Working the LCRx

[Sharps40]

Got this grip for my Mom's LCR. She has arthritis and can't bend all her fingers around the small grip. I have arthritis too, but still can bend my fingers.

Like this grip I got her so much I'm getting one for me.

Lots easier to hold....good position, easier to thumb the hammer on my lcrx and a place for my pinky and stickey like a Hogue grip.

Should tame the +P and +P+ a bit too....

Took the LCRx apart tonight to look over the guts. Pretty smooth. Take down is almost like the LCR.....tiny parts and pins and springs in there. Probably won't take it down much now that its cleaned out and greased/oiled in the right places. Hard part is big fingers and tiny springs and putting it together against spring tension and not bending the wee little spring on the cylinder locking bolt.

So....while the LCRs have wonderfully smooth and light feeling DAO trigger pulls, the LCRx (at least this one) has a pull more like the 22 LR LCR. Noticeably heavier. I'd rate the LCRx factory pull about like a lightly tuned J frame, a bit stiff at the end of the stroke but fairly smooth. A touch of grease and oil in the right places after some cleaning really helped and I don't see that much can or should be done to smooth or lighten the trigger. Not to say I won't give it a go later but for now, 50 rounds down the pipe and I'm still getting used to this one as the EDC. I suppose a good holster will be a best buy for now vice any action work other than cleaning and lube.

Disassembly of the LCRx differs a bit from the lcr. Both require pivoting the frame off the grip after pushing the cylinder bolt pin out to keep from bending the wee tiny cylinder bolt spring but reassembly was a snap.....push the frame straight back onto the grip and install the single cylinder crain screw. (unlike the LCR which has a cylinder crain screw and a screw at the top rear of the frame to lock in the plastic grip. )

Oh yeah, my LCRx has no lock under the grip. Happily, Ruger seems to be making more and more of their revolvers without a key operated lock these days.

 

[Sharps40]

Worked the LCRx over and went to the range.

So.....capture the hammer spring.

Remove the single take down screw.

Push out the cylinder latch retaining pin before removing cylinder frame from grip frame

Once the cylinder frame is removed, and you will likely have to press the cylinder latch down through the window in the bottom of the frame to slide the cylinder frame off the grip frame....then remove the cylinder latch and spring from the grip frame.

Pull the hammer up and out, press out the strut pin and separate hammer from strut. Rotate trigger back and remove the transfer bar. Remove the nail from the hammer strut and take the strut and spring up and out through the hammer window in the grip frame...

I clipped one coil from the mainspring and polished the end flat....the newly flattened end goes down/back in the cup at the bottom of the strut.

The bearing surfaces of the hammer at the cross pin were polished bright. The entire transfer bar was polished bright.

 

[Sharps40]

The bottom foot, double action cam surface was polished bright. The single action notch and the trigger/sear were left alone. Polishing one surface is nearly as good as polishing both. And polishing the foot only can help keep one from boogering up a part and ruining the gun.

For reassembly, all contact surfaces, axles, springs, etc, were lightly greased with RIG. Here the mainspring and strut is reinstalled through the hammer window in the grip frame and recaptured compressed with a nail.

Reassemble the hammer and strut with the pin and slip the hammer down into the window. Install the hammer pin. Ensure that the tab on the transfer bar is behind the cylinder ratchet when reinstalling the transfer bar on the trigger.

Reinstall the cylinder bolt with its spring and pin.

With the hammer spring still captured with the nail and all the parts in place, the cylinder frame slides straight back on to the grip frame.....once in position, hold it there against the pressure of the trigger return spring which bears against the inside rear of the frame. Don't slide it straight back and the foot of the trigger return spring will pop up into the cylinder bolt window in the bottom of the frame and jam up the mechanism. Straight back, wiggle wiggle and clunk, the cylinder frame is properly seated in the grip frame. Hold it there......

Reinstall the cylinder and the cylinder/take down screw....snug down the screw. Remove the nail to free up the main spring. Check double action and single action function. Reinstall the new ergo grip.

Ergo Grip works lovely in the pocket holster.

Off to range. 125 rounds of 125s, 148s and 158s. No malfunctions with hard cci and fed primers. Three times around the wheel and the grip felt natural. Very nice. Controlable, lots less torque to the thumb and very easy to stage the trigger. Over all, trigger is noticeably better. Measures now in the 11 lb range where before, DAO was off the scale. Very much smoother all the way through the DAO function. Feels much more like the good trigger on the DAO LCR 38s. (Ruger rates the LCR at 8 to 14 lbs DAO as I hear bandied about.) I'm pleased with the new feel, the greater controllability of the gun over all and doing some measurements, it appears the springs for the mid frame Taurus revolvers are very close in size to the mainspring in the LCRx and I may have to try one or two of the reduced power Taurus 66 springs to see how things turn out. But for now.......Success.

 

[Joe S.]

Pretty cool thanks. Always wanted to take mine apart but been too chicken.

 

[Sharps40]

Nothing to it. Just be careful not to loose or bend any of the small parts, that'll likely cost a trip back to the factory.

 

[Shockee]

I was actually able to cut one loop of the spring following the directions, and my gun works!

 

[Sharps40]

Yep. Carry mine daily and shoot it about 100 rounds a month. No troubles with cci, fed, rem or win primers. Fun to shoot too.

 

[Sharps40]

Well, had no idea that lcr parts was available from Numrich. So, ordered 4 replacement cylinder crane latches. I've had a hankerin for a while to come up with some kind of big button cylinder release. Specially for Mom's LCR. She has a bit o trouble opening it cause the button is small, the action is stiff and she's got 76 year old arthritic fingers. Perhaps I can come up with something that works.

 

[ph_redhawk]

Good info and pictures -- thanks. I may have to do some work on mine.

 

[ditto1958]

Wow, excellent post. Thank you!

 

[Sharps40]

yer welcome. Soon as I can I'll see if I can mod the spare release buttons for either a big button for arthritic fingers or a hole and pry bar arrangement that can ride separately in moms holster....sort of a button approach and/or a lever approach if needed. Somethings gotta work to get the damn things open with old tired fingers.

 

[Sharps40]

Oh my gosh....those spare cylinder release buttons are harder than a whores heart. No drillin them or even filing on em with out special tooling!

 

[Rumrunner]

Thanks, really great pics and info. Does make me glad I already like the action on mine so I wont be tearing into it. When the LCR first came out I was hoping that spare barrels and cylinders would be available for one trigger action making it modular. But no luck.

 

[Sharps40]

They are not difficult to assemble/disassemble. Just a bit of three handed monkey business. Its nice to see parts at Numrich though. Another source other than the factory is always handy.