New Sidearm - Range report/Second guessing

[justanotherjarhe]

[STRIKE][/STRIKE]I bought a ruger LCR for my fiancee last Friday. After taking her to check out just about every handgun in the new and used market she chose the lcr. She liked the simplicity of a revolver and the light weight. She new getting into it that she would have to work harder at becoming proficient with this weapon due to the said recoil. She felt comfortable with her decision after reading some female reviews on the lcr.

The next day we went to the kingsbury range to test it out and shoot some long guns. The night before I had her practicing dry firing to get a feel for the timing of the smooth double action pull. So we get to the bench and she loads it up. I could tell she was a little nervous so I offered to shoot it first. I gotta say that this thing has quite a bite to it. It feels like it wants to jump out of your hands. Wasn't expecting that from a 38 despite its light weight. So I told her what I felt and she took it back. The first round through she lost her left hand grip and it popped up with her right hand still on it. It caught her by suprise, but I corrected her hold and she breezed though the next four. She ended up going through 95rnds with o couple breaks going to the AR. 75rds of target crap and 20rds of +p's. Though she admits that shooting it is quite abrasive, she is pretty happy with it.

My feelings are mixed. I personally don't know if that is the right one for her. If she can't fire the weapon in different ways like one handed and weak sided, etc. , then I don't know it will serve her well is a self defense senario. Maybe a pistol instructor could help her more I don't know.

As for the lcr itself I really love it. I love the light weight and very smooth trigger pull. I will definately be carrying it myself.

 

[sbcman]

Yep- been there. Here's the progression we went through with my wife:

Ruger sp101 2" 357
Ruger sp101 3" 327
Ruger LCR
S&W 66 4"
S&W 66 2"

I really think with more training she'll do well with the LCR. They do bite though. I just shot a Bodyguard today and was really surprised how much less felt recoil it has over the LCR.

Stick with it, or do like I did and collect a bunch of them till you find the right one

 

[GARANDGUY]

Try swithching the grip to something with a little more purchase for her to be able to control it better. Thats what I did for my wifes LCR and she loves it. Still has a little bite to it but the felt recoil and muzzle climb has been reduced alot just by her being able to control the weapon better due to being able to get a better grip on it.

 

[justanotherjarhe]

Thanks a lot for those two encouraging responses. I am not aware of the aftermarket for the lcr. What grip did your wife like?

 

[GARANDGUY]

I will see if I can find the box and let you know who makes it. Hogue maybe I dont recall off the top of my head.

 

[redneckmedic]

My wife has a S&W642, its a butt kicker! It's even tough for me to shoot. But she hits center mass every time at 30 ft and in. To me that is all that matters. It's the only handgun she had ever shot, until last year my Ruger Mark III.

I know a few folks like to go with a .22mag revolver. It's easier to shoot. Not my bag but it will work.

 

[jdhaines]

My aunt has an LCR with the crimson trace. She said she really liked to carry it and is very accurate with it, but claims it's no fun to practice with. I guess for her she isn't worried about the recoil if she actually needs it. Makes sense to me.

 

[tskin]

I bought the LCR at the 1500 in Jan '10 & thought my wife would like it due to it's size & weight. Boy, was I wrong! She put 5 rounds through it (complaining on the last 3), handed it back to me & told me "that's enough." She hasn't touched it since. Now I carry it in the front pocket of my khaki pants w/ a Desanti Nemisis pocket holster.

 

[justanotherjarhe]

Just thought I would throw in an update. The misses decided to go with a Kahr cw9. After putting a few through the ruger and going to my g17 she realized the "recoil" of the 9mm was nothing. The kahr isn't much worse than my full size, plus its only single stack so its much easier for her to hold on to. Not to mention we only have to buy one type of hg ammo now. So I guess were going to sell the ruger. I would keep it since I really like it but it will work out better to recoup the new purchase.

I think I will get one for myself somewhere down the road. I love it more so than any other snubby out there. Really a great little ccw.

 

[justanotherjarhe]

Just thought I would throw in an update. The misses decided to go with a Kahr cw9. After putting a few through the ruger and going to my g17 she realized the "recoil" of the 9mm was nothing. The kahr isn't much worse than my full size, plus its only single stack so its much easier for her to hold on to. Not to mention we only have to buy one type of hg ammo now. So I guess were going to sell the ruger. I would keep it since I really like it but it will work out better to recoup the new purchase.

I think I will get one for myself somewhere down the road. I love it more so than any other snubby out there. Really a great little ccw.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Light-weight and airweight revolvers RARELY ever make for good "first guns" and/or "women's guns".

Reason: They hurt when fired. Hurt worse with +p protection ammo. And the DAO versions have long & stiff triggers that's difficult to master. In order to master a snubby, you have to practice. A lot. And it's not comfortable to do so.

My advice would be to find some "cream puff" wadcutter target ammo and begin there. Then you can step up into standard pressure FMJ. And so on.


-J-

 

[justanotherjarhe]

We did experiment with different loads. The harshest we found was 158gr semi wadcutter target ammo. Go figure. The +p's were not as bad, but still packed a punch. As for the trigger, like I said before, its the best I've ever felt on a dao wheel gun. Its not even that she is uncomfortable with the weapon. She does shoot quite well with it and is confident with it as a ccw only gun. However, she decided to go with the kahr so she can shoot it more and actually enjoy it. In a perfect world she would have both.

 

[NickL45]

What grips does the LCR have on it? Mine came with the stock "boot grips". I ordered a pair of the Hogue "Tamer" grips from Ruger and installed them on the LRC. They made a HUGE difference in recoil and being able to a good solid grip on the gun. Give them a try.

 

[justanotherjarhe]

it has the big hogue grips with the finger grooves. i have to say it doesnt seem like that "gel" strip in the backstrap of the grip does squat. that is exactly where i get stung. in fact, thats the only gripe i have about shooting it.

 

[LuckyGunner]

I've found that all of the snubs have a bit of a bit. It's just the way the small revolvers feel unfortunately. Even my S&W Model 19 has a killer bite with using 357 mag ammo.

Glad to hear that she found a handgun that works for her. I've even moved away from snub revolvers and I'm using a semi full time now.

__________________
38 special ammo

 

[Koukalaka]

It's worth noting that there are some standard-pressure defense loads out there--the Federal Nyclad used to be quite popular back in the pre-plus-P days, and they're making it again. It's not a plus-P...but I would say a good bit better than .32/.25/.22, which many people resort to when the recoil of the light .38s is too much.

 

[45fan]

I shot an LCR once, and that was enough for me. I am far from recoil shy, but that is just too much to get used to a snubby with. They are light, and if you are already used to a small revolver, it may be a good idea, but as a first, it might be enough to scare anyone away.
My wife started out with a larger locked-breach .380 (PK380), and progressed up to a Kel-Tec PF-9. She is very happy with it, and I doubt she will look any further for a regular carry pistol.