Range Report: Ruger LCP *Problems*

[Solid]

Today on April 2nd I went to the range with my Ruger LCP. I purchased it on March 31st and the gun was test fired on March 19th in Prescott, AZ.

50 rounds of Remington UMC FMJ
50 rounds of Fiocchi FMJ
No JHP tested since the only I had were in my carry gun

Impressions
-Gun shoots softer than the P3AT.
-Accuracy not really relevant, but was able to hit a body silhouette at 25 yards in rapid succession. The gun shines at 15 feet.
-Easier to shoot one handed than two handed due to small size.
-The large extractor works great

Problems
The gun does not like to feed the last round in the magazine. This happened twice on the second to last round. This was with both ammo brands. Shooting "limp" wristed or firmly didn't affect the frequency.

After cleaning and inspection I noticed some machining problems.
-The feed ramp isn't completely smooth and quite uneven.
-The machining on one side of the chamber is uneven. Looks like a dull bit was used.
-The rear of the slide where the hammer passes up and down is uneven on the left side.
-The center rib of the slide that re-cocks the single strike hammer is too wide. It looks like poor machining and it actually impacts the frame which is now dented from the 100 impacts :scrutiny:
-The hammer sits angled to the left rather than straight up and down. This has scrapped and "cut" into the channel on the slide for the hammer. Pieces of metal were found in the channel.

There are a few more problems like this and I am somewhat amazed. I called Ruger in Prescott, AZ today during office hours, but they didn't pick up so I left a message and return phone number.

I will keep this thread updated.

[tombogan03884]

Thanks, Thats a very informative post. If other LCP shooters give us as detailed reports and observations we can see if it is up to Rugers usually high standards. But having done similar "development " work on the T/C Omega I will point out that When the engineers are done telling everyone about their "perfect" design, the machine operators and set up people on the shop floor have to make it work. fixtures for castings have to be tweaked adjusted and proved, same with CNC programs, tooling choices have to be examined and proved out and Quality criteria have to be established.
 On the Omega for about the first year, the "Sealed Breech" was machined with a slight taper toward one side, My lead man and I kept telling the inspector about this and he kept telling us" There's no specification so I'm not concerned", One day the CNC Supervisor, (A pompous little weasel I won't name here) came out all excited because the "Parts you made last night had a taper in them" I told him " The parts I've made for the last  year have a taper in them , thank you for noticing." then I sent him to talk to my Lead man   They developed a Spec that they had to be flat to a certain dimension, but it takes that long for these types of issues to be addressed  in new designs.

[Solid]

I got off the phone with Ruger and they are shipping me a pre-paid mailer for the gun. They were very courteous and listened to all the flaws I noticed from machining/assembly. They also told me they recently had one other like mine from a magazine author and mine may have come from the same batch.

I must say +1 for Ruger customer service

[Hazcat]

Solid,

Glad to hear that every thing is going well so far!

[ericire12]

I must say +1 for Ruger customer service

Yeah, but you shouldn't have to send your brand new gun back to them in the first place. It sure would be nice to have your new $300+ carry gun be free of problems from the get go.

I personally think it is more a problem of the micro auto loaders in general. There is a lot to be said for the reliability of the snubby revolver over these 7 shot auto loading pocket pistols. There is a great video over at the CCW Demystified section of DRTV videos with Walt Rauch lecturing us on the relevance of the J-Frame sized revolvers, and I whole heartedly agree with him.

I personally carry 10+1 rounds of 9mm with my Glock 26. It is easy to conceal and there is no doubt in my mind that it will go bang whenever I need it to. But if you are only gonna be carrying 7 rounds in as small of a package as you can..... then why not a revolver?

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[DonWorsham]

I personally carry 10+1 rounds of 9mm with my Glock 26. It is easy to conceal and there is no doubt in my mind that it will go bang whenever I need it to.

ericire12,

How do you carry your Glock 26, front pocket...on the hip?

[CZShooter]

I personally carry 10+1 rounds of 9mm with my Glock 26. It is easy to conceal and there is no doubt in my mind that it will go bang whenever I need it to. But if you are only gonna be carrying 7 rounds in as small of a package as you can..... then why not a revolver?

I've been shopping for a front pocket gun, and my local gun shop was kind enough to let me drop the guns in my front pants pocket and walk around the store. Although I can see your point...the J-frames were too bulky for my normal wardrobe, and my personal tastes. The LCP/P3AT-type autos were much more comfortable and unnoticable for all-day carry.

Just my $0.02 worth.

[Solid]

Yeah, but you shouldn't have to send your brand new gun back to them in the first place. It sure would be nice to have your new $300+ carry gun be free of problems from the get go.

I personally think it is more a problem of the micro auto loaders in general. There is a lot to be said for the reliability of the snubby revolver over these 7 shot auto loading pocket pistols. There is a great video over at the CCW Demystified section of DRTV videos with Walt Rauch lecturing us on the relevance of the J-Frame sized revolvers, and I whole heartedly agree with him.

I personally carry 10+1 rounds of 9mm with my Glock 26. It is easy to conceal and there is no doubt in my mind that it will go bang whenever I need it to. But if you are only gonna be carrying 7 rounds in as small of a package as you can..... then why not a revolver?

I think the only real "quality" .380 pocket gun will end up being the Kahr 380 at it's $600ish price tag.

Right now I'm considering a G36/PM9/PM45 for large front pocket or IWB carry. I would also consider the S&W 325 snub nose, but the price tag is a bit steep for a college student.

[ericire12]

ericire12,

How do you carry your Glock 26, front pocket...on the hip?

IWB, strong side, in front of my hip

[Hazcat]

I think the only real "quality" .380 pocket gun will end up being the Kahr 380 at it's $600ish price tag.

Right now I'm considering a G36/PM9/PM45 for large front pocket or IWB carry. I would also consider the S&W 325 snub nose, but the price tag is a bit steep for a college student.

Lots of P3ATs out there.  Mine has run consistantly out of the box with any ammo including reloads.  Bought another mag for it and no problems there either.  Pick 'em up around here for $280.00.