Polymer revolver opinions?

@Bass
Ya but aren't a lot of those costs fixed, I mean Im fairly sure the mfg's using aluminium and steel also have managers, and techs, and people sweeping the floor.. probably indoor plumbing, heating and lighting as well.

Also don't the molds tend to last a really long time? yes they cost a lot up front but don't they also produce product faster, Time is money.

on a 1 to 1 comparison I think we should most definatley see a reduction in cost of the product at retail.. it should be noticeable too.. but for a long time we did not see this savings being passed on to the consumer, now the market has taken a down turn and while all guns are down, price wise the polymer guns have really been showing a reduction in price.
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I don't doubt that margins are probably a little better with a poly gun than steel/aluminum, but I just didn't think it was fair to base $0.75 in resin as a price point.

You're completely right, molds can last a long time (1,000,000 cycles is a good baseline number) and any regardless of if the company uses injection molds or CNC machines there will be other costs that are the same.

In the end, we typically do see better prices on poly guns though and I think we always have. A Ruger SR1911 is often considered a good "budge" 1911 and they still go for more than your average Glock. And Glock is often on the high side, just like the German manufacturers H&K and SIG. Other American poly guns are often a bargain in comparison to anything with a metal frame and were even before the Trump Slump.
 
So what changed, a few years shooting some real blasters and I understand recoil better and how to roll with it.
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That is much more pertinent to "what changed" than the material the gun is made of, or it's weight.
You learned how to shoot.
Just like complaints about the "snappy" recoil of 380 mouse guns, the supposed "punishing" recoil of an LCR 38 Spcl. I find amusing. It's a light weight revolver. It goes bang, and kicks a little. It isn't an instrument of torture.
 
No experience with polymer revolvers but my S&W airweight .38 spl +P is a very nice and well built gun. It is amazingly accurate for a barrel under 2”.
 
I have experience with a few different models of LCR. I've fired .38 special, .357 magnum, .22 LR, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum, and .327 Federal. The center-fire models all have good triggers. This probably has a lot to do with the grips but I've found that the LCR is more comfortable to shoot than an alloy J-frame.

That being said, .357 magnum is still a bit much. Besides being unpleasant to shoot, it is more challenging to shoot well. I want practice to be fun. The 100 and 115-grain offerings in .327 Federal are better but I think the 85-grain Hydra-Shoks are a perfect match for the platform. You could do worse than six of those in a nicely shootable pocket gun!

Speaking of, I've now subjected two models of LCR to thousands upon thousands of hours of pocket-holster time including several hot summers. Whenever I dump my carry ammo at the range or in the woods, they have both performed flawlessly from the draw. I was initially surprised at how well they've held up but really, it's not much different than how well a lot of the polymer-framed semis have held up in recent decades.
 
Why not? Especially when you could get something like this...

taurus_green_new12.jpg
 
All of my experience with Tupperware wheel gins has been positive. My first was a Taurus Judge Public Defender Poly. Great gun. Flawless function, surprisingly accurate with 45 Colt, and tight buckshot patterns @ 10 yards with .410.
My other is a Ruger LCR 38Spcl. I bought the 38 over the 357 because of the weight difference. The extra couple ounces in the Magnum was quite noticeable to me. My plastic Ruger is also reliable, and accuracy exceeds that necessary for a CC self defense
 
When it comes to plastic guns.....I just say NO !
No plastic semi auto's , No plastic revolvers.
Stainless steel is acceptable and Air-weight J frames are allowed.
But NO plastic guns I don't care if I can print them on my 3-d computer printer app thingy.
Gary
 
I have owned 3 LCRs, a j frame and a Charter. Shot lots out of all of them. All 38 except one LCR in 357. In my opinion they are all about the same in terms of recoil. The LCR is a solid gun. Best stock trigger in a snubby hands down. Strong and well built.
Ultimately two things led me to get rid of my LCRs.
First, although they are the same barrel length, the LCR is dimensionally bigger in most other areas than other brands of aluminum framed guns. Trigger guard, frame and barrel width, etc. are all bigger. Even though the spec sheet says the overall length, height and cylinder width is the same, the other non-standard measurements were all larger. Since i pocket carry, the larger dimensions were a little too big and i moved to the smaller j-frame.
Second, after tons of range trips and trying lots of different ammo (factory and my own handloads) i found that the LCR is not very accurate comparatively. Yes they all will group 3 inches at 15 yards but for some of my outdoor uses i wanted more. It took me a long time to figure out why i couldn’t group as well with three different LCRs than i could with my Charter or my j-frame, even though the LCR has a much better trigger. It’s the two piece non-tensioned barrel. Most larger framed two piece barreled revolvers (S&W TRR8, Dan Wesson) are tensioned so that the barrel vibrates consistently when a bullet runs down it which maintains accuracy. If it’s not tensioned, it negatively affects accuracy. Not a lot mind you, but a small amount. 99% of shooters won’t notice or care about this issue, because they’re shooting at self defense distances and the LCR really shines in that capacity, but for my particular circumstances i wanted the ability to make an accurate long distance shot, and not one of my 3 LCRs were up to the task (including a three inch adjustable sight LCR). So i went with a j-frame that i can group within 3 inches at 25 yards.
 
... the LCR is dimensionally bigger in most other areas than other brands of aluminum framed guns. ...
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The grips are the only place I really notice it being bigger but they do enough for recoil mitigation that I don't care. The LCR 38 still disappears with a pocket holster in most pants. The 357 and 327 models have a slightly larger frame but they basically follow the same rules as far as pants go.

i found that the LCR is not very accurate comparatively. ... Not a lot mind you, but a small amount. 99% of shooters won’t notice or care about this issue ... but for my particular circumstances i wanted the ability to make an accurate long distance shot...
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I never noticed an accuracy issue but I have to be honest. I haven't shot paper in years. My shooting regimen largely involves aerating the recycling and other assorted doodads I can set up around the clearing on a weekend. I'm guessing any variance is much smaller than a soda can at 20-30 feet. I really don't ask any more of a snub-nosed revolver, much less a DAO.

I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has experience with the longer-barreled LCRx.
 
I bought a Taurus Poly Protector in .38 Special for $150. Figured it would be good trading stock.

As it turns out, this crude, ugly, ungainly little hand gat will hit anything I aim at out to about 30 yards. I was impressed enough to keep it arou d.
 
I don't care for plastic on revolvers at all, and not a fan of it on semis, either, but then I look at things differently than most, I think.

Last ditch, bottom line, when all else fails (and it could) your pistol is an impact weapon. personally I like something with at least a little heft to it, for that reason (plus damping some recoil) and am willing to put up with, and carry guns that aren't the lightest possible.

just my opinion, and worth what you paid for it...;)
 
My wife bought the LCR in .38 and it shoots accurate, functions perfect, however the felt recoil is harsh. Very lightweight and compact frame will have it's disadvantages.
 
I don't care for plastic on revolvers at all, and not a fan of it on semis, either, but then I look at things differently than most, I think.
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You're not alone, 44 AMP.

Don
 
I'll pass....

Only because @ this point there isn't one I'd be interested in owning.

I have better guns for any purpose that I can think of where a small poly 5 shot revolver would fit.
 
... there isn't one I'd be interested in owning.

I have better guns for any purpose that I can think of where a small poly 5 shot revolver would fit.
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Once you have a few guns that fill different roles, this becomes an important consideration. The LCR might fit into different roles for some people but I treat it as a pocket gun. I think in a lot of cases, that could put it up against small semi-autos where six or seven shots might be common. Some of those guns will be in 9mm, which is more powerful than .38 special and easier to handle than .357 magnum.

This is where the LCR 327 comes in. It competes more evenly as a six-shooter. The little super-magnum might be closer to 9mm power levels from such a short barrel* but that's fine. It's fairly easy to shoot. With these other issues equalized, it also allows that old "revolver reliability" to shine and doubly so as a snag-free DAO. Speaking of, the double-action trigger is pretty sweet on the center-fire LCR.

*Note: I had previously looked at Ballistics by the Inch for an approximation but real-world chronograph data for the LCR 327 is much more favorable. Tests done for two separate reviews on Daily Caller listed velocities in excess of 1250 fps for different 100-115 grain loads in the LCR 327. Most of the data I could find for the LCR 9mm had 115-124 grain projectiles going just over 1000 fps.
 
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Cosmodragoon - there is some merit in what you say about the .327...but...
I'm still set with the battery I have,,,, all things considered.
 
I have had one of the Ruger LCR in .38 for a couple of years now; reliable, rugged and has as much recoil as any other of my revolvers of equivalent weight. I have a Taurus Protector Poly stainless .357 inbound and will report back when it arrives. It is going to be my outdoor activity (hiking, biking, snowshoeing. XC skiing) firearm. I got tired of waiting for Ruger to release the LCRx in .357 with a 3 inch barrel.

What I really regret is that Taurus no longer makes any titanium revolvers. I have several Taurus revolvers, to go along with my Ruger and S&W models, and they have all been reliable.
 
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