Carrying one up with Ruger LCP for new owner

I don’t believe I personally have put anyone down, but I will say I also don’t carry without a round chambered, nor do I know of any firearms instructor that would advocate doing so with a modern firearm. As for the, “Well have you ever had to use a firearm in self defense”, no I haven’t, though I do take instruction from those that have. By the train of thought presented I would be just as well off not owning a firearm at all. I’ve never needed one until now after all, and I’m even less likely to have a firearms related accident if I don’t own a firearm.


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Lol, the debate over the dangers of the LCPll trigger have been going on since the Pistol first came out. Must be about a million of them. Each to his own. I won't carry one. Holster or no holster.
I shoot Pocket guns weekly and have been for over 10 years. Recently bought the LCPll 22.cal as a trainer. And it is a weird trigger. In fact I think it sucks. I shoot the 380 DAO much better and they are so much safer. JMHO
 
I have an original LCP that I have carried in a pocket holster for years, and I do carry it with a round chambered. I have never had a problem with it.

One respondent mentioned that he would never carry a striker-fire pistol. The original LCP is a hammer-fire pistol. I'm not familiar with the LCP II.

As I understand it, there is no "half cock" position on an LCP. When the trigger is pressed, the light-weight hammer moves back then smacks the firing pin sharply to fire the round. As the slide returns to battery, the hammer follows the slide back "home" and rests on the firing pin. This mechanism concerned me initially, but I've not had any issues with it.

Remove the magazine, clear the chamber, and field strip your LCP. Hold the slide in your hand and with a small screw driver, depress the end of the firing pin. You'll see that there is a rather stiff spring that resists forward motion of the pin. As I recall, this stiff spring is a safety feature and allows the light-weight hammer to rest on the pin without igniting a round.
 
Carrying the Ruger LCP with a Chambered Cartridge

Ruger LCP.JPG

Like many others who replied to your post, I have owned and carried my first-generation Ruger LCP .380ACP for some years now, and have had no untoward incidents involving the little pistol in all that time, while carrying the pistol with a round in the chamber. I mainly carry the LCP as a backup gun, together with two extra magazines, and I truly appreciate its diminutive size and low weight. Once I put it on, I hardly notice it’s there.

Your comment about keeping the gun on you while roughhousing with your kids gave me some pause, however; the only thing I can recommend is that you shift the gun from your front pocket to one of your back pockets when you carry it, and make sure that the holster you choose covers the gun’s trigger guard and always maintains the pistol in a muzzle-down, grip-up position.

I am still inclined to believe that there is no substitute for carrying a gun with a cartridge chambered, especially in an environment as potentially dangerous as your own. Like you, I usually wind up carrying concealed at home (albeit involuntarily) because I often neglect to remove the LCP and its two extra magazines from my back pockets, after putting aside whatever primary handgun I’ve carried for the day.

Security experts insist that carrying at home is an excellent idea --- it precludes any mad scramble to get to a gun when a breach of your home’s security occurs. Although I have to admit that my first impulse would still be to reach for the closest long gun if such an emergency occurred.

Personally, the only instance in which I would consider carrying a gun without a chambered round is if I had a reliable early-warning system (like a pair of dogs that warn against intruders, for example). Such an alert could prompt me to draw the pistol and rack the slide at the first sign of danger.

You may eventually wish to add a laser unit to your LCP in the future, to make the pistol easier to aim and hit with. The LCP’s sights can sometimes be difficult to see, especially in low light. Crimson Trace makes a laser unit specifically for the LCP, and my gun has worn one for as long as I‘ve been carrying it.

The only other important thing I would like to add has to do with the Crimson Trace laser unit. If and when you do attach a Crimson Trace unit to the gun, and you carry it in the back pocket of your jeans the way that I normally do, make sure to check the laser’s alignment every couple of weeks or so.

I have noticed that when the gun and its laser attachment are have been exclusively carried in the back right pocket for a while, the laser’s point of aim tends to shift an inch or two to the left, likely because of the constant pressure exerted upon the attachment when I sit on the gun. The change in alignment is easily corrected using the unit’s adjustment screws, however, and poses no significant disadvantage at close quarters.

I have written a somewhat more detailed account of my experience with the Ruger LCP over the years, which you may find helpful. You can find it here:
https://tygus.net/2018/09/16/a-defensive-pistol-you-can-always-have-with-you/
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I love gun control. It lets me hit what I'm shooting at!
 
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Read your page.

The Kel Tec design DID have an innovation. First user removable firing control unit.

That was a requirement for the current US handgun today. I would say that's pretty significant innovation :)
 
Think it Over

Most people are attacked when at home and when they least expect it so its always better to be ready.
Click to expand...

"Excuse me, rapist/robber/kidnapper/burglar/murderer, I need to rack my slide before I can protect myself and family from you. Thank you ever so much."

Whatever you decide about playtime with your kids, you are essentially NOT "ready" to deal with a sudden threat with an empty chamber. You are also shorting yourself one round by doing so.

Except for the playtime with kids situation, a proper pocket holster and a loaded chamber are the way to go (IMHO), especially when "Most people are attacked when at home and when they least expect it so its always better to be ready."
 
Will sweat, bumps, etc., damage the gun? How about an accident harming your kids? As a new gun user you should be extra careful and extremely cautious. Limiting your risk of a negligent discharge is reduced with no cartridge in the pipe.
 
Always, always, always carry with a holster. The point of the holster is to protect the trigger. It prevents anything from getting in there and accidentally depressing the trigger.

I would not recommend an LCP for a new owner. It's a terrible gun to shoot with LOTS of felt recoil. I had one for a while. It seems nice because it's so incredibly concealable, but difficult to shoot without both experience and practice.
 
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