eric.cartman
Member
Great, my browser (Firefox) just crashed, so I have to write this all over again 
here we go...
So I got this little puppy yesterday: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=379786
First Impressions: Great looking gun! Like an iPhone of guns really! Excellent manufacturing! Shiny, no sharp edges, nicely polished! Work of art! Which will be one of its downfalls
Gun came in a paper box (lame), with a pouch, trigger lock, ONE magazine (again, lame, once you're used to getting 2 with most semi autos), manual, etc. At a sticker price of $295 I believe Ruger did a good job keeping the price low and quality high, despite the sub standard packaging / content. I mean, $295, it's really hard to argue.
Pre-Shooting Activities: Had to field strip the gun and remove the brown factory grease. It was all over the gun. Few q-tips and a paper towel did the trick. Once it was nice and clean and dry, I applied a bit of gun grease on the slide rails, cycled the slide all by itself on the frame, wiped off the excess lubricant, and reassembled the gun. All ready for action!
More Pre-Shooting Activities: This will be quick, I promise. I purchased 100 rounds of Sellier & Bellot 92gr .380 AUTO, and 25 rounds of Remington Golden Saber 102gr. HP Ammo. I also decided to take my wife's KelTec P32 to the range, since she's been carrying it for few months without shooting or cleaning. So I got another 50 rounds of 32 Auto Sellier & Bellot 73gr FMJ. Plus I wanted to have something "similar" (I know, but I don't have a KelTec in .380) to compare the LCP to, and my wife didn't mind the extra weight of Kahr PM9 which I normally carry so we swapped for a day.
At The Range: OK, so I first fired the ammo already loaded in my wife's P32. All 8 shots hit the target and the slide locked back after the last round. This gave me some comfort knowing that, the one I love the most, can safely carry her little pistol, and after few months of close encounters with makeup and whatever else she has in her purse, it will still work like a charm! Anyways... I then proceeded to shooting the LCP...
Wow! It doesn't crush all those funny bones in my wrist. What a nice surprise, why thank you Mr. Ruger
But in all seriousness... I'm a tall and skinny gun with fairly large hands, so those small guns are really hard to hold on to. And while the recoil of the P32 is rather minimal, the LCP lets you know it's there and barking. BUT, it's not bad AT ALL. More kick than the P32, but not much more. Honestly, I expected heavier recoil. So a nice surprise there.
Back to holding that little gun in one's hand... BECAUSE it's so slick, shiny and smooth, I found it slipping and moving around more than the P32. See, Keltec's, in my oppinion, have a more sand-paper'ish surface on the grip. LCP is smooth. Possibly too smooth for someone with weak grip. Me, being the manly men that I am, simply squeezed the gun harder and all was once again under control
OK, OK, but "What about reliability?!?" you may ask. Well, a very pleasant experience there. NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM. I fired 100 rounds of ball ammo, and 6+1 of the Remington HP. Both worked great! I took the remaining 18 rounds of HP ammo home with me, thinking I'll use that in every day CCW, but after some thought, I decided to carry the S&B Ball Ammo. It's .380 after all, so I personally feel that HP will make no difference, BUT FMJ may just be more reliable. Plus that's what I shot the most out of that gun, and it proved to work flawlessly. I also put the same ammo in my wife's P32 (S&B FMJ), and if it's good enough for her, well it's good enough for me!
Other than that, once you get a good grip on the gun, follow up shots are quick and easy. I fired at silhouette targets from about 5 yards, and was able to keep my shots withing 10 inch circle when firing fast (yea, gun slinger I ain't). When using the rudimentary sights and taking my time, I was able to hit the "head" of the target all the time from 5 yards. Though I noticed that the gun shoots an inch or so below the point of aim. This however does not worry me at all. It is a BUG, and given the nature of self defense shootings, I'm satisfied with the gun and my ability to consistently put shots into the center mass of the target from a distance of 5-7 yards or less (and let's be honest here, you will not be shooting that little gun at anything further away, or at least you shouldn't).
Oh yea, two more things: The trigger or the guard did pinch my index finger a bit when firing. Probably from the gun jumping up when fired. This however didn't happen with a stronger grip. Also, this will sound strange, but the milimiter or so gap between the inserted magazine and the frame felt like the mag was falling out. It wasn't. I checked. But it sometimes felt like it.
Final Thoughts: I'm very happy with the purchase. LCP lived up to the hype, for me at least. It will be an everyday companion, especially when deep concealment is needed.
here we go...So I got this little puppy yesterday: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=379786
First Impressions: Great looking gun! Like an iPhone of guns really! Excellent manufacturing! Shiny, no sharp edges, nicely polished! Work of art! Which will be one of its downfalls
Gun came in a paper box (lame), with a pouch, trigger lock, ONE magazine (again, lame, once you're used to getting 2 with most semi autos), manual, etc. At a sticker price of $295 I believe Ruger did a good job keeping the price low and quality high, despite the sub standard packaging / content. I mean, $295, it's really hard to argue.
Pre-Shooting Activities: Had to field strip the gun and remove the brown factory grease. It was all over the gun. Few q-tips and a paper towel did the trick. Once it was nice and clean and dry, I applied a bit of gun grease on the slide rails, cycled the slide all by itself on the frame, wiped off the excess lubricant, and reassembled the gun. All ready for action!
More Pre-Shooting Activities: This will be quick, I promise. I purchased 100 rounds of Sellier & Bellot 92gr .380 AUTO, and 25 rounds of Remington Golden Saber 102gr. HP Ammo. I also decided to take my wife's KelTec P32 to the range, since she's been carrying it for few months without shooting or cleaning. So I got another 50 rounds of 32 Auto Sellier & Bellot 73gr FMJ. Plus I wanted to have something "similar" (I know, but I don't have a KelTec in .380) to compare the LCP to, and my wife didn't mind the extra weight of Kahr PM9 which I normally carry so we swapped for a day.
At The Range: OK, so I first fired the ammo already loaded in my wife's P32. All 8 shots hit the target and the slide locked back after the last round. This gave me some comfort knowing that, the one I love the most, can safely carry her little pistol, and after few months of close encounters with makeup and whatever else she has in her purse, it will still work like a charm! Anyways... I then proceeded to shooting the LCP...
Wow! It doesn't crush all those funny bones in my wrist. What a nice surprise, why thank you Mr. Ruger
But in all seriousness... I'm a tall and skinny gun with fairly large hands, so those small guns are really hard to hold on to. And while the recoil of the P32 is rather minimal, the LCP lets you know it's there and barking. BUT, it's not bad AT ALL. More kick than the P32, but not much more. Honestly, I expected heavier recoil. So a nice surprise there.Back to holding that little gun in one's hand... BECAUSE it's so slick, shiny and smooth, I found it slipping and moving around more than the P32. See, Keltec's, in my oppinion, have a more sand-paper'ish surface on the grip. LCP is smooth. Possibly too smooth for someone with weak grip. Me, being the manly men that I am, simply squeezed the gun harder and all was once again under control
OK, OK, but "What about reliability?!?" you may ask. Well, a very pleasant experience there. NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM. I fired 100 rounds of ball ammo, and 6+1 of the Remington HP. Both worked great! I took the remaining 18 rounds of HP ammo home with me, thinking I'll use that in every day CCW, but after some thought, I decided to carry the S&B Ball Ammo. It's .380 after all, so I personally feel that HP will make no difference, BUT FMJ may just be more reliable. Plus that's what I shot the most out of that gun, and it proved to work flawlessly. I also put the same ammo in my wife's P32 (S&B FMJ), and if it's good enough for her, well it's good enough for me!
Other than that, once you get a good grip on the gun, follow up shots are quick and easy. I fired at silhouette targets from about 5 yards, and was able to keep my shots withing 10 inch circle when firing fast (yea, gun slinger I ain't). When using the rudimentary sights and taking my time, I was able to hit the "head" of the target all the time from 5 yards. Though I noticed that the gun shoots an inch or so below the point of aim. This however does not worry me at all. It is a BUG, and given the nature of self defense shootings, I'm satisfied with the gun and my ability to consistently put shots into the center mass of the target from a distance of 5-7 yards or less (and let's be honest here, you will not be shooting that little gun at anything further away, or at least you shouldn't).
Oh yea, two more things: The trigger or the guard did pinch my index finger a bit when firing. Probably from the gun jumping up when fired. This however didn't happen with a stronger grip. Also, this will sound strange, but the milimiter or so gap between the inserted magazine and the frame felt like the mag was falling out. It wasn't. I checked. But it sometimes felt like it.
Final Thoughts: I'm very happy with the purchase. LCP lived up to the hype, for me at least. It will be an everyday companion, especially when deep concealment is needed.
