Ruger LCP Not Loading Hydra-Shok Rounds

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I just picked up a Ruger LCP last week and was able to find 1 place on the planet that has some 380 ammo.
I got a box of Hydra-Shok and a box of Blaser FMJ

I loaded up my clip with Hydra-Shoks for carry and decided to feed a round into the chamber to make sure it feeds. To my surprise it would not feed, I got it to feed 1 time out of 15 tries.. I tried a light slide feed and a more aggressive slide feed and it would not load.
So I tried loading the FMJ and it loaded perfectly smooth with no problems at all.
So I decided to try the Hydra-Shok again and it doesn't even come close to feeding, it gets jam before the load ramp..

Anyone else have this problem with the LCP?

I hear many people say that their LCP's will load Hydra shocks with no problems, so why would I :confused:

I'm glad I tested this at home before I actually went out and needed to use my gun for self defense..
 
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With autopistols the LCP requires some pretty good trigger time to be reliable. With the state of 380 ammo these days I know this can be a monumental task. Relying on a gun for self defense without shooting it first is an invitation to disaster. Revolvers even need to be shot a few times to ensure proper function. If after you have shot it say, 200 times and it still wont feed the Hydra-Shoks then try another hollow point. I know this is going to be expensive but you should have known that already. Maybe a 38 is in the future.
 
It's jammed pretty hard.
I think if it's jammed that hard, the slide release feed would take out a good chunk or do something else a little more serious?
 
I never had any problems feeding them, or any other brand of ammo, through mine.

I suggest you save yourself a headache and call Ruger. They will make it right for you. They may have to throat the barrel or work on the feed ramp.
 
welcome to the forum

you never know what your new gun will do until you test it.

some will work with any ammo,some will will work with some kinds,some will work with none.

there is only one way to find out.

the standard recommendation is 200 trouble free rounds fired before you trust that load in your gun for self defense. with .380 that can be hard to do right now.

if you must rely on an unproven semi-auto for defense using fmj increases your chances for reliable functioning.

many would reason that from the short barrel of the lcp the bullets won't reach a high enough velocity to expand anyway.
 
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My Comment / question: Ruger LCP
I got a box of Hydra-Shok and a box of Blaser FMJI loaded up my clip with Hydra-Shoks and pulled back and released the slide and it would not feed, I got it to feed 1 time out of 15 tries. I tried a light slide feed and a more aggressive slide feed and it would not load. So I tried loading the FMJ and it loaded perfectly smooth with no problems at all.So I decided to try the Hydra-Shok again and it doesn't even come close to feeding, it gets jammed before the load ramp.


Response: From Ruger
This is a common issue with the Federal Hydra Shoc and the LCP. They do not reliably feed. The hollow point seems to roll over and stop the round on the ramp. We would suggest not using this federal round and trying the Remington 88gr JHP. If you need further information, please visit our website at www.ruger.com or contact us at:
 
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I actually don't even want to use these rounds for carry.
If it's not 100% for sure feed, I do not want to chance my life on it.
Not worth selling the gun over some Hydra-Shoks.. You have any idea how hard it was to get this gun?
I just got it a few days ago

I want some 85 gr. Super-X® Silvertip® Hollow Point

I live in Marysville also
 
You are carrying a semi-auto for self defense without even test firing it? Sorry but thats nuts.
 
You ave to buy the gun first before you can go test fire.
I just got it, give me some time to take it out.
Not like I can drive down to Walmart and buy some rounds, no stores have .380 anywhere..
 
I am hoping that your lcp just needs some wear. You might want to run another 100 rounds or so through it and then clean and lube your magazines. I can tell you that mine feeds FMJ and Powerball ammo just fine. Have not tried anything else.

If a bit more shooting does not help, the suggestion to let Ruger fix it is
the best way to go. I've heard that most feed problems with the LCP are
magazine related.

I noticed today at my local gun shop that they had all kinds of personal defense 380 in stock now. NONE of the cheap practice stuff. Some of that stuff was 40 bucks for a box of 20. Sheesh. It's really expensive
testing out all the ammo you could test for the 380. Since I know I can shoot powerball - i'll just shoot the FMJ if and when I can find it.
 
I loaded up my clip with Hydra-Shoks for carry and decided to feed a round into the chamber to make sure it feeds. To my surprise it would not feed, I got it to feed 1 time out of 15 tries.. I tried a light slide feed and a more aggressive slide feed and it would not load.
So I tried loading the FMJ and it loaded perfectly smooth with no problems at all.
So I decided to try the Hydra-Shok again and it doesn't even come close to feeding, it gets jam before the load ramp..
Click to expand...
Is this just when hand feeding the round? What about when actually shooting the gun? It may perform differently when you are firing it and the slide is moving at full speed.
 
when I first got mine

I did not have a chance to take it out for two weeks to test fire it. During that time, before the big shortage, I managed to buy about 400 rounds of various ammo. When I took it to the range I had so many failures to feed, including a few with ball ammo, that I was ready to send the gun to Ruger. My choice for carry was the Fiocchi XTP load and it jammed about twice for every seven fired.:banghead: After getting home I sat at my computer and read about several similar experiences on this forum. After reading through all the suggestions I decided to clean it thoroughly and polish the feed ramp. The lube that Ruger puts on these things is just about like cosmoline and the feed ramp did look a little rough. Ten minutes worth of cleaning and a few more with the dremel tool, wire brush only, and it now functions flawlessly. The next trip to the range I fired 300 rounds without a bobble. By the way, the XTP ammo would do exactly what yours is doing with the hydra shoks.

I like mine so much that I just bought a second one for my daughter. I paid $265 new.
 
Just to clear up something I read on here... The LCP does not have a slide release, or a slide stop. It is a manual slide hold open, and it's purpose is to hold the slide open while you chamber a round. No where in the manual does it instruct you to use it as a slide release either. Basically, it prevents you from having to do the Kel-Tec P3AT shuffle:

load 6 rounds in mag
insert mag into pistol
pull back slide
release slide
push the magazine release
load another round into mag
re-insert mag into pistol
 
Its kind of like the Seecamp 380. The gun was designed around the Winchester Silvertip round and it works flawlessly in it. They advertised this fact so as to warn people about possible feed reliablity. So naturally everyone gripes when a different HP wont feed.
 
Its kind of like the Seecamp 380. The gun was designed around the Winchester Silvertip round and it works flawlessly in it. They advertised this fact so as to warn people about possible feed reliablity. So naturally everyone gripes when a different HP wont feed.
Click to expand...
I know Keltec recommends the Silvertips for hollowpoint ammo but I have never seen or heard this from Ruger.
 
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