Ruger LCR .357 magnum. Initial range report.

[pm40]

I purchased a Ruger LCR .357 last week. I finally took it to the range today to test fire it. Here in Pa. it’s between 35-39 degrees and kind of raw. So my hands were getting pretty cold after a short time being there. (Which probably isn’t the best conditions for heavy recoil)

I fired:
50 rds. of Winchester 38 special 130 gr. Fmj
50 rds. of Blazer .357 mag. 158 gr. Jhp
100 rds. of Remington UMC .357 mag. 125 gr. Sjhp
50 rds. of Hornady Critical Defense .357 mag. 125 gr. Ftx.

Now, for those who say firing .357 mag ammo in such a small revolver is too much.
I say you should try this revolver before you come to any such conclusions. The Hogue grips are awesome. It did have “a little bit” of sting to it w/the magnums. But considering how many rounds I fired, my hands were cold, and I didn’t take a lot of time between cylinders,
I was extremely pleased with this handgun. Accuracy was pretty good too.
(I’m not the best shot in the world w/any handgun. I don’t get enough practice.)

But considering the conditions, my hands aren’t sore and there wasn’t any pain while shooting.
I bought this revolver w/the intent to carry it during the summer months when I cant carry anything larger. And I think I found a winner!

Great job Ruger!
Two thumbs up from me.

[badness]

nice. I want to get one as a last ditch bug out gun. Light weight polymer compact .357 seems perfect. It can fire 2 different types of ammo and you don't have to worry about magazines.

[pm40]

Well,don't let anyone tell you the recoil is terrible,because it's not.
At least with the rounds I put through mine today.
That was 40 cylinders of .357 mag and 10 cylinders of 38's in about a 2 hour time span.
Bare hands too,no gloves.
I will say this much though.If this is for your night stand, home defense weapon and you plan to discharge it inside your home,
You had better be wearing head phones "and" ear plugs.
I never said it was a quiet shooting revolver. :sarcastic:

[RyanS]

I've actually been playing with the idea of picking one of these up. Got to handle one the other day and I was impressed with how it felt and its trigger. I'e actually been pretty impressed with the products Ruger is putting out lately.

[JHC]

Good review of a handgun not many have reported on yet. Thanks.
I'm surprised the magnum recoil is not that aweful. Impressive.

[skyugo]

Well,don't let anyone tell you the recoil is terrible,because it's not.
At least with the rounds I put through mine today.
That was 40 cylinders of .357 mag and 10 cylinders of 38's in about a 2 hour time span.
Bare hands too,no gloves.
I will say this much though.If this is for your night stand, home defense weapon and you plan to discharge it inside your home,
You had better be wearing head phones "and" ear plugs.
I never said it was a quiet shooting revolver. :sarcastic:

I'm sure it's even louder if you're front of it :o

200 rounds of 357 mag is a good test... How do you like the trigger? i keep hearing they're better than smiths.

[pm40]

The trigger is very nice. I had an ex-girlfriend once who had a S&W 38. She had a very hard time pulling the trigger at the last stage before firing it. I don't think that would be an issue with the LCR.

This very well may become my primary carry piece. I’ll carry it in the Nemesis pocket holster, have two speed strips and two speed loaders, 25 rounds total and it all carries very nice. Hardly any weight to the whole system. And I have the confidence knowing that I'm carrying a .357 magnum (Loaded with Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr.)

“For me“, a much better option than all the sub-compact .380’s and 9mm’s out on the market that basically fill this same carry option. And I won’t have my .45 bulging out of my t-shirt all summer.

My range trip was basically a function/recoil test. And I’m very satisfied with the results.
From now on I’ll probably run mostly 38’s out of it and a box or two of magnums from time to time for practice.

[markm]

Now, for those who say firing .357 mag ammo in such a small revolver is too much.


It's not that. It's that any shorty .357 doesn't do the cartridge and it's slower burning magnum powder justice. Too much velocity loss.


Great job Ruger!


I don't think I've ever read these words in this order unless it was flagrant sarcasm. :confused:

[lil'Zeus]

I will agree! I bought one when they first came out. Carry it on my ankle everyday to complement my G19.

They shoot like a dream compared to the smiths I have shot. The trigger is what really does it for me!

[Icculus]

Ok this may be a really stupid question since I don't understand all the ins and outs of revolvers--length to forcing cone etc. etc.--but here goes.

Would the changes made to allow this model to handle 357 mag (specifically length of the cylinder, I guess) cause it to be less accurate with 38 Special than the original designed for 38 +P?

[Glock30]

Nice to see a positive review on the LCR 357. I'll be picking one up in the near future. I considered the Taurus 605 Protector, but the trigger is too long and I'm not a fan of the exposed hammer. The trigger pull on the LCR 357 is kick ass.

[DreadPirateMoyer]

Definitely an awesome gun. I've been carrying it since release, and everything said above is true. Great trigger, solid gun, plenty accurate. Got over 1500 rounds through mine with no troubles whatsoever.

Like markm said, though, be sure to carry .38 +P. The short barrel gains no power from .357 loads, but greatly increases recoil and muzzle flash. .357 is actually a detriment in this gun compared to .38 +P, so avoid it if possible. I carry .38 +P 135 grain Gold Dots in mine.

[JHoward]

The LCR is my next purchase! I was so surprised at how good it felt when I held one!

[Glock30]

I'm seeing it locally here for 499+tax. How does that compare?

[Magic_Salad0892]

Mods should move this to the revolver section.

[VIP3R 237]

My wife had a S&W 642 for a couple years but after she fired one of her friends LCR 38 spec at the range she now owns the LCR and the 642 has been sold. For her she was able to shoot it more accurately and the recoil felt less in direct comparison to her 642.

[brushy bill]

I've been wondering about these since their intro...there was a youtube video showing excessive flame cutting with aluminum flecks over the cylinder. Made me reluctant to put any $ into one. Glad you posted this to bring out any feedback.

[DreadPirateMoyer]

I've been wondering about these since their intro...there was a youtube video showing excessive flame cutting with aluminum flecks over the cylinder. Made me reluctant to put any $ into one. Glad you posted this to bring out any feedback.

The .357 version comes in steel. Worth it for the peace of mind and ammo variety.

[das]

Thank you for that report. I always liked Rugers firearms its nice to see some of the good things said about this revolver.

[Big A]

I'm sure it's even louder if you're front of it :o

200 rounds of 357 mag is a good test... How do you like the trigger? i keep hearing they're better than smiths.

My best friend has the LCR in .38 and the trigger is really nice for a factory DAO revolver. I was really surprised by how crisp it was for a factory gun, and the gun it's self feels lighter overall to the Smith 442. After shooting his I am considering getting one but I already have two Smiths so I don't really need one.