Ruger LCP or Taurus TCP

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Problems with Tauri is far from myth.
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They have problems like any other company, and maybe not the best most friendly customer service(they just always seem to have an attitude when I call), but they still make really good firearms that won't break the bank and back them up with a lifetime warranty.
 
Of the 5 ( Revolvers) I ever owned, 3 were problem childs. The last, ( and it will be the last) I had blow up in my hand due to a manufacturing defect.

Ya pays yur money and ya takes yur chances!
 
I won't perpetuate a myth but I have bought exactly one Taurus and my experience with it leads me to believe that it will be the ONLY Taurus I will ever own. It was garbage even after I sent it back TWICE. I don't care if the TCP shoots lasers, I'll stick with my LCP or a Keltec. I've had no troubles from either company.
 
Taurus has one thing going for it.

Variety. You can get your pistol however you want it, including with gold bling. lol.

And they come out with 20 new models a year.

What they dont have going for them is quality.

That said, I am tempted by a lot of their tracker series of revolvers, thats something you cant find anywhere else.

Anyhow, for a gun that the holster doesnt really matter, since it will be carried in a generic pocket holster, that doesnt cost very much, I would be tempted to try a tcp.
 
I'm not hearing many reliability reports from the Taurus owners. But most of the Ruger owners have stated they have had no reliability issues. That said, I like that both the LCP and TCP are manufactured in the USA. That encourages me to consider the Taurus anyway.
 
If you aren't hearing then you aren't searching it out. You will find plenty of complainers for any firearm. Personally, my LCP has been superb but there are some out there who have had less luck to be sure.
 
Today I fired about 3 magazines through my father's new TCP. I am ready to trade up from my LCP to one of these for several reasons:

  1. The trigger was smoother, shorter, and lighter - but not too short or too light for a carry piece
  2. The trigger guard is angled/sloped out, and not back in towards your trigger finger. This allows more room for you if you are wearing gloves (I cannot fit a gloved finger in my LCP without working it in there, and I have small hands). This also prevents the trigger finger from getting slapped against the inside of the guard, which can cause it to go numb (happens to me occasionally)
  3. The reset is noticeably shorter on the TCP. About one our of every 20 shots with my LCP I will not release the trigger enough to reset it.
  4. The palm swell is a bit fuller on the TCP. Not much, but enough it makes it more comfortable IMHO
  5. It has a REAL slide lock and release, meaning it locks back on the last fired round of the magazine

I am happy with my LCP for what it is (carried often, shot infrequently), but the TCP really has refined some of the shortcomings that existed in other micro .380 pistols. I would find myself shooting it more at the range than my LCP if I owned one. As it stands now, I only shoot my LCP enough to stay proficient, then it's off to my full-size pistol.
 
which pocket pistol to buy?

I purchased a TCP about 2 months ago and am very happy w/ it. I had been looking at the p3at, lcp, and tcp. I ruled out the p3at because of the grip and just all around feel that didn't agree w/ me. I was just about ready to buy an lcp when I got interested in the tcp from taurus. I handled them side by side at my local gun shop and felt that the tcp had a better feel in the hand then the lcp and had alot better features then the lcp. Over the lcp the tcp has an extra clip, loaded gun indicator, lock back on the last round, stainless steel slide (keep in mind that if you are using as a pocket pistol it will wear and possibly get wet on occasion), and one of my favorite features the lock out feature which when activated w/ a key will make the gun unable to be loaded or fired (I have 2 kids so this is a great feature and I use it every day). I purchased the tcp that day (same $ as the lcp at the gun shop) and brought it home and cleaned it up for shooting.

I shot the tcp in my back yard w/ good results. out of 200rnds of different 380 ammo i had one fte (limp wrist) and two failure to feed the last round. On the two failures to feed the last round the tcp will lock back like it is empty w/ one remaining bullet in the mag. I do not completely understand why but it will not deterr me from still loving this pistol and hope that when it is fully broke in that it will not be an issue. The accuracy is VERY good for a pocket pistol! I was shooting form 15yrds and keeping a 6" group not bad in my opinion considering that if needed it in a situation you will not be any further then that away from an assailant. I also think that the kick is not bad at all either - I would say it compares to my glock 27.

I purchased a desantis pocket holster for every day carry and a desantis belt holster w/ elastic extra clip holder built it for range work. I love both the holsters and forgot to mention that the tcp comes w/ a bullydog pouch holster that i used twice and decided that i didn't like it much and put it w/ my pile of other useless shooting stuff.

I hope this helps anyone on the fence of which pocket pistol to buy. :)
 
JMOfartO:

Folks, it all boils down to a person's "personal experience" with ANY pistol...

Folks who have had good experiences with Taurus will probably buy the TCP, and those with a history of happiness with Ruger will lean towards the LCP..

With all of the new 380's on the market a buyer for the 380 caliber pistol certainly has a lot of choices now...

I have a Seecamp LWS380, and recently bought a new Ruger LCP, to which I added a CT Laser.. I love my Seecamp, but you can never have too many pistols and revolvers.... :D

Of all the new 380's hitting the market the only one I absolutely don't care for is the new Sig... The new Sig 380 is a single-action, and while it's a beauty (and a clone of the old Colt Mustang) I just don't want a single action pistol for my cc choice.

I love Sigs (had a P220 and P239) but if I ever have to use my cc weapon in defense of my life all I want to do is pull the trigger, anything beyond that is wasting time, or adding complications. Time I might not have and complications I certainly don't need.

I'm sure there are plenty of extremely happy Sig owners who would disagree with me about the single-action issue, and that's ok too.

If you have a Taurus and are happy with it then it's the gun for you.

Same with any other brand.. ;)

No offense to anyone, just expressing my old fart, senior citizen, opinion.


Best Wishes,

Jesse

P.S. In a cc world where "tiny" is desirable... Obviously the Seecamp is highly desirable.. :)

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They *Seem* really similar, but I've never shot either.

I'd say get the TCP though, because the slide looks nicer. :D
 
I have owned two Taurus's both had defects right out of the box. I sold both of them and now I dont even look at them at the gun shop.
 
The TCP is made in the USA (vs. Brazil for most -- if not all -- of their other handguns), and apparently the quality control is better as I've seen much fewer initial complaints about it vs. their other handguns.
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That makes me a little more interested in the TCP. I never thought about them having to make the gun in the USA, but I guess they do due to import laws. In the past I said that I never wanted one of these little guns to carry (although I did buy the P238 just because it was cool), but on the rare occasion that I might not be able to carry my 642 one might come in handy. I ordered an LCP from my LGS today, but may have to rethink this. They had a TCP in stock ready to go.
 
tcp over ruger?

I am considering getting either the tcp or lcp...checked them both out at the store and am leaning toward the lcp. I've had the Taurus 709 for over a year now...about 300 rounds so far without a single problem.
The one thing I noticed between the two .380s is that the Ruger barrel seems to be noticeably thicker than the TCP's. Not sure how much that really matters...but I did get the impression of better quality from the ruger. The taurus seemed to have a nicer trigger pull though; that, the lower price, and the extra mag make me lean heavily toward it.
 
I've owned the TCP 738 for about 3 months. I think it's a great little gun. In recent years I have owned Glocks, Rugers, Kahrs, Springfield Arms, and Colt, along with Taurus pistols. Unlike some here, I've had very good luck with the Taurus guns. Take them out to the range, shoot them and keep them clean. Sunday I went to the range. Shot my Colt 1911 for a while, then pulled out my Kahr CW40. After being abused by it for a while, I pulled out the little Taurus 380. After the Kahr, it felt like a 22. I shot some Cor Bon hollowpoints and a box of Fiochi ball ammo, shooting a magazine at a time as fast as I could pull the trigger. From 10 yards, all rounds hit within a paper plate sized circle. Not a single problem in 72 rounds of rapid fire. All toll, the TCP has over 400 rounds thru it without a hiccup. I had an LCP for a couple months. Very reliable, very accurate, but not fun to shoot.
 
How is the LCP a PITA to shoot? I've put 150+ rounds in one session through my LCP and I find it to be a great shooter.
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My complaint there (though it would almost certainly apply to the TCP too) is just it's size, but that's kind of unavoidable for this style of pistol. It's small to hold on to, and much harder than a standard sized grip to hold right (at least for me). My LCP is the ONLY handgun that's even nicked the top of my hand from griping it too high.

It serves it's purpose though. I'm not comfortable carrying IWB or OWB, and the LCP drops right into my pocket (I keep it in a Desantis Nemesis which works great). I think I may look into a Kahr CW9 though for carry in an inside jacket pocket during winter.
 
I have the LCP and do like it for what it is. It is not a range gun. About 50 rounds is my comfortable limit. Cost of rounds makes that wise anyway.

I did polish the ramp and that resolved some feed issues I was having with non-SD rounds. It also tends to launch casings at your head at times. Some have put a heavier spring in and resolved that issue.
 
I have the LCP and enjoy shooting it. It did take a little getting used to since I'd never used a "mini" gun before. Once I learned how to handle it I haven't had any problems. It's very accurate and I've never had a jam. I've put several hundred round through it now. My only complaint is the slide not locking open after the last round.
 
Max1:

Just personal opinion, but no matter WHAT the conversation is about sooner or later someone will come along who will not agree with the consensus of the majority.

I have an LCP with a CT Laser and I love it. :D

Surprisingly accurate and reliable right out of the box.. Easy to conceal and in my experience a very, very good little pistol.

No offense to those who disagree.

Best Wishes,

jesse
 
I must say I prefer the Taurus, but then, I've got three Taurus revolvers that are awesome. I'm not a Taurus basher, got better things to do, like shoot my Tauri.

I like the TCP for the stainless, but also, reports of its accuracy are good and the slide does lock on the last round which it should. Most of the reports of the TCP I've been getting from actual owners is good to great. They're made in Florida, too, have to be by law if they wanna sell 'em in the US.

Got nothing against the Ruger, excellent little gun, just that the Taurus is a little less money and offers stainless. For a carry gun, if I have the option, I'll always go stainless.

I've sure been thinkin' about adding a TCP, just don't have the need, really. I might buy one anyway, though, never know. But, I don't carry the .380 I've got, though I kinda like this new 9mm Mak chambered P64 I picked up recently. It might be just the new to me thing, but it's very accurate, 3" at 25 yards accurate. Accuracy always endears me to a gun. Besides I can find CHEAP ball ammo, under 10 bucks, in 9x18. I reload, but I mean with ammo that cheap......
 
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