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

[briandg]

Regarding shooting comfort, I suppose that you already know that the truth of that notion is a wildly rolling target on a rocking ship. People blather about how light the recoil is on their magnums, and it's ridiculous.

Shooter comfort isn't all about recoil, it encompasses the total push of cartridge, the speed of that push, how well it fits, how it is distributed, and more. Are you susceptible to the shock ,the noise. The jolt, the twist of your wrist?

For the Lcp, to me, the only question is whether it will hurt your hands. It's not going to bother you with jolting the rest of your body, and you won't get any appreciable shock or trauma by setting it off

This isn't a magnum,essentially, this is only the equivalent of two .2lr cartridges. Almost Anyone who has experience with handguns should be able to withstand the overall feel of firing it a few times. Unless it doesn't fit or you have arthritis or another handicap, you should be able to shoot it in sessions.

Myself, I own the sw .380 bodyguard. I have gone through sessions of 50. It has a bit of a snap. I even fire it single handed, and at longer than normal ranges. The accuracy is very acceptable, as fifty feet I can easily keep every round I fire in a six inch radius.

These things are not unpleasant to shoot. It stunned me to see low recoil rounds. My handloads are more firm and decisive, due to using 100 grain bullets and a larger charge of a.slower powder

 

[Cheapshooter]

What is a comfortable range count per shooting session with an LCP?

Seriously????
Probably between 100 and 500.
I never understood what the "snappy" recoil thing was about in the first place.
My first time out with my Elsie Pea I shot 100 rounds of WWB fmj range ammo. That's my standard "shake down" before I would trust a gun for carry. Then I tried what 380 SD ammo I could get at the time for reliability as well. 20 rounds Speer Gold Dot, 20 rounds of Winchester PDX1, and 25 rounds of Remington Golden Sabre. So that day it was 165 rounds through the LCP. Don't recall for sure, but I would imagine I also ran a bunch through my XD40 Sum Compact, and maybe a couple guns as well that day. My range "sessions" are most often range days.

 

[briandg]

well, there you have it. Experienced shooter who barely noticed it. Other experienced shooters consider the pop in the hand unpleasant compared to a full sized, handful of a gun. I find it to be just another gun, no different than most others. I've fired that thing without ear protection a couple of times, and there's no serious concussion or eye popping noise, either. Last time I fired it I shot my .357 as well. Neither of them hurt. If my hands didn't fit that pistol, or if the magnum was one of the new ultralight revolvers, sure, it would be unpleasant.

In any case, if it bothers you, im inclined to say forget about it and learn to live with the recoil. It's a good kind of hurt, Tex!

 

[Mosin44az]

No question the felt recoil on an LCP is a bit sharp, a lot more than on the Smith BG 380 or the baby SIgs. But you can get used to it. I usually confine my practice with my LCPs to 50 rounds at a time. It doesn't hurt as much as it did initially, if you grip tight. I would agree with above that it is more pleasant than a .38 Airweight.

Important to add a finger extension mag baseplate, Ruger and Pearce Grip offer these. Much easier to control, cuts recoil

Pachmayr offers the Tactical Grip Glove, this helps, though mine tended to slide around after awhile. Hogue offers a sleeve that you attach to the frame by replacing the back frame pin with the one they supply, I have this on my Gen 1 and it works. Both of these will cut felt recoil. I didn't bother with any aids beyond the mag extension on my Custom, it's still readily shootable.

 

[briandg]

Sitting here with my BG, I realized a few.things. First, the Lcp may be a hair narrower, and.this could lead to a punchier recoil than the bg.

Second, I have.spent.My life telling people to not .have a stranglehold on their guns. These guns need a very firm grip with the two middle fingers to limit the flip experienced. Don't clench so hard that you pop a blood vessel, but keep the thing held tightly enough that the recoil is taken by the ball of your palm,rather than the web of four thumb. Be.certain that thumb a nd forefinger are loose, and don't clench it so hard that your wrist is affected.

Squeezing something causes your muscles to lose some control, so you need to hold it carefully, using only what force is needed to retain.control. don't waste extra energy

In the end, this is going to be about experience and adaptation. Learn how it works. A guy told me a while ago that nobody would shoot one of them accurately because of the short sight plane, but that's a matter of skill. My accuracy with this is on par without h other pistol designs. A four inch barrel n a revolver only adds two inches to the sight plane, and a frankly, I shoot almost as well with a revolver as I do an iron sighted rifle.

Keep remembering that the keys to excellence are adapting, practicing, and constantly challenging every thing you do. You Mar find a better way of holding your elbow. Learn.. strength training on four arms will help, too.

 

[WVsig]

Well I managed to get to the range and now have 100 rounds through the LCP with no issues. It has run without problems. The gun is accurate and while it is not a target trigger it is extremely usable. Groups at 7 and 10 yards were solid and I liked the diminutive sights. They were more than enough to get a decent sight picture.

I have gotten my 7 round mag, Desantis pocket holster and Pach grip sleeve. The sleeve allowed me to get a better grip on the very slim grip. I had no issues with it slipping and it does not add bulk in the pocket.

Looks like I have a nice always carry / backup. For $220 this is a pretty good shooter. It is not refined and isnt the most pleasant gun to shoot but it will play is role in the rotation well. IMHO. I think I am going to run ball ammo but I might look into some JHPs but I am not sure they are worth the premium in 380 auto.