Ruger's LCP: a potent .380 pocket pistol

American Handgunner, Sept-Oct, 2008 by John Taffin

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In those wonderful pre-politically correct days when I was a kid they were called "belly guns." Those with cylinders were known as snub-nosed revolvers while semiautos were usually called "pocket pistols." For me, whether it's a revolver or a semiauto, if it fits easily into the pocket, it's a pocket pistol. James Bond carried a Walther .380 pocket pistol, and I'll always remember Alan Ladd slamming the cylinder shut on his snub-nosed revolver. I wonder how many neophytes ruined revolvers by emulating him? My earliest recollection of a small gun was in Chester Gould's comic strip--Dick Tracy used a Colt Detective (Dick) Special.

Ruger Who? It all began in 1949 with a semiauto .22, and then the new, up-start, Ruger, introduced the .22 Single-Six in 1953. For decades, Bill Ruger concentrated on handguns for competition, hunting and outdoor use. I don't believe the thought of a pocket pistol ever really crossed Bill's mind.

The closest Ruger ever came, until now, was the SP101, introduced in 1988; offered in .22, .38 Special, 9mm, .357 Magnum and just recently .327 Federal. The SP101 is a bull-strong small revolver, however it weighs 27 ounces, which is a lot more than most people would like in a pocket pistol. The .357 Magnum S&W in my pocket right now weighs less than 12 ounces!

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For the first time in the company history, which now spans 60 years. Ruger is offering their first true pocket pistol--the Ruger LCP. LCP stands for "Lightweight Compact Pistol" and this little gem is chambered in .380. It was announced just slightly before the 2008 Shot Show, and it was a rip-roaring success, with thousands ordered by dealers at the show.

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Pistol In-Hand

Sometime in the 1980s the push for CCWs began, and now more than 40 states have a permit system. Ruger's management certainly recognizes the market for dependable, concealable, pocket pistols and is going after it with the LCP.

Most experts (whatever that is ...) consider the .380 to be the minimum caliber for a pocket pistol. I don't know I agree with that, and have often carried a .22 Mini-Gun in a shirt pocket, It's certainly no .45. however it's easily concealed, comfortably carried and certainly to be preferred over a rock or a stick--mostly. And the .380 is certainly a better choice. The 380 has always been popular and Skeeter Skelton often carried a Walther PPK .380 as his law enforcement back-up gun. With today's ammunition, new possibilities as a defense round have been opened. More on this shortly.

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The new Ruger .380 LCP is compact, with a barrel length of 2.75", height of 3,6", overall length of 5.16" and a width of only .82". A hardened steel slide is matched up with a glass-filled nylon frame. Mag capacity is six, and sights are extremely small, with a square notch rear machined into the top of the slide, matched with a miniscule front sight, integral to the slide.

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I was actually surprised at how well I could shoot the LCP with such miniature sights; especially since this is a DAO pistol with a trigger pull of 6 1/4 pounds. But make sure you allow a complete trigger re-set before trying to shoot again!

There are no sharp edges to be found on the LCP. In fact the front of the slide and frame have been melted, making it very easy to slide into a pocket. The molded-in grip panels are checkered, and there are miniature thumb-rest or trigger finger channels molded into the top of the grips. "RUGER" is molded into each of these channels, for a nice esthetic touch. Thanks to the rounded edges on the frame, there's no biting.

However there is one problem, which is totally subjective. Virtually every polymer/nylon-framed DA pinches the bottom of my trigger finger. This's no problem when firing a few rounds, however when doing a test with many hundreds I always tape my trigger finger. This is especially true when firing a Glock and, sadly, also with the new LCP.

The magazine release is on the left side behind the trigger guard and the LCP does not stay open after the last shot. There is a manual slide hold-open to lock the slide to the rear. This little .380 does not have a magazine disconnect and can be fired without the magazine in place. The magazine drops easily when the latch is pushed, and it never released while the gun was being fired. The mag release is biggish, and if you are going to pocket-carry the LCP you should definitely use a pocket holster. A view port allows you to see if a round is in the chamber. A nice feature, is the fact the hammer is flush with the back of the frame and visible when the LCP is in the ready-to-fire position.

The LCP is a locked-breech action, using a tilting barrel design, like the classic 1911. Because of Ruger's reliance on this solid system, I can tell you function was absolutely flawless with every type of ammunition used. It never stuttered, never failed to feed and never failed to eject.

It Shoots!

We shot the LCP with 10 different loads at a self-defense-sort-of-distance of seven yards. I certainly didn't expect the accuracy received from this little pistol, especially because it can be a handful with some loads we tried. Using loads from CCI, Federal, Hornady and Winchester in weights from 85 to 100 grains with muzzle velocities in the 700-850 fps range, groups averaged about 1 1/2". Winchester's 95-gr. SXT with a muzzle velocity of just under 800 fps grouped its five shots into .75" at seven yards.