LCRx 3 Inch - 38 or 22 WMR?

Which caliber for 3" LCRx?

  • 22 WMR

  • 38 Special

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Olympus

Olympus

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I'm thinking about buying a 3" LCRx on whim really. My wife didn't like shooting the LC9s Pro that I got for her. It felt good in her hand, but the recoil was pretty brutal to the web of her hand and it also caused her fingernail to dig into her hand to the point of drawing blood. So I ended up selling the LC9s Pro. I kept it in her vehicle, but I don't think she actually ever carried it. So I've been eyeing these newer LCRx guns in 3" barrels and was thinking that I might be able to kill two birds with one stone. I'd like to get her something that could serve a purpose for me too! :) I thought the larger Hogue grips would be more comfortable for her to shoot and she prefers shooting revolvers to autos anyway. And I thought the 3" LCRx would make a great hiking gun, camp gun, backpack gun, ATV riding gun, etc and would be something lightweight and not something I'd be worried about getting dinged up and used.

Which brings me to the caliber choices. I know 38 would make a better defensive cartridge compared to the 22 Mag. But I already have several classic SW revolvers chambered in 357, so the 38 models seems a little like it would be more of the same of what I already have. I do reload for the 38, but I also have a couple rifles in 22 WMR so I keep a large supply of 22 WMR ammo as well. I'm kind of leaning toward the 22 WMR because I think it would make a cool revolver for hiking, small game hunting, plinking, etc and I know some of the factory defensive ammo varieties have been reviewed as being not too shabby in terms of defensive uses as well. But I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts on the two calibers and what their choice would be given my situation. Thanks!
 
Slam dunk for the 38. 148 grain wadcutter and 2.7 grains of bullseye for a puddytat load, +P loads for social engagements. If you reload, half the cost of WMR stuff. I have a swc mould for 9mm that drops at 110 grains and my wife loves them in her 36 Smith 38.
 
I would never trust my life on cartridge where priming compound is distributed inside the rim. The only duds I recall were those with .22lr, but with .22lr those can at least be minimised by using match grade ammo like the Tenex. I would take the .38. Now with advent of FederL Micro load one does not even need to worry about bullet coming out under force of recoil when shooting through extra light revolver.
 
I really want one in 38, and the trigger is a lot lighter than the rimfire model. A 3" 38 is just about the perfect belt gun if you ask me, and it won't have a supersonic crack when you fire it. That said, both cartridges will do most camp jobs perfectly, they just do it differently.
 
My personal experience : Recoil with a LCR in .38 is not at all pleasant. I have not had ftf problems with 22 mag ... 22lr yes , but not 22mag.
I would not be comfortable trusting self defense to a 22 semi auto , but I would consider a 22 mag revolver for the purpose.
Your wife is recoil sensitive. Give the LCR in 22WMR a whirl.
 
If you don’t have to have the 3 inch, the 327 is worth considering. Loaded with 32 H&R Magnum it’s very comfortable to shoot. Plus you get 6 rounds. For those that have seen me post this exact thing a million times, I apologize for being a broken record. Best of luck in your decision OP.
 
Another very viable option was brought up by @SteadyD. Get the 327 mag and load it with a quality 32 S&W Long wadcutter like Lapua for your wife. Penetration with the 32 S&W Long wadcutter is about the same (14-15" in gel) as the 32 H&R Magnum and 327 Magnum. I think I saw this test on Luckygunner. Penetration good, and the hole is just a bit smaller than a 38 with roughly 2/3 the recoil of a 38 wadcutter (which I carry in my J frame 38s). I carry Lapua 32 wadcutters in my 327 snub.

You will not get expansion in a wadcutter but remember the bullet is already in an efficient shape that takes a hollow point a bit of penetration to get to the same shape.

Jim Cirillo did plenty of testing in search of the perfect bullet. All his best designs looked like...wadcutters.
 
Neither, get the .22 LR. 8 shots vs 5 or 6 is an advantage.

I never recommend .22 Mag for anything other than an NAA or a single action because I find the priming to be more unreliable with .22 Mag than .22 LR. I swear, every time I shoot .22 Mag, not matter how much of it I shoot, I end up with 1 or 2 duds, but with .22 LR, I can shoot hundreds of rounds in a day and not have an issue.

There's just something wrong with the .22 Mag being made. Thankfully in a revolver, it's not a huge deal if a round doesn't fire.

The .38 is not a bad choice and there is extra low recoil ammo made by Hornady called Critical Defense Lite. It's a 90 grain JHP and Lucky Gunner used it for their gel tests a year ago. From a 2" Kimber, it clocked just under 900 fps, expanded to .43 inches, and average penetration is almost 12 inches.

eabdcacf624e8000710fc647508a978e.jpg

I've shot it and there's no muzzle flip to speak of.

Best thing with the LCRx 3" is the Pachmayr GuardianGrip will fit them the same as they do the 2 inch models, so she'll be able to carry it with the short grip, but come shooting time, have a full 3 finger grip.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2...hmayr-add-the-guardiangrip-for-the-ruger-lcr/
 
1) LCR in 327 magnum
2) LCRx in 357 (Just shoot 38's out of it. The extra weight helps a LOT.)

I have an LCR in 38 special and an LCRx in 22lr.

I had trouble hanging onto the 38 until I put LCRx grips on it. Now it's fine.

My friend has the LCR in 357. Shooting 38's out of it is easy, even with the small grips. I never would have thought that four ounces of extra weight would make such a big difference.

Like others have said, I would never trust 22's for SD. If recoil is a big concern, just shoot 32 long or 32 H&R out of a 327.
 
I have an LCRx.22WMR 3"... I like it as the adjustable rear sights allow me dial it in specific to grain weight of the ammo I'm shooting. I also own an LCR.357 and LCR.22WMR.

I'm also gearing up to purchase the LCRx.357 3" as I like the heft and feel of this model.
 
Thanks everyone, but a 327/32 caliber is not an option I’m willing to consider. I don’t want to add another caliber to my reloading list and I don’t buy factory ammo.

And like I said, the gun will have to be an X model. I despise DOA revolvers.
 
I have four .22 mag firearms that I use for targets and varmints. Been shooting them for decades and never had a misfire. Can't say that for all my centerfires.
 
i would go with 22lr 3” lcr x. the shortest barrel that i find useful in 22wmr is a 5.5” ruger single six, which is one of my favorites but only really useful for static protection or woods carry, not as a ccw. i traded away a 22wmr lcr because it was only six rounds with way too much flashbang even with handgun specific ammo. i sometimes happily ccw a 22lr lcr, it’s pleasant shooting to get alot of all essential practice and loaded with 8 stingers or vipers it’s on the money for decent enough protection.

2D73C2A5-A7E4-4405-8D13-FDF2B9FAC4A2.jpeg
 
Odd, I had a Smith 648 I hunted and shot IHMSA field pistol with.
No misfires.
Had a Single Six .22 mag, once in a great while, misfire.
Always shot WW ammo.
Also shot a few rigs w WW .22 lr................and had occasional misfires.

LCRx in .22 mag w the smaller fingergroove Hogues might be a decent trapline gun.
The longer teardrop grips........I dislike on them.

As for the OP.............tell her to trim her nails and get a Model 60 Smith.
 
A 38 Spl can be loaded to feel and sound mostly like a 22LR, and will be WAY quieter than a 22 WMR; it can also be loaded for Social Use, for which the 22 WMR is marginal.

Hands down, skip the rimfire and buy the 38 Spl.
 
If the 327 is totally out if the question (I like that model for my Mom) the 3" LRX in 357 would be a better choice.

Its the same size as the 38 but the extra weight will make it more shootable.
 
BAS1 writes:

8 rounds from my Taurus M941 is a particularly nasty package.
Click to expand...

I recently got one of those myself, with the 3-inch barrel. It's a stainless model, from around 1995, I think. Haven't tried it out yet, but looking forward to it.

I also have a stainless M85 (.38) with the three-inch barrel, from about the same era. It's an excellent shooter. I think the OP is on a good track considering three-inch revolvers for the camp site and trail.
 
I guess my question to everyone saying go with 38 would be why wouldn’t I just use one of the other various 357 Smiths that I already own? I’ve got 2.5” and 4” 357s already. So aside from lighter weight, what does the 38 LCRx give me that I don’t already have?
 
TTv2 said:
The .38 is not a bad choice and there is extra low recoil ammo made by Hornady called Critical Defense Lite. It's a 90 grain JHP and Lucky Gunner used it for their gel tests a year ago. From a 2" Kimber, it clocked just under 900 fps, expanded to .43 inches, and average penetration is almost 12 inches.
Click to expand...
Interesting looking stuff, should fit the OPs needs.

I have carried a .22 Mag mini revolver many, many, miles, over the decades, just simply due to size/weight/ease of carrying with nothing but jeans and a t-shirt (It's hot here a lot ;)), and have had really good success with them firing over many brands, but it is a good point about the priming.
 
Olympus said:
Thanks everyone, but a 327/32 caliber is not an option I’m willing to consider. I don’t want to add another caliber to my reloading list and I don’t buy factory ammo.

And like I said, the gun will have to be an X model. I despise DOA revolvers.
Click to expand...

If a 327 is out of the question I'd suggest getting a 22 LR instead of a 22 magnum. The 22 lr high velocity is going about 1000 fps in a 3" barrel and penetrates about 12" or more in 10% gel. The 22 magnum is only 100-200 fps faster and penetrates an inch or two more. The 22 magnum will give more muzzle blast and recoil and cost about twice as much or more to feed.

Carry a quality 22 lr like CCI Mini Mags. Practice with cheaper stuff.
 
Personally I would not get any rimfire for defensive use. So if the .327 is out of the question, then I'd go with the .357 and carry .38s in it.
As for what it will do that your S&Ws won't: probably nothing.
 
May want to consider 38 Short Colt for wife's shooting. Brass is available from starline as I recall.
 
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