Ruger LCR 38

As with any gun for someone else... have her try it first.
The gun itself is a nice little piece, the question is as to whether of fits your wife.

Great gun! I carry it both in my front pocket or in a minimal owb holster, depending on my dress. Nushif is correct, she should try it first. I also have a S&W 642 that I like very much, but, the finish (I beleive) will not prove as durable as the LCR. Also, you my not want to take the +P rating too seriously unless your wife has hands/wrists of a prize fighter! In both these pieces I carry Buffalo Bore's std. 158Gr. SWCHP. I have some of their +P rounds and they are "stout". They would be my in-the-house load for my SP101.

jeeperjohn said:

Does anybody have a opinion on this pistol. I want to get one for my wife.

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Will she be carrying or using for home defense? It is light with a smooth trigger. It may be to feisty and you can only get 2 fingers on the grip. Excellent gun with the tamer grips. These are DAO.

The SP101 is more manageable. It is heavier and comes in 2, 3 or 4". Not practical to carry though.

Best carry handgun for a novice woman shooter ever made.

Lightest double action trigger I've ever pulled. Extremely lightweight. No slide to pull back, no safety to work. No not having to remember if there's one in the chamber. Just pull the trigger.

Hate to keep banging on this ... but has she been consulted in this? I highly recommend you do.
*le nod*

Nice choice on the LCR, I really enjoy shooting mine (with laser). Make sure you either reload or buy mild loads, the gun can be brutal with hot ammo.

I have had this for about three weeks and, so far, it has performed quite well. No problems and the laser sight really adds to the accuracy of the revolver. I have fired only +P ammo in it and, while substantial, the recoil is manageable. I use it as a concealed carry piece and, for that, it is outstanding. Really light and concealable. Great little revolver.

dairycreek said:

I have had this for about three weeks and, so far, it has performed quite well. No problems and the laser sight really adds to the accuracy of the revolver. I have fired only +P ammo in it and, while substantial, the recoil is manageable. I use it as a concealed carry piece and, for that, it is outstanding. Really light and concealable. Great little revolver.

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I've only fired +P through my LCR as well.

I can't wait to get my hands on some underpowered wad cutters!

Ah good. Because I know for instance my wife didn't like the way it fired. She can shoot her .45 all day, but for some reason the LCR kicks her derriere.
I loved my LCR while I still had it. It's a very nice gun for both carrying and shooting and yeah ... I really have no gripes about it. It does as advertised.

The LCR is a joy to shoot my cast lead 148gr wadcutters in. They are astonishingly accurate in it. Hits right to point of aim.

We share the LCR
Thoroughly enjoy it, very practical and has good ammo choices

LCR=GREAT

Love both of mine... 38 and 357 models.

Nushif, it's not surprising that she found the LCR to kick harder than a .45. Lightweight revolvers tend to weigh less relative to their bullet's energy compared to automatics. Jeeperjohn, I'd suggest that your wife try the .357 magnum version of the LRC; its cylinder makes the gun weigh a little more, so recoil should be more forgiving, but the grip, frame, etc. should all be the same. Personally I'd only shoot .38 & .38+p out of the magnum LCR.

Wolfeye said:

Nushif, it's not surprising that she found the LCR to kick harder than a .45. Lightweight revolvers tend to weigh less relative to their bullet's energy compared to automatics. Jeeperjohn, I'd suggest that your wife try the .357 magnum version of the LRC; its cylinder makes the gun weigh a little more, so recoil should be more forgiving, but the grip, frame, etc. should all be the same. Personally I'd only shoot .38 & .38+p out of the magnum LCR.

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From what I've read, most of the added weight on the .357 LCR comes from the stainless frame, vs aluminum on the .38 version. I don't know how much 4oz will help reduce recoil, but if sure can't hurt...

IMO, it's a bit too big. And it's ugly.

I'd go with one of the smaller S&W revolvers in scandium.

I put 25 rapid fire rounds into a cluster that I could cover with the palm of my hand @ 7 yards with mine today... Love it!

bri said:

From what I've read, most of the added weight on the .357 LCR comes from the stainless frame, vs aluminum on the .38 version.

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Thanks for pointing that out; I'd thought that the 4 oz difference was a lot to attribute to what's obviously a different cylinder. Looks like I need to read up on it more.

I was browsing around and saw a picture of the LCR with wood grips for the first time: http://www.eaglegrips.com/guns/Ruger-LCR-Grips.html They bring the gun's looks back down to earth for me.

You can make a 12oz. Coke can dance a jig at 15-20 yds. with the LCR.

I am a woman, and as for revolvers, this is the one that I recomend. Too many of the guys buying for a woman do not consider that we are usually much weaker, and smaller. My first gun was a S&W 638 and I had one heck of a time pulling the trigger because the pull was too heavy. The recoil on the airweights makes it difficult for most women to get accurate shot placements. I have witnessed other women struggle with revolvers as well. The Ruger LCR does have less recoil and the trigger pull is much less, however, I prefer the M&P9C for my carry gun. I had a different sear installed locally and the pull is 4lbs. (please keep in mind that a 4 lb trigger pull for you may feel too light, but it is perfect for my weaker hands compared to most men) The small backstrap gives me a good fit for my small hand. the gun is awesome. Another very important reason that I prefer a semi auto, is that it has twice the ammo before having to reload. Should your wife need to reload because she ran out of ammo... she missed her target more than once , more than one bad guy... she will most likely fumble trying to reload a revolver. On the other hand, changing out a mag is much easier and faster, giving her at least 10 rounds more on a 9mm. Think about it guys... a revolver is simple to operate, but will it be safe in the event that your GF or wife should be in a position that she needs to defend herself?? There could be more than one bad guy. Will five rounds be enough?

That's why I carry 2 LCR's when not carrying my 9mm glocks. I also like the flexibility of being able to carry 2 snubs lots of different ways depending on various situations. For me and my glock, its behind the strongside hip only. Given my mode of dress I will be more effective with 2 snubs than one pistol due to access limitations given the latter...

Drew

Rob1109 said:

Great gun! I carry it both in my front pocket or in a minimal owb holster, depending on my dress. Nushif is correct, she should try it first. I also have a S&W 642 that I like very much, but, the finish (I beleive) will not prove as durable as the LCR. Also, you my not want to take the +P rating too seriously unless your wife has hands/wrists of a prize fighter! In both these pieces I carry Buffalo Bore's std. 158Gr. SWCHP. I have some of their +P rounds and they are "stout". They would be my in-the-house load for my SP101.

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What about that real hot Buffalo Bore 125 grain .357 ammo that travels at 1,702 fps?

bri said:

From what I've read, most of the added weight on the .357 LCR comes from the stainless frame, vs aluminum on the .38 version. I don't know how much 4oz will help reduce recoil, but if sure can't hurt...

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I am not familiar with the .38 LCR .357 counterpart. It must be alot larger and more difficult to carry.

dairycreek said:

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I have had this for about three weeks and, so far, it has performed quite well. No problems and the laser sight really adds to the accuracy of the revolver. I have fired only +P ammo in it and, while substantial, the recoil is manageable. I use it as a concealed carry piece and, for that, it is outstanding. Really light and concealable. Great little revolver.

Click to expand...

Did you get the LCR .38 already equipped with the Crimson Trace Laser grip already attached to gun from Ruger?
Any downside to having a laser sight like this on the LCR?

I have heard that the laser really helps especially take into consideration there are no existing sights that are adjustable on this gun. With the laser you can at least do some adjustments for better accuracy and just point shoot.