I don't care how you keep adding weight and size and then brag about how much better (or lighter) the recoil and accuracy might be in any given comparison.

My Seecamp is absolutely the smallest 380 I've ever owned or shot, and it's extremely tiny size is perfect for concealed carry, and perfect for making the miniature pocket rocket a handful to shoot.

But, you can cc the Seecamp almost anytime, anywhere, easily concealed.. The LCP is just enough larger that it cannot make the same trips, but IS still a very, very good pistol.

Of course just because I like the Seecamp, or the LCP doesn't mean squat to what YOU might like, or want, or prefer in YOUR cc choice.

So, all I can say is that I would recommend either the Seecamp LWS380 to anyone because MINE (and those of my wife)have been 100% reliable and more than self defense accurate, and I would equally recommend the very good Ruger LCP, (at roughtly 1/3 the price)to anyone who can make do with it's slightly large size.

Both of my examples have done the job they are designed to do, and that's all I ask.

IF YOU don't like Seecamps or Ruger's that's perfectly ok with me. I don't like Tauri' and I'm willing to bet that you could care less about my opinion on the Taurus products, and their Customer Service reputation.

We're just swapping personal opinions, and here's mine, and no offense intended to anyone.

Opposing opinions cheerfully welcomed and shortly thereafter ignored because of the short term memory loss I enjoy at 67 years old. ;)

Best Wishes,

jesse


100_1970.jpg
 
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I don't know how some figure the P238 is quite a bit larger than the LCP/TCP.

They are so close in size you have to hold them side by side and look very closely to see the very slight difference.

In the picture below my P238 is on the bottom right opposite my PM9 and you can clearly see that the P238 is significantly smaller than the PM9.

By the way someone mentioned to not get Colt Mustang magazines for the P238. Well I have two that work perfectly in my P238 and they only cost $16.99 each from midway.

Pocket%20pistols.JPG
 
I looked at the 238 and also the LCP. I bought the TCP

I own only two Taurus' -- the 99 (which is mechanically an early Beretta, but with adjustable sights) and the TCP. Both have been flawless. This is just MY experience and I am choosy about WHICH Taurus I will purchase, but these two (the PT92/99 and the TCP) seem to be doing well. I cannot speak for others.

The 238 is considerably larger; I have a 2" snubbie for when I can deal with something that size. The TCP/LCP size works for dress pants front pocket carry (pocket holster), which was my particular need.

I have no reason to bash the LCP. I just liked the Taurus; stainless, hold open, liked the trigger (my wife could pull it---a significant issue for us). It has been flawless.

Reload testing showed that it would cycle well at least as low as Win231 2.5 grains -- suggesting it had a LOT of leeway on the powder. Photos of both the LCP and the TCP barrel show a small unsupported segment (probably to enhance feeding reliability, because these are DEFENSE firearms, not primarily target ones). I had some slight bulging of stock Remington UMC cases when fired in hot weather, which did not happen with Winchester. I repeated the test with handloads and verified that at the top end of charges, the remi brass would begin to bulge in my TCP where Winchester brass (which is widely regarded as thicker, or stronger) would not. I don't have an LCP so I cannot comment. Photos in reviews suggested their barrels were pretty identically made in this regard. So if you want to reload, I'd recommend Winchester over remington.

Accuracy has been WAY better than I expected. Almost as good as what I can do with a full size (heavy) 9mm. This was completely unexpected. This firearm has done what I wanted, and at a bargain basement price compared to my snubbies and my full size 9mmm....hundreds cheaper. Your mileage may vary.
 
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