Thoughts from a new LCP owner. I'm the typical owner of a brand new toy, and I want to give a glowing report. But I can't. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with the gun--it does exactly what it is supposed to do very well; an ultra light, deep concealment, point and shoot, close-in defensive weapon. It is just not for me. In more experienced hands, this may be a great little weapon.
I say "point and shoot", because, while an accurate daylight gun, from dusk on( when you are most likely to need to defend yourself) the tiny black sights are invisible and useless. This leaves point and shoot. Combine this with a very long and stiff trigger, and I find rapid, accurate, shot placement very difficult in low light situations. Shot placement is paramount for all calibers, but especially important in the diminutive 380. I'm no "gunslinger", so for those of you with better shooting skills than me, your mileage may vary. I also would like the option of sight aiming at night, if the need arises for a more distant shot.
To remedy the sight issue, I splurged on a Crimson Trace Laser Sight. Another $170 on top of the $330 gun. The laser is quite bright and can be seen reasonably well out to 15 feet in daylight--beyond 20', it is, sometimes, difficult to find the red dot without sighting it. At night, you can see the red dot forever.
The activation button is on the front of the grip, and is very easy to push. My problem, however, is the button falls into the inside crease of my knuckle. This may vary with hand size, mine are kind of small. For me to activate it takes an unnatural and awkward grip--which throws off my aim. In slow fire, I can be fairly accurate with the LCP CT combo. But that is not what the gun was made for! In draw and shoot mode, I usually fail to activate the laser. I have to make a conscious effort to turn it on. This slows me down and throws off my shot--not good. I have tried depressing the button, w/ the gun still in my pocket, then drawing--not much better. Admittedly, I haven't had a lot of practice with this combo (about 250 live rounds and hundreds of dry fires--w/ snap caps, of course).
Contrast this to my Kahr PM9 w/ night sites, and the difference is huge! Real sights, a slightly longer barrel, and the trigger is oh-so-sweet! I'm on target faster, my shot placement is more consistent and, with the smooth trigger and longer barrel, I can even point shoot better. Best of all, it shoots a round with almost double the energy of the LCP.
There is a slight weight penalty for the PM9, but it still pockets very nicely (I use an "aholster" pocket holster which I highly recommend, very thin). After installing the CT, the price difference between the two is negligible. For now, the PM9 will be my daily carry. I'll keep practicing with the LCP.
I say "point and shoot", because, while an accurate daylight gun, from dusk on( when you are most likely to need to defend yourself) the tiny black sights are invisible and useless. This leaves point and shoot. Combine this with a very long and stiff trigger, and I find rapid, accurate, shot placement very difficult in low light situations. Shot placement is paramount for all calibers, but especially important in the diminutive 380. I'm no "gunslinger", so for those of you with better shooting skills than me, your mileage may vary. I also would like the option of sight aiming at night, if the need arises for a more distant shot.
To remedy the sight issue, I splurged on a Crimson Trace Laser Sight. Another $170 on top of the $330 gun. The laser is quite bright and can be seen reasonably well out to 15 feet in daylight--beyond 20', it is, sometimes, difficult to find the red dot without sighting it. At night, you can see the red dot forever.
The activation button is on the front of the grip, and is very easy to push. My problem, however, is the button falls into the inside crease of my knuckle. This may vary with hand size, mine are kind of small. For me to activate it takes an unnatural and awkward grip--which throws off my aim. In slow fire, I can be fairly accurate with the LCP CT combo. But that is not what the gun was made for! In draw and shoot mode, I usually fail to activate the laser. I have to make a conscious effort to turn it on. This slows me down and throws off my shot--not good. I have tried depressing the button, w/ the gun still in my pocket, then drawing--not much better. Admittedly, I haven't had a lot of practice with this combo (about 250 live rounds and hundreds of dry fires--w/ snap caps, of course).
Contrast this to my Kahr PM9 w/ night sites, and the difference is huge! Real sights, a slightly longer barrel, and the trigger is oh-so-sweet! I'm on target faster, my shot placement is more consistent and, with the smooth trigger and longer barrel, I can even point shoot better. Best of all, it shoots a round with almost double the energy of the LCP.
There is a slight weight penalty for the PM9, but it still pockets very nicely (I use an "aholster" pocket holster which I highly recommend, very thin). After installing the CT, the price difference between the two is negligible. For now, the PM9 will be my daily carry. I'll keep practicing with the LCP.
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