Ruger LCP
Hot on the heels of the new SR9 Ruger has released the LCP .380 Auto Lightweight Compact Auto. It is good to see Ruger waking up and addressing customer demand. It will sell for $330.
The 9.4 ounce LCP pistol has a capacity of 6 + 1 rounds of .380 Auto. With a height of only 3.6 inches and a width of .82 inches, the small, lightweight LCP pistol is a reliable back-up or carry pistol. The high-performance, glass-filled nylon frame is topped by a through hardened blued slide. The Ruger LCP features a 2.75 inch barrel and an overall length of 5.16 inches. When size and weight savings count, the Ruger LCP pistol is a natural for personal defense carry, in a purse, briefcase, or inside hiking gear.
Specs:
Caliber: .380 Auto
Capacity: 6+1 Rounds
Finish: Blued
Grip: Glass-Filled Nylon
Barrel Length: 2.75″
Groove: 6
Twist: 1:16″ RH
Overall Length: 5.16″
Weight: 9.4 oz
California Approved: No
Massachusetts Approved: No
Front Sight(s): Fixed
Rear Sight(s): Fixed
Suggested Retail Price: $ 330.00
Miscellaneous: One 6-Round Magazine Included.
The Press release:
Ruger enters a major new market with the introduction of the Ruger LCP (Lightweight Compact Pistol), a .380 autoloader that offers legendary Ruger reliability and quality in an ultra-light, compact carry pistol. Following quickly on the heels of the successful introduction of the Ruger SR9â„¢ 9mm pistol, the LCP is the latest addition to the Ruger Hard-Râ„¢ line of products, and it demonstrates a firm commitment by the Company to respond to customers.
In fact, “The development and introduction of the Ruger LCP is in direct response to customer demand,” said Ruger President, Stephen L. Sanetti. “We have not been part of this market, but the growing number of states authorizing the licensed carry of pistols for personal protection by law-abiding citizens, and continued demand by law enforcement for quality back-up guns, cannot be ignored. The Ruger LCP is a .380 Auto pistol with superior ergonomic design and handsome styling. It incorporates state-of-the-art polymers, aircraft quality aluminum alloys and high-grade precision steel components engineered for strength and maximum weight savings.”
The LCP is compatible with the following holsters:
Don Hume:
• J966630R – Black Leather J.I.T. Slide
Fobus:
• KT2GA – Tactical Elite Ankle
• KT2G – Tactical Elite Paddle
Uncle Mike’s:
•Any Size 10 Holster
Some more photos:
More info here.
UPDATE
The video
Between this and the 20rd Mini-14 mag decision, Bill Ruger is currently spinning in his grave.
I wonder how the Kel-Tec folks are going to feel about this. It really looks a lot like a P3AT.
Hi Daniel, I am a big fan of your website!
Bill may have been a brilliant firearms designer, unfortunately when it came to politics he was a businesses man.
You are right, it is similar to the P3AT:
http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/p3at.html
[...] to Marshal Halloway Ruger have had orders for 87,000 Ruger LCPs. Thats within 5 days of the [...]
Ruger captures the American ’spirit of enterprise’ with its suave LCP. Its a revamped P3AT, but who said this isn’t allowed? Kel-Tec should have woken up to this innovative remodelling long ago. Anyway, its a great looking pistol and has been cleverly marketed for the CCW niche.
‘Glass filled nylon’ sounds soooo exotic compared to the now much hackneyed ‘polymer’; it almost sounds like we are talking about a piece of art. It is the most chic looking pistol too!
Elegant and beautifully contoured. Sure won’t snag a thigh or a tit during a draw. Great job Ruger.
where do you find holters like the
Don Hume • J966630R – Black Leather J.I.T. Slide
a week after I bought the keltec I saw an ad for the ruger. I have been really happy with the keltec, having had the .32 for a year and a half, and now the .380. The only problem I had with the .380 was a small anoying burr on the tip of the trigger, which i took off with my wifes fingernail board. Now I’m wondering if I should have gone ruger???? (or should I get both?)
cornfused.
Steve, I really like your site. My P3AT has been very difficut to get to fire with any kind of reliability (yes I did the fluf-n-buf) only shoots golden sabers consistantly. However last weekend something in the trigger broke so it will make ANOTHER trip back to kel-tec. Started looking for a LCP and found one at the glendale cabelas (299$) to date I have fired over 500 rnds of wolf,rem,win,sellier&bellot WITH ABSOLUTLY NO PROBLEMS. I think Ruger has made a better mouse trap ! Frame an slide show almost no wear marks, fit and finish is way above K-T , well worth the extra bucks. My carry guns incl. glock 26 (favorite Kahr PM9),tarus 85,scratch the P3AT , my new favorite RUGER LCP !!!!!!!!!! hink105 CCW holder Peoria , Az
[...] with the fairly new Ruger LCP, competition in the .380 compact carry niche is really heating [...]
My club has allowed Ruger to come to the club in Penfield, NY twice to
use our range for this ad for their 380. You would find it on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5DrJMW1qAI
The switch to the right is the buzzer and safety light for people to
go down range when it is safe. It is on the right range of one of our
2 indoor ranges.
The 2nd time Ruger promised us 2 rifles for our youth program and
$500.00 cash for use and closing of one of our ranges for the day.
Well Ruger has reneged and we got nothing.
That is not right. They stink
There is a recall on some LCP pistols:
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/10/30/ruger-lcp-recall/
I have an LCP. I have confidence in it. Ruger customer service is exemplary. When I asked for the updated hold-back, they sent it to me at no charge. The LCP was the first gun I ever worked on, but I was able to make the change without much difficulty even though it is taken apart considerably to make the exchange.
The fact that they initiated a recall when it is not clear that they were required to do so increases my admiration for the company.
For fans of the LCP: http://LCPforum.com/
Have a Kel-tec .380 and my only complaint is the trigger guard is too small and the mag release needs a fence because the mag always pops out when carried in my pocket. I noticed the Ruger has a bigger trigger guard and the mag release doesn’t stick out as much.
The Ruger LCR us it out (Light Compact Revolver). I have covered the LCR here: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/01/15/ruger-lcr-new-38-special-revolver/
I bought the LCP a few months ago, shot it briefly then learned of “The Recall”. Went thru the reuired process and waited for WEEKS & WEEKS. Finally got the gun back w a free hat and magazine but did not shoot it. Then yesterday I was sitting around after church and thought, “why not run a few rounds thru the LCP”? So I loaded 6 rounds of 95 grain Federal ball and fired 4 measured shots (not rapid fire) and after that 4th shot it would not fire. Upon inspection I saw that the magazine was not engaged and on top of that the magazine release button was freely sliding from side to side by simply tilting the gun side to side.
It’s BROKE Ruger!!! I’ve decided this thing is a lemon. Since Bill died and all the family left the company Ruger is not the same. They’ve had 3 major recalls on their last 3 releases. Quality and Ruger are no longer synonamous.
My advice is look for another mfg. for your .380.
Not sure what to think. I was at the store today and seriously was considering picking up one of these Ruger LCP’s. Most things I’ve heard have been pretty positive. I know a guy that has one and likes it but I’m not sure how many rounds he’s put through his at this point. I trust his opinion as he was a 1st Lt. in Vietnam and he knows his guns…. Interesting discussion. I’d love to hear more opinions.
Well, I did go ahead and pick one of the Ruger LCP’s up… It may go to the range with me this weekend, but I have yet to find any .380 ACP ammunition to go with this little baby. It may have to wait for break in and function tests before going along with me as a back up concealed carry firearm.
Alright. Here’s the scoop. The gun is obviously small, compact, and easy to carry. That said, I was concerned about it’s ability to perform. No real concerns any more. It’s a pretty smooth and reliable pistol. I like it. I had 2 FTF’s with Winchester 95 gr ball out of 100 rounds fired. I feel a gun is broken in properly with about 300 rounds through it. Obviously, given the shortage of .380 and it’s “scalper” level pricing right now from dealers, I won’t yet be carrying the gun but I like what I’ve seen thus far. I can place the rounds quite well at typical defensive pistol distances. First magazine with quick raise, quick finger point type aim and fire placed all hits in the zone where you’d want it. Slow, deliberate fire places rounds within a 4″ circle at 25 feet. The sights on this gun don’t gravitate this gun to be a target type pistol so I’m not sure what folks expect of it there but for basic self defense, it does what it needs to do. It’s a backup, last line of defense pistol or a light clothing concealed carry pistol. For both functions, it’s going to be respectable option.
I’ve heard it referred to as “snappy” and that’s what it is. It’s recoil is “brisk” for what it is… but it’s not unmanageable… Maybe about what it’s like to shoot an Airweight… maybe a tad less… (sorry… recoil is very hard to describe if not felt directly)…
Trigger is reasonably heavy. I think it’s not one of those that is going to go off in your pocket. I’d love to see a pocket holster for this one like the wallet kind with the trigger opening. I picked up a DeSantis holster for my Ruger.
I used only factory mags for all my shooting. (2)
Given what I indicated about the sights on this gun on the last post, I’ve gone ahead and added the Crimson Trace laser to the LCP… though now the problem is finding a holster to keep it in.
Everything, these days it seems, is “solve one problem, create a whole set of new ones”.
I’m not a fan of a loose gun in my pocket. If you are on the ground and rolling around with someone, the last thing you need is for a gun to fall out of your pocket. Firearm retention is a big thing in my book…
J
I was in the market for a lighter more concealable pistol than my Glock 36 .45 ACP. Finally decided on the Ruger LCP .380 Auto. When I could actually find one I got a good deal (brand new) for $300 from a local gun shop. I also purchased a inside the pocket holster for around $18 and a extra mag for $28. The next problem was finding ammo for this pocket rocket. I got lucky after many calls around town and found some Blazer .380 Auto 95 GR. TMJ for practice and some Hornady .380 90 GR. HP critical defense ammo for personal protection. I have shot 100 rounds of practice ammo threw it with no problems at all. Also a couple of clips of the Hornady to see how it would feed still no problems. The only cons I have about this gun is the trigger pull (it has a long trigger pull) could be lighter from 8lbs to about 5lbs. Also for the slide to lock back after the last shot is fired would be nice. Other than the scarcity of .380 ammo I would recommended this pistol for a light weight easy to conceal back up.
I am thinking of purchasing a Ruger .380. Should it concern me that it does not have a “safety”?
Nice little self defence gun! Its very small and light which is a plus. Now i can find a new home for my N frame smith and wesson. No problems with bullet feeding with the three diffrent kinds of ammo used! Accuracey was good and seemed to get better with more time getting use to it and break in period. It has a long trigger pull which makes me feel more comfortable packing it around in my purse or don hume jit holster! Remember its a close quarter defence gun. Point and shoot!! I give it three stars and will report back after four or five hundred rounds.
I have yet to fire my new LCP I tried loading some 380 Hollow points and it jamed everytime. Can you recommend a good round for this pistol. I have a box of PCM 380A Auto 90 GR FMJ that dosen’t seem to jam. I might jut shoot some rounds to break it in. Thanks for any comment. Leo
The lcp needs to be broken in. You need to put about 300 rounds through it and let it loosen up. Use ball to break it in.
Thanks Julio
Nice little self defence gun! Its very small and light which is a plus. Now i can find a new home for my N frame smith and wesson.
Before purchasing, I fired a friend’s Ruger LCP. Operated flawlessly. Bought my own in September, 2009 and have fired 9 boxes of various ammo without a malfunction. Only complaint out of the box was the short magazine. I bought 2 clips from Ruger with the extended finger tab and have no control problems. Tab can be purchased separately and added to the original magazine.
Fortunately ammo is now more readily available and frankly I’ve found the pricing to be much more reasonable from the independent gun shops. Gander Mountain still seems to think you should be willing to get a 2nd mortgage to use your firearms.
I also purchased the Fobus holster directly from Ruger and recommend it highly for concealability. It rides high on your hip and with the open / hooked clip is easily attached and removed from your belt.