When you pick a gun to save your life you are making a big decision. Here is a quick review of the Ruger LCP, which is one of the lightest and smallest .380’s on the market.
The Gun:
Caliber: .380 Auto
Capacity: 6+1
Length: 5.16″
Width: 0.82″
Height: 3.60″
Barrel Material: Alloy Steel
Barrel Finish: Blued
Slide Material: Alloy Steel
Slide Finish: Blued
Grip Frame: Black, High Performance, Glass-Filled Nylon
Shooting The Gun:
A first impression is that it is a toy. It’s light and most of what you see is not steel. When you pick it up and grip the gun your fingers are left hanging. Clearly this is for self-defense at close range.
We were shooting at 7 yards. My first three shots were very deliberate. I had not dry fired the gun and the first round was live. I never thought the trigger pull would end. The trigger was smooth enough but the pull length will cause the muzzle to pull to the side. So I noted this and doubled down on the grip squeeze with my left hand.
The first three shots went inside the 3” bullseye.
The next three shots were with a “fast and loose” grip to simulate a real world experience. The shots opened up to about 5”.
The next few magazines were for testing dependability. I fired the gun as quickly as I could using a fast grip, as if I had just pulled the gun up for a defensive shooting. Again the groups were in the 5” range. We were using Winchester white box ammo, 95 grain full metal jacket at a rated 955 fps.
The owner of the gun did the same thing. When shooting with a weak cartridge like a .380 we both figured follow up shots could be necessary and we wanted to know when and if the gun would jam and it didn’t. He had the same accuracy results. Ken, my shooting buddy, says he has never had the gun jam in the year he has owned it.
I consulted another friend of mine who carried an LCP for nearly two years. He has never had a jam and has put about three hundred rounds through his. His rapid fire accuracy is in the 5” range at 10 yards.
Summation:
The Ruger LCP is light and dependable. The accuracy is really dependent upon how deliberately you shoot. I found the gun to be a straight shooter when gripping firmly with the non-trigger hand. The trigger pull is long which can cause you to shoot flyers so practice is important with this gun. It is not a natural shooter like my Sig P232 or Beretta 84 because the size makes it difficult to hold but the Ruger conceals much better than the Sig or Beretta. For a defensive handgun that is easy to conceal it had enough accuracy and power to be a fight-stopper. The recoil is not as bad as I would have anticipated but after 25 shots it’s not pleasant to shoot and I’m not recoil adverse in the least. The retail list price is $379 but I see them advertised in the $300 range.
If you have any experience with this gun leave a comment.