Ruger LCP

[eerw]

Looking for a little gun..probably between the KelTec P3AT or the Ruger LCP..

anyone got any time at the range through an LCP? Would like to know your impressions..if you have both an LCP and a P3AT interested in your thoughts between the two..

thanks

[satx40]

I've had one of the first LCP's for about 4 months. I've only put about 150 rounds through it though. As far as operation goes it has been flawless. To me it shoots softer than a PPK/S. The sights are a little hard to see with these old eyes but I figure that it wasn't designed for anything over 15 - 20ft. It is as accurate as it needs to be at 7 yds.

I've never owned a P3AT so I can't compare.

I would recommend getting one if you can find one.

Art

[Seth]

I JUST bought a P32 last Friday. I had been doing the same comparisons and decided based on cost and availability to get the Kel Tec --- the wait for a Ruger is about 8 weeks here and there have been reports from my dealer about problems with them.

The P32 was about $220 and I decided that that was inexpensive enough to be shoved in my back pocket and beat on daily. I figured if I actually became religious about carrying it, I could always upgrade later. The P3AT was about $80 more.

Anyway, I bought my P32 and took it to the range on Saturday. Accuracy is shocking. It'll do one big ragged hole at 7 yards and will print a 5 shot group of about 5" at 15 yards. For giggles we ran a 50 yard standards target out to 25 yards to see what was possible and it was putting all rounds on paper in about a 10" group. Sites are not good, but they ARE accurate at POA. Trigger is heavy but takes up predictably.

And most importantly, I have a little wallet holster and can throw it in my back pocket and don't even notice it. I'm quite pleased with the Kel Tec and will probably buy another someday.

[ChrisStock]

I have put 50 or so rounds through my stepfather's LCP, and it's a unique experience. I carry a Bersa .380 these days, and I thought that keeping my paws out of the muzzle blast area was difficult with THAT. I could easily remove some skin and meat with the LCP if I wasn't careful. Small, light, and concealable is good, keeping my hands intact is better. It fed both WWB and some Remington Green Box through without a hiccup, though. Quite capable of being a great carry piece if you have average size hands and the reliability continued.

[chp5]

Stuart - I've had good luck with my P3AT. I don't shoot it a lot, but it's not made to be shot a lot. No jams, etc.

Personally, I like to wait until a gun is in production for a while before I buy one to make sure the maker works out the inevitable kinks.

[J-Ho]

I'd wait on the LCP. It's just too new. Let them works any bugs out first. I've never had a P3AT, but I shot hundreds of rounds through a P32. Amazingly accurate for a damn near sightless pipsqueak gun. If the P3AT is anything like the P32, I'll have to get one one of these days.

[Chuck Anderson]

I bought two P3AT's a couple years ago when they first came out. One gun came from the factory with the mag release screwed up and wouldn't hold the mag in the gun. The other lasted about 50 rounds. Worked great for those 50 rounds though. The first one has had the mag release fixed but hasn't been shot. The second is sitting in a bag of parts on my desk because I haven't got around to putting it back together for 1 1/2 years. They're not the most intuitive guns to detail strip.

[1911user]

I've had a p3at for over a year now. It works well and is accurate if you take time to line up the small sights.

The biggest issue I've had is the pistol walking itself out of my grip with each shot. It happens even with dry hands and holding tight. It doesn't move much, but is enough to notice and affects where the pistol naturally points. A factory +1 round mag extension helped. It allows a full 2-finger grip that's surprisingly solid. I also had the front and backstrap stippled for a more secure grip. The side panels of the grip already have a rough checkered pattern. Both changes really helped to keep the pistol in place during recoil. Without the mag extension, I would consider stippling almost mandatory especially on the frontstrap.

The frame is an internal metal structure so the plastic grip can be removed and replaced or shipped without FFL concerns.

Edited July 16, 2008 by 1911user

[mwx40x40]

I have the Kel Tec 380 and have had probelms with extraction. Called Mfg and they responded quickly with new extractor. Unfortunately, one round out of 12 still fails to extract. It literally leaves the empty in the chamber and tries to feed another out of the mag.

On the other hand I have three friends wtih 32's and they run perfect and as mentioned , more accurate than thought possible.

[Chris Keen]

I agree with Cy about waiting for new guns to be "field tested" by others 1st. And I agree with Sethmark about the readily available Keltec over the Ruger you have to wait a few weeks for.

I've actually had 2 of the Keltec P3AT's and never had a problem with either one. BUt when and if you ever do Keltec has wonderful customer service. I once LOST a small part at the range (cleaning the dam thing) and called Keltec to order a new one, and they said "No charge". Sort of like the Dillon no BS warranty. I think they would send you damn near any part short of the frame, slide, or barrel if you asked them for it.

[Ron Ankeny]

Hey Stuart:

I had a P3AT for about six months. It was an OK little mouse gun at first, but then it developed a strange issue of not always wanting to function after disassembly. I got frustrated and got rid of the darn thing.

We have (had) Ruger LCPs running on most dealer shelves around here and availablitlity isn't (wasn't) an issue. I decided to try one and it had feeding problems right from the get go. I noticed a burr on the lower edge of the feed ramp so I called Ruger and got a hold of the LCP guru. He told me the issue with my gun was a known problem. Some of the guns left without the burr being removed after the assembly guys use a polishing wheel on the feed ramp. I removed the burr myself and the gun has been running flawlessly with anything I feed it. I had quite a chat with the Ruger expert and he told me the little pistol has been a huge success with a fairly low return rate. When I asked about longevity he kind of waffled around and I suspect the gun wouldn't have a long life...but hey, how much is a guy going to shoot it anyway?

[eerw]

thanks guys for all the input..still doing some reading on the two.

availability isn't an issue..have one offered to me..and the local store has a bunch of both the LCP and the P3AT.

just looking for something smaller than the j-frame..and don't want to pay the bucks right now for a PM9.

[JakeMartens]

I have the Kel Tec 380 and have had probelms with extraction. Called Mfg and they responded quickly with new extractor. Unfortunately, one round out of 12 still fails to extract. It literally leaves the empty in the chamber and tries to feed another out of the mag.

On the other hand I have three friends wtih 32's and they run perfect and as mentioned , more accurate than thought possible.

I have one that does this sometimes as well. It is a hell of a jam too, got to drop the mag, rack the slide to clear the case, reload and rack the slide again to get back into battery.

Wouldn't be a good situation to be in if you were being attacked.

It hasn't done it with the new Hornady hollow points I have tried, but was doing it on every mag when I was trying Remington practice ammo.

[Nemo]

Stick with the J-frame, Stu. They never jam!

[Middle Man]

LCP's have been recalled by Ruger. Info here: www.ruger.com/lcprecall