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Ruger LCR Review: The King of Concealed Carry Guns?
This
weapon is small and very reliable.
The Ruger LCR may look like an
old revolver straight from an old Western movie, but make no mistake, this
isn’t your average revolver. The Lightweight Compact Revolver (LCR) model was
released by Ruger in 2009 and since then it’s become a concealed carry staple
for many gun owners due to its durability, size, and convenience. Revolvers
are making a comeback, and once you see the review of the LCR you’ll
understand why.
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Accuracy
Most people use the LCR for
concealment due to its ease of use. It’s designed to be used at short
distances, making ten-fifteen yards best optimal for accuracy. That said, using
the LCR for precision shooting just isn’t the best use of your time. To be frank,
the sights on this gun are not great.
However, you can certainly
install your own sights on the weapon to drastically improve the accuracy. The
front sight is removable, so it won’t be too much trouble to install your own
fiber optic sight or something else that you would prefer.
ReliabilityThere’s a reason that revolvers are still relevant in a world full of semi-automatics. They’re incredibly durable. The LCR is good for thousands of rounds at the least. It’s built to be used, and used often. If you don’t shoot regularly, you’ll be able to use this one for a decade, maybe more.
Handling
The grip on this gun is awesome. It has a Hogue Tamer Monogrip’, which is a rubbery grip that allows the user to get a strong, firm hold on the gun. That’s exactly what you want out of a gun that’s going to be used for primarily concealed carry and hideaway. If anything, you’ll have to pay attention to how careful you are with the grip—it’s not unheard of to have the grip catch on clothing as you’re pulling it out.
Trigger
The trigger on this one has a
little “click” before it resets. You have to fully release the trigger and skip
over a live round to shoot another round. It’s a bit hard to shoot the gun
quickly if you’re not used to it, but that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for you
because that’s not what this gun is for. It’s also only a minor hiccup that
you’ll get used to after a few rounds.
Magazine and Reloading
Revolvers don’t accept
magazines, so you have to reload the gun by putting each bullet in one at a
time. This is a little bit tedious, but this isn’t the gun that you should
bring as your primary weapon. The reloading difficulty is what makes the gun
great as a hideaway or a backup gun.
Length and Weight
The LCR weighs in at 13.5
ounces, which makes sense since it has “Lightweight” in its name. It’s also
just 6.5 inches long and 4.5 inches tall. The gun is lightweight largely
because it’s made of aluminum and polymer. The LCR has a minimalistic feel to it.
It’s not flashy or anything, but it does what it’s meant to. Additionally, the
barrel makes up 1.87 inches of the firearm.
Recoil Management
The LCR has a bit of kick for a
gun its size, so you’ll want to keep that in mind when you’re using it. That
said, Ruger took note of this when installing the Hogue ‘Tamer Monogrip’ on the
handle. There’s certainly a kick, but it’s not anything to lose your mind over.
Many new shooters like this one as well because it’s easy to use. This is part
of what makes this revolver so great for concealed carry and as a hideaway.
Price
Whether you decide to go with
the LCR or the LCRx (which is three inches larger), this gun is going to cost
$579. This is quite a bit more expensive than your average revolver, but this a
higher-end firearm with a proven track record. There’s a reason you have to pay
up for it. If you’re looking for a pocket weapon but don’t want to spend the
dough, check out the S&W 380.
My Verdict
This gun is one of the best at
what it does. I wouldn’t buy it to prove superior marksmanship or as a
centerpiece for a hunting trip, but for concealed carry or as a hideaway/backup
gun I wouldn’t recommend anything else. Sure, there are other options like
the Colt King Cobra or the aforementioned S&W 380, but
simply put the LCR is a high-quality, durable gun. If you love Ruger’s products
through and through, you can use the LCR for concealed carry and save the GP100 for home defense.
Richard Douglas is a long time shooter, outdoor enthusiast and
technologist. He is the founder and editor of Scopes Field, and a columnist at The National Interest, Cheaper Than Dirt, Daily
Caller and other publications.
Their goal with this product was to compete with the Smith &
Wesson J-frame, specifically used with the 642 and 442 series.
These small Airweight revolvers came in at a more reasonable price
than the classic steel S&W firearms.
Ruger had their SP101 series of revolvers,
but they didn’t have any lightweight and reasonably-priced
concealed carry options.
The Ruger SP101s, while great guns, are built on all-steel frames
and are relatively expensive compared to the S&W 442 and 642s.
The LCR’s manufacturing process helped to lower the price of the
revolvers and its contemporary appeal was emphasized in initial marketing
campaigns.
The original came in with a .38 special offering that weighed 13.8
ounces unloaded.
The company later released a model that could handle Magnum power
loads but weighed a couple of ounces more and used a steel frame instead of the
aluminum of the original.
Ruger has introduced various models of the LCR throughout the
years that have all been reasonably popular.
Size/Purpose
The Ruger LCR was designed for self-defense and concealed carry.
There are a lot of advantages to having a simple, lightweight,
easy-to-use revolver.
The Ruger LCR checks all those boxes.
Weight
As I said earlier, the weight of the original LCR was 13.8 ounces.
That’s still the weight of the .38 special variants. Their Magnum
power variants add a bit extra weight to the gun, however, coming in at around
17 ounces.
Depending on the caliber and capacity of your LCR, the weight
might vary a little bit.
That said, all LCRs are very lightweight weapons.
Frame
The frame of the LCR is what made it different from most of its
competitors.
It features a polymer lower unit that holds the trigger, grip, and
hammer.
The upper portion of the firearm has the cylinder and barrel made
from aluminum in the standard and steel in the Magnum variant.
These frames hold a barrel insert, making it a little bit
different from most of the other revolvers on the market.
The frame itself is well-rounded and doesn’t have any sharp,
pointy parts that could poke through or make carry uncomfortable for the
shooter.
Caliber & Barrel Length
The Ruger LCR is available in multiple different calibers and
configurations but is most commonly sold with a 1.87-inch barrel. Y
ou can get this version of the gun in both .38 special and 22LR.
The Magnum variant of the Ruger LCR has a couple more caliber offerings with
.22 Magnum, .327 Magnum, .357 Magnum, and 9mm.
Caliber offerings in the three-inch barrel are a little more
limited.
The three-inch barrel variant with a standard frame is available
in .22 and .38 special, but you can get the gun in .22 Magnum and .357
Magnum when you move up to the three-inch Magnum version.
Unfortunately, there is no .327 Magnum offering, which is the
caliber I would like to see on an LCR with a three-inch.
Variants
The gun has two different variants: the standard LCR and the LCRx.
The standard has an encased hammer and is double-action-only,
while the LCRx has a double-action/single-action system so you can cock the
hammer if you wish to fire.
Many consider having a single-action trigger as a big plus on the
Ruger LCRx.
That said, there are some changes in the double-action when you
move from the regular LCR to the LCRx, but we’ll cover that below in the
Trigger section.
Capacity
The capacity of the Ruger LCR series depends on the caliber which
you choose.
If you choose the .22 variant, you’ll get eight rounds of .22 LR
in the gun, but if you go with .22 Magnum, you’ll only get six.
When you’re carrying a gun like a revolver, capacity can make a
big difference.
One extra round might not sound a lot, but when you’re going from
five to six that can make a massive difference.
Cylinder Latch
This is one of my favorite parts of this gun.
The latch is extremely intuitive and easy to use. It’s something
that makes sense to almost anybody right off the bat, even if that person is
not familiar with firearms.
LCR Sights
The Ruger LCR has some of the better sights on the market
regarding these smaller revolvers.
If you get one of the 1.87-inch barrel variants, you’re going to
notice that the sights are much different than the sights on the three-inch
variant.
We’ll cover both of these, but we’ll start with the shorty
version.
The Ruger LCR has a fixed front sight with the rearview being just
a groove in the back of the frame like most other revolvers.
What sets the Ruger LCR front sight apart is that it’s painted and
has a white stripe on the front.
It has much higher visibility than most other sighting systems on
the market.
The rear sight leaves a lot to be desired, but the front is
decent.
You can also replace it by just popping out the pin quickly. The
fact that you can get Tritium night sights or fiber optic sights for the Ruger
LCR gives it a significant advantage over most of its similarly-priced
competitors.
Email: Infor@defensecorner.com
Phone: +1 (909) 264-8450
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