Ruger LCP Recall
Ruger: This is getting really old. Both your new pistols have been recalled. How do you expect us to trust you?
The press release:
SOUTHPORT, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR – News) announces that it has recently received a small number of reports from the field indicating that LCP pistols can discharge when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber. Although no injuries have been reported, we are firmly committed to safety and will retrofit all older LCP pistols (described below). The retrofit involves installation of an upgraded hammer mechanism at no charge to the customer.
As a responsible manufacturer, we want to make our customers aware of this FREE safety upgrade. All LCP pistols bearing the prefix “370” (that is, serial number 370-xxxxx) may be affected. LCP owners can sign up for the safety upgrade or obtain additional information by:
* Visiting our LCP recall website at www.ruger.com/lcprecall
* E-mail: LCPrecall@ruger.com
* Fax: 928-541-8873
* Calling the LCP Recall hotline at 1-800-784-3701The new parts are being built and we will retrofit LCP pistols on a first-come, first-served basis as soon as they are available. When Ruger is ready to retrofit a consumer’s pistol, Ruger will send a shipping label and package with instructions for the FREE return of the LCP pistol to our factory in Prescott, Arizona. Ruger will install the new hammer mechanism, plus some other functional upgrades that have been added since the LCP’s introduction, at no charge to the consumer and the pistol will be returned at Ruger expense. All owners will receive a FREE LCP magazine with the new finger grip extension as a “thank you” for their patience and cooperation.
Grow up, boys. Ruger makes fine firearms, period! I have an LCP (375) and love it. It’s purely a back-up, last effort gun. I depend on it working and know it will. It’s a fine little gun. Did the have a problem? Maybe. Did they man-up and take care of it? YES they did. They paid freight both ways and gave a free mag with the return. What more can you expect from a first class outfit? Nothing! If you want to see total failure in a gun maufacturer…check out the Diamondback DB 380. Is this little gun junk? Google it…YES! Are they standing behind their problems? NO. Did I buy one? Yes. I traded it for a Bersa Thunder 380. Since then, I’ve purchased 2 more Bersa 380′s and just purchased a Ruger LCP. Got 200+ rounds throug it with NO problems. Most of the problems you will have with these small guns are the loose nut behind the wheel. And for you macho LE brags…it we could get by with an arsenal of 10# units hanging from our waist in public, we would too! Don’t think we don’t have them on us…you just can’t see them.
Oh and for JD, I use the LCP as a carrying pistol so I bought the best hollow point round I could find. My cousin (who happens to have the ruger emblem tattooed on his shoulder and named his son Ruger) told me I needed to try various rounds till I found one that worked. I did this with no results. Every round jams. Oh and I meant “past”, not “passed” in my last post.
I’ve loved Ruger firearms since my first competitive match (18 years ago perhaps). They’ve always made wonderful, dependable firearms. But I must say that this LCP is not my first choice to carry. I held the Kel Tek and the Ruger in both hands and it was a no brainer. The Ruger’s design and craftsmanship wasn’t even on the same plane. But the first round (and every round since) has jammed in the ejection port. My serial # isn’t part of the recall and I’m honestly disappointed. I’ve been a ruger follower since I was 12 and honestly, today at Bass Pro, I looked passed the Ruger isle out of utter distrust. Honestly you may as well have told me Mickey Mouse was a child molester, or Santa Clause was fake, because I’ve been a fan of Ruger as long as I can remember. I really hope they sort this LCP thing out.
I also, had the same problem as Mr. Ken Levy who posted a little earlier. Changed ammo brands and things are smooth as silk now with the LCP.
Newbie, Ill spare you my resume. The manual states not to use +P ammo. Grab 100 rds of any reputable ammo (*speer * winchester etc*) shoot it all and seee what kind of performance reliability you have. It sucks change to another kind and see.
I read the comments of all the people who talk about caliber,weight,size,etc. Most of it is macho BS.
Where you hit the oponnent is what counts, and being a competent good shot, I’d rather have a .380 in my pocket than a .45 in my glove box.
Like the other retired police officer who submitted a comment I have been in law enforcement my complete life. Weapons interest me. From .45 caliber to .32 caliber. However when on duty I realized that I was there to serve and protect. Not only myself but others I served as well. The little plastic guns are nice to have and take to the range and plink, but they are not a self or others protection weapon. Quite frankly if you are one that wants to get away with carrying such weapons to protect you had better think again. My duty weapon was a Colt Commander 45 and my back-up was a S & W .38 snubbie. Both served their purpose. My Glock 27, Sig 9 mm, XD9 Sub Compact, Kel Tec 380 and .32 and PPK 380 is just weapons of self interest to plink with. Once Ruger gets their LCP straight I will probably purchase one to have fun with. My home defense weapon is a Remington pump shotgun. When I leave home my S & W .38 snubbie or 45 goes with me. If trouble rears its head I’m ready for it, not once thinking will my carry weapon work.
Hi Ken
You should only be using plain old TCJ ball type ammo for reliable feed.Hollow points are probably going to give feed problems.
Marv
I have an LCP. I am worried about jam/eject problems. Can you please tell me what ammo is recommended for reliable use. This is my everyday carry. I don’t need a malfunction in an emergency.
Hi All, I’m a new person to the wonderful world of gun ownership and am very proud and happy to be a member of that club. I should preface my comments by saying that this is the second blog I’ve come across where someone has done this with a Ruger/Kel-Tec. I can hardly believe it.
Stupidity such as inappropriately using overloaded rounds and exploding guns is exactly the type of thing that makes me embarassed to be a part of the gun community and it gives just cause to the anti-gun movement that is growing in this country. As it is if we own a gun we’re viewed as “gun nuts”.
People that are willing to take such unnecessary and foolish risks need to be rooted out by the rest of us and educated about the process of applying common sense regarding safety in general. Then they need to be taught that these are guns and weapons of death and need to be treated as such. Most people wouldn’t put something they aren’t sure about in the gas tank of their car just because someone told them it was a good idea, so why do people risk doing things like this?
I can tell you that before I even purchased my Ruger LCP I knew not to use Magtech +P rounds. I actually read quite a lot about this great little pistol before I even went to look at one. I don’t want to get on a soap box here, but people that do these types of things scare the hell out of me. Sounds like the dealer that recommended that round should have his license pulled. The guy I bought mine from actually made a point to tell me not to use overloaded rounds, even though I already was aware, I most certainly appreciated his pointing that out.
Even without the information published…Lightweight + Compact should tell a gun owner that it does not add up to overloaded rounds.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe that the overwhelming majority of gun owners are safety conscious people, but just like any other group that gets persecuted, it only takes a few bad or stupid apples and we all get labeled.
Everyone God bless and please be safe, our families depend on it. Be sure to support our rights to own guns every chance you can.
Thanks to all, I find these blogs to be very good sources of information.
Please read the manual folks after you familiarize yourself with the firearm .
Page 11 states
“LCP pistols are compatable with standard factory ammunition loaded to U.S. Industry Standars,including hollow point loads loaded in brass or aluminium cases. No .380 Auto manufactured in accordance with NATO,U.S.,SAAMI , or CIP standards is known to be beyond the design limits or known not to function in these pistols.”
In other words this plastic gun weighing less than 11 ozs. can’ t handle hot loads which are meant for steel framed pistols such as Bersa and Kahr which are 18 plus ozs.
“On the 11th the barrell burst shattering the gun and damn near my finger. What gives? Has anyone else had this problem. The ammo was Magtech Guardian gold 380 AUTO+P 85GR JHP recommended by the dealer.
“
——————————-
When I got my LCP, I ONLY SCANNED, not read, the owners manual,.. but the one thing that stood out to me in the included owners manual, was DO NOT USE +P AMMO.. ALL OTHER NON +P .380 AMMO IS O.K…
you did not even bother to scan the manual- the gun is specifically NOT designed for the ammo you used and its says so SEVERAL TIMES in the gun manual..
even without you bothering with the manual, would it not occur to you that a L(LIGHT) C(OMPACT) P made out of plastic would not be a likely candidate for overloaded rounds..?.. are you ‘special’??
Brian is right……..The User’s Manual that came with my LCP states, on page 11, not once, but twice –in BOLD RED PRINT–…..”DO NOT USE +P AMMO”. Read the manuals on your guns, folks. They are provided for a reason, no matter how much you and your dealer “think” you know about guns!
Compact, subcompact and light alloy guns should never be used withe “+P” or “+P+” ammo. You are asking for trouble when going to high pressure loads like this, let alone voiding any warranty and creating a danger for yourself and those around you!!
Read the manual and use your gun safely!! I might be in the range next to you one day!!
Plastic!!
you are not to use any +p ammo in the LCP at all
i just bought a ruger lcp for my girl friend and she love it. i took her to the range to shoot it and she shoot about a hundred rounds out of it and use two different types of ammu remington umc and some aguila ammu the umc didnt jam at all but the aguila the cheap stuff jamed about 3 to 4 time out of ever clip almost every time but its a really good and reliable gun just dont use cheap ammu
I have a Ruger LCP that when purchased I was told it had been in for the recall. In fact it has the diamond on the slot indicating such. However, I have fired maybe ten rounds through it. On the 11th the barrell burst shattering the gun and damn near my finger. What gives? Has anyone else had this problem. The ammo was Magtech Guardian gold 380 AUTO+P 85GR JHP recommended by the dealer.
Never seen a Ruger LCP, but I have one comment:
I’m a retired cop and carry a gun everyday. I love Rugers, and own a couple. I also love S&W, Colt, etc. You get the picture.
I carry an S&W Model 442 2″ J Frame (snub nose) 5 shot revolver for my everyday self defense gun. I have a Browning Hi Power 14 shot, Colt .45 Gold Cup, and many others, but the gun I bet my life on to go “Bang!” when I pull the trigger is the J Frame. I installed a Crimson Trace Laser grip and carry one extra HK speedloader. And I carry it every day, everywhere.
That’s it.
i have a kel-tec & a ruger, the ruger is better finished no seam’s,
kel-tec must be from over ???
it does jam-up.
i’ll spent $30.00 more for a rugar you’re life might depend on IT !
I came accross this site by mistake. And it turned out to be a mistak. In the design and manufacture of any product — it is “almost” impossible to test for all the billons of mishandled combinations of a “loaded” firearm. If you drop a “loaded” firearm (never cleaned or maintained) from 50 feet making sure it hits on the sweet spot every time you may get it to discharge a time or two.
I know where the general media stands, but its breath taking to witness the dumbing down of even the gun bloggers.
Mark, it is a press release. There is no hype.
I LOVE MY LCP!!!! 2000RDS AND NO MISS FIRES!!!! AND AS SOON AS I GET THE FEELING BACK IN MY HAND I’LL UPDATE YA!!!!! LOL
When this recall was first instituted Ruger stated that they would issue return packaging to owners on a first-come first-served basis. At the same time they stated to me that I would receive the box when they had repair parts in stock. My LCP has been in their possession since Jan 7th. They now state that there are no parts available, that a new supplier was sourced and that they can’t quote a return date. This is BS – plain and simple.
I returned my LCP for the recall on 1-5 and they received it on 1-6-09. I called today and the young lady said it would be 5 weeks from the time the unit was received before I get the gun back. She apologized and reported they had fallen way behind.
Just received my LCP back from the manufacturer. They replaced the hammer as well as several other upgraded parts. They also included a magazine with an extension and a Ruger cap.
The gun was returned within one week over the holidays.
Great customer service and turn around time. I’m glad they admitted to the issue and corrected it at no charge.
Has anyone had issues with their LCP? I have a pre-recall LCP that has never misfired or had any other problems. I am waiting on the box to ship it back, if I decide to do so. I just purchased another LCP that just came back from Ruger. The 1st time I took it to the range, it jambed 7 times within a 50 round box. It is now on the way back to Ruger again.
I currently own two 10/22′s, a charger, a mini14, a mini30, two SP101′s and this little LCP. I’ve been extremly happy over the years with all but the LCP. I was so excited about it, I paid slightly more than their published retail price to get it.
Right out of the box, on the third round, something internal caused the trigger to break (internally). I sent it back and 3 weeks later, after 3 phone calls, it arrived. They didn’t tell me what was wrong, they just repaired and returned it. I put a mag through it and put it in the safe, because I don’t dare carry it, (reliability concerns – not knowing when the next trigger pull won’t work). A week or two later I got a phone call from a Ruger rep, asking if I still own it and telling me of the recall. He said I’d get shipping materials in the mail “as soon as they were ready to quickly repair and return it”. That was about two weeks ago. Nothing yet!
I applaud their obvious concern over their reputation, their products, and concern for their liability and potential law suits; but, one little problem can cause alot of damage to the company. I hope they address whatever internal problems have caused this little blooper.
Ruger is a responsible firearms company. They have made many fine auto pistols over the years. I have owned four Rugers and after using them for years under extreme outdoor conditions ie; backpacking, canoeing, hunting, thousands of rounds down range, I have found them to be extremely reliable, sturdy and well made.
Ruger continues to market their firearms as “for responsible citizens”.The recent recalls offered by Sturm Ruger solidifies the companies interest in being responsible. There have been other firearms known to have quality issues that were not recalled. They put their money where their mouth is.
I recently purchasesd a Ruger LCP, called to give them my address and they are handling everything and returning the pistol with upgraded parts and a new magazine.
Their commitment to responsibility and quality firearms is proven by the recent recalls.
I heard the recall was from those idiots in California with all there wierd laws. If a firearm can fall from 50ft or less in height, it cannot be sold there. Ruger did the right thing and recalled them all, including my SR9. no inconvenience, free mag (and hat). Hats off to Ruger, an American company still making products in America.
I think this recall shows that the company is on the ball as far as product safety even though it is after the fact.I own one of the affected SN’S.I used the LCP to replace the Kahr PM9 I tried the LCP gun out after I bought it.My comment is that it bites like a snake when fired.I hope when I have to use it my adrenaline will take over and I won’t feel the pain the little pistol gives me.It’s however a great carry gun for Florida in the hot months of which we have a few.
For all those comments – I have an LCP and a Kel Tech 3AT. I’m not blind so I can see the difference in the quality of manufacturing. At least Ruger is re-calling the LCP and giving you a new MAG to make up for your inconvenience. I wonder if my Kel-Tech has the same problem?
I’m asking you to “Keep The Faith” in Ruger. They’ve been making good guns for years!
Best of Luck,
Ray
(Dragoon AZ.) – One happy LCP owner!
Mark, no ones complaining about a recall. The issue is that the last two autoloaders made by the company both were recalled.
Three questions need to be asked.
Why?
( Why does this keep happening? Poor QA? Poor manufacturing techniques? Poor product testing? )
How?
( How can Ruger sort out these internal problems?)
What?
(What can Ruger do to fix these problems? What can Ruger do to assure us, the public, that the next gun produced will not have a recallable problem).
I am not anti ruger, I want them to succeed. Obviously they have problems. The symptom of these problems are product recalls. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
If anyone from Ruger emails me letting me know what they are doing to prevent this happening again, I will publish it on the blog.
Anyone who complains abvout a company doing a voluntary recall and up-grade isn’t responsible enough to own a firearm, in my opinion. I thin Ruger has shown great pride in it’s product by correcting these problems free of charge.
I would have to say there Autos have always impressed me, and I still want a LCP and a SR-9 I just need more money to spend on such things. Ruger inst the only company that has to recall stuff. Dang I wish I had bought one though id love a free mag.
I got a new Ruger this week – an SP 101. Heh.
One more reason why no one should ever buy a Ruger semi-auto.
They’re great at revolvers, but they suck at auto’s.
Paul, ha, nice one.
Karma for ripping off Kel-tec?