minutemen1776
Member
I have said quite a bit here about acquiring the new Ruger LCR chambered in 9mm. I have looked forward to this offering from Ruger like nothing else I can remember for some time. After I found one online, I bought it, and I received it from my LGS last week. I took it to the indoor range yesterday. Here it is, ready for action:
I brought 100 rounds of Speer 124-grain target loads, plus a handful of Speer Gold Dot 124-grain +P and Federal HST 147-grain +P defense loads. Having no experience with moon clips, it was a bit awkward getting started, since rounds have to be individually snapped into place. Later, the unloading process was very similar. I decided that, for range use, moon clips are a bit of a pain. If I had enough of them to load up all my rounds before going to the range, that would be great. But with only five 5-round moon clips, loading and unloading was considerably slower versus using rimmed cartridges.
Shooting the 9mm round in such a small revolver was eye-opening. While not as violent as shooting .357 rounds in a small-frame revolver, the 9mm loads were very "snappy." The +P loads gave a little more recoil, but the difference was not great. It only took about 10 rounds to start feeling the sting of the 9mm loads. After one 50-round box and 15 +P loads, the recoil had become downright unpleasant, and I was done. Both the web of my shooting hand and my trigger finger are still very sore today. So, plainly, this isn't much of a fun gun for the range.
Mechanically, I had no malfunctions of any kind. Once placed into the moon clips, cartridges inserted with ease, and empty brass extracted without any signs of stickiness. I did note that much of the brass was very sooty, and I have not experienced this using the same ammo in my semiautos.
Shooting mostly at seven yards, most of my shots hit about 6-8 inches too low. Shots with the 147-grain ammo were slightly better in this regard. By adjusting my sight alignment, I was eventually able to get my shots more on target. To be consistent, though, I had to really focus on my trigger pull. The trigger pull, by the way, was pretty nice. I did not measure it, but it seems to have the same smooth pull that other LCRs are known to have.
Ultimately, I have to admit I am disappointed in the 9mm LCR. After just a few rounds, it was uncomfortable to shoot, and it was hard to keep on target. It's a bit big for pocket carry, and I like my Kahr K9 better for belt or IWB carry. The Kahr is also easier for me to shoot well and, being heavier, has less felt recoil. Not being one to keep guns that I don't like to shoot, I doubt I'll keep the LCR around for very long.
I brought 100 rounds of Speer 124-grain target loads, plus a handful of Speer Gold Dot 124-grain +P and Federal HST 147-grain +P defense loads. Having no experience with moon clips, it was a bit awkward getting started, since rounds have to be individually snapped into place. Later, the unloading process was very similar. I decided that, for range use, moon clips are a bit of a pain. If I had enough of them to load up all my rounds before going to the range, that would be great. But with only five 5-round moon clips, loading and unloading was considerably slower versus using rimmed cartridges.
Shooting the 9mm round in such a small revolver was eye-opening. While not as violent as shooting .357 rounds in a small-frame revolver, the 9mm loads were very "snappy." The +P loads gave a little more recoil, but the difference was not great. It only took about 10 rounds to start feeling the sting of the 9mm loads. After one 50-round box and 15 +P loads, the recoil had become downright unpleasant, and I was done. Both the web of my shooting hand and my trigger finger are still very sore today. So, plainly, this isn't much of a fun gun for the range.
Mechanically, I had no malfunctions of any kind. Once placed into the moon clips, cartridges inserted with ease, and empty brass extracted without any signs of stickiness. I did note that much of the brass was very sooty, and I have not experienced this using the same ammo in my semiautos.
Shooting mostly at seven yards, most of my shots hit about 6-8 inches too low. Shots with the 147-grain ammo were slightly better in this regard. By adjusting my sight alignment, I was eventually able to get my shots more on target. To be consistent, though, I had to really focus on my trigger pull. The trigger pull, by the way, was pretty nice. I did not measure it, but it seems to have the same smooth pull that other LCRs are known to have.
Ultimately, I have to admit I am disappointed in the 9mm LCR. After just a few rounds, it was uncomfortable to shoot, and it was hard to keep on target. It's a bit big for pocket carry, and I like my Kahr K9 better for belt or IWB carry. The Kahr is also easier for me to shoot well and, being heavier, has less felt recoil. Not being one to keep guns that I don't like to shoot, I doubt I'll keep the LCR around for very long.
