have you ever seen a lcp malfunction with fmj ammo?

[bullseyebob47]

i just want something real light to put in my pocket. weight is the most important thing. this would be a backup to ccw on the street but i would have it on me at home all the time.

im nervous about such a small semiauto. is the lcr 99% to 100% with fmj ammo.

 

[ku4hx]

Too many variables to give a precise numeric reliability prediction. So much depends on ammunition, how you hold the gun, how dirty it is and so forth and so on.

In my limited experience with one LCP, I'd say it's a very reliable gun. But the next one I might see could be ... what's the term ... a jam-o-matic.

 

[mgmorden]

My LCP has been flawless. I've put about 300-400 rounds through it.

 

[JRH6856]

I've had no problems with my LCP with any ammo. Why FMJ? for SD, Hornady Custom XTP or Federal Hydra Shok both meet the FBI protocols for penetration. FMJ tends to over penetrate, even in .380.

 

[kokapelli]

I've had no problems with my LCP with any ammo. Why FMJ? for SD, Hornady Custom XTP or Federal Hydra Shok both meet the FBI protocols for penetration. FMJ tends to over penetrate, even in .380.

Yes my Son's LCP did have some feeding problems with one brand, but was generally ok with most other brands.

You really need to test ammo you intend to carry regardless of the gun you use it in.

As for over penetration, I would rather have a little over penetration than not enough.

I just read a report on police shootings and the report said that on average 70 percent of the rounds police fire in shootings miss the perp. Now that's over penetration.

 

[stchman]

My LCP has been excellent with FMJ ammo.

I use Remington Golden Saber as my SD ammo.

 

[CopperFouling]

My experience isn't exactly what you asked about, but I had a few nasty jams with Winchester PDX1 (it was the only kind that I could find while waiting on the blue case of Dillon goodness to arrive) in my used LCP the first time at the range.

Ruger worked on it. It has seen 275 rounds (30 percent HPs, and the rest FMJs) since then with no more issues. I trust it now, and I never make excuses to leave it at home.

 

[Cee Zee]

I haven't had any feeding issues with my LCP and I've put a lot of different ammo through it looking for just the right type. I do that with every gun I plan to keep. And that goes double for any gun I will be carrying for SD. And again my LCP has not had any problems with any ammo.

 

[Paul7]

:banghead: My LCP was a POS, and went back to the factory a number of times. They finally gave up on it, and sent me a refund. I now carry a Colt Pocketlite Mustang, a much better gun IMHO.

The weird thing was, the problems started AFTER 200 rounds. Of course the factory told me to try a bunch of different .380 ammo, this back when getting any .380 was impossible.

 

[Fiv3r]

My LCP will eat anything I have tried except Tula steel cased. It hates it. Even with an upgraded recoil spring, it won't feed more than one round of it out of the magazine.

My M&P Bodyguard is 100% even with Tula.

 

[JRH6856]

Yes my Son's LCP did have some feeding problems with one brand, but was generally ok with most other brands.

You really need to test ammo you intend to carry regardless of the gun you use it in.

As for over penetration, I would rather have a little over penetration than not enough.

I just read a report on police shootings and the report said that on average 70 percent of the rounds police fire in shootings miss the perp. Now that's over penetration.

13-15" in ballistic gel through 4 layers of denim is good enough for me.

An over penetrating bullet gives you the benefit of a hit and the liability of a miss.

Cops can get a pass on what their misses eventually hit, and when they don't, the taxpayers pick up the tab. I don't have that luxury and hitting the bad guy doesn't negate the damage an over penetrating bullet might do to someone else.

 

[ritepath]

Mine tried to malfunction twice with FMJ's. The first time was on the 5th shot and the second time around 3-400th. Both times it took about a half second to snap back into battery. Hanging up just long enough for me to realize something had happened, but before I could do anything it went into battery and required nothing but pulling the trigger.

Since the second one I haven't had a single issue, probably 1000-1200 rounds now. It's really a dead solid perfect little pistol.

I have fed it all the typical fmjs from walturd including Tula. I will say that something about the tula feels different when shooting it in the LCP, not the recoil or how it shoots just something feels different. I've probably shot a few hundred rounds of it without issue. As for federal/remington/WWB it's all worked like a champ.

I need a 380 mold now that you mention it...

 

[HadEmAll]

Two LCPs here. Neither have malfunctioned with any FMJ or JHP I've tried. Too hard to type on this Ipad, so won't list them, but it's been most of the Win, Fed, Speer, and Corbon 90-95 grain offerings.

That's 100% reliability

I carry Corbon and Speer 90 grain JHPs in mine, but FMJ makes sense..

I do put aftermarket 13 lb. recoil springs in mine.

 

[agent109]

Everything made by man has a possibility of a malfunction or unexpected operations and auto load firearms are around the top of the list. To mention a few the Shuttle Disaster, the Toyota recall, the Springfield Armory recall, the Smith and Wesson Recall et al. There is a possibility of failure in any mechanical device sorry to say. If you question is, can a Ruger LCP fail, I would answer yes regardless of ammunition used. The unknown is when

 

[TomJ]

I had a similar need, and went with a 642. It's light, easy to throw in your pocket and being a revolver, the odds of it jamming are negligible.

 

[huntsman]

The only fmj ammo I had trouble with was Blazer aluminum, the only issue with jhp is when I rack the slide it hangs up a bit and doesn't full close but it doesn't do it when it cycles.

 

[XD 45acp]

I had the same issues. Replaced recoil spring & rod with Wolff 13# and a BT guide rod. Has been flawless since.

 

[Armybrat]

There are 4 LCPs in my family and none have malfunctioned with any kind of ammo over the past 5 or 6 years we've carried them.

 

[IdahoHk416]

I have shot 200 rounds of Winchester 95gr fmj, 40 rounds of Federal Hydrashok jhp, and 50 rounds of Speer Gold Dot jhp through my LCP. It has been 100% reliable so far.

 

[short barrel]

My LCP was utterly reliable with any style of ammo. BUT, after much testing into a variety of substances, I realized the .380 is next to useless. I realize you are seeing just one opinion here, but for anyone who choses a .380 for backup or any other purpose, I suggest you go out and test it for penetration and expansion. See for yourself what it is. I shot it and compared it to the performance of a .22M revolver. The .22M, IMO, is far superior to a .380. "Premium" .380 jhp ammo is no better than fmj. If I had to carry a .380, I would carry the fmj because it will absolutely feed and fire and I'd get a .38 size hole.

 

[agent109]

That will you will get indeed as the bullet diameter is just about the same size in a .38. 357 Mag, 357 Sig, 9x19, 9x17 Corto and the (.380 Auto). .355

 

[JRH6856]

In an SD situation, the best case is when your bullet has sufficient penetration to reach vital organs or CNS structures. Worst case is when you miss and perhaps inflict collateral damage on bystanders or property. FMJ tends to over penetrate and thus can give you both the best and worst case. I would prefer to avoid over penetration when possible.

The link below is to the results of a series of tests using a short barrel .380 and several different loads. There are a few that meet the FBI protocols for penetration in bare gel and through 4 layers of denim without over penetrating.

This link is to a blog entry of the results. There are YouTube links included.

 

[kokapelli]

JRH6856 The tests in the link you provided may just be the push I need to finally move me from FMJ to jhp in my 380 pistols.

Also the statement in another poster's previous post that 380 is useless is rediculous! Any round that can punch a hole through and through is hardly what I would call "useless."

 

[JRH6856]

JRH6856 The tests in the link you provided may just be the push I need to finally move me from FMJ to jhp in my 380 pistols.

They were somewhat of an eye opener for me as I assumed FMJ would be needed in an LCP which is why I hesitated to buy one. I have been carrying Federal Hydra-Shok in my Llama IIIa which has another inch of barrel, but the Llama is essentially the same size as my R51, so no real reason to carry it when I could carry a 9mm. I now have the Hydra-Shoks in an LCP.

I like this series of tests because he fires 5 shots with each round in each test. Most YouTube testers only fire one shot which I consider insufficient. He did another set of tests with 9mm.

Looking at the FBI protocol of 12-18" of penetration, ballistic gel is calibrated to simulate muscle tissue. Skin is four times as resistant as muscle. Assuming 0.1" of skin, the first 0.4" of gel simulates skin. A true COM hit must penetrate the sternum which is bone and averages a little over 0.5" thick, and even if the sternum is not hit, there are ribs there as well and they are, on average, twice as thick. While a shot may go between the ribs, the fact remains that more of the chest is protected by bone than not. Gel cannot simulate bone. Cartilidge, maybe, bone no. But if bone is going to be penetrated, the bone must be allowd for so assume bone is at least 4-5 times as resistant as skin. Let the next 8 inches of gel sort of simulate the chest bones. Once through the bones, the bullet is in the chest cavity where the vital organs (heart, lungs) are. In gel, this is the last 4-10 inches of gel (depending on whether or not the sternum or a rib must be penetrated). So, while 6-8 inches of penetration in gel may appear sufficient when compared directly to a human torso, it may be inadequate to reach a vital organ because that first 8-10 inches is simulating the skin and bone that is the first 0.6-1.0 inch of the torso.

 

[huntsman]

I had the same issues. Replaced recoil spring & rod with Wolff 13# and a BT guide rod. Has been flawless since.

Thanks I'm going to order the springs and rod.