Ruger LCR...first shooting

[GreenMTNLife]

So on monday I picked up my first pocket snubbie. The decision was of course between a Ruger LCR and S&W J-frame(642). Decision really came down to the trigger. The LCR trigger is awesome. It's light and smooth, and stages just enough right before release for some pretty controlled shooting.

Anyhow didn't get the chance to put some rounds through it until yesterday. Have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Recoil wasn't nearly as snappy as I was expecting. A lot of people say that Jframes and LCRs are guns that are good for carrying a lot and shooting a little. I didn't really find this to be the case. I shot about 150 rounds. 100 standard .38 special and 50 +p. I actually found myself to be more accurate with the +p. Both were Remington UMC variety and I was consistently shooting about 2" low and to the left with the .38 special at 10yrds and with the +p 2" to 3" groups right at POA.

Might put some rounds through it today if the weather cooperates, maybe I'll pull the camera out and do a more proper range report.

So you others that own an LCR, especially those that picked one up early after release, are you still pleased with your purchase? Any changes made? Better sights? switch to boot grip or CT laser?

 

[DMZ]

I have LCR #8,0xx with the Hogue grips. I have put around 500 rounds through it, mostly my own loads. I do not shoot it much now, but I carry it a good deal. I have not changed a thing. I would be interested in a quality wood, boot grip if someone offered one.

I like the grip angle, the weight, the trigger and the accuracy. My carry load is the Hornady CD 110 gr .38 Spl.

I am very please with the LCR and am saving for the heavier .357 Mag model.

 

[Tenacious B]

Glad to hear it is working for you, and thanks for the review. I've been shopping for a snubby and found the same thing with the triggers when comparing it to a J-frame. The J-frame does have the advantage of being smaller, however.

 

[GreenMTNLife]

I am very please with the LCR and am saving for the heavier .357 Mag model.

Ya know I didn't think the .357 model made a lot of sense, but after shooting the 38 special version I think .357 might be manageable. Not necessarily fun, but manageable. I'm still pleased I went with the .38 special as this will be a pocket carry gun and I wanted to keep weight down as much as possible. My only thing was if I was picking up a revolver for IWB carry, weight wouldn't be too much of an issue to me so I'd probably just pick up an sp101.

 

[antiquus]

Get a Hiviz sight, best $30 you will ever spend.

 

[Old John]

Yeah, I bought the .38 special LCR, a few weeks ago. But I could not find one in .357 magnum. I've put a couple hundred rounds of various loads through it. I'll definitely have to have the .357 model. I love the way it shoots & carries.

I've been carying a Ruger SP101, .357 magnum OSW, in a high-ride pancake holster, for several years. I'll still carry that on my belt. But, for pocket carry the LCR is great.

 

[harmon rabb]

The LCR trigger is light years better than the j-frame trigger.

 

[Dimis]

welcome to the LCR club
got mine as soon as they hit the local shelves got a good 2k through it or so and still love it (everyone else hates it lol)
i didnt notice the recoil problem either i really think the hogue does a good job and the polymer helps alot too
im not exactly recoil sensative anyway so im sure thats a part of it too

 

[Drew78]

LOVE the LCR!!!

Have one in both .38 and .357.

Very shootable snubbie, MUCH easier to shoot than the J-frame, night and day quite honestly.

The trigger guard on the LCR does make it *slightly*larger than the J-frame, but its still pocketable and a far better snubbie for me...

-Drew

 

[Ichiro]

When I bought my LCR, I was taking "one more chance" on the snub-nosed .38 for carry. I had given up on snubbies altogether before I felt the wondrous trigger and light weight of the LCR and had to acquire one for myself.

But I am not so psyched about the LCR as I used to be.

I bought one, carried it, shot 1,830 rounds through it, and then sold it.

It's way better than a J-frame to be sure, but it still sucks with +P. Shooting one-handed, +P is arguably too much power for follow-up shots. There's no "bam-bam" with +P loads; only "bam................bam..........." I loaded mine with short-barrel Gold Dots because I could shoot them accurately, although not fast. The Remington FBI loads were from HELL! They shot 10 inches high at 10 yards and hurt! I could not shoot them accurately, AND they sucked to shoot. So it was lose/lose.

Other things I didn't like about the LCR:
* The grips that told me where to put my fingers. If I obeyed the finger grooves, I always gripped the gun an inch too low for good shooting. When drawing the gun from a pocket or fanny pack, I always got a crappy grip because of those finger grooves. As much as I hate J-frames, they were a mile ahead in this area.
* The "false reset" of all Ruger revolvers.
* An additional trigger sticking point that I discovered when dry-firing left-handed. After pulling the trigger 1/3 of the way back and then letting go (as though I had changed my mind about firing), the trigger would get stuck. And the only way to get it "unstuck" was to pull the trigger all the way back (i.e., fire the gun). If it were loaded, I would have had to fire a round to free up the gun. That's pretty bad.

I did get 1,830 absolutely trouble-free rounds through this gun, AND it is the most accurate snubby I've ever fired one-handed with my weak hand (because of the light trigger). It's a really reliable and accurate 13-ounce double-action revolver that doesn't quite fit into a pants pocket, never offers you a very good grip, and has two very obvious trigger defects.

 

[Nushif]

Ichiro ... it sounds more like you were applying the wrong standards to a snubbie in general, so there simply isn't one around that can do what you'd like it to.

I see this a lot, myself. People buy lightweight carry guns and say they're "not fun" because they kick. They buy them and say "the sights suck" ..

And my question is always "As compared to what" ... I mean, do you go out and expect your Toyota supra to perform like a Maserati? Your Maserati like a HMMWV?

The point is that a snubby of course will not follow up as nicely as a tricked out front weighted pellet pistol. And no, the sight radius is shorter than one of those, too.

 

[bluetopper]

No, my LCR is not the target gun my $1500 1911 is.......but it's a great gun for my wife to carry. So very light weight and no slide to pull back and no not knowing if there one in the chamber or not. Just pull the nice light trigger.
Mine is very accurate and right to point of aim with my hard hitting 148gr cast lead wadcutters I reload.