Posted: 6/4/2013 4:36:48 AM EDT
 I took my new LC380 to the range after a thorough clean/lube. The pistol shipped with a lot of grease in the frame, and I don't like grease, except when necessary (think AKM,) so I hosed everything down with brake cleaner, dried it, and gave it a Frog Lube heat treatment. I had a troublesome failure right after I put the gun together: The magazine disconnect remained active, even with the mag fully inserted, and I could not move the trigger. The problem seemed to resolve itself once I pushed on the disconnect a few times, and I never had an issue with it at the range throughout the 7 mags of Speer Lawman 95 gr. TMJ I put through the pistol. I will put a couple more boxes of ammo through it before I believe that it was just a hiccup resulting from my clean/lube job, and not an actual defect. I had no failures of any kind during the 50 round test. The pistol is very controllable (as expected) and I like it MUCH better than the LCP and Bodyguard I've fired. Yes, it is bigger, and isn't as suited for deep concealment, but it conceals better in my pocket than my LCR - and is way softer shooting than that snappy little revolver. The magazine extension makes the LC380 just fit my pinkie finger, and while I don't have large hands, it will fit those with small hands (ladies?) really well. The 3-dot sights are good, very easy to acquire, and are drift adjustable for windage. I may put the Viridian green laser on it, but every time I've put a laser on a pistol I end up removing it. Personal preference, I guess. The trigger is, in my opinion, more like a smooth revolver DA than anything else. Takeup is long, but free of any grittiness or hesitation, stacking very predictably near the end of its travel. Once I got familiar with the release point I found myself trying to treat it as a striker-fired pistol, instead of the hammer-fired pistol it is, looking for a reset that wasn't there...  It does have the usual Ruger safety overkill, with a manual slide-lock safety, an internal lock, a magazine disconnect, and a loaded chamber indicator that is so prominent it might actually snag during a draw motion (not really...sorry Ruger.) Actually, I love the way Ruger designed this pistol with soft curves in all the right places. Very snag-free design, obviously made with carry in mind. Well done. I'm not a great pistol shot (far from it,) but accuracy seems perfectly acceptable for a small defensive pistol. I've read that it will shoot 3" groups at 50 feet from a sandbag rest.  Here are some pictures showing the size compared to a couple of other pistols I own. From left to Ruger SR-22, Ruger LC380, Walther PPS (my primary carry gun,) Glock 21SF  SR-22 and LC380  LC380 and PPS  LC380 and 21SF   Conclusion: I like this little gun a lot. Pros: - Lightweight, but easy to hold due to its larger size than the LCP - It's very easy to shoot, with good sights, and a really good DAO trigger. - More concealable than the LCR I now carry when I can't carry my PPS. - It's a Ruger, which have reputations for being sturdy guns. - Excellent snag-free contours. Cons: - Magazine disconnect. I don't like magazine disconnects in general, since I feel it takes away the opportunity to fight during a tactical magazine change. - It is chambered in .380 Auto, a marginal self-defense round. But it's better than .22 or .22 Mag, in my book. Not everyone can handle micro-compact .45's, or even 9mm's. - It's a Ruger, which means it has a lot of attention paid to excessive 'safety' features, like an internal lock, a manual safety (on a DAO pistol??) and again mag disconnect. <ETA> I've seen procedures online that describe how to remove the magazine disconnect. That's a good thing, even if it voids the warranty. |
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Greet review. I love my little LCP for deep concealment, but not everyone needs deep concealment all the time and that is where this gun comes in. For someone who is recoil sensitive to the 9mm, this is s great alternative. I would however change my EDC to the PPS. That 21SF makes my back hurt just looking at it.
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Quoted: Greet review. I love my little LCP for deep concealment, but not everyone needs deep concealment all the time and that is where this gun comes in. For someone who is recoil sensitive to the 9mm, this is s great alternative. I would however change my EDC to the PPS. That 21SF makes my back hurt just looking at it. I didn't make it clear, but the PPS is my EDC, when I'm wearing the appropriate clothing. I don't do IWB, and the PPS conceals nicely under an untucked shirt with the Kydex OWB holster I got from TCB (great holster!) But there are times I need a pocket gun. My LCR is OK in that role. I may, like you, pick up an LCP for deep concealment, but I think the LC380 is a good size/shape for normal pocket carry. |