LCR .38 or 9mm

LCRs....

For 2nd gun use or deep carry, Id look at the LCR .38spl +P or the .22WMR version. They are light, easy to conceal & clean.
The 9mm is okay but it's heavy(the same as the stainless steel .357magnum).
I've heard & read too the 9mm cases can get stuck or not extract quickly in a high stress incident.
My friend got a new LCR in .38spl +P in 2013. It came with a Lasermax red laser(Centerfire) & a Davidson's Lifetime service plan. He's happy with it. My friend & I got him some Corbon DPX .38spl loads for it.
There are a few .22WMR defense loads now out there. Speer Gold Dot & Winchester PDX1. I may get one later on in 2015.

For speed strips, Id suggest the Tuff Products Quik Strips. They come in black pink & safety orange(my choice). They come in different calibers & sizes(5/6/7/8 shot).

9mm. You already have 9mm in your collection and a 9mm is stronger with most loads than a 38 is...plus it's a 9mm revolver, only slightly more readily available than unicorn steaks.

roknjs

Ordinarily I would go with a .38 but I have quite a bit of 9mm. ammo and have always thought a snubby in that caliber (along with the convenience of using moonclips), would be a great idea in your situation.

That is why I got a second gun.

I keep a Rohrbaugh R9 on me loaded most of the time but then I have a Kahr CM9, unloaded, in a fanny pack and I will leave the R9 in the glove compartment and take the CM9.

But anyway I think the LCR is a great solution to this.

RustyShackelford said:

For 2nd gun use or deep carry, Id look at the LCR .38spl +P or the .22WMR version. They are light, easy to conceal & clean.
The 9mm is okay but it's heavy(the same as the stainless steel .357magnum).
I've heard & read too the 9mm cases can get stuck or not extract quickly in a high stress incident.
My friend got a new LCR in .38spl +P in 2013. It came with a Lasermax red laser(Centerfire) & a Davidson's Lifetime service plan. He's happy with it. My friend & I got him some Corbon DPX .38spl loads for it.
There are a few .22WMR defense loads now out there. Speer Gold Dot & Winchester PDX1. I may get one later on in 2015.

For speed strips, Id suggest the Tuff Products Quik Strips. They come in black pink & safety orange(my choice). They come in different calibers & sizes(5/6/7/8 shot).

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Of the handful of DA 9mm revolvers that have been marketed in the US the S&W 940 is the only one with a reputation for sticky chambers. The cause was slightly rough chambers and the issue could be solved by honing the chambers to smooth them. It is not a problem that is common to 9mm revolvers.

I've had a few 9mm snubbies, including a custom scandium S&W. The Ruger is uses the same frame as their .357 LCR, which accounts for the weight, but at 17oz it is substantially lighter than the previous 9mm snubbies that have been offered. Those steel frame guns from S&W, Ruger, and Taurus started around 22oz. IMO, the 9mm LCR has the makings of a nice carry or back up gun. If the initial reports I've read are any indication it should be a success. Might just get one for myself.

Jeff Quinn did say that some brands of +P cartridges were sticky in the LCR, but were still able to be extracted by hitting the ejection rod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4egNYn3CeDQ

The 9 is heavy for a pocket, but not THAT heavy and 9mm ammo is cheaper if you don't handload. I carry a 17 ounce .38 in my pocket every day, forget it's there.

My Rohrbaugh R9, loaded with seven rounds of 147gr ammo, sitting in a Nemesis pocket holster weighs in at 18.5 ounces. It disappears into my pocket and most of the times I can't tell it is there.

A brass cased 115gr 9mm cartridge weighs about .39 oz

A brass cased 124gr 9mm cartridge weighs about .41 oz

A brass cased 147gr 9mm cartridge weighs about .46 oz

I don't know how much the moon clip weighs but the 9mm LCR is going to weigh around 20 ounces loaded.

I have snubbies in 38 Special and 22 Magnum so a 9mm would make a nice addition. There are a wide variety of bullets designs and power range for the 9mm that should make it a good carry choice.

I may consider adding one myself.

From the concealed carry aspect, I have found moon clips to be more fragile and just something else that can go wrong. Prefer the 38 and speed strips for carry.

I think it depends on what moon clips you use.

The Taurus stellar clips for the 905 are notoriously fragile, I can say from experience that the TK moon clips for the 629 are not going to bend. The 629 is not a carry gun, but I'm just saying I can get different clips, even polymer clips, or I can get really sturdy clips.

The moon clips that come with the LCR look like they're a lot easier to load than the TK moon clip that comes with the S&W 929.

I can can't load a whole S&W moon clip by hand, I need to use an Irwin bar-clamp to get the last cartridge in. I've seen Jeff Quinn load and unload the Ruger LCR moon clips by hand fairly easily.

I like the idea of the 9mm LCR, but I don't like the idea of moon clips for self defense.

With certain speedloader options like the Safariland Comp I's you get virtually the same speed of a reload without the risk of a slightly out of form moon clip hanging up the revolver, and it doesn't take much force to bend one ever so slightly.

Personally I think both speedlloaders and moon clips are too bulky for CCW... but I'd imagine in 9mm the moon clips could be carried easier than the longer .38 special clips/speedloaders.

OP, if I were you, I would still go with the 9mm version but be extra certain to take of your moon clips. 9mm +P is going to hit somewhat harder than .38 special +P out of the same bbl length, and you will have some fast and handy reloads. Not to mention the cheaper factory ammo.

Have a LCR 9mm on order to go with my SP101 9mm 3" -supposed to use the same moon clips.

sp101 recoil

SAMURAI ; Iwould like to hear your comments on the recoil of your sp101(and your LCR when you get it ). I have a speed six in 9mm and I have a lot more respect for the 9mm after shooting it! thanks

From the concealed carry aspect, I have found moon clips to be more fragile and just something else that can go wrong. Prefer the 38 and speed strips for carry

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That's a good point IMHO.

I just can't get into the thought of carrying the 9 revolver. I have a Kel Tec P11 i shoot rather well. It's 14 ounces, a little more compact, and carries over twice the firepower in a pocket. I'd like to have a 9mm revolver, though, just because.

I carry 9mm pistols and .38 Special revolvers due to the moon clip/reloading issue of shooting rimless ammunition in a revolver. Love my 9mm but not in a revolver.

My LCR is a .38 Special and I don't feel the need to upgrade to a 9mm version even though 80% of the time I carry 9mm autos.

VooDoo

My LCR is a .38 Special and I don't feel the need to upgrade to a 9mm version

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Ah Ha !

You admit the 9mm LCR is an upgrade to the 38 spl. version !

In terms of more Ooomph? Certainly. It's why I carry a 9mm pistol...it's the most powerful caliber I can manage accurately in rapid fire. I really like 9mm.

Just not in a revolver.

VooDoo