Tell your LCR expectations story.

W

warningshot

New member
Before I get jumped for bashing, please note that I've been shooting all kinds of Ruger DA Revolvers on a regular basis since the early 80s. And I purchased RGR below $20 and holding. So I'd like to know what you think about LCRs, please.

Is it price? Are you new to snub revolvers and you don't see or feel a difference between other brands? Has someone else told you of LCR's performace & QC that has been different or the same from what you have actually seen for yourself. Is it availability? What's up? Inquiring Minds want to know.

I find that I must always pinch or push alittle harder to close or open the cylinder, then grind past a longer trigger sweep than I'm used to toward ignition.
 
Well I agree with it taking a little extra push to close the cylinder. But mine has a shorter trigger stroke than some of the Smiths I've tried. I wouldn't consider it a long stroke at all. The LCR has as good a trigger pull (often better) than any Smith I've shot. And I love a good K or L frame trigger. J frame triggers can't compete with the LCR. My LCR can produce sub 2.5" 5 shot groups at 20 yards and can ring the 50 yard gong pretty regularly. Personally, the recoil in the 357 is more than I care for so I carry, and shoot, mostly 38s. It's a lot of gun for the money.
 
I just got .357 LCR. Love the trigger but my expectation was that I would not like the trigger. Closing cylinder was "unusual" at first but I doubt it will break as easily as a J frame and now it seems like a good idea. Absorbs recoil way more than I expected. Have 637 and 360 J Frames and I like the LCR better all around.
 
Most of my 50 years of shooting has been with SA revolvers. I have a LCR for CCW in 357. When I was looking for a snobby, I looked at a wide variety of them. I laid them side to side - LCR, S & W Bodyguard, S & W Airweight, et. For myself, the LCR "fit" my hand the best.

I own six other Rugers as well as S & W M & P, Colt Python and Colt AS. I like all of my Rugers and have had excellent experiences with them all.

I find the LCR light and easy to carry - I carry on the belt. I purchased the 357 model to have the option between 357 and 38 spl. I really like the 38 spl. cartridge and that is what is usually in it. My trigger pull gives me no problems and I find it to be smooth. I will admit, that like you, it takes extra effort to close the cylinder but it is certainluy "doable'. I find it to be accurate at SD distances and I am not bothered by the recoil at all.

I thought seriously about a S & W snobby and even looked at an older Colt. What made up my decision on the LCR was the fit and the weight. I make my own gun leather and for me, it's an easy carry.

Price? At the time, I could have gotten off a little cheaper with another make (I was looking at new and used snubbies) but, as I say, I have other Rugers and I love them all. I decided to take a chance and give it a try, and for me, it has worked out great as I have had no issues with my LCR. I'm more of a "revolver guy" but I do have a Ruger SR9 that I switch off to - primarily depending on where I'm going to be. I winter in AZ about 45 miles from the border and if we are going to be out in the boonies, I usually carry the SR9 just for the extra capacity. If we're just around town or up in to Tucson, it's usually the LCR as I am comfortable with the 5 round capacity and a full speed loader.

I don't think that if a person has a problem with their LCR or just plain doesn't like it for one reason or another that it's "bashing". We all have our own personal likes and dislikes and let's face it, any gun can have a problem no matter who manufacturers it. For me, the LCR works. For the next guy/gal, it might be that a Colt, S & W, etc. would be better suited for them. The biggest thing is that if it is their CC, they have confidence in whatever they are carrying and that they keep in practice and familiar with it.
 
I have owned an LCR in .38 and now own one in .57.

Was disappointed in the .38, not only did I break its trigger dry firing but it hurt to shoot just as much as the Airweights it was supposedly more comfortable than.

Ruger fixed the .38 quickly on their dime, so I have confidence in the company.

The main selling point of the .357 is that it is noticeably more comfortable to shoot than the pocket-revolver competition, particularly in .38. Would never buy another Airweight, there's no point because the LCR .357 carries just about as easily.

Do I worry about the trigger breaking? Not really. It doesn't seem to happen too often from what I can tell here and elsewhere online. I suppose the Airweight is a more proven design, but there's a price to be paid there that doesn't interest me any more.
 
I don't own one but have handled several in both calibers. I am generally impressed.

I know of only one problem: one early "batch" (whatever number that is) of the 38 variant seems to have slipped out with a bad heat-treat on the frame. This caused severe flame cutting on the topstrap above the barrel.

Ruger took care of all the affected guns 100% on their own dime.

I know of no fundamental flaws with the design in either caliber.

If I was buying one I'd go with the 357, because there's a number of very good "low powered 357 for light, short barreled gun" ammo types available now. Some are little more than warm 38+Ps but even the mildest give you ballistics as if you had a 5" barrel 38Spl and were shooting 38+P in it.
 
I only have two snubbies. A S&W model 36 and an LCR .357. I like everything about the LCR. Easy to shoot with .38 though I will say .357 is a bit unpleasant. It's light enough to carry in sweat pants pocket. No external hammer eliminates the change of hanging up in a pocket.

lcr357.jpg
 
I took my LCR out last night and did some 50 yard shooting with a bunch of Noslers under 4.7 gr of Unique in 38 cases. I only shot two 5 shot groups. Both were a hair over 8.5". Each had one bad flier (my fault I'm sure) or they would have looked a lot better. Now this gun generally shoots better with full power 357. But I didn't think these groups were all that bad for a sub 2" DA revolver at 50 yards.
 
I realize what an uncultured boob it makes me seem like, but after a lot of trigger time on my dad's Colt Python and my bro's LCR, I prefer the LCR trigger. The Python is undoubtedly a nicer gun, but I do better work with the LCR trigger. I would submit the LCR is every bit the quality of a Smith J-frame.
 
I have both and the .357 LCR is every bit as good as my M&P 360 ($850.00) except no night sights. I do like the J Frames and they are keepers, but I will deploy the .357 LCR first, over the J Frames.
 
I like the LCR trigger better than the J frame triggers. I compared them side-by-side. I like the weight and grips better too. I'm not bashing S&W revolvers. I've shot several J frames over the last few decades. They are good, but I like the LCR trigger better. I've also owned a couple of 686's in my lifetime and they were great, especially after good action jobs. In the snubby catagory, I vote for the LCR. We have one now. Got it about a year and a half ago. It is my wife's preferred carry for CHL. She changed to it from a PPK/S she carried for years. I think I will eventually buy another LCR for one of my off-duty/concealable guns. As I age, I find myself drifting back to the revolvers and the last few guns I have acquired for personal use have been revolvers.
 
I bought one, shot it for one afternoon and sold it. The trigger is lighter than a j-frame, but it's too easy for me to short stroke, especially under rapid fire. The j-frame has a much more pronounced and positive reset that I prefer and can fire faster.

With the LCR, you reach a point in the reset where you think the trigger is in position, but if you pull it, nothing happens. Others have mentioned this issue, too, you can find a few descriptions of the trigger reset on youtube and other forums. In defense of the LCR, you could train around this long reset. I was concerned that in a stressful situation I might pull the trigger too quickly and short stroke the weapon.

If you're checking one out in the store, then ask to dry fire it and pay close attention to the reset when firing quickly, just to make sure it's to your liking. (Under slow dry firing or deliberate target shooting, the issue might not come up.)

Also, my example had a very tight chamber. Extraction of cartridges that fired fine in multiple j-frames, gave some issue with the LCR. In defense of the LCR, I'm sure Ruger would have addressed this issue.

Finally, it isn't much lighter than the Smith, but has a bulkier frame. The grips are fine, but are too big and would have been replaced quickly if I had kept the revolver.
 
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I hated it until I fired one. It's still something that I probably wouldn't buy myself (extremely ugly) but I have no complaints about the way it shoots. The trigger is surprisingly good.
 
LCR with .38 +P or +P+

I hate to hijack this thread, but how does the .357 LCR handle nonstandard pressure ammunition? I m thinking of getting this gun as my next gun purchase. I want the .357 version due to having more choice with my carry ammo.
 
My impression is that +P .38 has less felt recoil in my .357 LCR than in my J Frames. Grip/design sems to soak-up more recoil than one would think given the 17 ounce weight. I did not like shooting .357 in my SP101 at 27 ounces, so I really got the .357 LCR as an HD .38 Special.
 
Compared S&W J-frame with LCR side by side

The day I bought my LCR I could have bought a stainless S&W J-frame for the same price, $413. I had a chance to handle and pull the trigger on both snubbys and found the trigger to be smoother on the LCR. I also liked how the LCR fit my hand so that coupled with the stellar reviews the little revolver got made up my mind.
I also got a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster and 2 soft pistol cases with the LCR for no more $ so that was also a bonus. The pocket holster is how I have ended up carrying, having tried other holsters and found they didn't fit my style so much.
The gun is accurate enough from self defense distances, less than 25 feet. The recoil is plenty enough for me from this lightweight revolver but still fully manageable.
 
ccwnut, I find my LCR .357 is very comfortable with +p .38 ammo. Tried it with Hornady Critical Defense and also the Federal FBI load.
 
I had a chance to test one just before they came out. My expectations were low, to say the least.

Which led to me being pleasantly surprised and impressed.

lcr_target.jpg


I worried that the crane was too thin and would bend, but I've yet to see that happen. The ergonomics are superior to the J-Frame, and the trigger is much smoother.

Only two downsides present themselves. As others have mentioned, it's easy to short-stroke the trigger. The other concern is the screw above the cylinder release, which can loosen itself over time.
 
My mother-in-law liked my LCR .38 Special more than her S&W 640. Which I did not expect, being that the 640 is steel. I thought the extra recoil would make her shy away, but she really liked the trigger.
 
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