It should have a mild recoil spring so it makes it easy for them to work to slide. I think it's a great idea. Maybe just not for the guys who hang out on this forum.
This. Except if I was in the market for such a gun I'd rather have the sig P238. It is a soft shooter, a good shooter, easy to run and is appreciably smaller than this new Ruger.
I recently was trying to help a woman select a smaller carry gun. It needed to be a gun that fit within her wardrobe. Its fine to say dress around the gun, but the reality is some folks simply wont, and it may not be reasonable (or financially plausible) to expect them to go out and get a whole new wardrobe. The way in which many women dress can make some carry options unworkable. This requirement meant a relatively small gun.
I personally believe a carry gun needs to be something the person can shoot relatively well under stress and run relatively well under stress as well. While I like the LCP for what it is, it often fails this requirement. I do not find the recoil to be harsh. It is a snappy gun though and for most folks it is not something they can shoot or run that well. Between being very small, having extremely crude sights, and a long heavy trigger it is not a great shooter for lots of folks. The small size and/or relatively stiff recoil spring can make it hard for some folks to run. After trying out my LCP we didn't feel it was a great option despite how easy it was to conceal and carry.
We next looked at my Kahr CM9. This gun is IMHO and the based on shot timer results a better shooter for most folks. Recoil is no more snappy, and perhaps less so than what is experienced with the LCP. It is notably larger but still a pretty small gun. The issue we ran into was that the double recoil spring in this very small gun rated to handle +p 9x19 is very stiff. It was not a gun that this person could run without concerted effort. The fact is some folks have issues with their hands and a real stiff spring that is required in real small 9x19s can make running the gun very difficult. It may not be an issue for you or me, but that doesn't mean its not a real one for other people.
With the CM9 ruled out, we went to the Colt Mustang and the copy cat Sig 238. These guns come in between the LCP and CM9 in terms of size. I think these guns are about as small as you can get before you start hitting diminishing returns by going smaller. In fact for someone with smaller hands they are sized very well. These guns are light weight. They aren't quite as invisible as the LCP, but are very near the same end of the spectrum when it comes to the easy of carrying and concealing one.
These two gun are IMHO, which is based on shot timer results and target, 10x the shooters that the LCP is in most folks hands. I'd hate to be in a gun fight period, I'd hate even more to only have a hand gun. However, if it were a choice between the LCP and the Sig/Colt I'd not hesitate for a second in which I'd rather have.
Lastly, the slides and other controls of these two guns were very easy to work. They met the last criteria of being a gun that can be run well.
The sig P238 (or guns like it) is not my choice of a primary carry gun. However, it, and guns like it may be the right answer for some folks.
This new ruger will be a cheaper gun than the colt or sig. It will be cheaper than other guns I might prefer, such as the Sig 232. For many people, right, wrong, or otherwise that ends up heavily influencing their purchasing decision. In sum, a slightly larger .380 may have a niche that is not well served by either a smaller 380 or a similarly sized 9x19. Ruger has been doing well with their line up of small carry guns (LCP, LCR, LC9). I'd imagine they are responding to some form of market research in releasing this gun. It is not aimed at me, nor do I have any interest. That does not mean it does not have a market though.