Ruger LCP Review
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Rugers LCP is a very popular pistol of the type. Among its fans it’s known as the “Elsie Pea”. Which is a pretty good moniker 
Ruger released this little pistol three years ago and sales are still going strong in spite of a downturn in sales of some .380’s. When first released the price was right at $300. Prices now average in the $260 range, which is a bargain for this quality pocket pistol. With the price of .380 ammo also decreasing it’s a good time to buy.
The LCP is made of a reinforced nylon frame with an alloy steel slide. Weight is right at 7.5 ounces for the standard version without the built in Crimson Trace laser. Magazine capacity is 6+1 round chambered. The sights are very small but surprisingly functional even at 12 yards. Take down is simple via a pin in the middle of the frame just above the rear of the trigger guard.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .380 ACP |
| Capacity | 6+1 |
| Finish | Blued |
| Grip | Black, Glass-filled Nylon |
| Barrel | 2.75" |
| Weight | 9.4 oz |
| Length | 5.16" |
| Width | 0.82" |
| Height | 3.60" |
The LCP has a manual slide lock unlike its nearest competitor the Kel-Tec. The recoil spring differs as well with a dual spring setup which mitigates recoil. The springs ride on a full length guiderod. Double action trigger pull is 5.2 pounds as measured with my gauge. Length of trigger pull is .49 inches, which is a shorter trigger pull than most pocket pistols I’ve tested. The trigger is also very smooth. I’m sure this contributes to the good accuracy the LCP displays on the range.
The grip length is on the short side unless you use a magazine with the extended base plate. I could only get two fingers on the grip using the standard magazine with three using the extended base pad. Even using the extended base plate concealment in a front or back pocket is no problem.
The Crimson Trace version adds some bulk to the LCP. I also have a bit of trouble with the way the trigger guard on this model attaches to the front of the grip. It uses a rather large screw or rivet to hold the base of the Crimson Trace attachment. As you can see in the picture below this attachment point takes up half the grip and feels a bit cockeyed when pointing towards the target. It wants to point low a bit to far. I guess a shooter would adapt to it with time.
The hammer is recessed into the rear of the slide preventing any snagging on clothing as you draw from a pocket carry. The ejection port is also generously opened for reliable ejection of spent rounds. One feature I like is the large beefy extractor. If anyone ever breaks one I’d be very surprised! I also like the magazine release. Most releases are small but this one is plenty large to operate easily without changing your grip unless you have very small hands.
There are many holsters for the LCP that vary from inexpensive models such as the De Santis Nemesis to the handmade holsters of the Meco Company in Texas. One example of a Meco offering is the “Armigator” front pocket holster pictured below.
Range Time
I took the LCP to the range with a variety of ammunition from inexpensive Winchester white box to Cor-Bon DPX and Remington ball. The Winchester ball is a 95 grain with Remington ball at 90 grains. The Cor-Bon DPX uses an 80 grain bullet.
The Winchester and Remington loads clocked in at 824 to 850 respectively. The Cor-Bon DPX load came in at 1149 FPS. The DPX is a smoking round and the recoil shows it even with a lighter bullet. It’s not unpleasant but you know it has some power behind it. Of course you want all the power you can get when using a .380 for defense.
I set my targets at 7 and 12 yards. My first group was slow fire from 7 yards. I fired a few mags just to get used to the feel and trigger pull. I started my slow fire with the Remington ball ammo. I fired six round groups, which grouped an average of 1.27 inches. The Winchester ammo opened the groups up a bit that didn’t surprise me since every caliber of the cheap Winchester ammo has been less accurate than most other brands. Why do I keep using it? I buy my own ammo for these tests so call me cheap☺ In any event the Winchester opened the groups to 1.6 inches.
Moving on to the Cor-Bon DPX I was rewarded with the best group, which measured 1 inch, which is pretty much one hole. These are great results for such a small pistol.
I stayed at the 7 yard line and fired the next set of groups (six sets of six rounds at all ranges) shooting as fast as possible. I used the Remington ammunition only for this part of the test. I was able to keep all of my rounds within the head of the target with average groups of 5 inches. I didn’t use the sights for the rapid fire test rather looking over the top of the slide.
Moving back to the 12 yard line I started with slow fire as before. I used the Remington ammo first and achieved average groups of 2.6 inches. Again, the Cor-Bon DPX was the most accurate with slow fire groups of 2.1 inches. As I said the Cor-Bon has more snap however in slow fire it wasn’t a factor.
My next groups were rapid fire using the sights this time and taking long enough to get a flash sight picture. My point of aim was the center of the targets head. Again all rounds were within the targets head with an average group size of 3.8 inches.
I was honestly surprised at these rather small groups coming from such a small pistol with a barrel less than three inches long. Taking into account the small sights it’s all the more impressive at 12 yards.
During the entire shooting session there were no malfunctions of any type. I did expect some with the very wide hollowpoint of the Cor-Bon DPX ammo but it didn’t happen.
Conclusion
I can think of a couple of .380 semi auto’s I like. Among these are the S&W Bodyguard I own. The Kel-Tec that is often compared to the Ruger. Still the Ruger came in with the best groups and just felt good in the hand. It was also the most natural pointer of the group.
This was the standard configuration pistol without the Crimson Trace laser. I have fired a friends laser equipped Ruger. As I mentioned earlier it did have that aggravating tendency to shoot low.
I tend to think of a .380 as backup pistol but in summer when a lot of folks wear shorts and t-shirts a pocket pistol you’ll actually carry is better than a .45 left at home.
The Ruger LCP is well made with bevel treatment on any potentially sharp corners, good accuracy and excellent reliability. I can recommend this pistol to any shooter looking for a backup or summer carry pocket pistol. This pocket pistol would fit my needs very well.
I always encourage a potential buyer to go to a range that rents guns and try it out before you buy it. That goes for any gun under consideration. All things considered I believe most shooters will be pleased with the LCP!
Happy Shooting!
Bought mine in March. I have fired about 700+ plus thru it. Fired it right out of the box did well. Very accurate! Have shot a few types of ammo. Russian tula didn’t run well. Win Rem Pmc Speer did great. 100 grain bullets did well. Just my 2 cents.
Re: The fable of a dime tying up a gun, I heard this related to the S&W Model 38 or 49 Bodyguard .38, older model. It is pure nonsense. I own one of these and a dime cannot fit into the slot (e.g., humpback) where the hammer is. I’ve also carried this old gun (circa 1962) in a variety of ways for years and other than getting dirty nothing has prevented it from shooting when I went to the range. I tried this w/the LCP when I got it and a dime, nor almost anything else, will fit in the area of the hammer.
As a retired LEO I take care of my guns and inspect/wipe them down often. Most who are serious about self defense will or should do the same.
I pass this along not to embarass anyone, but to help squash any rumors of pocket change or lint causing a gun to malfunction.
Best,
Ken
Ken,
Thanks for the information. I’ve never owned one of the humpbacks so this is helpful. After 30 years as a LEO I couldn’t agree more with diligent gun care.
Phil: Glad to help. One thing I forgot to add was that nothing, absolutely NOTHING, should be carried in the same pocket as the gun (as a LEO you no doubt already know this). I don’t often carry this way as it eliminates a pocket I need for my every day junk. Cold weather helps as it adds jacket pockets to swallow up both the gun and my everyday junk.
Best,
Ken
LEO 1968 – 1997
And this post is just so I can click the ‘notify me by email’ button.
Slip 2000 EWL? Any advice for using that? My issue was actually the added night sights on my Glock26 rusting, which have proved harder to rust-proof than I expected, especially as a backup hooked to my vest.
fw226,
You would use it as normal for the areas that show wear, barrel and working parts. For the first use you can cover the surface of the gun–let it sit overnight then wipe off the excess. It penetrates the steel for extended protection. It’s completely non-toxic. It’s proven to work well for the military. They even use it on artillery pieces!
Speaking of hand trouble. My wife has problems racking the slide on my Ruger P89. Her hands are just to delicate. Did you notice how heavy the slide spring was?
Ryan,
Was the P89 used when you bought it? I’m wondering if someone changed out the factory spring for an extra power variety? One thing she can do to make racking the slide easier is grasp the slide with the left hand and use the right hand to grasp the grip then push forward holding the slide in place or pushing to the rear with the left hand. You get more power pushing than pulling. At the least you spread the effort between both hands. Just insure the left arm doesn’t get in front of the muzzle and finger off the trigger when pushing forward.
Terrible for new shooters, but a good “I cant fit anything else with how I am dressed” gun for experienced shooters.
They pack a wallop and arent pleasant enough to shoot through a box of 50 for those of us with hand problems (who can find their way through 100 rounds of 357 magnum through Kframe).
Bryan,
I hate to hear you have hand troubles. Carpal tunnel or arthritis can take all the fun out of shooting.
I’d rather have one in .32 as it would be less report, less recoil, and probably one more round but I am weird that way.
Phil, I use a Uncle Mikes size 10 left handed holster and reverse it for my right side being that I’m right handed, it will clip on whatever I’m wearing. I’m a fat man and hate a belt so I tried several holsters before settling with the Uncle Mikes. The biggest problem is sweat causing some occasional rust on the slide but it cleans up with oil.
J.Hensley,
There ya go. That type of holster will keep it secure. I’ve been using a product called Slip 2000 EWL that has done a good job for me keeping rust away on handguns and rifles. With the very humid summer we’ve had it’s worked well with no rust even on my daily carry 1911.
Sorry, I took the part where you said “It uses a rather large screw or rivet to hold the base of the Crimson Trace attachment.” to mean that it used a rather large screw or rivet to hold the base of the Crimson Trace attachment. My mistake.
A.,
Not a big deal– I didn’t go through his to see if they pinned it from inside the magwell or what. I took the owners statement instead of looking it over myself. Like I said I shot maybe 24 or 25 rounds through it for feel and that was about it.
I purchased my LCP with Crimson in March of this year and have shot multiple rounds through it at the local range and haven’t had a single malfunction. I found that carrying mine in the waste band rather than in the pocket is easier to conceal and isn’t in the way when you reach for keys or change. The gun is small and so lite you can’t tell you are carrying it and if you add the Pierce grip extension it is much easier to hold but keep in mind it is still a .380 pocket cannon and will rattle the bones in your hand. I own a wide range of Ruger pistols one being the SR9c which is compact and very easy to shoot but I still prefer to carry the LCP everywhere I go as a carry conceal and a P95 as a primary.
J.Hensley,
Are you using a holster for IWB? As small as it is and only 7 ounces I wonder if you have any problem with it being loose after you sit in a car or something along those lines. I imagine the extension helps with carrying IWB. Either way that’s a good carry combo:-)
If you had actually used the gun you are trying to review you would know that the “rather large screw or rivet” on the front of the grip is the activation switch and the sight is held on by two allen screws that are locate in front of the trigger guard. This leads one to the inescapable belief that you are making up this stuff from what you’ve read online. Good try though.
For future reviews I would suggest an actual hands on use of the gun you are reviewing. Or advise readers that you post reviews of actual reviewers’ reviews.
A.,
I only tested the standard version. If I had tested/ reviewed the laser equipped model I would have spent time talking about adjusting the laser, brightness in daylight, groups I got shooting it etc. I handled and shot a friends laser equipped gun as I mentioned in passing. I shot about 25 rounds from it. This was just to get an idea of it’s feel and that’s all. Certainly not enough to do anything but mention I found the grip uncomfortable. I posted a picture of the laser equipped model to indicate what I mentioned on the grip feel as well as another option a buyer has between the two pistols. This is what I said in the conclusion section of the review. “This was the standard configuration pistol without the Crimson Trace laser”
I’m not sure what they use to attach the plastic that surrounds the button since I didn’t review it. Of course the button is located there, that’s the only place it can be reasonably mounted for use. They could have made the switch/button smaller or the plastic piece it’s mounted in thinner so it doesn’t point low as I mentioned earlier.
I receive all the test guns from the manufacturer or a local shop if they have a used one they don’t mind loaning out. I spend to much time securing test guns without playing with some other review as you imply.
I’m sure you just overlooked the sentence above that says I only tested the standard version.
I tried this gun and i found it really unpleasant to ..!
Pest,
Huh—was it the recoil or just the feel of the grip—just curious what peoples experiences are.
“The Kel-Tec that is often compared to the Ruger.”
That’s cute, the LCP is most often compared to the Kel-tec P3AT because it is almost a direct copy of it. I had a lot more respect for Ruger when they were designing their own guns. I won’t ever buy a Little Copy Pistol.
Matt,
The only difference with the Ruger is the manual slide lock, takedown procedure and the type of steel used in the slide.
Laserlyte is making a side mount laser for the LCP that is mostly getting good reviews. There are also some cons to it but overall it seems to be a better option than the Crimson Trace.
tnpatriot,
Here is a link to a PDF file on the Laser Lyte product. http://www.laserlyte.com/download/graphics/images/Sell-Sheets/CK-AMF.pdf Laser Lyte makes good lasers and this would be my choice for the LCP. That would cure the problem I had with the Crimson Trace pointing low.
Please no more handgun accuracy claims. This sort of data belongs in a gun magazine where paid advertisers always get glowing reviews, but the simple fact is that a non-supported human shooter will NEVER be as accurate as the inherent accuracy of a particular handgun. That’s why handgun manufacturers don’t issue MOA claims.
3.8″ group RAPID FIRE at 12 yards?! Most competition shooters would be happy with that size group rapid fire from their full size competition gun — that’s A Zone. That’s just silly.
m4shooter,
I was pretty surprised as well. That’s with a sight picture even though a flash sight type. I usually take photos of the groups. I had my camera but when I got out to the range I didn’t put the SD card back in the camera:-( I don’t like to post accuracy claims unless I have photos to go with it. The only other pocket pistol I’ve had that type of groups from is the Walther PPS in 9MM. Your correct that almost all guns(99.9%) will shoot beyond the ability of the shooter.
I can promise you if it shoots 8 inch groups I’ll tell ya!
It looks nice, but I’d rather have the 9mm Keltek In almost the same size. A 9mm is much more of a serious round in a fight.
justin,
Ruger makes the LC9 which is very close to that model Kel Tec as well.
I guess you could call the trigger smooth, but to me the travel is excessive and the break is mushy. It’s an unpleasant gun to shoot, but you could probably say that of all the polymer frame pocket 380s, so that’s not really a point against it.
All said I would probably rely on one, provided it’s in a pocket holster, belt smartphone style case or little IWB tuck. I’ve heard several horror stories about pocket trash causing malfunctions.
Definitely try one before making a decision.
Sian,
That’s one thing potential buyers should always do if they have a range that rents them. You have a good point on the pocket trash. Lint can get into the works which does require more frequent cleaning especially if you don’t use a holster of some type. I don’t recall which pistol it was but I have heard of a person drawing a small pistol from the pocket and it was locked up with a dime stuck in the mechanism at the rear of the gun.
These small guns are really only helpful for “up close and personal” work. I’m not sure why a laser would be particularly helpful. But in this case it appears to be done fairly well.
michael,
Probably true but it’s the current trend it seems.
Nice CCW or pure gun.
Lance,
Very simple and straightforward to use. That’s especially good for new shooters.