Ruger LCR in .357 Mag ... :O)

[MCMXI]

I've been wanting to add a "small" revolver in an ankle holster to my CC routine to accompany the Springfield XD-S that I'm carrying at 4 o'clock. I handled a Ruger LCR in .38 Spl a couple of weeks ago and was impressed with the whole package. I decided that I could live with the extra 4oz of the .357 Mag version since I prefer a stainless steel frame over aluminum and I prefer the .357 Mag over .38 Spl. Loaded with five rounds the LCR is almost 6oz lighter than the loaded XD-S (5+1) and the XD-S is far from heavy. I picked up the revolver from my FFL guy this afternoon and we shot 20 rounds each of Remington Golden Saber 125gr JHP and we were both very impressed. Recoil is very manageable, in part due to the excellent Hogue grip. The front sight has zero contrast to the rear notch so I have an XS tritium front sight on the way. The LCR arrived very dry but now that it's home and oiled it's a lot smoother. I give this revolver two thumbs up. I took the dogs walking tonight with the LCR in my front pocket. I never thought of it as a pocket gun but it works in a pinch.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I recently took a firesight equipped 38 LCR in on a trade and have been really impressed thus far. like you I THOUGHT I wanted a 357 but after shooting the 38 I don't think I really want to go there.

Even though I've moved to a PPS as my primary I just can't bring myself to part with the little LCR

 

[firesky101]

I love my KLCR, the polymer frame and houge grips really make .357 tolerable.

 

[MCMXI]

My coworker has a S&W 342 AirLite in .38 Spl that he carries in an ankle holster. He was trying to talk me into getting something similar rather than an LCR in .357 Mag but I'm glad I didn't listen to him. The LCR trigger is very good out of the box, the weight is minimal and recoil is nothing to write home about. In fact, the XD-S has more felt recoil to me but that is probably due to the hard plastic waffle grip.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Great pocket gun. Carry mine all the time with that very load. Works well with a cheap nylon holster (Blackhawk! size 4 - go up a size from the J-frame, it's a bit bigger than the Smiths.)

I hear people say they'd rather have the .38, but I think the .38 version firing .38 +P loads is more painful than the .357 shooting medium .357 loads like the Golden Saber. Now a full-power .357 load is a different story, of course, but I only shoot those when I want to make a big noise - which it does.

 

[moxie]

The Nemesis is a great pocket holster for it.

 

[Drail]

Nice to lug around. Not much fun to shoot. I suppose it's good for the "flash, blast and recoil" junkies.

 

[MCMXI]

Nice to lug around. Not much fun to shoot. I suppose it's good for the "flash, blast and recoil" junkies.

I'm not a "flash, blast and recoil junkie" but I found the KLCR fun to shoot, using Remington GS 125gr JHP anyway. I was surprised to discover no unburned powder or other fouling in the barrel, cylinder or under the star ejector.

 

[Stress_Test]

You still gotta try the UMC 125gr SJHP magnum rounds. You know you want to!

Wear eye protection!!

 

[Haywood]

I like my LCR357. I had over 7000 rounds of 357 Ammo loaded for practice. The load I practice with duplicates the Corbon 125g 357. I have shot some 357 ammo that is painfull. Most of the Factory 357 Ammo that is made for and labeled as Self Defence Ammo, has a lower flash and a little less Recoil. So far I have 3000 rounds through the LCR. Most of the Rounds are 357. A few were 38s.(Boring) 400 or more 38+P. The +P is probably what most people would like. With the Tamer Grip and the extra 4 oz. of the 357 Gun, 38+P is sweet shooting.

 

[antiquus]

They are exceptional guns. I've shot my .38 LCR with full house BB loads (350ft/lbs at the muzzle) and the gun remains controllable. My arthritic wife can shoot standard .38 spl out of it comfortably. They really did their homework on this design.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Ruger really hit a home run with the LCR. Lets hope they expand the line further.

A 3" bbl perhaps?

9mm anyone

Or even better a large frame 44/45lc :-0

 

[MCMXI]

Lets hope they expand the line further

I agree. A 9mm would be excellent, particularly if they could keep the pistol around 13oz. My only concern would be the loss of velocity out of a 1.875" barrel. A Kimber Solo with a 2.7" barrel loses about 120 fps over a 4" barrel.

3" or 4" variants in .357 Mag, .44 Spl, .44 Mag and .45 Colt would be great too if they offered a significant weight reduction over the SP101, GP100 and Redhawk models.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I agree. A 9mm would be excellent, particularly if they could keep the pistol around 13oz. My only concern would be the loss of velocity out of a 1.875" barrel. A Kimber Solo with a 2.7" barrel loses about 120 fps over a 4" barrel.

3" or 4" variants in .357 Mag, .44 Spl, .44 Mag and .45 Colt would be great too if they offered a significant weight reduction over the SP101, GP100 and Redhawk models.

Look up some of my range reports on a Taurus 905. The velocity loss in a 9mm snub by isn't nearly as large as you'd expect. 124g gold dots +p are still 1100 fps + loads beating the pants off 38 from the same length bbl. remember comparing an auto bbl to a revolver you must measure the length the same way IE to the breach face not the cylinder face

 

[MCMXI]

remember comparing an auto bbl to a revolver you must measure the length the same way IE to the breach face not the cylinder face

Good point ... and one of those DUH moments.

 

[camsdaddy]

My coworker has a S&W 342 AirLite in .38 Spl that he carries in an ankle holster. He was trying to talk me into getting something similar rather than an LCR in .357 Mag but I'm glad I didn't listen to him. The LCR trigger is very good out of the box, the weight is minimal and recoil is nothing to write home about. In fact, the XD-S has more felt recoil to me but that is probably due to the hard plastic waffle grip.

Or the fact it's a pocket sized 45

 

[MCMXI]

Or the fact it's a pocket sized 45

I would have expected a 17.1oz revolver shooting a cartridge with 413 ft-lb of muzzle energy to have more felt recoil than a 21.5oz pistol shooting a cartridge with 356 ft-lb of muzzle energy.

 

[R.W.Dale]

The grip on the LCRs are very good

 

[MCMXI]

The grip on the LCRs are very good

Ruger and Hogue really have this figured out. I have an Alaskan in .454 Casull that has a Hogue grip and it also does a great job of taming felt recoil.

 

[Deer_Freak]

I am not sure I could deal with the hogue grips. The grips on a 357 mag and larger guns should be made or smooth wood or synthetic ivory. The gun is supposed to rock in your hand when you shoot it so you don't take all the recoil in the palm of your hand. In the case of a traditional revolver the hammer should be in easy reach of your thumb and level it's self once you cock the gun.

Once the shooter becomes accustomed to shooting a firearm in the manner he/she should be able to get off very rapid aimed shots, even with a single action revolver.

 

[MCMXI]

I installed the XS front sight this afternoon and what a difference it makes!! The only tricky part of the installation was getting the new roll pin started in the sight. It would be easier if XS already had the pin started in one side but after a bit of fiddling I managed to get it done. I have a number of decent punches so used an 1/8" punch to get the pin started and tap it home. Here are before and after shots. The XS sight has a large white ring surrounding a smaller tritium dot for night use. It's so much easier to pick up the front sight now, particularly against a dark background. I'm really loving this revolver.

 

[camsdaddy]

Curious of feedback once you shoot with the xs

 

[MCMXI]

I was planning on shooting some rounds over a chronograph this weekend but got sidetracked. I'll try to shoot during the week and report back on the XS sight. The instruction manual has an interesting description of how to use the front sight for quick close up shooting and more precise, longer range use.

 

[336A]

remember comparing an auto bbl to a revolver you must measure the length the same way IE to the breach face not the cylinder face

Uhhhh..... no you don't. No where in the industry is this an accepted standard for measuring a revolvers barrel. The barrel on a revolver is and has always been measured from the forcing cone to the muzzle. It never ever has included the cylinder.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Uhhhh..... no you don't. No where in the industry is this an accepted standard for measuring a revolvers barrel. The barrel on a revolver is and has always been measured from the forcing cone to the muzzle. It never ever has included the cylinder.

If you're going to compare muzzle velocity between an automatic or revolver you for darn well need to measure the effective barrel length the same way.

Folks have been misinterpreting "ballistics by the inch" data set for YEARS over this one glaringly simple oversight.