Dissapointed wtih LCR!

[off road]

This gun is just a bit to bulky! Guns in this class are meant to be carried....and that means pocket carried. This gun misses the mark by just enough, to make it useless to me.

I can at least see the logic in the excellent (although meaty) recoil absorbing standard grip. Yes, the boot grip is a bit slick, but at least it is a workable alternative if one wants to trim some bulk off the gun. But...that large bulbous trigger guard, well there isn't any way to change that out. It adds just enough extra bulk....to make it a better option to just grab a J-frame instead when I walk out the door.

Sure, if one wants to carry IWB, then the gun is perfectly workable, but if I want to carry IWB, I might as well pack a Glock 26 that has twice the capacity and a reload that only takes a second. I just don't see what is this gun's natural place in the world....and this is coming from a die hard Ruger fan. Plus, the basic Smith 442/642, always has a better price. Any way I twist it, I can't come up with a win on this one.

 

[Anonymous]

Just another example of firearms tupperware, to be "trendy" and maximize profit compared to a real gun......... :roll:

 

[Pal Val]

More proof to the old adage: "You can't please all people all the time."

 

[Rumrunner]

I have both the 642 and the LCR, and both have CT lazer grips. I don't notice much difference when carried in my pocket.
Where I do notice the difference is the action. I have shot 6-700 rounds through the Smith, and it is still not as light a trigger pull as the LCR which only has a couple boxes through it. My wife cannot pull the trigger on my 642 but has no problem with the LCR. That is why I haven't shot it much, she took it.

 

[off road]

More proof to the old adage: "You can't please all people all the time."

LCR just doesn't offer anything that one could not get for the last 50 years, in an aluminium framed J-frame. Add in that little bit of extra bulk, and it's a non-starter.

 

[off road]

The difference is subtle, but take a holster that fits a Smith perfectly, and try to stuff an LCR with its needlessly large trigger guard into it. In a pocket, the LCR just prints a bit to much.

 

[the fatman]

Send it to me and I'll try to make do with it. No reason to put up with such a irritating gun. :wink:

 

[flatgate]

Diff'rent strokes for Diff'rent folks.

My idea of a carry gun......

One's a .44 magnum and the other is a .45 Colt. Neither offer "real protection" which is more readily offered by a 4-3/4" Model '83 from F.A.

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[clayflingythingy]

The LCR is too big to fit in my pocket too. But it makes a dandy belt gun. For me, nothing carries better on the belt than a liteweight snub.

 

[clayflingythingy]

One's a .44 magnum and the other is a .45 Colt. Neither offer "real protection" which is more readily offered by a 4-3/4" Model '83 from F.A.

JMHO,

flatgate

Perhaps its just me, but I don't understand what you are trying to say here.

 

[cas6969]

LCR just doesn't offer anything that one could not get for the last 50 years, in an aluminium framed J-frame. Add in that little bit of extra bulk, and it's a non-starter.

Ruger doesn't make a lot on those J frames.

One's a .44 magnum and the other is a .45 Colt. Neither offer "real protection" which is more readily offered by a 4-3/4" Model '83 from F.A.

JMHO,

flatgate

Perhaps its just me, but I don't understand what you are trying to say here.

I believe…

Diff'rent strokes for Diff'rent folks.

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

"but if I want to carry IWB, I might as well pack a Glock 26"

I do agree with that statement.

There are really only two and one half true pocket carry pistols. A Beretta Bobcat and an LCP. The S&W J-Frame and Kahr PM-9 are the half.

 

[contender]

I think a lot like Flatgate. I carry a 45 Colt OM a lot as my CCW. I don't worry about any "print" from it as I don't care if someone knows I'm carrying. (I also carry a 1911, and a 4" Security-Six from time to time too!)

 

[bigboredad]

the lcr sells nib for around 360 around here I've never seen a smith j frame nib for that price. Add in a trigger job on the smith to get it even with the lcr and the difference is farther. I do not own a lcr but I have shot them and was very impressed with the trigger. If you have trouble hiding a lcr you might want to reconsider your wardrobe choice. Personally I belong to the same camp as Flatgate and Contender.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Thanks for the tip. I thought an LCR would be perfect for pocket carry. If I want something too big for pocket carry I will take a 3" SP-101, which is what I have. It carries good IWB for me. 8) 8)

...Jimbo

 

[JWhitmore44]

With all the other crap i have in my pockets I don't know where you guys find any room to carry a gun in there I could get away with the back pocket but it always gets tangled with my bandana. I had to go to a belt holster for my phone even.

 

[pps]

IWB tuckable holster, and you can carry a wide variety of guns, as you already pointed out...even if you need to have your shirt tucked in. If you wanted pocket carry, it sounds like you had that covered with the 442, so I'm not sure why you opted for something that you consider too bulky. That is why I try the feel of a gun BEFORE purchase for ccw.

Flatgate, you have inspired me to figure out a way to conceal my 7 1/2" blackhawk. "...why no dear...I'm just happy to see you!"

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

Concealing and SAA is pretty simple.

I used to say this like ole boy up there says "I don't worry about any "print""

Until I saw a cop ask a guy to pull his shirt up in a Restaurant and took him to jail based on "Print".

Some folks think "ah, if its a print, maybe its my knife or cell phone". Well if your phone is printing they can assume its a gun and if they ask someone to pull up the shirt, they are going to get it right a certain percentage of the time.

 

[JimB120]

Carry my LCR in my pocket everyday without problem.

Dress pants, jeans, cargo pants. It's all good.

Much better trigger system than a J frame too.

 

[Jbrown75]

Concealing and SAA is pretty simple.

I used to say this like ole boy up there says "I don't worry about any "print""

Until I saw a cop ask a guy to pull his shirt up in a Restaurant and took him to jail based on "Print".

So what's the rest of this story? I don't buy a guy gets jailed just for carrying unless there was more to it.

 

[ltapd204]

Carry my LCR in my pocket everyday without problem.

Dress pants, jeans, cargo pants. It's all good.

Much better trigger system than a J frame too.

Me too!

Sold my Smith 637 to buy my LCR and never regretted it. To each his own.

 

[Cholo]

pps, I'm with you and still trying to figure why the OP bought the gun in the 1st place as a blind man could tell it's no J frame size. The LCR's trigger does beat all my J frames. I have a feeling someone's about to get a deal on an LCR :wink:

 

[off road]

the lcr sells nib for around 360 around here I've never seen a smith j frame nib for that price.

Around here, the .38 LCR is consistently around $40 more than a Smith 442/642. I haven't been paying particular attention in recent years, but I think Smith dropped their prices because of the competition from Ruger. Competition is always a good thing for the consumer.

If you want a .357 LCR, add in another $30. But....if you want a scandium .357 J-frame, double the total price!!! That does make the .357 Ruger, a superb bargain!

 

[steveodtw]

That original "bulbous" Hogue grip is definately the most comfortable to shoot. If too big for carry, consider replacing it with the Boot grip sold on shopruger.com. Much flatter profile. I carry mine in IWB holster. No print.

 

[darkwater67]

Carry my LCR in my pocket everyday without problem.

Dress pants, jeans, cargo pants. It's all good.

Much better trigger system than a J frame too.

Same here...not so much with jeans, but that's probably due to the cut I usually wear.

 

[off road]

pps, I'm with you and still trying to figure why the OP bought the gun in the 1st place as a blind man could tell it's no J frame size. The LCR's trigger does beat all my J frames. I have a feeling someone's about to get a deal on an LCR :wink:

Yes....I laid a J-frame on top of the LCR, and yes while anyone can see the trigger guard is bigger, it didn't look like enough to make a difference. But....just like a new piece of clothing or a new girlfriend, you have to get it home and wear it for a while before you discover whether it really fits perfectly or not.

I'm not quite sure why Ruger found it necessary to use such a large trigger guard. Look at any other Ruger....does it have one? No, so we can't blame it on Ruger 'tradition'. Someone suggested that it is to facilitate operation while wearing gloves, and this will now be the new wave of the future. Time will tell. My hunch is that the designers couldn't get the plastic strong enough without adding some bulk to the frame in this area. I'm guessing it is that simple, but for me it is a fatal flaw to an otherwise near perfect design.

In this case, it's no big deal because I just passed the gun along to my daughter who isn't into pocket carry anyway, so nothing lost and a lesson well learned! Just putting the word out that you need to consider if you can live with the extra bulk if you like to pocket carry, or need a very svelte backup gun!

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

No rest of the story, your firearm can't print. If there is a bulge and the cop don't like your eye color he can check it out and if he is right, you suffer. I wish the laws allowed for printing, I think its stupid with all the bulging from gadgets these days a pistol can't print.

 

[Specs]

I pocket carry my LCR 357 in Wrangler relaxed fit jeans in a cheap UM pocket holster without issue. Same for my LC9. It works if you want it to.

 

[pps]

No rest of the story, your firearm can't print. If there is a bulge and the cop don't like your eye color he can check it out and if he is right, you suffer. I wish the laws allowed for printing, I think its stupid with all the bulging from gadgets these days a pistol can't print.

In Commifornia, there is a case where someone was convicted of illegal ccw of a knife. The blade was partially showing, but the DA was able to establish the precidence that it's irrelevant if the weapon was concealed poorly...it's still considered concealed....EVEN IF YOU PRINT!

If you print or have a "tell" a cop can still give you grief, and have the sheriff pull your ccw permit from you....but in Commifornia, even a piss poor job of concealment is still concealment. I do not know the laws in other states.

 

[darkwater67]

pps....thanks for digging that up, as I too recalled that ruling had been made, at least for those of us behind enemy lines... :wink: