Ruger LCP - I picked it up

[Lovesbeer99]

I got to handle (but not shoot) a Ruger LCP and I can say this is a real gun, just smaller. I compared it in the store to the keltec and the keltec P3AT seamed unfinished and cheap. I don't know if it actually is, but by physical comparison, finish, heft, feel, balance, I liked the Ruger much better and now I'm considering 1.

I haven't seen any write ups yet in the mags, only on the net. Anyone shoot one of these yet?

Thanks
Lovesbeer99

 

[MaterDei]

The guys at www.gunblast.com have reviewed one and the liked it a lot. Of course, they like everything.

I've been carrying cash and looking hard for the LCP. The first dealer to present me one will have a sale. They are not to be seen in these parts yet.

 

[Pa.Bill]

I ordered the LCP on 3-3-08. Not in yet. Also, not one to be seen or had at the Harrisburg gun show this passed weekend. Wonder when Pa. will be getting them ?????

~SAFE SHOOTING~
Bill--------------------->

 

[tacmedicp94]

I've had mine about 2 weeks. Only had time to put about 175rnds. through it so far. I really like this pistols feel and function. I had one round nosedive into the feed ramp, but this was the first shot with my weak side hand so it may have been user malfunction. Recoil is manageable accuracy is good for a small pistol.Out of the 3 diffrent brands of ammo I shot, the nose dive happened with cheap monarch JHP.

adam

 

[foghornl]

Haven't seem them here in NE Ohio yet, either.

 

[Baneblade]

Same boat. Handled but not fired.

I think your comparison was right on. The Kel-tec seems unfinished compared to the Ruger.

The Ruger is $20 more at my local shop. If I was going to pick, I would definately get the Ruger.

 

[FranklyTodd]

Ordered, not handled . My local shop in Ohio did actually get a shipment, but they were already pre-sold, and gone well before I got there. I've never even seen one in person, yet plunked down my $299+tx to get one out of the next batch. I hate it when I get caught up in a hype! Although it wasn't a TOTAL impulse buy, I always liked the P3AT, but couldn't quite get myself to get one - got a j-frame instead. A Ruger P3AT I couldn't pass up...

 

[btg3]

There were 2 in SC midlands that had a "shelf life" of under 5 minutes before they were bought. More on the way - - to gun stores and to discount sport stores - - but nobody seems willing to price the gun until they have it on hand to sell. Expect to see them show up this weekend and next week in several locations.

 

[Boarhunter]

Lovesbeer99,

I picked one up last week (s/n 5XX) from Larry's Pistol and Pawn; Huntsville, Alabama; and I like it a good bit. I have always been a big fan of Kel-Tec firearms, currently owning one each of their tiny semiautos (.32 acp, .380, and 9mm), but I think Ruger is going to give Kel-Tec a run for its money. Although their respective firearms bear strong resemblance, the Ruger appears more refined and durable.

I have approximately 75 rounds through the gun so far. After purchasing the .380 Ruger LCP, I immediately went back to Larry's indoor range to give the gun a try. No cleaning or lube added to the gun; a test literally right out of the box.

I put 50 rounds of 95 grain FMJ BlazerBrass through the gun without any failure. I then put two mags through the gun of Hornady 90 grain JHP/XTP, without any failure. The rangemaster then gave me a handful of miscellaneous .380 (hollow point, round nose, and flat nose) he had picked up off the floor over time, and I ran that through the gun. Again, without any failure whatsoever. It don't get any better than that.

Insofar as accuracy goes, I was more than pleased with the gun's performance. I am old and my eyes are shot, but I had no trouble keeping all rounds easily on a 6-inch paper plate at 25 feet, shooting with some urgency and off-hand. If a pocket gun can do that, then I know it is adequate to keep the bad guys off my back. I have no doubt someone of greater shooting competence could do much better.

The trigger pull, like on the Kel-Tec, is long and light and smooth DAO. And the Ruger nicely fits a leather pocket holster I purchased for the Kel-Tec.

Mags for the Kel-Tec .380 appear to fit the Ruger, but not visa versa (intended marketing technique on the part of Ruger, I would guess).

Anyway, the Ruger is now in my pocket where it will likely stay, at least until something "better" comes along. The Kel-Tecs are not for sale, but I expect they will end up in the safe for the foreseeable future.

Boarhunter

 

[dasanii19]

I bought one and sold it in a 1/2 hour.... I already had one pre ordered and I guess they charge a 25% cancelation fee so I'll just wait for the one I pre ordered.. By the way, its a very nice pocket gun

 

[dairycreek]

Was in my local gun shop last week and the Ruger salesman was there with a brand new LCP and I was carrying my second generation Kel-Tec P-3AT so I had the opportunity to do a side by side comparison as far as fit and finish is concerned. After a very careful examination I would have to give the edge to the Ruger

 

[TheReeves]

And the Ruger nicely fits a leather pocket holster I purchased for the Kel-Tec.

I am glad to hear this as I have traded off a Glock holster for a couple of P3AT holsters in anticipation of my LCP.

 

[jocko]

very nice

really nice to read from you gun owners your oopinions on the new lcp. Ihave heard the same thing. I don't havemy 2 yet either but Ihave read no one negative report and when owners of kt come along and also say that the Ruyger is a better made, better looking, more durable looking 380, that tells me that Ruger indeed did it right. the fact that one can take it out ofthe box and and walk right back in the shooting range and shoot it with all kinds of ammo without any issues is just super. My kt's could and never would do that. Nice report guys. I have had one poster write to me and say that his lcp was throuwing brass 40 feet, have any of you'se encountered that, For my good frined who has 2500 flawless rounds through his LCP still says about 3 to 5 feet is where his brass goes, so I am wondering if maybe this guy just got some very weak recoil springs or if my buddy just got some very strong recoil springs. Alittle feed back here would help.

Thank you.

 

[DPris]

Jocko,
"This guy" does have an LCP that does toss brass 40 feet & tear up rims too much for reloading.
There's another issue with the pistol, as I told you, and we'll see if the second one coming next week addresses it.
You may not have seen me post elsewhere that this sample will not feed Buff Bore 100-grain lead or CorBon 90-grain JHP.
In emailing your friend, he says there are a couple loads his will not cycle reliably, either, and his brass rims are also torn up too much for reloading.
The LCP has promise, but it's far from being "without any issues".


Denis

 

[jocko]

I just emailed him, his comnent to me was that he sent u an email stating that his P3AT throws them 30 feet but that his lcpis about 3 to 5 feet, and that his lcp does not like flat nose bullets and loves LRN rounds. :banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[DPris]

Yup, not disputing that his drops brass much closer than mine.
Just correcting your statements that his LCP has gone 2500 "flawless rounds" without a problem.
His shows some ammo sensitivity, too.
And, you can't, at least on these two, just take the gun out of the box & hit the range expecting to "shoot it with all kinds of ammo without any issues".
Denis

 

[Boarhunter]

For what it is worth, my LCP tossed all empty cases out of the gun and where they went after that, I leave to the rangemaster to find!

Boarhunter

 

[jocko]

stated 40 ft

u stated 40 feet, that was my point. He says no. He took his out of the box and fired 1000 flawless rounds through it with different brand of ammo. Ammo sensitive, I am sure if u look hard enough, one can find a brand for any gun that is ammo sensitive. Not trying to argue with you either, I just go on what he has told me and other than some bluing wear at 2600 runds which is also used as his range gun for anyone to shoot at his commercial range, he has no issues. I like probably most (who do not reload) could care where the brass goes, as long as it doesn't hit me on the head. My kt's threw brass all over hells half acre. I dont reload, so I don't care. I don't consider that a gun fault. To me a gun fault is when it fails to go bang...good shooting to you, mine should be in next week and trust me I will shoot the piss out of mine..

 

[jocko]

ammo sensitive

I would bet that one can find any gun that is ammo sensitive, if you come up with the right rounds. Not arguing that point . He even started to me that it doesnt like flat nose rounds. Is that the gun fault??If you think so, then you have a couple of choices. 1. Peddle it and find one that shoots flat nose bullets, #2. peddle the flat nose bullets and find the proper round. as far as bieng hard on the brass casing. Indeed if you are a reloader that is an isuse, to me I could care less and would bet that 90% are in the same lane that I am. When a gun fails to go bang, that is an issue, when irt throws brass 40 feet, to most that is not an issue , unless shooting in a glass cage. Not defending the lcp, I don't have mine yet but when mine get in, u can trust that I will shoot the hell out of it and will report results as I find them.

 

[kokapelli]

According to the information at Wolf Spring's websight below, weak recoil springs cause brass to fly further from your pistol.



3. How heavy should my recoil spring be? What weight recoil spring should I use with a particular load?

These are two very hard questions to answer in exact terms and in most cases an exact answer is not possible. There are many factors which influence the correct weight recoil spring to use. These factors include the particular ammunition brand and load, individual pistol characteristics, individual shooting styles and your individual, subjective feeling of how the gun shoots and should feel. In general terms, the heaviest recoil spring that will allow the pistol to function reliably is the best choice - tempered by the above factors. If your casings are hitting the ground in the 3 to 6 foot range, then the recoil spring is approximately correct. If you are ejecting beyond the 6-8 foot range, then a heavier recoil spring is generally required. If your casings are ejecting less than 3 feet a lighter recoil spring may be needed to assure proper functioning. Taking these factors into consideration, it then comes down to how the gun feels and performs when shooting - in your judgment. Using too light a recoil spring can result in damage to the pistol and possible injury to you.

 

[jocko]

YUP

I had issues with my kt 380 throwing brass to hell and back and went to the the 15# kt32 recoil springs listed by wolffs and they settled down the distance a lot. I have beent old that the recoil springs in the lcp are 18#. Don't know how true that is either.

 

[Hawkman]

Bulls Eye in Lawrenceville got one and put it on their rental shelf. I put 50 rounds through it an loved it. God knows how many total rounds are through it, as people are constantly renting it. According to the the owner, they have had no complaints about failures or malfunctions.

I have a deposit down for the next one he gets!

 

[jocko]

nice report

about what I have been hearing everywhere else to. Great gun, just a few are not pleased but like coffee, some like it with cream, some like it black..

 

[DPris]

Jocko,
Please understand, I am not trying to knock the pistol, or quarrel with you.
You've posted on two different forums that your friend has put 2500 "flawless" rounds through his pistol & people are starting to quote you on it.
You provided me with his email address, for which I thank you. We've been emailing and I'm very interested to be following how his pistol is working out. I appreciate you giving me a channel to communicate with somebody who's actually doing a relatively high-volume test with one of these Rugers.

Like mine, his will not feed certain loads, he says. Like mine, his damages case rims, he says. Unlike mine, his drops empties much closer than 20-40 feet. Unlike mine, his also doesn't display one other issue that I'm waiting to see resolved on the second test pistol I'll be trying out next week.
So far, we have two samples that display some behaviours in common, and others not in common. Either or neither may be representative of the model across the board.

The ammo sensitivity is no big deal. In a package this small there's simply less room for variations in OAL and bullet nose profiles than with larger pistols, and even larger pistols will work more reliably with some types of ammunition than with others. Find a load that works in your LCP & run with it, this doesn't condemn the gun. But, on the other hand, it's just not quite the perfect pistol you were portraying.

I don't consider the case rim destruction a huge problem in how it leaves the cases regarding reloading. The pistol wasn't built to be handloaded much & as you say, the greatest majority of shooters won't roll their own ammo. In that sense it's not a major issue. Likewise with how far the thing tosses empties. In the defensive niche it was designed for, finding the brass will be the problem of your local police forensics people should you ever have to use it in that context & not something you'll care much about. Anywhere else, clean up behind yourself if possible & move on.

But, in conjunction with other factors, both the ejection distance & rim tearing can be indicative of something else going on inside the pistol. Doesn't guarantee a problem, but they can be indicators.

All I'm trying to do here is state the facts a little more accurately than your post above did regarding your friend's LCP.
Your post was portraying it as something it isn't. Like any other pistol, it has its own quirks & personality.

Denis

 

[jocko]

DPris

nice post and I was also just passing on the information that was provided to me. Your points as you stated at good, although IMO maybe not important to 95% of the owners. We will see how your test gun that you say you are getting works out and what changes they made to eliminate some of the issues that you are having works out. I am open ears to anything that makes any gun better.

thanks and keep us posted