The LCR in .357

S

Shadi Khalil

New member
Hello all,

Recently my model 637 (edc) went back to the factory and needed to be replaced for the second time. Instead of another 637, I am being sent a 638, I think I'm pretty much done with the 637, and possibly, S&W all together.

My whole experience has been a giant head ache. S&W has had the gun for going on 4 months and can't give me a rough estimate on when I'll get my replacement. It's beginning to be too much like my Taurus experiences of yore; days I'd soon rather forget than relive.

One gun I've always wanted but have never took the plunge is a S&W 340PD. Considering my Air Weight experience, Im obviously hesitant to spend $1000 on a lighter S&W shooting a bigger caliber. So that has got me thinking about the LCR in .357

I have little to no experience with the LCR, outside of handling one a couple times at the LGS. From what I recall, the grip felt good but the trigger didn't do it for me. It didn't have the same positive return as the j-frame trigger and felt a bit.....spongey?

I really need to actually shoot one before I so anything but was wondering; for those who made switch, how is it working out for you? Also, does the LCR have the same ammo restrictions as the S&W Airlites? Thanks in advance.
 
What problems have you had with the 637? I've had pretty good luck with the S&W snubbies I've had- 36, 12, 34, 637, 638, 642, 340PD, 432PD.

Even though I've had a 340PD, I think I've only shot 20 rounds of 357 through it. Maybe the LCR would be a little less brutal- maybe the plastic frame would absorb some of the recoil. I'm interested to see the replies on this thread.
 
The only complaint I had with the LCR was that I would pass the trigger. I know this could have been fixed by releasing it further but when I want to shoot I want to shoot then.
 
My LCR in .357 is waaay easier to shoot than my S&W 360 (340 w. exposed hammer) even with .38+P which is what I usually have in it. The only consideration is that the nice sticky rubber Hogue grips do make it a little harder to draw from a pocket (though they have options for different grips as well).
 
While I have not owned an LCR, I considered buying one and did a lot of reading about them.
One comment I read again and again was how much people liked the trigger action.
 
I'm intrigued by the reports on the trigger as well

Gonna rent one next time I'm at the range and see for myself.

I've got the SP-101 and love the beast, but it's heavy.
 
Can be painful

I’ve shot an LCR a few times and thought it was a solid, well made gun (I admit being a Ruger fan). It fit my hand well, I liked the stock grips just fine and I believe one could carry it around in the front pocket of your jeans if you wanted to – it really is compact.

For myself, as I’ve mentioned several times, I am not going to shoot the thing again with 158 grain .357 magnum rounds. It’s too tough on my hands. The rounds I shot were nothing excessive, they were not Buffalo Bore or hot hand loads just the regular rounds I would shoot all day out of a mid frame .357 with a four inch barrel but I freely admit they are too much for me out of the LCR. The 125 grain .357 magnum rounds were a handful and one box per range session would probably be enough for me too. You might be more recoil resistant than me.

That said, I really liked the little gun and would recommend it and even recommend getting the .357 instead of the .38 because, of course the .357 would let you use either .38 special or .357 magnum rounds.
 
I just got an LCR and do not like the trigger much. It didn't seem bad at the shop but shooting several cylinders it seems the clunkiest or something. I don't remember my RH, GP100 or Sp101 being like this. It is kind of a two stage trigger. Pretty stiff until the cylinder locks then kind of jumps much lighter. Being so light that makes it harder to pull through smoothly.

I prefer the 642 in this pocket size. I'll keep the LCR but the trigger is not so good. Hopefully with use it smooths out some.
 
I got the same impression with the LCR. It was "clunky" as you said. The trigger wasn't heavy or gritty, but it just wasn't a consistent power curve on the pull. I've been shooting J-frames too long, I guess. People who aren't "revolver people" seem to love it. My current small revolver is a J-frame and it works just fine for me. I don't hesitate to tell others to check them out, though.
 
I had the LCR-22 and didn't keep it. The trigger was a major reason. It felt like a staple gun. I didn't like the rattling transfer bar, either. The LCR was quite rugged for a lightweight revolver - it just had a tinkertoy aspect to the lockwork that was unsettling.
 
I've been interested in an LCR for a while and all I hear is about the great trigger pull. I can only imagine that 357 out of the LCR would be a pretty good kick.
 
So, you're going to be on your third M637 when the new one arrives? If you don't mind me asking, what's been wrong with the first two of them?

I'm only curious, as I've been carrying & shooting old & new style J's for some years as a cop & firearms instructor, and went through the J-frame/DAO armorer class some time ago. I own 7 J-frames, myself, and I've run a fair number of rounds through mine over the years.

I lost count of the standard pressure and +P rounds I've fired through my first +P rated 642-1 (original production run), and I've been trying to wear out my first M&P 340 (first production run, and it has the ILS, unlike the newer one I bought which doesn't have the ILS). I stopped using Magnum loads in it after the first couple hundred rounds of Magnum, preferring to use the same variety of +P's I use in my other +P-capable J's, which includes a pair of 642-1's.

I don't own a LCR, but a good friend (also another long time firearms instructor) picked one up for his wife a while back. He said she gave it back to him after shooting 5 rounds because of the recoil (it's the +P model, BTW). He said he hasn't had time to do more than fire 15 rounds for familiarization (long time revolver shooter), so he hasn't had time to form any opinions about it.

It felt okay in my hand. A bit on the bulky side, but that's due to the grips. The trigger is nothing like a J-frame, but then as a long time Ruger DA revolver owner (Security/Service/Speed-Sixes, Redhawk, SP101DAO), I learned long ago that Ruger DA triggers can't be expected to rival S&W triggers. They are what they are, and that's serviceable.

The carry-up (or "timing", if you'd rather) seemed good on the LCR. The BC gap measured .007"-.008" on the charge holes, although a couple of them would accept a .009" gauge with just a bit of pressure.

While I wouldn't replace any of my J's with the LCR, I liked it better than the S&W Bodyguard .38 Spl I tried earlier this year on our range. I wouldn't replace any of my J's with one of those, either.

All things considered, even not having fired the LCR on a range (we didn't have the time to drive to my range), the overall size & weight of the LCR, compared to my Airweights, doesn't make it seem like it has any advantages over my J's which would interest me. (My SP101DAO, on the other hand, makes for a decently robust all-steel .357 which would be my first choice for shooting a lot of Magnum loads in a 5-shot snub. :) )

Different strokes, though.

I've watched a lot of folks use 5-shot snubs over the years, and while the weight savings of the lighter-to-lightest models can be handy for carrying, it's seemed that more often than not, more folks benefited from the heavier steel models when it came to actually shooting the guns.

Add in an extended range session, or having to use them in some demanding qual course-of-fire, drills, etc ... and the lighter guns seem to offer more disadvantages to many folks than may be offset by the light carry weight.

In other words, the very attributes that make them such practical and handy lawful CCW/off-duty/secondary weapons also tend to make them harder for most folks to shoot in a controllable, rapid, accurate & effective manner.

Some folks do better with standard pressure loads, too. Just depends.
 
I have the KLCR (the 357 LCR) and it is an amazing gun. It has the best DA trigger I've ever shot, and that includes the Smiths, Pythons and Diamondbacks I've shot. No comparison to a crappy sp101 trigger. To decribe the LCR trigger in one word: smooth! The 22 LCRs are known for not having great triggers though. As for my LCR, the thing is a shooter. I've shot sub 2.5" groups at 20 yards with it freehand. But typical groups from sand bags are around 3" at 20 yards. I am pretty much done shooting full house 357s in it though. My old hands just can't take it. I'd still recommend buying the 357 LCR over the 38. It gives you the option and the extra 4 ozs are nice with the 38+Ps.
 
Usually .22s have a worse trigger than their centerfire counterparts because of the need to smash that rimfire priming. That's true of all the .22 DA revolvers I've had the opportunity to shoot. It's a heavier spring.
 
Ruger LCR .38spl....

My good friend bought a new in box(NIB) Ruger LCR .38spl last summer. It came with a Davidson's Lifetime Warranty & a Lasermax Centerfire red laser.
He likes it a lot. :)

Id but a new Ruger LCR .357magnum & add a XS Big Dot sight later on.

Clyde
 
I have had a 357 LCR for a couple of years - a light and easy carry for CCW. Overall, I've liked mine. You have to get used to the trigger but once you do, it's fine. I own a number of Ruger handguns and love them all. Now, that said, since I was able to find a Smith Model 36 Snub, I have switched off to that for carry and I like it even more - smaller and for my purposes, it is great. I guess things "go around" as I'm contemplating trading the LCR off tomorrow for another more vintage Smith that I've had my eyes on.

My advice would be to shoot an LCR first . . . then decide. When I was looking for a lightweight snub for CCW, I compared it to the S & W Bodyguard (revolver) - the LCR fit better in my hands so I went that way. I went with the 357 version so I'd have the choice of what I wanted to shoot in it - I'm more of a 38 Spl guy than a 357. Good luck! :)
 
I'm actually the only one in my immediately family who doesn't own an LCR. Mom keeps one in her purse, dad keeps one in his briefcase, and my police officer brother keeps one as the backup to his backup G27.

All three have been outstanding and flawless. The trigger is awesome and I can shoot the little snubs very accurately thanks to it.

I love my Colt DS, but I'd readily say the LCR is considerably more robust feeling and I think it'd take a lot more punishment. The Colt trigger is, of course, sublime, but not actually a TON better than the LCR's, all things considered.

All 3 of ours are the .38 Special model.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone.

For those inquiring, the first 637 had a cracked frame and the second broke a stud (?). Since I've lost faith in that model, S&W agreed to send me a 638 instead.

It seems like my original take on the trigger was probably accurate. I'm going to still give the LCR a test run but I have a feeling I won't be trading in my J-frame for an LCR anytime soon. I love Ruger and own a few of their guns, however, I have a lot invested in my S&W. Custom Holster, speed loaders, CT laser grips, custom wood grips and most importantly, the thousands for rounds and countless hours practicing. If the LCR turns out not to be for me, I'll try and seek out an older model 36 or something similar. A brand new 638 with CT grips should have some decent trade value.

Now, if I could only figure out how to get S&W to send me my gun...

:confused:


P.S,

Just for laughs, can anyone who owns both a J-frame (any model) and an LCR post some comparison pics?
 
I bought a lcr 357 for the same reason I bought a 640-1. I like the durability of a steel gun. Stock for stock I like the ruger better. But my 640-1 doesn't have mum internals so after a trip to s&w custom show they changed so springs and smoothed the gun out a bit. I now like the 640-1 better than the ruger. However the ruger carries better due to its lighter weight. While trying to decide which one to keep I ultimately decided I couldn't part with either gun.

So long story short I think getting the lcr357 would be a good choice
 
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