sp101 vs LCR

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

The LCR has probably sold more internal lock equipped S&W 642 & 442 revolvers than the sum of all the advertising S&W has ever put out.

That's news to me. Anyone else think this?

 

[Merlinspop]

I would buy that statement only in the same vein of saying that the LCP sold more Kel-Tecs than Kel-Tec did. These two models sparked a lot of demand, but when people when to the shops to buy them, they weren't available, so the retailers did what retailers do, namely sold them something they had in stock instead.

As for the concealability of a GP100... I have a 4" GP that conceals pretty well in a high sitting pancake holster under an XL rugby shirt.

B

The LCR has probably sold more internal lock equipped S&W 642 & 442 revolvers than the sum of all the advertising S&W has ever put out.

That's news to me. Anyone else think this?

 

[Redhawk4]

The LCR has probably sold more internal lock equipped S&W 642 & 442 revolvers than the sum of all the advertising S&W has ever put out.

That's news to me. Anyone else think this?

I don't think it can be true, if you look how many LCR's have sold, that would have had to be to the detriment of S&W sales and other competitors.

We'll never know the true facts though, because with the current crazy market conditions most companies are still selling just about everything they can put on the shelves.

It's funny how perceptions change, it seems people had no problem carrying an SP101 until the LCR came out.

 

[surveyor47]

You have 2 guns in the new gun case, a S&W 642 and a Ruger LCR for roughly the same price. One is aluminum alloy and the other is a wierd combination of plastic and steel, as much steel as possible removed. Which one would you buy? Now, bear in mind that you are a CCW licensee and the gun is not for threat or a range fun gun. One has no track record at all and the other has a track record running into the millions. Both have those stupid internal locks (but there is a current run of no lock 642s out there).

If you are buying a gun for the sheer novelty, buy the LCR. If you are buying a gun to protect your life under dire circumstances, buy a S&W 642 or a Ruger SP101. You are more likely to carry the 642 because of its light weight, but the SP101 is a better fighting gun.

 

[madd-trapper]

My LCR does it duty 24/7 with no problems. Yes I know ugly new designed plastic guns. I remember that goofy company from Austria tried to sell those. What ever happened to Glock? 8)

 

[piratedude]

You have 2 guns in the new gun case, a S&W 642 and a Ruger LCR for roughly the same price. One is aluminum alloy and the other is a wierd combination of plastic and steel, as much steel as possible removed. Which one would you buy? Now, bear in mind that you are a CCW licensee and the gun is not for threat or a range fun gun. One has no track record at all and the other has a track record running into the millions. Both have those stupid internal locks (but there is a current run of no lock 642s out there).

If you are buying a gun for the sheer novelty, buy the LCR. If you are buying a gun to protect your life under dire circumstances, buy a S&W 642 or a Ruger SP101. You are more likely to carry the 642 because of its light weight, but the SP101 is a better fighting gun.

I guess the magic of aluminum still impresses some older folks who were issued the M16 back in the Nam, but most people today feel very comfortable with polymer lowered weapons. Today, in fact, handguns with polymer lowers beat the sales of handguns with aluminum lowers by several factors of ten.

The vast majority of professional police officers, agents and security guards protect their lives with polymer handguns. The majority even of civilian gun sales are polymer handguns such as the Glock, H&K, XD, M&P, or FN. Polymer handguns have withstood just about every reliability test that can conceivably be thrown at them.

The idea that a polymer handgun can't be trusted was pretty well laid to rest by Glock and H&K back in the early 80s. Almost every major police force in America today carries a Glock, or to some lesser extent, some other polymer pistol like the M&P. For the most part, aluminum handguns like the Beretta are considered inferior to polymer handguns like Glock, H&K, XD, or S&W M&P. Even Ruger had discontinued most of its aluminum frame semi-autos due to low sale numbers.

I'm surprise really that anyone is seriously suggesting that a polymer handgun would be inferior to an aluminum one. I can see an argument arising between steel and polymer, but polymer v/s aluminum is one argument that I just don't get.

 

[surveyor47]

I didn't say inferior. I said untested. Big difference. Nobody has previously tried polymer in a revolver and nobody will truly know until the gun has been out for quite some time.

Advantages to plymer are that you can get rid of steel where it is unnecessary and replacement parts are easy and cheap. Lockwork design can be changed easily as well. Downside is that in a revolver, you may open a whole new can of worms as guns wear.

Proven Ruger designs? Say the Redhawk.... has a problem with light primer strikes. Ruger may have fixed the root cause in later guns of the series, but I wouldnt bet on it. I have to use Federal primers to get 95%+ first hammer strike ignition. Ruger fixed the problem for sure in the Super Redhawk and GP100 series, but it is still a problem for many people. Irritating defect on a range/fun gun. Fatal on a self defense gun. This is one reason that I prefer the Blackhawk as a field gun. Just because the company knows how to make a fine revolver doesnt always mean that it delivers. Stuff happens. Time will prove or disprove the design.

 

[FED327]

Well, given that the SP101 327 was based on the "proven design" of the steel SP series, and mine was junk, I'm not sure I would use that argument against the LCR. The plastic on the LCR is not a stress point, and the parts are all pretty normal Ruger revolver parts in form and function, except the LCR has the BEST TRIGGER of any revolver I've ever had, short of some super tuned target gun with a trick single action. The LCR has a slick, smooth, light trigger with NO STACKING at all. I've owned and shot and carried all of the above guns, SP101 in 357 Mag, in 327 Fed & 9mm. I now only carry the LCR and will never look back to the SP for a concealed carry gun, which is the only reason I own guns.

 

[gunguru]

I would not swap my LCR for two SP101's!

 

[Eric N.]

How so gunguru? Whats wrong with the SP101?