Anyone carry a Ruger LCP?

[rksap]

I'm considering a Ruger LCP for my every day ccw. Most of the reviews I've read have been positive. Anyone have experience with this model? I'd like to weigh the pros and cons.
Thanks

[SpicyMcHaggis]

I've been fondling one at the gun shop for a few weeks and I'll have it soon! Go here for nothing but LCP talk. elsiepeaforum.com

[NRA UR2]

You're treading on thin ice carrying anything less than a 38+P. And even that is not the best choice.Remember you want to kill the Bast..., not make him madder.

[Stiofan]

The .380 round has killed a lot of folks over the years but in America we have the bigger is always better crowd. Oh well......


I've carried my LCP for over a year now. It's got a snappy recoil due to it's low weight but it's manageable. It disappears in my pocket so I never have to worry about printing or dressing around my weapon. Not sure what else you want to know, it always goes bang at the range and I've never had a misfire, but I only put a few hundred rounds through it a year as it's not a target pistol.

[Sights on Target]

Originally Posted by NRA UR2

You're treading on thin ice carrying anything less than a 38+P. And even that is not the best choice.Remember you want to kill the Bast..., not make him madder.

Unfortunately, not all situations warrant carrying a larger frame .45 ACP. The .380 is a trade off between higher stopping power and size.

You want to shoot to stop the threat, not "kill the Bast..."

The LCP is an acceptable firearm in my opinion. The recoil is ok, but after all it is not a target gun. When I cannot carry a larger pistol I turn to the LCP or the Magnum Research Micro Desert Eagle.

The LCP is much lighter than the MDE and has a slide release where the MDE does not have a slide release so changing a magazine in mid firefight requires racking the slide.

[rksap]

Thanks all, for your insight. In my situation it's a matter of what I can carry on an every day basis at work, where I have to be extremely careful of concealment. On the weekends I carry an FEG P9R, but that's too bulky for the office. I have a Makarov in .380 that is easier to conceal, but too heavy for pocket carry. So, not wanting to have to purchase too many different calibers of ammo, I'm only looking at 9MM and .380.
I do prefer the stopping power of a larger round (I would love to carry a .45 at all times) but merging affordability, reliability, concealment and stopping power in a pair of dress pants gets to be difficult!

I appreciate your wisdom.

[2beararms]

I have an LCP with the CT laser and a pocket holster from the guru (www.pocketholsters.com) that I carry sometimes. I have a Kel-Tec P-3AT (which is virtually the same gun) and a guru holster for it that I have carried for five years now and am most pleased. I carry right front pocket, mostly in shorts (S FL) and never worry about printing or weight.

The .380 round is quite sufficient for self-defense and self-defense is point and shoot, not target or tactical. Unless you are a cop, I suggest that you not think you are going to be "behind cover" in some gun fight somewhere because if you are the odds are that in the eyes of the law you will have become the threat rather than trying to stop it and that indeed IS our only mission.

The big gun = big man, kill the bast attitude should be reserved for cheap bar talk ... which is where I hear it all the time!

[corneliusiii]

RKSAP,
the thing that bothered me about the LCP is the trigger; the grip is very small and the trigger very long. I have medium-sized hands and I still found the small grip and trigger combo hard to manage. I think if you have large hands this would be even harder. Have you shot one yet? If not, you should before you buy.

Small frame revolvers conceal well. You should consider an LCR or a S&W airweight in 38 or 357. While I don't think bigger is always better, I wouldn't feel confident with a .380 pistol.

[ktodd]

I think it's important to keep in mind that the objective is to stop the immediate threat from the aggressor and not the person a block away also. It doesn't take a 45 to stop, or even eliminate, a person at 7 yrds with a decently placed shot. Large caliber runs a significant risk of collateral damage by exiting the intended target and striking another. I think most will agree that a 380 with JHP ammo is plenty lethal and will stop any threat. Besides, you have more than one round!

[MountainGator]

LCP has been my carry piece for almost a year. I have a early (370-44xxx) that went through recall. 400 rounds through her & not one problem. I now have an ArmaLaser installed. This is not a target weapon, it is a point & shoot. @ 7 meters, with an accurate shot (that's why the ArmaLaser) I feel .380 ball will give enough penetration to pierce the arota or inpinge the spinal column, even through clothing.

It's not my HD weapon, and certainly NOT what I carry in the back counrty (against a four-legged threat), but otherwise she's usually with my.