Ruger LCR

R

Roland Thunder

New member
I was in my LGS today looking at a pocket revolver for my wife. I was looking at the Ruger LCR which they had both in .38spl and 9mm. I didn't even know they made that gun in 9mm. The 9mm was little heavier than the 38 version. Would the 9mm one have more recoil, sting, etc. than the .38? What about stopping power? She currently has a Bersa .380 Thunder but we are considering a revolver due to simplicity.
 
Would the 9mm one have more recoil, sting, etc. than the .38? What about stopping power?
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As you noticed the 9mm version is a little heavier than the .38 version because the 9mm LCR is built on the .357 frame. I bet the recoil difference won't even be noticeable since the 9mm LCR is a heavier gun than the .38 LCR. As far as stopping power, which is a subjective term, the 9mm wins hands down. A 125gr .38+P is just about equal to a standard pressure 124gr 9mm, with a 124gr 9mm +P beating out the 38+P.

Keep in mind the 9mm LCR needs moon clips since it is a rimless cartridge where the .38 LCR does not. If recoil is really that big of a concern you could even get the slightly heavier .357 LCR and use .38's in it.
 
I just picked up an LCRx and shot it for the first time yesterday. I didn't put any +P rounds through it but with standard pressure 38 spcl. rounds it was very tame. If simplicity is important you may want to skip the 9mm version because of the moon clips.
 
As I stated in the LCR 9mm Post. The 357 LCR makes shooting the 38+P a fun shooting experiance. It also make the gun easy to shoot accuratly.
 
Moon clips do not a make a revolver more complicated really. Different, yes. Complicated, no. If anything, moon clips make loading and unloading the revolver less complicated and faster.

I don't understand why somebody always mentions the super complicated nature of moon clips. Loading round by round is certainly more complicated. Also, loading from a speed loader is more complicated, physiologically speaking--there are more motions and it is more difficult. If it was actually more complicated, then speed shooters wouldn't be using them in competition. They'd be using traditional revolvers, not cut for moon clips. I guess people don't like change, even if it is an old invention that has been proven to work.
 
Generally speaking, .38 special is a step up in power from .380 and more so with +p. In a snub at close range though, I'm not sure that the difference between .38 special and 9mm is going to make a huge difference to the target. What matters is where you hit and how many times you hit it. It might start making a difference when you bump up to the considerably more powerful .357 magnum, but even there it isn't assured.

Situations will be different and threats stop in different ways, whether the bad guy is fleeing in terror or dropping like a sack of potatoes. If you hit exactly the same guy in exactly the same spots the same number of times from a snub in .38, 9mm, or .357; I don't think you'll be looking at radically different results. Keeping those shots equal is the real challenge. You will be looking at increased recoil as you move up in power and you'll need to practice to tame it.

Does the slightly larger frame offset the increased recoil in 9mm? I don't know. I haven't had the chance to fire one yet. It probably does a little. The way I see it, this is a gun for people who love 9mm or happen to have lots of it and want a pocket revolver for it. Good for them.
 
Moon clips do not a make a revolver more complicated really.
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They do If you don't have them!
Why add an additional, small, easy to misplace, and essential part for the small if any advantage of 9MM over 38 Spcl?
 
Cheapshooter: "They do If you don't have them!
Why add an additional, small, easy to misplace, and essential part for the small if any advantage of 9MM over 38 Spcl?"

Because they make the loading and unloading process faster and LESS complicated. Moon clips are only easy to lose when they are not full of brass. Are loose rounds easy to lose? Certainly easier to lose than a fully loaded moon clip and harder to load than a fully loaded moon clip. A fully loaded moon clip is no easier to lose or misplace than a loaded magazine for a semi-auto, a speed strip for a revolver, or a speed loader. Do you just carry multiple guns instead of carrying a reload because it's less complicated than carrying a magazine or a speed loader? If your answer is that you carry loose brass, I'd like to suggest this radical new technology that allows your brass to stay together in an easy-to-find bundle that kids these days are calling a moon clip.

If I ever bothered to own a .357 or a .38, I'd definitely get it cut for moon clips, because there is zero disadvantage, because even luddites like yourself can ignore the moon clip feature and insist on loading them individually like a proper gentleman and never be bothered by the myriad of complexities of the unlockable puzzlebox that is the conundrum of the Moon Clip! :eek:

And when a fully loaded moon clip is inside your gun, it is pretty durn easy to use, too, no more difficult than a regular revolver, unless pulling a trigger is somehow too complex as well.

Full-price moon clips are $4 from TK Customs; there are cheaper ones on the market that are cheaper still and supposedly (from other TFL users) work just as well. For semi-autos, magazines are typically $20 to even $50 a magazine. Speed loaders are more expensive than moon clips. If you lose a few moon clips, so what? It won't cost you your life, because the only real way a moon clip is easier to lose than a magazine or a speed loader is when it is de-mooned, and you can lose 5 expensive moon clips for the price a cheap auto magazine. I've never lost a magazine OR a moon clip, but however I have certainly misplaced unfired lose brass. To each his own, I suppose.
 
I have owned my .38+P LCR for 3 years now and it has been a great revolver. I guess I have shot a few hundred reliable rounds through it. The recoil is not bad at all. My 5'2" 120lb girlfriend can handle it and loves the gun. My 13 year old son can handle it just fine too.

I'm not a fan of moon clips
 
LCRx 3 inch or LCR3

Have you seen the newly released LCR in a 3 inch 38 special model? It may not conceal as well as the original LCR but the trade off for the 5.8 inch height, for a better grip, is well worth it. Be patient, it will probably be offered in .357 and 9MM in the near future.The external hammer is also a plus allowing it to be fired in single and double action.
 
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