lcp380II -fireing when dropped ?

i need to know if by keeping a round in the chamber on the lcpII .380 will it fire if it is dropped or is the trigger the only way it will fire - i guess the question could apply to all the newer ruger pistols - i know the newer revolvers have a transfer bar to prevent firing

It will not fire.

Any gun from a modern reputable manufacturer have been designed to not fire when dropped. Taurus excluded of course.

thanks for the info

My concern is that the hammer is almost fully cocked and the only thing between it and the firing pin is the sear. It seems conceivable to me that if the sear should break or release from wear you would have an AD. Ruger should have added a passive firing pin block.

Ferguson, I see your Avatar is a Glock insignia. Would you have the same concerns about your Glock?

There was/is a Safety recall that will help you determine if you need to send it back to Ruger for a retrofit:

Read the whole thing at the link:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/LCPRecall/index.html

In 2008, Ruger received a small number of reports from the field indicating that LCP® pistols could discharge when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber. We are firmly committed to safety and would like to retrofit all older LCP® Pistols. The retrofit involves installation of an upgraded hammer mechanism at no charge to the customer.

How to determine if your pistol needs the retrofit:

All LCP® pistols with serial number prefix "371" and higher (371-xxxxx) have been manufactured with the new hammer mechanism and are NOT affected by the recall and DO NOT need to be returned. If your LCP® has a serial number prefix "370," (see Figure 1) you will need to check the flat portion of the slot just behind and below the hammer for the diamond mark shown in Figure 2. LCPs marked with the diamond have had the new hammer mechanism installed and DO NOT need to be returned. If your LCP® has the "370" serial number prefix and DOES NOT HAVE the diamond mark, you should have your LCP® retrofitted with the upgraded hammer mechanism at no charge.

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Louchia, the Glock has a passive firing pin block in the slide which stands in front of the firing pin and is only deactivated when the trigger is pulled. If you look at the underside of a Glock slide it is the little round thing under the extractor. My avatar is a Glock logo superimposed over a Borg ship from Star Trek, with the words "You will be assimilated". It is a joke about Glock's near complete dominance of LE. Hard to see within the space of an avatar.

Gunnygene, that recall applies only to the original LCP, not the LCP II.

Oh. you are right Ferguson. That plunger must be pushed up to allow the fireing pin to advance. Pulling the trigger pushes the plunger up. Even if the gun is dropped, it is very unlikely that it will fire.
My bad.

No need to apologize. This is 2017, not 1917, and I think a secondary means of blocking the hammer or firing pin is a necessity on any pistol that is going to be carried on your person. I know Ruger makes good guns but I am just not comfortable carrying an LCP II with one in the pipe. My Kimber Micro is nearly the same size and has both a passive firing pin block and a very sturdy manual safety so that's what I am rolling with.

FergusonTO35 said:

My concern is that the hammer is almost fully cocked and the only thing between it and the firing pin is the sear. It seems conceivable to me that if the sear should break or release from wear you would have an AD. Ruger should have added a passive firing pin block.

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That was my same concern.
When Ruger was replacing my defective LCPII I got out from under the new and so called improved LCPII with a discontinued Custom LCP. I feel so much safer slipping a Standard or Custom LCP in my pocket.
I personally think before it's all said and done Ruger is going to have a big recall or buy back on these LCPII's.

What's funny is, my local shop is moving just as many regular LCP's as II's, maybe more.

FergusonTO35 said:

What's funny is, my local shop is moving just as many regular LCP's as II's, maybe more.

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That doesn't surprise me.The standard LCP's are dirt cheap now and if safety is anyone's main concern it's a no brainer going for the regular or standard LCP instead of the ready to fire II's.

I know I'm the new guy here, but I have 20K posts on other gun and gun-related forums. I say that not to claim that I am the smartest person who ever lived, but to assert that I'm not a newby with a new toy expressing baseless claims.

I have expressed this same LCP II concern on other forums. Unlike Glocks, or virtually any other modern firearm, the LCP II has no mechanical means of preventing the hammer from dropping if the sear is worn or otherwise not properly manufactured. There is no firing pin block, no disconnect, no nothing. This is quite troubling considering that the LCP II must be carried with the hammer back on a live round.

Here is Ruger's response to my query on this issue:

" . . . if you chamber a round then yes the pistol is fully cocked. We do not recommend that you keep a round in the chamber since with any firearm if dropped it may discharge (please refer to page 14 in the owner's manual). The inner trigger on the LCP II is a safety feature we offer, which means that it has to be depressed before you can pull the outer trigger to fire the pistol. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Really, Ruger? You sold me a CCW gun and tell me - after the fact - that I should not carry it with a round in the launch tube? That's BS.

I love the LCP II. Great trigger, great looks, great feel, great gun - aside from the negligent design. But I will not carry it. Ruger must do a buy-back of this gun and release a safe LCP III with modern firing pin block or other mechanical drop safety.

We do not recommend that you keep a round in the chamber

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Just WOW :shock:

Sometimes what a manufacturer doesn't say is more important than what they do say. The marketing dept. has a say in what the user manual contains. :roll:

ral3 said:

i need to know if by keeping a round in the chamber on the lcpII .380 will it fire if it is dropped or is the trigger the only way it will fire - i guess the question could apply to all the newer ruger pistols - i know the newer revolvers have a transfer bar to prevent firing

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None so far. The gun has a trigger safety, and the gun doesn't go bang without the trigger safety, and the trigger pulled together. For you guys out there pissing and moaning. Learn how TO NOT DROP YOUR WEAPON! Carry the gun in a holster.
gramps

I know I'm the new guy here, but I have 20K posts on other gun and gun-related forums. I say that not to claim that I am the smartest person who ever lived, but to assert that I'm not a newby with a new toy expressing baseless claims.

I have expressed this same LCP II concern on other forums. Unlike Glocks, or virtually any other modern firearm, the LCP II has no mechanical means of preventing the hammer from dropping if the sear is worn or otherwise not properly manufactured. There is no firing pin block, no disconnect, no nothing. This is quite troubling considering that the LCP II must be carried with the hammer back on a live round.

Here is Ruger's response to my query on this issue:

" . . . if you chamber a round then yes the pistol is fully cocked. We do not recommend that you keep a round in the chamber since with any firearm if dropped it may discharge (please refer to page 14 in the owner's manual). The inner trigger on the LCP II is a safety feature we offer, which means that it has to be depressed before you can pull the outer trigger to fire the pistol. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Really, Ruger? You sold me a CCW gun and tell me - after the fact - that I should not carry it with a round in the launch tube? That's BS.

I love the LCP II. Great trigger, great looks, great feel, great gun - aside from the negligent design. But I will not carry it. Ruger must do a buy-back of this gun and release a safe LCP III with modern firing pin block or other mechanical drop safety.

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To be fair, nearly all gunmakers tell you not to carry with one in the pipe, or at least to do so with great caution. Still, I won't be getting one of these guns unless the design is changed to add some sort of secondary safety mechanism. Too many other guns to choose from that are perfectly safe to carry with a chambered round.

powernoodle said:

I know I'm the new guy here, but I have 20K posts on other gun and gun-related forums. I say that not to claim that I am the smartest person who ever lived, but to assert that I'm not a newby with a new toy expressing baseless claims.

I have expressed this same LCP II concern on other forums. Unlike Glocks, or virtually any other modern firearm, the LCP II has no mechanical means of preventing the hammer from dropping if the sear is worn or otherwise not properly manufactured. There is no firing pin block, no disconnect, no nothing. This is quite troubling considering that the LCP II must be carried with the hammer back on a live round.

Here is Ruger's response to my query on this issue:

" . . . if you chamber a round then yes the pistol is fully cocked. We do not recommend that you keep a round in the chamber since with any firearm if dropped it may discharge (please refer to page 14 in the owner's manual). The inner trigger on the LCP II is a safety feature we offer, which means that it has to be depressed before you can pull the outer trigger to fire the pistol. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Really, Ruger? You sold me a CCW gun and tell me - after the fact - that I should not carry it with a round in the launch tube? That's BS.

I love the LCP II. Great trigger, great looks, great feel, great gun - aside from the negligent design. But I will not carry it. Ruger must do a buy-back of this gun and release a safe LCP III with modern firing pin block or other mechanical drop safety.

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Welcome to the forum powernoodle.

We are on the same page. I don't claim to be an expert but you don't have to be to see that the LCPII is an accident waiting to happen. I'm so glad mine was determined to be un-repairable after 2 trips back to Prescott and they were willing to replace it with a new Custom LCP instead. That's pretty sad Ruger would release something like the LCPII when Bill Ruger was so safety conscience.

I think Grumpy Bill really liked to perfect a design before it was released.

FergusonTO35 said:

I think Grumpy Bill really liked to perfect a design before it was released.

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I agree with you, I've seen allot of changes over the last 40 years or so.
Bill Ruger ran a tight ship and generally things wouldn't get out the door until they were right. I would bet my bottom dollar if W.B.R.Sr was still at the helm the LCPII would never have been designed or much less made with the fully cocked hammer and no safety other than the trigger blade. He was extremely safety conscience as I have mentioned before.
Allot of things changed at Ruger once he passed away.
They are turning out Black rifles, high cap mags (don't get me wrong I have nothing against them) but I know Bill Ruger would never have agreed to the types of firearms they are making today not to mention the poor quality of allot of the new guns we are seeing today.

In my case it worked out fairly well for me. I got a new Custom LCP and a couple extra mags in place of that LCP II.
I'm really surprised that we haven't at least that I'm aware of heard of any A.D.'s and people getting shot with these LCPII's.
My legs quiver when I think of the times I carried that LCPII with a chambered round in my wallet holster and sitting on it while driving.
I still believe they are going to have a recall or a buy back of the LCP II's. I have a sneaking suspicion the Customs will be brought back and the LCPII's will disappear.