Ruger LCR Range Report

[Parrothead]

I may be the last person in the free world to discover this little revolver. I've owned the Smith and Wesson 642 in the past and it just wasn't for me. Couldn't get the grips to work with my hands. After this, i started carrying small semi auto 9mm's when deep concealment was needed. Although most were very reliable, they all failed at one point or another. After getting tired of having these failures in the back of my mind, i wanted something that would fire every time. Don't get me wrong, i still feel the need for semi's--i just haven't found a single stack that has proved itself to be 100% reliable.

 

I ran across this gun used (5 rounds down the pipe) and picked it up for a very fair price. I did add a Trijicon night site to increase shoot-ability. Below are my thoughts and results. Maybe this will help someone out there that has considered this gun in the past but never made the purchase.

 

Fit and Finish- I think this gun is very well put together. Seems to be very tight and the ergonomics are spot on for my hands.

 

Recoil- This was the thing i was most concerned about due to the lightweight frame. At 13.5 oz, i was afraid there wasn't going to be enough mass to deliver timely follow-up shots. I was wrong. This gun behaved very well. Recoil wasn't mild but it wasn't unbearable. When switching to +P ammo, the recoil didn't seem to increase much. All things considered, i was presently surprised. However, i think .357 out of this thing would be ridiculous--just my opinion.

 

Reliability- I fired 150 rounds today and did not have any issues. (not surprised by this)

 

Accuracy- I'm sure this gun is more accurate than it's shooter. I found the Hornady .38 125gr to be the most accurate today. To be fair, this was the last 25 rounds i fired. I may have just been getting more accustom  to the trigger. I'm confident with the Hornady Critical Defense +P 110gr. This will be my carry ammo for this particular rig. Below, you can see the ammo fired today and a picture of my final target at 12 yards.

 

Overall, i'm very happy with this little revolver. I may look at picking one up in .22 for range fun and practice.

 

Edited December 14, 2013 by Parrothead

[Guest TNSovereignty]

Good job w/ the review ... I know it's a very popular model.  I have the Smith J-frame & it works for me, particularly in the summer.  I like the matte finish on the LCR better than the 642 though.  How'd you find the Ruger trigger compared to the Smith?  I have an SP101 & it took a lot of use & change of springs to get the trigger pull feeling ideal.  

Edited December 14, 2013 by TNSovereignty

[charlessummers]

I gotta admit that they are nice little revolvers, but to say you prefer it over the 642 just blows me away! Just my opinion though. I have the .357 mag LCR and it's only 4 ounces heavier than the .38, and you're right... it's ridiculous. I shot 25 rounds of 158gr. magnums out of it when I first bought mine and I swear I fractured something in my right hand. It hurt to grip anything for two weeks! For that reason, I'm only shooting .38's out of it... but will carry magnum rounds when I do carry it, and that's not too often. 38 and 38+p rounds are sweet out of this little revolver. For now I carry either the 642 when I need something small or the G30 when I can get away with it.

I think that with the boot grips, the LCR would probably be a little easier to carry. I find that the grips on this one will tug on my shirt more than the smoother grips on the 642, and it looks like the boot grips are a little more smooth.

Overall, it's still a fine handgun and I've decided that I will keep it. I really like that sight you added... I may end up doing that too.

Shoot at 7 yards and I'm betting that you'll close that grouping up a lot! It's a very accurate gun. Enjoy.

[RED333]

The very pistol my wife carries, she can hit with it all day long.

Makes me feel good about her out and about with out me.

Edited December 15, 2013 by RED333

[JGunner]

This gun is high up on my list of future purchases ... if I came upon one at the right price it could be the next.

 

Glad you like it.  Grats on the new purchase.

[graycrait]

I would suggest that if you can - fire the LCR, SP101 (although a tank) and a 442 variant, along with a S&W 60 on the same day one right after another.  The LCR and SP101, although both Ruger, are dramatically different in cycling feel to me. Other than weight the S&Ws in 442 or variant vs a Model 60 feel pretty much the same when cycling.  I do not like the little Colts and don't trust current production Taurus revolvers. 

 

As an aside make sure your bullets are not "walking" out of the case in the lightweight snubbies.  That could lock them up.  Shoot one or two or three and the empty the live rounds and see if the bullets are "backing out of the case."  I saw this happen when I used remanufactured rounds and some handloads that weren't crimped well enough.  

 

I also owned a .22LR LCR which I didn't particularly like, although it functioned fine.  It didn't translate well for me to the .38 LCR.

 

I have shot the Airweight J-frame .22LR revolvers, the 43C and 317, too expensive and hard to find for my tastes. I don't like the SP101 .22LR but have only shot one a couple of dozen rounds.

 

Bottom line is I really like revolvers, really enjoying tuning them up too, but I found that my Keltec is easier to carry and faster for me to reload, while a G19 or G26 just makes more sense when it is practical to carry a larger handgun.

 

My CCW order of revolver carry would be:  442/642. LCR, S&W 60, SP101. 

[Erik88]

The LCR is a fantastic firearm. I don't carry mine much but I do enjoy shooting it. I had a chance to shoot the .357 version owned by one of the members here and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I wish I would have purchased the .357 version since it's slightly heavier and gives you more caliber options. 

[npgunner]

I bought the LCR back when they only made the .38 version.  Have never shot its bigger brother.  I don't have a problem with standard or +P ammo out of the thing, but I bet shooting .38 ammo through the .357 would be a pretty sweet experience.  I've read enough "range day recaps" of other people shooting magnums out of the thing to know that's not something I'd plan on doing frequently enough.  

 

Glad you enjoy the gun.  I plan on holding on to mine for a long time!

[Tuffus]

 I really love my LCR. 158 grain magnums are brutal, don't care for those at all in this gun but the Gold Dot short barrel 135 grain magnums are not much worse, if any, than the Remington +p 38's. I use the Gold Dots for when I carry. The 642 S&W is a great little gun too but I prefer the trigger of the LCR. I added a night sight to mine not long after I got it because I just couldn't see the black sight that comes on the gun. It really makes a difference with these old eyeballs of mine.

[Patton]

I have a LCR and believe that it is an excellent firearm, my only complaint is that I often short stroke the trigger. I don't really see the point in having one in 357mag but I would love to have one chambered in 327mag or even 9mm if they ever make them.