Ruger LCR 357 First Range Report

S

Slimjim9

New member
Took my new KLCR to the range for the first time today. It is bone stock with the white insert front ramp and Hogue Tamer two fingered grip. I also had my S&W Model 36-2 with Pachmayr Compac grip to compare. I had 4 brands of .38 ammo to try:
Remington 130br FMJ
Federal 158gr (non jacketed)
Hornady Critical Defense 110gr FTX +P
Speer GDHP 135gr +P

I only shot the first two out of the 36 and there wasn't much difference in felt recoil between the two. Switching to the LCR, there was a slight bump up in recoil but not too much. Way better that the rental LCR38 a month ago. The Hornady was another bump up but still manageable. The Speer stung, not very pleasant. I'd say the Hornady is definitely the front runner for carry ammo at this point.

The famed LCR trigger did not disappoint. It's clear my M36 needs an action job as it isn't nearly as smooth as the LCR. Of course I still have work to do to be smooth on my end. Groups were a little bigger than I'd like but probably would have got the job done.

Overall, I'm pleased with the first outing. In my novice opinion, this is the gun the LCR38 should have been, and the LCR38 should never have been built. ;) Though I might shoot a lower power .357 round at some time just to say I did, calling this gun a 357 seems more marketing than anything.

Next project - ankle and pocket holsters. :cool:
 
Nice report.

I've said this before but I'll repeat it as nothing has happened to change my mind. I've fired the Ruger LCR .357 with some .357 158 grain bullets and I will just not do that again. Too hard on my hands. I will fire 125 grain .357 magnum rounds but not many at any given time. I'm pretty sure .38 specials would get the job done anyway.

All in all I thought the LCR was a nifty little gun and I WOULD buy the .357 over the .38 but again, I'm not going to shoot any 158 grain .357 magnum rounds out of it. You're mileage may vary. Some guys apparently do not have any problems with it.
 
I had the LCR in .38 and found it very unpleasant to practice with, so it had to move on even though it fit my hand well and had a great trigger. Being older than dirt, I started having joint problems and racking small autos has become increasingly difficult, so I decided maybe I needed to get a small revolver. I tried the LCR .357 and the extra few ounces made a world of difference. So bingo, now I have a LCR .357 and it meets my needs and I can practice with it. No there are no .357s shot through my LCR, I'm old but not crazy.
 
Second range trip

Placed me a big order with Midway last week and got back to the range today toting the following ammo:
Winchester 130gr FMJ Reduced Recoil Train and Defend
Remington 130gr FMJ
Hornady Critical Defense Lite 90gr FTX HP
Buffalo Bore 125gr+P JHP
Buffalo Bore 158gr+P LSWCHP

This is roughly in order of recoil although the first three felt pretty close to each other. I did not bring the Hornady 110+P or Speer 135+P today but I'd say the BB125 is close to the former and the BB158 is close to the latter. I'm guessing the Speer is still the hardest recoil I've shot from the KLCR. Still too chicken to try a .357 round. :o
 
LCR is the top "group". 25 rounds of the Winchester at 5 yards, point of aim was the "8". Obviously I still have work to do with the double action trigger relative to the Glock in the middle.
80090668-946A-4CD8-A0F1-B10A1ECAC3ED_zpsutg7tlzu.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top