The Ruger LCR Revolution begins .....

[jkushner1]

As the hoards of defensive wheel gun enthusiasts, will find ways to knock the Ruger LCR, this gun is leading the way to a whole new paradigm in defensive home protection and carry revolvers, I provide my sole opinion.

1. An innovation that will allow for a whole new set of potential new gun owners to be realized.

2. I love my S&W J frame model 60 - 3" bbl. My wife keeps it at home where it belongs (in her case).

3. Ruger will next come out with a 6 shot cylinder, a .357 magnum version and numerous barrel lengths.

4. The fire control group makes for an out of the box trigger that at 8 to 8.5 #'s pull, can only be rivaled by S&W, or a trigger job.

5. Once smaller combat grips become available, front pocket carry will be so easy that all from an office worker to delivery man will forget this gun is in the front pocket.

6. With Buffalo Bore's 38 +P 158 grain "FBI" load clone (LSWCJHP), this gun very much nears the ft. lb. energy of a .357 magnum.

7. A full house load thru a more expensive scandium J-frame, is felt for up to 5 minutes after discharging a round. The polymer factor in the Ruger lessens that to 15 seconds.

8. The oem Hogue tamer with recoil absorbing insert grip (or optional Crimson Trace grip) combined with the high grip position and superb ergos of the Ruger, give an almost straight back recoil allowing for 2nd/3rd shot accuracy.

9. at 10' feet with no real effort, at less than a rapid fire pace, the Ruger print one large hole.

No jams, a very afforable ultra lite, this gun marks a new era for the revival of the wheel gun that no other gun can provide. We'll hear all kinds of negative reports as the purists refuse to admit or recognize this gun has just changed the face of the defensive home or carry gun forever.

Heres to Ruger !!!!

Edited September 11, 2009 by jkushner1

[Shawn Knight]

Now if it wasn't so ugly.

[mdstihl]

Pretty is as pretty does.

[Graham Smith]

I have been waiting to hear how this did in actual use. It's hard to wade through all the press hype this has been receiving but if the LCP is any indication, the LCR is going to be top of a lot of Christmas lists which means that in 6 months, there will be a lot of happy or unhappy reports to read.

[Gregg K]

Wow, sounds like a Ruger press release. I don't see it as being revolutionary and taking over the free world. Maybe I'm too old but I like steel. The LCR is just about the ugliest thing I have seen, it almost has to shoot better than it looks.

[Shawn Knight]

It may be revolutionary but a certain other revo weighs in at 1.5oz lower without needing a polymer housing.

[Hank Ellis]

Local reloading/gun shop got a LCR in and I dry-fired it. Out of the box the LCR has a better trigger than an out of the box J-frame by a significant margin. Sights on the LCR are real sights that can be used. My 642 sights are virtually worthless. The LCR fits just fine in my Mikas Pocket Holster made for the J-frame. A little bit tighter which may be an issue with some of my tighter clothing.

I was all ready to get one then I listened to ProArm podcast #025. Further info at officer.com. With some ammo at 25yd there was evidence of keyholing. In addition there was an unexplained flyer from every cylinder. Was it that individual gun or is it an indication of the model? Don't know. However with Speer Gold Dot 135gr that was made for snubbies it performed very well but still had that unexplained flyer.

Yes, I understand that 25yd from a pocket gun is much to ask and in reality if I had a defensive shooting at 25 FEET I'll be answering a lot of questions. But, a thorn in my foot is the gun writers term "combat accuracy". It's a coverup for a gun that can't shoot a group. Here we have a gun that throws a flyer on every cylinder and unless you shoot the ammo it likes it won't group. Again, it could be that one individual gun but I want to see more field reports before money exchanges hands.

In my eyes the gun fugly. So what. It's a defensive tool. How does it work? With the passing of Bill Ruger the company he left behind is going in a direction that I like. Innovation. Out of the box thinking. The LCR is part of this new thinking. I have high hopes for the LCR. If someone can explain away the accuracy issues it just might find a place in my pocket.

[XRe]

One round per cylinder sounds like a problem with that gun...

[Hank Ellis]

One round per cylinder sounds like a problem with that gun...

Yup. Sounded like a bad hole in the cylinder. But two people shot it and both experienced the flyers. Neither could identify a bad chamber. Totally random. Details in the podcast.

[Blueridge]

It is an interesting revolver for certain, but it does not interest me. Everyone has their own tastes, and it looks like the revolver has a loyal following at this time. I prefer Ruger the SP-101 personally, and do not mind the weight of it. The ability to use .357 ammo also is a big plus to me.

I tip my hat to Ruger for coming up with a revolver that incorporates polymer into it. I hope that it does well for them, and more innovative ideas come from them in the future.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Blueridge

[mdstihl]

I really don't think it's at all ugly. Then again, I think Glocks are pretty. I'm with the other guys, it'll be interesting to see in a year what the end users are saying about it. I'm also waiting for GunTests to pick it apart. Also I expect some refinements to be made to it, and perhaps if there is a problem with all cylinders they'll simply replace them via recall.

I never get too worked up over accuracy out of a snubby unless it's truly horrible. They're guns made for last resort, holy crap it's hitting the fan. And here in Md, if you involved in a shooting, you'd better be bleeding first.

[kframe_mike]

I had a chance to put a few rounds through one recently.I thought it shot well,and fit my large hands a little better than an out of the box J-frame.The sights are good as well,compared to my older Bodyguard and my wife's newer 60.It seemed to handle recoil well for such a light gun.The big advantage to the J Smith that I don't hear mentioned is ejection.The LCR ejects MUCH more cleanly.I liked it well enough that I could see trading off my steel Bodyguard for one.Who really cares what a CONCEALED carry gun looks like anyway??-Mike

[cas]

An ugly gun for ugly business.

I liked the one I shot. Good feel to it.

[Joe4d]

"""6. With Buffalo Bore's 38 +P 158 grain "FBI" load clone (LSWCJHP), this gun very much nears the ft. lb. energy of a .357 magnum."""

Where do you get that data from ? The 38 data fired from a snubby is pretty anemic, not even approaching what a 9mm can do from a 3"Kahr. for that matter neither does a .357 fired from a snub nose revolver. Lots more recoil and less energy in a larger heavier package that holds less rounds.

The snub nose 38/357 has some virtues, firepower isnt one of them.

[bikerburgess]

I was going to make a coment about how my kel-tech p11 is smaller and holds more ammo and only weighs one more ounce but I went and played with a LCP today and it's trigger is awsome and now I want one

[Storm52]

...In my eyes the gun fugly. So what. It's a defensive tool. How does it work? With the passing of Bill Ruger the company he left behind is going in a direction that I like. Innovation. Out of the box thinking. The LCR is part of this new thinking. I have high hopes for the LCR. If someone can explain away the accuracy issues it just might find a place in my pocket.

Agreed and maybe the same will happen with Gaston passing away. Glock could again lead the innovation in gun world. I handled the LCR and too found it a nice feel in the hand but also hoogly as my mother in law. After all the S&W revolvers in and around here, the LCR reminded me of a cap gun. There is a niche for it as sales have been brisk.

Edited September 13, 2009 by Storm52

[Revopop]

I'll be a lot more interested when there's grip that'll allow it to actually be a pocket gun. I agree though, the trigger is definitely better than on a J frame.

[71Commander]

Out of your 9 point list, only 1 and 4 actually apply to the gun. I have a 342PD that I'll put up against any snubby.

[brnhp35]

closest thing to a snubby i've shot extensivly is a 3" k frame but for the few rounds I put through a lcr the trigger did feel better than standard 642 trigger and the sights were easier to use. One day i will upgrade my carry gun and this is just making the decision harder.

[Revopop]

Don't updgrade, diversify!

[Hank Ellis]

Shot an email off to the ProArms bunch to see if the accuracy issue had been addressed.

The response was that they never got a definitive answer. Massad Ayoob was asked and he said, "I just load it with ammo that groups well and DOESN'T keyhole." He uses Speer 135 grain Gold Dot +P.

[Chris Christian]

I'm one of the Pro Arms bunch, but wasn't involved with Mas' initial testing. I did a follow up that is on the site. I did not notice a flyer from every cylinder full... with the excetion of 148 grain lead target wadcutters... they were tumbling. Mas' noted that lead SWC loads also were not favored, but I didn't test any. I did 15 yard bench tests with a variety of quality jacketed SD ammo (Speer 135 Short Barrel +P, the new 130 grain Win PDX load, the new Federal 125 Nyclad, Cor-Bon 110 and 125, and Rem 125 Golden Sabre). Groups ran three to five inches ( Win and Fed were best at about three inch and shot to identical pounds of aim... 135 Speer was about 3.5 and that is the load I carry in this gun... which I was impressed enough to buy and carry). Three to five inch groups are about the best I'm going to get from any DAO snubby at 15 yards, so I can't see an accuracy problem with the LCR. It now lives in my weakside front pants pocket in a pocket holster... replacing the previous pistol that occupied that space. As a gun writer I can pretty much carry any gun I choose, and if I wasn't happy with the LCR it would have gone back to Ruger, instead of the check I sent. It may be ugly, but it's light, quick, and accurate enough... as one poster noted.. "Beauty is as beauty does."

Chris Christian

[Hank Ellis]

Took a while to find it but did read your followup test on the LCR with additional input from Mas in the thread. Excellent. Answered my questions. Link to the post. Scroll down to the one dated April 30, 2009 by Chris.

As long as you use 125gr to 135gr defense loads, it works. Fair enough. Each gun has a preference for ammo and the LCR obviously works with what would normally be carried in a snubbie. I'm good with that.

Now off to find a LCR.

Thanks Chris for the response. Still think y'all ought to do a followup podcast on this. Not everybody who listens to the podcast follows the GRR forum.

[Revopop]

I'll be a lot more interested when there's grip that'll allow it to actually be a pocket gun. I agree though, the trigger is definitely better than on a J frame.

Well, they wised up. Ruger has now released a new version of the LCR with much more concealable boot grips without the texture and finger grooves, and an XS front night sight to boot. I'm definitely buying one now. I still don't see the LCR as a huge innovation over the S&W M&P340, but I very much like that it costs half as much as the S&W. Still ugly as sin though.

Does anybody know who's making holsters for these?

[chirpy]

There is a thread on another forum concerning an LCR blowup in the area of the barrel shroud just in front of the cylinder. I would like to have an LCR but plan to wait until Ruger can investigate.

FWIW

Richard

PS: Don't know how to post it or I would.