Having trouble shooting LCP

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98 220 swift

New member
+2 on the Hogue grip. It made a major difference on my lcp. Was a pain to shoot before now a joy. used to only shot a mag or 2 before I was done. Now can shoot all day with it. made a terrible to shoot gun a fun gun to shoot. I think they still go for around $10.
 
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Carl the Floor Walker

Moderator
98 220 swift said:
+2 on the Hogue grip. It made a major difference on my lcp. Was a pain to shoot before now a joy. used to only shot a mag or 2 before I was done. Now can shoot all day with it. made a terrible to shoot gun a fun gun to shoot. I think they still go for around $10.
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For many years I used the Hogue Grip on the LCP's. Years later, I took it off and was surprised to actually have better control. And I have large hands. I believe Ruger engineers knew what they were doing in the design. And the Stippling on the LCP (older models) was great. I am no longer a LCP fan, but sure as heck shot a lot of ammo through them. I guess Ruger could have designed the gun with a fat grip like the Hogue, but did not for a reason. I also think it depends on how much you shoot the gun and adjust to it.
Some folks need a fat seat for a Bike, and when switching to a racing or road seat, feel unforgettable at first. But once they get use to it, they do not want to go back. At least for me, this was the case with the Hogue and Pocket Pistol grips. JMO.

As far as the Op is concerned, it is anyone's guess what is causing the Problem. I would guess that the nerve in the hand could run through frin his arm to the shoulder. The snap of the LCP is such that it produces a hard Muzzle Flip, which could be causing force aggravating his wrist. I also have noticed that the LC9's do the same thing, but in a lessor degree.
I do hate to see him have to scale back on shooting his CCW Pocket gun. The skill set to shoot these small barrel, small guns must be maintained on a constant training regime. At least I require diligent training. I am sure others disagree and require very little. Each to his own.
 
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RUT

New member
>>The LCP is NOT a range gun - why are you shooting it like it is one? I have one, and two mags is practice enough..........<<

Ditto. I think I've only shot mine once, and hopefully never will again.
 
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SonOfScubaDiver

New member
Hmmm. Well, yeah, it does seem that you're locked in to your LCP. It seems the best course of action, if getting something else isn't viable, is to not shoot it as much, as others have suggested. No sense in making whatever is going on with your shoulder and hand any worse. I know I had to cut down how much I shoot my LCR because it hurts my hand. Some guns just aren't good range guns.
 
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Carl the Floor Walker

Moderator
RUT said:
>>The LCP is NOT a range gun - why are you shooting it like it is one? I have one, and two mags is practice enough..........<<

Ditto. I think I've only shot mine once, and hopefully never will again.
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Lol,If you do not consider the gun you carry a range gun, that is your business. I damn well consider my pocket guns as range guns and I train with them as if my life depended on it. and that is my business. You don't want to train, then don't.
Two mags? Good enough to maybe get you killed. Hopefully for your sake, the bad guy trains less than that.

By the way, I find them not only challenging but fun to shoot. Have also been shooting my LCR9mm religiously for the past two years. Another fun gun. When I first started shooting it, I was terrible. A lot of improvement over the past two years have made a considerable difference.
Some folks think shooting a small barrel pistol is easy, most understand that it takes diligent and frequent practice.
I have not seen many that do well with them from the very beginning and many never get there.

On the LCR9mm, I thought the recoil was substantial at first, but after so many range sessions, It is like I have become immune to it. Really do not notice it at all anymore. Now a 357 would be a different story. I doubt I could handle many rounds in one session.
 
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shafter

New member
The problem with these little guns is they're painful to shoot, and because of that they don't get shot enough. The very guns that need the most practice to be proficient with are the ones that get shot the least.

If the LCP is painful to shoot then I would suggest moving up a bit in size. Try out the LC9, or perhaps the Shield or Glock 43. You want to be good with what you carry. Personally I've found the Shield to be very easy to shoot for it's size.
 
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GarandTd

New member
Perhaps try less rounds more often, if it's possible. I am 1 mile from my local, private outdoor range. It is a blessing. I generally shoot two hi-cap mags of 9mm and 3 mags +/- of 380 per week, roughly. I feel like it's good practice, often. I feel like it's better than wearing yourself down with 100 rounds in one visit from one pistol.
 
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Carl the Floor Walker

Moderator
I doubt there was anyone worse than me when I first shot my LCP. I guess that was around 10 years ago when they first came out. Man, it hurt my hand and my finger. I almost missed the target. The round went extremely high and right to the very edge of the target.
THAT GUN ON THAT DAY GOT THE BEST OF ME
Thus began a 10 yr journey to get to be the best I could at shooting them. I trained at least once a week and thousands of rounds through them. Burnt 4 of them out.
1) eventually became use to the recoil. No longer hurt, Groups started coming together, I became faster and faster with point and shoot skills, faster at drawing and doing double taps to multiple targets etc.
Eventually this became like a hobby. Yes, I still love to shoot my other larger firearms, but I would say I am a "Niche" shooter in the fact that I love the small barrel guns. They represent a challenge.
Take on the challenge and it is my belief that you will become a better shooter with all firearms. Bigger weapons will become so much easier to shoot.

My old running coach was fond of saying
"FREQUENT, MODERATE WORKOUTS".[
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/B] Advice that has stayed with me for years.

Possible solutions for the OP. Yes as the other poster mentioned. Cut down on the amount of rounds in one session and add more sessions. Sometimes I go to the range in the am and again in the PM for example. Quality vs Quantity.
In the running world, we called too many miles, "Junk Miles". No need for Junk Rounds".
Find a small barrel trainer in 22.cal and train point and shoot skills. I use a Phoenix HPA and it has been a tremendous help. I also train with BB and Pellet pistols
For my LCR, I bought a 22.cal LCR. Plus it saves on the cost of 380 ammo. And 22.cal can be a whole lot of fun to boot.
 
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TruthTellers

New member
Carl the Floor Walker said:
I doubt there was anyone worse than me when I first shot my LCP. I guess that was around 10 years ago when they first came out. Man, it hurt my hand and my finger. I almost missed the target. The round went extremely high and right to the very edge of the target.
THAT GUN ON THAT DAY GOT THE BEST OF ME
Thus began a 10 yr journey to get to be the best I could at shooting them. I trained at least once a week and thousands of rounds through them. Burnt 4 of them out.
1) eventually became use to the recoil. No longer hurt, Groups started coming together, I became faster and faster with point and shoot skills, faster at drawing and doing double taps to multiple targets etc.
Eventually this became like a hobby. Yes, I still love to shoot my other larger firearms, but I would say I am a "Niche" shooter in the fact that I love the small barrel guns. They represent a challenge.
Take on the challenge and it is my belief that you will become a better shooter with all firearms. Bigger weapons will become so much easier to shoot.

My old running coach was fond of saying /B] Advice that has stayed with me for years.

Possible solutions for the OP. Yes as the other poster mentioned. Cut down on the amount of rounds in one session and add more sessions. Sometimes I go to the range in the am and again in the PM for example. Quality vs Quantity.
In the running world, we called too many miles, "Junk Miles". No need for Junk Rounds".
Find a small barrel trainer in 22.cal and train point and shoot skills. I use a Phoenix HPA and it has been a tremendous help. I also train with BB and Pellet pistols
For my LCR, I bought a 22.cal LCR. Plus it saves on the cost of 380 ammo. And 22.cal can be a whole lot of fun to boot.
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If I really get into carrying the LCP, I wouldn't mind getting a small .22 pistol. I have the SR22 (great pistol btw) but something smaller appeals to me. How about a Beretta Minx? I know the trigger is single action, but if it's just point shooting I'm practicing, I don't think the difference between the triggers will matter. Will it?

Besides, I love .22 Short. I always grab a box when I see it at an LGS.

I have both the LCP and an LCPII. I agree that more than 25 shots will get your attention. On my LCP I have a set of Hogue grips that really helped but they do make the gun a bit wider. MY LCPII needs nothing added.
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I'll admit, when I held the LCP II last year, I did feel the grip was better than the LCP and the trigger wasn't bad. I just didn't think it was worth $300 at the time, not after I just got the Custom for $200 months before.
 
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Auto5

New member
My standard advice to someone shooting an LCP is to hold it like you're tying to squeeze it to death. It requires a firm grip. Maintaining that grip on the little bugger is probably adding your problem. They are a joy to carry, but a pain to shoot. Because it is my usual BUG, I do try to shoot a few mags through it each range session.
 
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wild cat mccane

New member
To clarify, the Custom trigger is no different than the LCP gen2 trigger. I mean zero difference. One just happens to be metal.

I owned both at the same time. I sold the Custom because of the well documented proprietary front sight issue.
 
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TruthTellers

New member
wild cat mccane said:
To clarify, the Custom trigger is no different than the LCP gen2 trigger. I mean zero difference. One just happens to be metal.

I owned both at the same time. I sold the Custom because of the well documented proprietary front sight issue.
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I disagree, the Custom's trigger feels more solid and has a more positive break. Other than Glock, plastic triggers just suck.
 
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wild cat mccane

New member
I agree it's nicer by perception in the mind, but I doubt anyone with a regular LCP would call the plastic anything less than completely firm.
 
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Carl the Floor Walker

Moderator
Never shot the Minx, but I can tell you right now after years of point shooting a Phoenix, that they are fantastic. I love these guns for that purpose. I like to take about 9 of the reactive paste on (2-3") targets and place them in rows of three on a standard range target. Then as fast as I can try and score as many hits as possible.
With a lot of practice you will surprised how well you can do. Really gets that small barrel and eye movement working together. And yes the Phoenix is ulta reliable. Actually I have two of them. Feel great in the hand and as accurate as the Shooter.
And these drills have been very beneficial for point shooting for all firearms.

All this said, the Minx looks like a cool little pistol and yes, I would think it would be very good for training.
 
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moosemike

New member
If I wanted a Minx in .22 short I'd get me one. But I wouldn't expect that practicing with it would be a substitute for practicing with my pocket 380. The issues with pocket 380's are recoil and the only way to master them is to shoot them. Someone complained about the trigger on an LCP. Well how easy a trigger do you want on a pistol that's in your front pocket pointing at sensitive areas with a round in the chamber? And if the chamber is empty then the pistol may as well have been left at home. Because it's not ready for a situation anyway.
 
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TruthTellers

New member
After I mentioned the Minx, I then remembered that Taurus makes a .22 LR clone of the Beretta tip up barrels. They go for right around $200 and have a long DAO trigger pull. Not only a nice gun to practice point shooting, but also I've been thinking about a pocket .22 pistol for a while. If I see one used for a good price, I'll pick it up.
 
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