Ruger LCP 380 - the bad?

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I filed down the plastic mag release button on my Kel-Tec, because it would sometimes get pressed when carried. After that it's been fine.

I'd suggest the same mod on the ruger.

These are not easy guns to shoot, but boy are they easy to carry. Lots of power for such a little gun.
 
wally said:
My biggest complaint is several times the mag catch button has somehow pressed and released the mag while in my carry holster.
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I've carried mine every day for a couple years, I also have a home shooting range so I make it a point to put a couple mags through it every week.

I carry mine just in my pocket and it kept releasing the mag. I called ruger and they said that they had gotten some complaints about it but made no modifications. They offered to send me annother mag release button. I questioned them why since they said they made no mods. The very nice customer service guy laughed and said because we find that we have to send them out after the people who call and complain grind them down and screw them up. I'm just saving you annother potential call. So they sent me a new mag button and spring. I pulled mine out and ground it down a little, reblued it and reinstalled it fine. it now takes a purposefull push like most of my guns to release, I don't carry a spare mag so that's not an issue for speed reloading and my mag hasn't dropped out since.

The front sight kinda sucks. I just painted it with some fluorescent, luminous gunsight paint.
 
I bought one for a really good price. Wife and did not enjoy shooting it and as said sights suck. Put a $11 houge grip on it and painted sights and her and I always put 50 rounds or better thru it at least once a month when we go shooting. Look up laserlyte and for $85 you can put a nice, accurate, easy to use and fits in every holster. Trigger pull still Sucks but don't know if I would want a lighter trigger pull on a pocket gun.
 
Love my LCP.. I got it for summer time carry... my only complaint was that I had a couple of jams when tried steel jacket... Will not shoot steel jacket anymore..It likes brass best.. great cc pistol.. at 15 yards much more accurate than I ever imagined...Great close up pistol for the money,
 
The TCP would be a significant step up for a reasonable price.

Better trigger, better sights less felt recoil, locks back on last round and it comes with two magazines.
 
I was trying to pick between the lcp, p3at and tcp 6 months ago and settled on the tcp. IMO, it has the best trigger of all, its the only one that locks back on the last shot and comes with a spare mag. Plus, its the heaviest of them all(still only 10 ounces) which helps a bit with recoil. certainly not a fun range gun but I put a few mags through each week to ensure its functioning properly. I have put nearly 1,000 reloads through it without a problem.
 
The magazine will pop out of mine if I shoot the magazine with the finger extension on it. Shoots the flush fitting magazine just fine. Looks like the magazine latch is worn inside the gun. I'm thinking the extra pressure from my finger is causing it to pop out. Started to happen around the 200 round count. Looks like she'll have to go in for repair. Other than that problem, its accurate and easy to conceal.
 
I gave up on the LCP because it was unreliable. Even after an extensive Fluff & Buff, I would always have some kind of malfunction while shooting it at the range. I bought a SIg P238, and never looked back. You know that feeling after you sell a gun, and then wish you hadn't...? NOPE, I dont have that feeling for the LCP. The Sig has a stainless slide, stainless magazines, 7+1, real Tritium sights, and locks open on an empty magazine. Its a pleasure to shoot, soaks up the recoil so much better that the LCP. Its simply in another league altogether. I have a nephew who is Law Enforcement. All the officers in his department carry a Sig 238 as a backup. That was good enough for me. When I was deciding what to replace my LCP with, I read about all the comparable size, and cost guns. There were complaints about every one. The only complaint about the Sig, was the cost. Save up some money, buy the Sig.
 
d-dogg:

LCP would be at about the bottom of a list of guns I would advise for a 12yo girl. Do you have a .22LR pistol? If not, look at picking one up. Perfect to learn the fundamentals without developing a flinch anticipating recoil. For centerfire handguns I would recommend a medium to large frame .38 special with at least a 4" barrel (low recoil) or a full size semi auto in 9mm (also low recoil).

LCP is not "fun" to shoot. You want something fun to shoot for your daughter so she will want to keep doing it!
 
LCP is not "fun" to shoot. You want something fun to shoot for your daughter so she will want to keep doing it!
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This is definitely true. I had difficulties shooting 50 rounds through mine the other weekend as it would twist in my hand and the trigger guard would smack the side of my trigger finger - beating the meat of the cuticle into the edge of the fingernail. I'm surprised it didn't draw blood. Then again, my hands are rather large and the grip of the pistol is really small and the trigger pull is too short for me, resulting in a lighter grip than I usually shoot with.
 
I don't mind the trigger pull. I look at it as a safety feature. It is reassuring to know I'm not going to fire it without really wanting too.
I painted the sights, yellow in front and white in rear, so sighting isnt an issue.
I really wished the slide stayed open on empty. I just switch after two "duds" so it doesnt slow me down much.
It isnt fun to shoot, being snappy. I consider it a 6 shot derringer. However, a .38 Spl is just as snappy, twice as big, and harder to reload, to the LCP works fine for me.
I often carry it in my shirt pocket.
 
dumped an LCP years ago. i liked the size for CCW, but also want any gun i own to be at least mildly fun to shoot, which the LCP was not. So i dumped it and years later picked up at Sig P238. It's a bit larger, but the sights are great and it is mild to shoot. pretty looking too. External safety though....so something to consider.
 
Ours has been completely reliable from day one. We only have a few hundred rounds through it, though. It does have a pretty stiff trigger pull, and the sights are pretty hard to pick up in anything but the best light. Combine that with the stiff recoil you get with shooting even a powder-puff caliber out of such a small handgun and it's hard to shoot accurately. I wouldn't advise putting it in the hands of anyone under 16 unless you've given them a chance to bang away with some form of .22 first, so they know that not all guns kick like that.

That said, i won't be selling ours any time soon. I put a Crimsin Trace laser on it (which came with a nice pocket holster) and that modification alone chaanged its nature completely. It used to be quite a bear to shoot - only accurate at extremely close ranges. Once I had the laser sighted in, I was easily printing 3-4" groups at 25 yards. it's the pistol I carry when I can't (or don't choose to) carry anything bigger.
 
I do HATE that loooooong trigger pull. I would prefer a more single-action type trigger... and a safety. Aside from that, the LCP is the finest little pocket gun made.
 
I love mine. Unlike so many who post on the internet, my daily commute is not rife with zombies, bears, or gangs of riffraff hopped up on PCP and Bath Salts. In short, even though I carry a larger pistol when I can, the LCP is ALWAYS on my person.

Over a few hundred rounds it has been 100% short of some light primer strikes on Tula ammo. Of course, the only handguns that I can get to run that stuff consistently are my Glocks. It fits in my back pocket in a custom holster I made for it that holds the spare mag as well. I can wear it with any dress attire I like. No dressing around the gun, just slip it in my pocket and go on with my day.

The kicker is that I actually shoot my LCP better than my LCR. The LCR is comfortable to shoot with a FANTASTIC trigger...but I get better groupings with the lil' LCP. Plus, I have 2 more rounds in the gun and it's faster to reload.

The trigger on the LCP is pretty crappy, but its what you have to live with if you want a safe pocket pistol with no external safety. The slide not locking back can be an issue too if you have any failures to fire. The light primer strikes I talked about sometimes happened on my last round. So always make sure you check and clear the gun after you drop the mag at the range.

The LCP is not a gun I would take into war. It's not a gun I would grab if I heard a bump in the night. However, it IS a gun I would be very thankful to have on my person if the SHTF and I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Beats a sharp stick" is a bit of a disservice to the .380 pocket pistol. It very MAY be your last ditch weapon, but as a last ditch I could think of MANY concealable weapons worse than 7 rounds of quality jhp .380.
 
I decided to buy the Ruger LCP about 9 months ago I think I made the right choice,I have ran all types of ammo threw it total now better then 500 rounds
I have shot PMC,Winchester,Magtech And Fiocchi the gun runs flawless no he-cups
I have not shot ammo like CorBon Remington
I carry the Fiocchi Dynamic 90 Gr HP as self defense ammo seem a little hotter then FMJ some reviews on this ammo is mixed but I think like any ammo a well place shot will stop any threat
 
Let's just say mine is up for sale elsewhere on this site...

I had multiple failures to feed and double feeds, and in general the gun was just too small for my big hands. I personally believe that most of my malfunctions were shooter induced with my thumbs causing issues with the slide cycling.

As for the trigger, its not great, but I've shot much worse. FWIW, I liked the LC9's trigger better. As far as accuracy, I found it to be a very accurate gun, especially for the size. At 3-5 yards, I could easily keep them within a 4 inch circle, and could keyhole them if I tried.

I carried it in a Fobus ankle holster, and I've literally worn it for 12+ hours without noticing.
 
The sights are not too big of an issue, especially with some high-viz sight paint (I did red on the back, orange on the front).

My biggest complaints are basically the compromises. You know going in that it's a small, light pistol. The grip sucks, and it beats the smeg out of your hand when you're at the range. The sights aren't great. All of this serves to make something that will easily fit in your pocket.

I've had a few FTFs but overall it's good enough.
 
I've been carrying a LCP for 2 years. Before that it was a P3AT, which I still have.
My habit when going to the range is to pull my pocket LCP and empty it, just as I would if I really needed it. Twice in the last year it has failed to fire that first round. Had to rack the slide. It was like I had not cycled the slide when I loaded it, yet a round was in the chamber.
Why do I still carry it? Because I believe a carry gun needs to be DA.
I have quite a few other small 380s - P238, Colts, Stars, llamas. I'll probably give one of them another try while I look for a revolver. A Taurus M85 ultralite in .327 would be about perfect.
 
Since I own two LCP's and my Brother owns one,all three flawless,I would really like to have an idea of the serial number ranges of the few LCP owners here who have said the ones they own have had issues with failure to feed etc.
I am not doubting these owners but practically everyone I know that owns one as well as internet forums has nothing but praise for how well they function.
I also pocket carry mine daily in a leather RKBA pocket holster and have never had the magazine disconnect.
Weird.
 
Just exactly how big a guy are you, txgunsuscg? Glove size please, if you know it. Curious how big is just too big for this gun. I haven't handled one yet.
 
Fwiw my reliable every day carry is serial 376-120xx.
My secondary and just as reliable LCP is 378-159xx.
First one was bought new on GB in August 2011 and the second, again on a GB auction,in July 2012.
Imho if your LCP is not 100% send it back to Prescott AZ. and get it working right.
 
I don't suppose there would be an LCP owner in the Fredericksburg or Spotsylvania, VA area who would take $20 to let me fire a couple of magazines through theirs? I belong to the range off Brock Rd. in Spotsylvania.

Would be interested in trying other pocket sized DA only 380s too. (unless someone has an SA with ambidextrous safety).

Thanks,
 
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