As an endurance test, I put 5000 rounds of +P JHPs and a few extra odds & ends through an LCR over the past couple months.
The polymer subframe shows no signs of wear or deformation, but the aluminum frame that contains the cylinder & barrel tube stretched measurably, and the barrel/cylinder gap grew. The gun still functions perfectly, but you will see some frame stretching eventually if you shoot a lot of +P stuff. I'd say you can count on the gun being good at least to 5000, and farther depending on what you shoot in it.
Ruger tells me they tested to 10,000 & wore out the barrel's rifling, dunno what ammunition they were shooting.
Flamecutting was not an issue on the gun here.
No malfunctions attributable to the gun, several when the glove I was wearing shortstroked the trigger.
Fat,
People need to understand that Ruger is no longer "overbuilding" all of their models.
The Gold Label wasn't, the SR9 isn't, the LCP isn't, and the LCR isn't. It's a different management & one that doesn't view the world the same way Bill Ruger did.
That's not saying they're junk, just that with some designs expectations need to be reconciled with reality.
Denis