Pocket Carry Ruger LCP 380

[jstert]

if you decide on a 38sp snubnosed revolver, consider a taurus. also be sure to load up on 38sp wadcutter ammo at the gun show. wadcutters make shooting a snubbie pleasurable and can't easily or cheaply be found at a lgs.

if you like the ruger lcp platform look at the new lcp2 22lr, reliable and soft shooting. if your wife needs the softest shooting snubbie then look at the ruger lcr 22lr.

 

[MGF1964]

Concur with the gent re the 642 not being a beginner's gun. Same with 638, IMO.
An airweight J frame with +P loads is a lot like shooting a .357 in an all-steel revolver. I'd go so far as to suggest it's not for the uninitiated, with gender not truly being a factor.
Even with full-weight (158 gr) standard loads for practice, airweights are a bit of a handful. They'll punish the web of the hand ... unless you got to more hand-filling grips ... and then you may have just really cut down on your pocketability/concealment.
Also concur with the idea that once you seriously start downgrading your bullet weight in .38 SPL, you lose the edge over a good .380 round like the Hornady XTP or the Federal Hydrashok.

 

[MGF1964]

Re the .22LR pocket pistols, Beretta 21A is a pretty nice little pocket gun .. IF you can find one with a decent trigger.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by Gebo
There are so many choices for pocket and purse carry for a Ruger LCP 380. What do you like for a pocket carry? Is there a better idea for my wife to carry in her purse?

My LCP was too jumpy for my wife, two daughters and sister-in-law. They were all smiles shooting FMJs in a Keltec P32 ACP.

 

[MGF1964]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by Gebo
There are so many choices for pocket and purse carry for a Ruger LCP 380. What do you like for a pocket carry? Is there a better idea for my wife to carry in her purse?

My LCP was too jumpy for my wife, two daughters and sister-in-law. They were all smiles shooting FMJs in a Keltec P32 ACP.


There it is. Matter of finding the right gun for the individual.
Best to choose something they can and will work with, IMO.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by Al
Originally Posted by AZjeff

A Glock 43 at least gives some sight radius and a bit less recoil.

A 43 believe me is way to snappy. It might fly out of her hand. A 42 and LCP (I have all three). Can be eliability issues with the 42. LCP is dead stone rock solid. Air Weight FTW.
She could limp wrist a semi..although the 42, 43, and especially the LCP can be limp wristed...stilll.


Yeah, I made a mistake and couldn't edit it. Meant a 42/.380. I had a 43 and sold it. Shot it fine but 6+1 didn't do it for me. IMO if you're going to carry a defensive handgun more is always better.

My sister wanted a handgun for home defense and my BIL bought her an LCP because it's little and that's what a woman should have right? He's not a shooter. Wrong first handgun, wrong HD handgun.

 

[K20FA5]

Originally Posted by Gebo
Originally Posted by K20FA5
The LCP really isn't a "girl" gun. I bought one for my wife. It's really snappy and had quite a few failures to feed. I replaced the stock recoil spring (9lbs) with a Wolf 11lbs spring and that fixed the failure to feed issues. It's very reliable now. I also had to put a Houge grip on it to help to be able to hold onto it (it's so small). My wife can't shoot it. It's now harder to pull back the slide with the heavier spring. It's a good pocket gun. I carry it in the summer in a Desantis pocket holster. Very easy to conceal.


What did you get for your wife?

She shoots my Glock 17 really well. She doesn't carry outside the house (job related), but I feel comfortable with her using the G17 for home defense if I'm out of town.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Yeah, I made a mistake and couldn't edit it. Meant a 42/.380. I had a 43 and sold it. Shot it fine but 6+1 didn't do it for me. IMO if you're going to carry a defensive handgun more is always better.

My sister wanted a handgun for home defense and my BIL bought her an LCP because it's little and that's what a woman should have right? He's not a shooter. Wrong first handgun, wrong HD handgun.

Yea the 42 is very mild. I had probably about 20 stovepipes in the first 150 rounds and then perfect. I carried it for 2 years (5k+ rounds) and all of a sudden it started stovepiping again. Replaced the spring and that didn't help. So Now I am back to the 43. I only put maybe a couple hundred rounds/month on it. Mostly shoot my 26. But its to big to pocket carry.

What does your sister still carry, the LCP?

I carry an extra mag once in a while. A spare mage makes a semi twice as reliable. I spend time getting another mag in fast.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Yeah, I made a mistake and couldn't edit it. Meant a 42/.380. I had a 43 and sold it. Shot it fine but 6+1 didn't do it for me. IMO if you're going to carry a defensive handgun more is always better.

My sister wanted a handgun for home defense and my BIL bought her an LCP because it's little and that's what a woman should have right? He's not a shooter. Wrong first handgun, wrong HD handgun.

Yea the 42 is very mild. I had probably about 20 stovepipes in the first 150 rounds and then perfect. I carried it for 2 years (5k+ rounds) and all of a sudden it started stovepiping again. Replaced the spring and that didn't help. So Now I am back to the 43. I only put maybe a couple hundred rounds/month on it. Mostly shoot my 26. But its to big to pocket carry.

What does your sister still carry, the LCP?

I carry an extra mag once in a while. A spare mage makes a semi twice as reliable. I spend time getting another mag in fast.

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted by MParr
Gebo
Take a look at the S&W 638 Airweight and the S&W M&P 380 Shield EZ. The Shield EZ is much easier to rack than most semiautomatic pistols.


My wife has trouble with the slide and the 380 Shield EZ she carries works for her. It also has very low recoil. There's a 9mm EZ available now too. IWB or purse works.
She also carries a 32 Beretta Tomcat which I do too when I want to pocket carry and don't feel like carrying the 9mm. Nice little gun with some weight so no real recoil and a double/single action which we like..

 

[Triple_Se7en]

The G42 .380 is mild, as-is the sub-compact Beretta Pico .380. My two favorites for conceal. One IWB.... other front pocket. When we rarely enter inner Detroit, I sometimes carry both.

 

[MGF1964]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
The G42 .380 is mild, as-is the sub-compact Beretta Pico .380. My two favorites for conceal. One IWB.... other front pocket. When we rarely enter inner Detroit, I sometimes carry both.


Shot the Glock 42 shortly after it came out. Glock brought a few to a GSSF Match I was working as an R.O. They let us check 'em out and run 'em all we wanted (provided our own ammo, of course). Thing ran like a top, mild to shoot and outright fun little gun ... and I'm not a Glock guy.
Little big for my pocket carry preference, but certainly a very nice gun.

 

[Astro14]

You and I may think the G42 is mild, but my wife* didn't like it. Too snappy.

Further, my neighbor a lady in her early 40s, had one, and it never ran right for her. She limp-wristed it all the time.

Her G42 ran perfectly for me. I liked it. A bit snappy, but not as bad as the G43.

The shooter-gun fit, including recoil tolerance, experience, strength and skill, are important in any firearm selection.


*Mrs. Astro is a retired USN Captain who has time with fighter squadrons, SEAL teams and deploying joint units. She qualified expert with both rifle (M4/M16) and pistol (M9) every time she was required to shoot. For a while, her "go bag" with ACUs, Kevlar, plates, boots, holster, etc. sat in my study, as she was on a 48 hour notice for overseas deployment. She keeps a loaded M-9 (Beretta 92) with spare magazines as her personal weapon. She likes the fit, handling, and capacity of the full size 9mm service pistol.

 

[AZjeff]

Mrs. Astro's assessment of a full size metal 9mm handgun is spot on. And illustrates that it should be no surprise a 14 ounce .380 has more felt recoil to deal with than a 33 ounce M9. Different uses of course.

 

[Gebo]

Well, she liked the 380 the best. Tried 9mm's and 45 for comparison.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Mrs. Astro's assessment of a full size metal 9mm handgun is spot on. And illustrates that it should be no surprise a 14 ounce .380 has more felt recoil to deal with than a 33 ounce M9. Different uses of course.

Poor Mrs. Astro!
She can't find a purse that's under 33 ounces.

 

[MGF1964]

Originally Posted by Astro14
You and I may think the G42 is mild, but my wife* didn't like it. Too snappy.

Further, my neighbor a lady in her early 40s, had one, and it never ran right for her. She limp-wristed it all the time.

Her G42 ran perfectly for me. I liked it. A bit snappy, but not as bad as the G43.

The shooter-gun fit, including recoil tolerance, experience, strength and skill, are important in any firearm selection.


*Mrs. Astro is a retired USN Captain who has time with fighter squadrons, SEAL teams and deploying joint units. She qualified expert with both rifle (M4/M16) and pistol (M9) every time she was required to shoot. For a while, her "go bag" with ACUs, Kevlar, plates, boots, holster, etc. sat in my study, as she was on a 48 hour notice for overseas deployment. She keeps a loaded M-9 (Beretta 92) with spare magazines as her personal weapon. She likes the fit, handling, and capacity of the full size 9mm service pistol.



Totally understand and dig Mr. Astro's preference. I'm sure she rocks it.
Just goes to show you ... we're all individuals.
While I'd never argue its quality, I've never dug the M9/92 ... a lot of steel and weight to fire a 9mm round, for me. Plus, I'm a big ol' boy with a gut and it always feels to me like full-size steel guns are trying to pull my drawers down, though I do have some I thoroughly enjoy for making empties at the range.
So here I am a big beast always looking for lightish carry guns and there's Mrs. Astro rippin' away happily with her M9. Makes perfect sense when you think about it, but probably strikes some people w/o a lot of trigger time as counter-intuitive, but it's really not.
Have a full-size Sig in 9mm (a 2022 that I thoroughly enjoy shooting) but really prefer my first-gen Shield for carry. To me, feels and shoots almost like a full-size gun yet is quite nice to carry in a kydex IWB. And I don't feel too bad about 9 rounds of a good 9mm cartridge like the Fed HST 124 grain. Different strokes for different folks!.
One of the better revolver shooters I've ever shot with, btw, was a retired female USAF officer. The lady just liked wheelguns, and she could run 'em like a champ. Took some instructor courses and worked some shoots with her, and were I wanting a revolver coach or someone of either gender wanted wheelgun lessons, I'd send 'em straight to her.

 

[Astro14]

I should clarify a bit....

Mrs. Astro has a Walther CCP for concealed carry.

But the Beretta is her preference for both home defense weapon and range time.

Point is: shooter - weapon fit is critical.

Fit includes size, weight, recoil and "feel" to that individual shooter. It varies a lot by experience, and personal characteristics like grip strength, size, and weight.

 

[MGF1964]

Originally Posted by Astro14
I should clarify a bit....

Mrs. Astro has a Walther CCP for concealed carry.

But the Beretta is her preference for both home defense weapon and range time.

Point is: shooter - weapon fit is critical.

Fit includes size, weight, recoil and "feel" to that individual shooter. It varies a lot by experience, and personal characteristics like grip strength, size, and weight.


True stuff. Hence, we all look for that just-so gun, and there's no single answer that applies across the board.
Speaking of compact carry guns, I have shot a friend's Sig P365. Found it to be a nice shooter and quite compact for a 10+1. Worth a look for people considering a compact 9.

 

[Driz]

Originally Posted by MGF1964
I've got both the LCP and a S&W 642.
Your mileage may vary, but IMO J frames just don't pocket carry as easily as small .380s.
Granted, they do pack more cartridge and granted they are almost certainly "5 for sure."
But also true: More felt recoil from an airweight .38 than from a .380.
Each type has its advantages, IMO ... it's a matter of which aspects matter most to the user.



Me too. The 642 is a fun shooter but let's face it unless you're wearing seriously baggy pants or a suit it's a tad FAT. Sorry there's no better description. It's just a tad too wide for a typical pocket. Guys tend to forget all the other 💩 they gotta carry. Add a wallet , your CC permit snd a decent sized smart phone your likely to start looking like ol a Droopy Drawers.. while Matthew Mc Conathy can get away with a 🙅ðŸ»â€â™‚ï¸Man purse . No way AINT Gonna happen me!
What I like about the LCP is what everyone else hates, THE TRIGGER. It ain't goin nowhere by accident which I consider paramount for s CCW whose intended range is 20-30' . It's still just fine for its minute of bad guy accuracy as intended. That heavy trigger lets you confidently carry one in the chamber just like a trusty safe revolver and let's face it with a 380 you really want all 7 and they better be good ones, Critical Defense ( my carry) or similar. As well as an extra mag. Best news is that fits nicely in nearly any pocket in a Desantis pocket holster and prints just like my cell phone. No big print no droopy drawers even when I'm wandering about in cargo shorts.
It's one vise is the recoil which easily matches the old 45 1911 I carried in the army. I don't use one but a cheap rubber grip cover is said to help. No matter what 50 is plenty for a range day , no chasing the far.........really far AND wide tiny cases either. They hide worse than any case I've ever seen🤨. Also they are expensive to buy which is why I reload mine.
The 642 is fun to shoot but like any J Frame it can be a beast to reload in a hurry. The cases even try to stick when ejected which is simply the nature of the beast. A speed loader of course has to be naturally fat so ...’. Nice enough in all but I'll take 7 lesser rounds and quick reload to 5 bigger rounds.
FYI. I got a chance to compare my LCP CUSTOM broken in to a new LCP. I. Found the cheaper LCP trigger to be every bit as good as mine. The sights aren't as good bring lower but they aren't snag prone as with the Custom. You can get one Under $200 almost any time with pretty much constant internet sales.