"All the ladies are getting 'em."

[addictedhealer]

Love my LCR 38. Wife keeps it in her side of the headboard. She can shoot it and loves there isn't a pesky slide....

I chose the .38 because it was 3oz lighter and I don't feel that 357 is that much better at less than 7 yards. It is not a battle gun so ammo option also isn't a issue. It's a shove in the gut and go bang gun.

here is mine, did the painted letter thing.

 

[addictedhealer]

Also the front ramp.

 

[Birds Away]

When I got my snubby I put a longer finger groove grip on it. It nearly eliminated the perceived recoil at the price of probably about an inch extra on the grip length. Well worth it IMO.

 

[ViperJock]

Snapdragon, we need a range report! I am genuinely intrigued and am considering an LCR as my next purchase my thought is to go with the .357 and use the 38s most of the time. I'm still not a true believer though, and thus I'd like to try one before purchasing.

 

[Snapdragon]

I switched out the stock grip for the boot grip so it would be more compact to carry. Didn't seem to affect feel or accuracy much. The .357 shoots .38 spl. and .38 +P fine. I put a few rounds of .357 through it today, and it kicked too much for my taste. I'll stick with .38 +P hollowpoints for my SD ammo.

I would recommend getting the .357 LCR over the .38 because the metal to polymer ratio is higher in the .357, and the price differential is only $20 or so.

 

[ViperJock]

I switched out the stock grip for the boot grip so it would be more compact to carry. Didn't seem to affect accuracy much. The .357 shoots .38 spl. and .38 +P fine. I put a few rounds of .357 through it today, and it kicked too much for my taste. I'll stick with .38 +P hollowpoints for my SD ammo.

I would recommend getting the .357 LCR over the .38 because the metal to polymer ratio is higher in the .357, and the price differential is only $20 or so.

I suspected that might be the case. Thanks for the update!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I switched out the stock grip for the boot grip so it would be more compact to carry. Didn't seem to affect feel or accuracy much. The .357 shoots .38 spl. and .38 +P fine. I put a few rounds of .357 through it today, and it kicked too much for my taste. I'll stick with .38 +P hollowpoints for my SD ammo.

I would recommend getting the .357 LCR over the .38 because the metal to polymer ratio is higher in the .357, and the price differential is only $20 or so.

If you want to try some .357s, try the 125 grain loads. They kick about like 158 gr .38+P loads. I'm not saying they are better or anything, just an option.

I carry mine with PDX-1 130 grain .38+Ps. I like the .357 version because its slightly larger and because I sometimes carry a .357 main gun so my speed strips will feed either the main or the BUG.

Anyway, I ran a bunch of ammo through mine and perceived recoil from highest to lowest:

158 gr .357 (ouch, stupid)
158 gr .38 +P
125 gr .357
130 gr .38 +P
158 gr .38

Now that Santa brought me a chrono, when the weather gets nice I'm going to retest and see how much velocity difference between them. Except the 158 gr .357. Because Ouch. Stupid.

 

[sparkyfender]

My youngest sister has a few handguns, but the gun she prefers for carry is a Ruger LCR .357 stoked with .38 specials.

She considers the recoil to be fairly mild.

 

[Mog]

I switched out the stock grip for the boot grip so it would be more compact to carry. Didn't seem to affect feel or accuracy much. The .357 shoots .38 spl. and .38 +P fine. I put a few rounds of .357 through it today, and it kicked too much for my taste. I'll stick with .38 +P hollowpoints for my SD ammo.

I would recommend getting the .357 LCR over the .38 because the metal to polymer ratio is higher in the .357, and the price differential is only $20 or so.

Thank you for the range report! I think I NEED one of these!! What's the difference in weight/size between the .38 and .357 versions?

 

[Snapdragon]

I think the size is the same. Here's a breakdown of the different models. Ruger® LCR® Double-Action Revolver Models Without the crimson trace grips, the .38 weighs 13.5 oz and the .357 weighs 17.1 oz.

 

[Mog]

I think the size is the same. Here's a breakdown of the different models. Ruger® LCR® Double-Action Revolver Models Without the crimson trace grips, the .38 weighs 13.5 oz and the .357 weighs 17.1 oz.

Thanks!! Not too much difference in weight, then. I like having the option of shooting .357-- it's worth the increment in weight/price.

 

[Allenicomp]

I'm getting ready to buy my wife and daughter new wheel guns. They say the slides are too difficult to run on the autos. Having shot alot, my observation is that there is nothing more difficult to shoot well than a superlight, snubnosed double-action only revolver. Personally, I'm leaning toward 3" 357 mag using regular 38 special for practice and +P for defense. Probably Ruger SP 101 or S&W 60. Just saying...

 

[dsol]

I just wish they were not so ugly. I have considered selling one of my SP101's for a 357 LCR but the SP101 is so much better looking... I love how my 2" and 3" SP's shoot but the weight is a bit of a tradeoff.

 

[Snapdragon]

I just wish they were not so ugly. I have considered selling one of my SP101's for a 357 LCR but the SP101 is so much better looking... I love how my 2" and 3" SP's shoot but the weight is a bit of a tradeoff.

I can see it now... just before you drop some guy who has a knife to your throat... he says "DAMN, that gun is ugly!"

 

[chef larry]

I can see it now... just before you drop some guy who has a knife to your throat... he says "DAMN, that gun is ugly!"

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Never bring a knife to a gun fight or bad mouth a woman's gun and think your going to get away with it.

 

[Snapdragon]

Meh, it's a small, well-made, concealable gun. I never really thought about whether it was ugly or not. If I want pretty, I'll get a pink Charter Arms.

(Rose not included.)

 

[45fan]

Not that she has complained about the recoil of the 38 +P ammo that we have, I have seen, and thought about the Hornady reduced recoil offering in 38 Special, and if the recoil is actually noticeably lower, and if the ammo is still a reasonable SD option, and not a gimmick.

Just a thought, as anything that makes it easier on my wife's hand to shoot would mean the more likely she is to actually go out and practice with her LCR...

 

[rhino]

I'm getting ready to buy my wife and daughter new wheel guns. They say the slides are too difficult to run on the autos. Having shot alot, my observation is that there is nothing more difficult to shoot well than a superlight, snubnosed double-action only revolver. Personally, I'm leaning toward 3" 357 mag using regular 38 special for practice and +P for defense. Probably Ruger SP 101 or S&W 60. Just saying...

You are correct that lightweight snubbies are difficult to shoot well and are not the best choice for inexperience shooters.

If they're having trouble moving the slide, you might want to change their technique. Too many people try to use small muscles to do something they can do much more easily with big muscles. With the right technique, just about anyone can work the slide on a modern self-loading pistol unless they have some serious disability.

 

[Mog]

You are correct that lightweight snubbies are difficult to shoot well and are not the best choice for inexperience shooters.

If they're having trouble moving the slide, you might want to change their technique. Too many people try to use small muscles to do something they can do much more easily with big muscles. With the right technique, just about anyone can work the slide on a modern self-loading pistol unless they have some serious disability.

Ditto on the lightweight snubbies! They LOOK less intimidating--- and therein lies some of the problem! Perception plays heavily into the experience, particularly for new shooters. It can take some time, experience, and an open mind to get past an immediate impression: "if this little thing hurts to shoot, how much worse is that (even slightly) bigger one going to be??" That "slightly bigger gun" might be a WHOLE lot easier to shoot (and shoot well) but you have to get past that initial bias.
And Rhino, you are absolutely right about the slide technique. Especially if they are handling a new gun with little or no prior experience, the slide can be stiff and lead to the immediate perception that "slides are too difficult for me to use". Again, perception plays a part.
It's not just women shooters-- I started shooting with a friend (male) who was absolutely convinced that the 1911 I was shooting was "just too much recoil" for him-- meanwhile, the .357 revolver HE was shooting (which was a nice gun, but very comparable recoil!) was "really comfortable". He started out with the perception that revolvers were "easier to shoot", and what he looked for, he found.

 

[Snapdragon]

I've probably said this earlier in the thread, but since it's my thread, I'll say it again. I purchased my first gun about a month ago. Rather than going into it with the mindset of "I want something easy to shoot, and then I'll see if it meets my needs", I went in with the mindset "This gun meets my needs, and I will learn how to shoot it." My .357 LCR is the first gun I ever fired, and I did pretty damned well for my first time. I didn't know if the recoil was strong because I had nothing to compare it to. It was just my gun and I started putting bullets through paper. Hit chest and torso on the silhouette 34 out of 35 of my first rounds at 21 feet.