Ruger LCP 380 Max. Accuracy? Expecting to much??

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Rule3

Rule3

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I shoot mostly handguns. Many different types, calibers, semi auto and revolver.
I (and others)consider myself a pretty decent shooter. Not award winning but good enough.:)

I like pocket guns and just had to get the new LCP, I have carried the older version for a long time. Granted I don't practice with it that much.

So been to range several times to see if the new LCP functioned, reliable and all that. Shot 200 rounds of different factory ammo and handloads. Works just fine BUT>>>

What kind of accuracy should I expect?? At 10 yards its all over the place on a 8" target At 5 yards I can group them pretty tight. Two handed, Not expecting one hole accuracy.

Is this just a 5 yard gun??

In this thread the OP says 2" groups at 10 yards with a KT>

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-acp-from-scratch-today.899265/#post-12155533
 
I do not have a LCP Max. I did have a LCP II for a couple years. I could not come close to the accuracy I achieved with larger pistols. That did not concern me since a pocket pistol is generally intended for close-up use. I just searched the Internet for LCP Max accuracy reports. I found a few forum posts from this forum and also from the Ruger forum.com website. The reports led to believe that the Max lost accuracy out beyond 20 feet. Some indicated that getting a full msg of hits on a 8 inch circle was doing good. That is what I found with the LCP II also. But I always figured that, if I could unload 7 rounds on a 9 inch pie plate at 20 feet, I could do in center mass. That to me. was adequate for most SD situations.
 
Rule3 said:
I shoot mostly handguns. Many different types, calibers, semi auto and revolver.
I (and others)consider myself a pretty decent shooter. Not award winning but good enough.:)

I like pocket guns and just had to get the new LCP, I have carried the older version for a long time. Granted I don't practice with it that much.

So been to range several times to see if the new LCP functioned, reliable and all that. Shot 200 rounds of different factory ammo and handloads. Works just fine BUT>>>

What kind of accuracy should I expect?? At 10 yards its all over the place on a 8" target At 5 yards I can group them pretty tight. Two handed, Not expecting one hole accuracy.

Is this just a 5 yard gun??

In this thread the OP says 2" groups at 10 yards with a KT>

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-acp-from-scratch-today.899265/#post-12155533
Click to expand...


Just curious, is your gun a rattletrap with the mag removed?

I bought a used one which I have not shot yet. I tore it down for a good cleaning and lube. When I reassembled it I noticed that my slide was a very loose fit.

I am not expecting much in the accuracy department.

You can see a wide gap between the rail and slide
vvvv


758C7D84-4E6A-49D4-AC1D-F17534B6242A.jpeg
 
Thanks

Next range trip I am going to have a shootout between the LCP II and the Max. See if there is any difference:)

My Sig P232 is a tack driver but I guess that is not a fair comparison!
 
Reinz said:
Just curious, is your gun a rattletrap with the mag removed?

I bought a used one which I have not shot yet. I tore it down for a good cleaning and lube. When I reassembled it I noticed that my slide was a very loose fit.

I am not expecting much in the accuracy department.

You can see a wide gap between the rail and slide
vvvv


View attachment 1047742
Click to expand...


No it is pretty tight, about the same as the other LCP II
 
I myself noticed a HUGE variance in accuracy with the Gen 2 LCP. I know the LCP II and Max are completely different guns but I wonder if that level of quality control carried over. My first LCP, purchased in 2010, struggled to make anything resembling a group at 5 yards. At 7 yards I couldn't even make hits on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with any sort of consistency. 1200 rounds later it shot loose and died and Ruger replaced it with another Gen 2 in 2019. I can hit a 6" gong at 17 yards with at least 6/7 shots almost every time with the newer gun. Coincidentally (or not), the frame to slide fit feels more snug on the newer one.
 
I am going to do some more testing (ammo wasting) before I call and whine to Ruger! I do not expect match grade accuracy but I am a better shooter than what I shot yesterday!
 
My lcp is pretty darned accurate. Maybe I just got a tight one, maybe it's because I have to practice with it often to stay proficient.
A groundhog fell to it back in '18.
20180521_184249.jpg
I went out on Christmas morning while we waited on our adult kids to return home for our celebration. The first shot hit perfect Center on the metal container. The shot landed on the welded seam and didn't penetrate, nor did it topple my target over. I aimed a little higher and knocked the tank over.
20211225_084028.jpg
I know this isn't proof of accuracy, but I can reliably and regularly knock down my oil filter targets (about the size of a liter bottle).
This is acceptable accuracy for my needs which is last ditch SD. It is definitely not an assault pistol.
For what ut is, a micro pistol with scarcely any sights....I consider it pretty good...
I suggest putting your pistol on the bench on a set of bags and see what it'll do if you use your best skills.
When I bought my first snub, I couldn't hit a target with it....I found out how difficult it was to get accuracy out of it. I also found out it wasn't the gun....it was me..
I'm not saying that it's you.... I was used to shooting full sized pistols. The little pocket guns are a different animal.
 
How accurate depends on you.

the trigger, sights and grip are all improvements over my original, I shoot it at ten yards like all my handguns at a 12” steel plate.

center plate is the goal and the norm but I still occasionally jerk the trigger regardless of which gun I’m shooting.
 
grip is important on these little guns.

IMG_20211228_0001.jpg

the "grip problem" is a left/right spread cured by pinching the grip with the base of my thumb and the base of my index finger. i shot this offhand probably using my right hand as primary and left as secondary. i normally shoot this gun using just my left hand.

the other thing with these small guns is to lock your wrist and keep it locked. these guns recoil all over the place in your big hand and a lax grip sprays em all over.

luck,

murf
 
I'm usually a mediocre shooter. Maybe okay, on a good day.

Standing, offhand, and shooting every few seconds, with my LCP II I can probably hit something like a grapefruit virtually every time at seven yards. My hands are XL and that doesn't really help. I shot my original LCP and my P3AT with about the same accuracy. The LCP II is a little easier to shoot. Its grapefruit is a little bit smaller. ;)

With a full-sized service handgun that fits me well it's an apple.

With a good 22lr handgun it's a lime. :)
 
My LCP II is very reliable to 7-10 (if I take my time) yards. Most of my practice is 3-7 yards 2x a month. 50 rounds total. Not a fun gun, but very capable belly to belly, nose to nose for sure.
 
I have a Taurus spectrum. I was not very accurate with it at 1st. The more i shot it the better i got. I can hit cans now at 25 yards. The mag with the pinky extension helps. I ordered a second mag with it on. And carry that mag as a back up.
 
Armored farmer said:
My lcp is pretty darned accurate. Maybe I just got a tight one, maybe it's because I have to practice with it often to stay proficient.
A groundhog fell to it back in '18.
View attachment 1047884
I went out on Christmas morning while we waited on our adult kids to return home for our celebration. The first shot hit perfect Center on the metal container. The shot landed on the welded seam and didn't penetrate, nor did it topple my target over. I aimed a little higher and knocked the tank over.
View attachment 1047896
I know this isn't proof of accuracy, but I can reliably and regularly knock down my oil filter targets (about the size of a liter bottle).
This is acceptable accuracy for my needs which is last ditch SD. It is definitely not an assault pistol.
For what ut is, a micro pistol with scarcely any sights....I consider it pretty good...
I suggest putting your pistol on the bench on a set of bags and see what it'll do if you use your best skills.
When I bought my first snub, I couldn't hit a target with it....I found out how difficult it was to get accuracy out of it. I also found out it wasn't the gun....it was me..
I'm not saying that it's you.... I was used to shooting full sized pistols. The little pocket guns are a different animal.
Click to expand...


But, at what distance?? Even a blind squirrel gets lucky once and a while:rofl:
 
huntsman said:
How accurate depends on you.

the trigger, sights and grip are all improvements over my original, I shoot it at ten yards like all my handguns at a 12” steel plate.

center plate is the goal and the norm but I still occasionally jerk the trigger regardless of which gun I’m shooting.
Click to expand...

I am not happy with 12" groups at 10 yards. I was shooting 8" at 10 yards.
4" at 5 yards.
 
I actually found the MAX to be a bit better in my hand than in my hands. One-handed shooting is a skill that I have not been good about practicing but, when I tried out the MAX the first time, I found myself doing it and was surprised at how natural it felt.

I never shot for "groups", though; I shot for "hits", since that's the purpose of the gun. My shots were closer to point-shooting than to slow, aimed fire. Hits at center-mass area on a combat silhouette target at 10 yards were pretty much a given. At 15 yards, they were still frequent.
 
The original LCP had virtually no sights; the LCPII and Max are much better.
But its a snappy bugger to shoot, and the newer two bite my trigger finger.
It is what it is; a gun to have when you can't have a gun.
Moon
 
install a gallaway trigger it will stop the finger pinch it's a very good upgrade
 
As the sight radius gets shorter and the gun gets lighter, the more you have to focus on the fundamentals.
If you're using what Jeff Cooper called a flash sight picture or target focus where your front sight is somewhere in the frame of the rear the ratio of group size to sight radius will be fairly linear.
The shorter the sight radius the bigger the group add to this you now have a 5 poundish trigger on a gun that doesn't weigh a pound, trigger pull and follow thru are critical.
If it was easy everybody could do it.
 
mavracer said:
As the sight radius gets shorter and the gun gets lighter, the more you have to focus on the fundamentals.
If you're using what Jeff Cooper called a flash sight picture or target focus where your front sight is somewhere in the frame of the rear the ratio of group size to sight radius will be fairly linear.
The shorter the sight radius the bigger the group add to this you now have a 5 poundish trigger on a gun that doesn't weigh a pound, trigger pull and follow thru are critical.
If it was easy everybody could do it.
Click to expand...
I agree a little more sight radius goes a long way. I can make hits much easier with my Bersa 380 compared to the Max. Out to 10 yards the max is ok in my hands, 20 yards it's terrible .
 
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