Ruger made me do it... LCP $222 OTD

[WVsig]

Well the $100 price drop and shooting a friends LCP Custom a few weeks ago made me pull the trigger. I have been looking at them as a BUG and summer carry and a reasonably local dealer had the standard, confirmed Gen2, in stock so I picked one up. $222 OTD.

The machining on the gun is pretty good for a $200 gun. The bluing is thin the polymer feels a little cheap in the hand but for $200 I was not expecting it to feel or look like Browning Hi Power. Since it is 100% a carry gun its finish is really a non-issue for me. I am sure it would be well worn soon enough no matter what finish was on it. I have smaller hands so I can get a firm grip on it without the 7 round mag. I am looking to pick one of those up as well.

Could not get to the range today but should be there tomorrow. The trigger during dry firing seemed on par with the Custom I shot a few weeks ago. I choose the standard because it comes out of a pocket holster a bit cleaner than the custom.

If I could have gotten one with the smaller sights and the alum trigger I would have gotten that but for a pocket gun I am not too worried about it. The sights don't matter to me because if it ever comes into play it will be at spitting breathe distances where I most likely will not be using the sights. I also have had no problems with the standard sights at 7 to 10 yards. Can't see me using this much beyond that.

If you have been considering picking one up I would do it.

No pics because well its an elisa pea. We all know what it looks like. LOL Will update tomorrow after the range session.

 

[1stmar]

With good lighting conditions the sights are ample enough for range work which gives confidence in the pistols capability. I shoot mine regularly and enjoy it. I find the recoil very manageable and the pistol remarkably accurate. I'll shoot from 7-25 yards. It's every bit as accurate as my s&w snubby, maybe more so. I I Routinely dump a magazine into 5-6" at 25 yards. Fun gun, great price, excellent carry gun.

Great purchase, enjoy.

 

[Mosin44az]

I have two, a First Gen and a Custom. After years of trying everything else, these are, along with my LCR, my carry guns. Reliability is the most important factor, and it's nice that Ruger listened and improved the trigger and sights over the First Gen. Good purchase.

 

[briandg]

It is very tempting to pick one up to keep as backup for my bodyguard. I actually enjoy shooting it. My last round was 100 grain hand loads with a mid range load of accurate#5. That load has all the push needed to make the slide work. If you reload, consider getting dies for it. It's not any more difficult th a loading nine, except for throwing such tiny charges.

 

[Targa]

Very nice. Yeh, Ruger has a way of doing that...

 

[Linegrind]

I'm somewhat tempted to pick one up now myself. If I wasn't about to blow my gun budget on a 45 I probably would. I'm glad to see then so cheap. If they stay this cheap for awhile I might grab one as a beater carry gun. Working for the government where I do in law enforcement the gun rules are very strict so on work days I find myself leaving my favorite guns at home a lot. I don't like the idea of leaving them in the car when I'm in the secure facility but a cheapy like that wouldn't bother me. Dinging it all to hell in my glove box and such and living year round when I'm not on the range in a humid hot cab or frozen cab even the rust would be a bother. I haven't any issues steel wooling and refinishing one of those myself if I ever had too. Not that I neglect my guns that horribly but I've had days where hours alone in a vehicle is all it takes for even a freshly oiled and cleaned gun to start having issues. I'm really glad that ruger went this route.

 

[MFitz]

I bought my LCP almost a year ago (before the price drop but I still got a really good deal on it) and, having only ever fired full-size military metal-frame 9 mils before it took a little getting used to. But really within about 30-40 rounds I had my head around it and now I shoot it fine.

 

[rpseraph]

I would put an LCP low on my list of needs/wants... but a good deal is a good deal, and that's a good deal! Pew pew

 

[fastbolt]

Congrats.

I own a couple of them, an earlier production blued one (but post recall) and a new production stainless (slide) one.

Both of mine have been fine with an assortment of major maker JHP's, and some occasional ball loads, and the practical accuracy of them was pleasantly surprising. I use a bit of brightly colored nail polish to make the sights easier to pick up, and the revised sights on the newer model do make a difference. Both little LCP's are capable of pretty tightly spaced, aimed hits within 3-15yds. The newer model was actually easier to use than my well-liked J-frames when it came to some fast drills and shot strings. Nice.

Being a long time 5-shot DA & DAO revolver shooter, I didn't have any trouble adjusting to the trigger when I got the older first one (meaning within the first mag load). The newer version does have a nicer trigger, though. I was using a Bodyguard .380 (belonging to another instructor) a while back, and the difference between the S&W and Ruger triggers was pretty noticeable.

I ended up judiciously trimming a Hogue Handall Junior grip sleeve to fit mine, as it gives me just the right amount of "purchase" for my middle finger, letting me index and grip the little gun comfortably and quickly.

The LCP is what changed my mind about not carrying a .380, as I'd not carried one for over 25 years (since I'd traded off a Beretta M84). I saw some good performance on our range with some guys carrying them, and was hearing some very pleased feedback from out guys and guys from outside agencies.

It slips (pocket holstered) into some shorter & tighter pockets that won't let me carry one of my J-frames, so it serves a role for me as a handy retirement weapon (especially in warmer months here along the Coast).

 

[TailGator]

The new prices are really tempting. My wife and I each have Sig P238 for pocket guns, but on the occasion of those purchases I handled the LCP and did not find the trigger objectionable at all - long, but not overly heavy, and reasonably smooth. I honestly don't need one, but at the current prices they are hard to walk away from.

 

[Cheapshooter]

I have never been bothered by the miniscule sights on my early dash S/N LCP.
It points so naturally that sights are not all that necessary to hit where it needs to hit at it's intended range of 10 yds. and less. Neither has the longer, stiffer trigger botheted me. But at the prices I am hearing I might just have to get another one for the other pocket!

 

[Limnophile]

As someone who is considering committing heresy (for me) and buying a safetiless pocket pistol for deep concealment, can someone please summarize the differences between the LCP Gen1, the LCP Gen 2, and the LCP-Custom? At the price mentioned in this thread, heresy is calling.

The LCP has a reputation for being unpleasant to shoot. I understand it is not a range gun, but I'd like to be able to shoot it enough during a session to get some meaningful practice in. What is a comfortable range count per shooting session with an LCP? To provide a couple of calibration points, I'd consider a comfortable range count for a .45-70 Government Derringer to be zero (you'd have to pay me a considerable sum to pull the trigger on one of these), and for my Browning Challenger III essentially infinity (I run out of ammo long before I tire of shooting it).

 

[Auto5]

Congrats, sounds like a great deal. Cabelas was advertising them for $199 recently, but with sales tax and fees here, it would still come out to more.

I have a first gen that I paid $289 for when they first came out. I painted the front sight with some appliance touch up paint and added a Tech Clip. It sees almost as much use as my primary carry gun.

 

[adamBomb]

The LCP has a reputation for being unpleasant to shoot. I understand it is not a range gun, but I'd like to be able to shoot it enough during a session to get some meaningful practice in. What is a comfortable range count per shooting session with an LCP?

I just got one and only put 50 rounds through it at my first session. The recoil was very similar to the glock 43. I had no issues with it and could of easily put down 200 rounds. It really wasn't bad at all. I think going in expecting it to be bad gave me a more positive outlook. The smallest gun I had fired previously was a glock 42 and glock 43.

 

[Auto5]

@Limnofile:

The Gen 2 has improved sights and trigger. The custom has a different trigger, although some say there is little practical difference between the custom and Gen 2 triggers.

It's not a range gun. I consider one 50 rd box of ammo per session more than enough. The trick to shooting the LCP is to grip it tightly, like you're trying to squeeze it to death. I also wear a shooting glove for range sessions (actually it's a baseball batting glove with the tip of the index finger cut off).

 

[WVsig]

As someone who is considering committing heresy (for me) and buying a safetiless pocket pistol for deep concealment, can someone please summarize the differences between the LCP Gen1, the LCP Gen 2, and the LCP-Custom? At the price mentioned in this thread, heresy is calling.

The LCP has a reputation for being unpleasant to shoot. I understand it is not a range gun, but I'd like to be able to shoot it enough during a session to get some meaningful practice in. What is a comfortable range count per shooting session with an LCP? To provide a couple of calibration points, I'd consider a comfortable range count for a .45-70 Government Derringer to be zero (you'd have to pay me a considerable sum to pull the trigger on one of these), and for my Browning Challenger III essentially infinity (I run out of ammo long before I tire of shooting it).

The Gen 1 was the original design. It has a trench sight and a longer trigger pull. People complained about the length and weight of the pull. There was a recall due to a defect in the hammer those issues have been resolved. These can be identified by a - in the serial number.

Then came the Gen 2 guns in which were introduced in 2012. They have a set of small sight which are a bit of an improvement over the originals IMHO. They also improved the trigger pull. It is shorter because the they changed the rest position of the hammer. Many people think the pull is lighter but it isn't based on published data it is shorter which give the perception that it is lighter IMO. There are no -'s in the serial number. You can see the taller sights in this pic.

Then comes the Custom which is a Gen 2 gun with a red aluminum trigger and taller more traditional sights. Trigger pull is the same but the alum trigger is a bit wider so many people like it. It was designed to mimic aftermarket triggers that many people were putting on LCPs. The sights give a better sight picture but the trade off is if you are pocket carrying they are more prone to snagging. They run about $10-$20 more than the standard depending on the retailer.

The recoil of the LCP is not as bad as people say it is. I prefer shooting it vs my S&W airweight 642. I would put it in the 6-7 range on your scale. Some people are more recoil sensitive than others. It is small in the hand so larger hands will have more trouble getting enough hands on the pistol. The grip is super slim almost too slim and I like a slim grip. Some people get a Hogue handall or other slip on grip to get more width on the pistol.

I helped a lady friend of mine who has almost zero handgun experience learn to shoot her LCP the other day. She fired about 40 rounds through the pistol and had no issues. This was not rapid fire but slow fire with some instruction in between mags. She did not find the gun unpleasant to shoot.

For the money it is a good gun. I am not a big Ruger fan nor am I a big fan of cheap guns but the current version and price of the LCP was too hard to resist. At $320+ I would not but it but at $222 it came home with me.

 

[Limnophile]

Thanks for the replies on the differences between the variants and the shootability. If 50 rounds per session is within the range of comfort, that more than meets my needs. I typically expend only 100 rounds per session and almost always divide that among more than one pistol.

A SIG Sauer P-238 might be my ideal choice, but the cost differential between it and an LCP is hard to justify, especially for what I doubt will be my primary carry piece.

 

[1stmar]

I don't find it unpleasant to shoot. I actually thought my sig p230 was more uncomfortable. 50 rds in a range trip should be easy.

 

[WVsig]

Thanks for the replies on the differences between the variants and the shootability. If 50 rounds per session is within the range of comfort, that more than meets my needs. I typically expend only 100 rounds per session and almost always divide that among more than one pistol.

A SIG Sauer P-238 might be my ideal choice, but the cost differential between it and an LCP is hard to justify, especially for what I doubt will be my primary carry piece.

I am not a huge fan of the P238 design but even if I was I would have a hard time pay 3X as much for it over the LCP for a pocket dedicated gun.

 

[tallball]

I have huge hands. Those little things generally rough up my hand slightly and pinch my trigger finger a bit. I usually just shoot a few magazines through it every once in a while. But it doesn't make me flinch, and I can empty the magazine into a paper plate at 20 feet no problem. IMHO that is good enough for SD, and I carry it fairly often. With a big shirt I can even conceal it in the breast pocket, or in any pocket of any pair of shorts... and although I would never do so, because I always use a pocket holster, I found that it could even be carried in the change pocket of my jeans (the grip sticks out, but just leaving my t-shirt untucked covered that very effectively). It is amazingly convenient to be able to conceal a reliable 380 so easily. I laugh when I remember back in the olden days when my most concealable 380 was a Makarov!