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majority of owners will likely carry this
gun in a pocket. Pocket carry, however,
should never be undertaken without a
pocket holster to stabilize the gun, minimize
printing, and protect the trigger
from a negligent discharge.
My friend Kevin Manley at K&D
Holsters provided me with one of his
Pocket Defender Convertible 2-in-1
holsters for this review. The 2-in-1 is
one of Kevin’s standard pocket holsters
with a removable anti-print panel that
helps further disguise the shape of the
gun. I find that some pockets need an
anti-print panel for most effective concealment,
and some do not. The K&D
Holsters 2-in-1 gives you that kind of
flexibility. A standard 2-in-1 will cost
you about $50. The holster shown here
has been dressed up with exotic ostrich
skin at some extra cost. Kevin’s work is
top notch, and he takes customer satisfaction
very seriously. You can view K&D
Holsters’ entire line at www.kdholsters.
com or call (813) 601-0504.
Shooting the LCP
Pocket guns can be a handful to
shoot. I find the LCP, however, to be
better than most. The grip is just big
enough to wrap two fingers around. In
this lightweight package the perceived
recoil of even the modest .380 Auto
round is stout. While some recoil-sensitive
people may find this gun objectionable,
I think that most shooters will not
be bothered. Recoil is manageable, and
there are no sharp edges to draw blood.
I fired over 100 rounds in a day with no
significant discomfort. To me, the LCP
is much more fun to shoot than a lightweight
snubby revolver with hot loads.
Functionality was exceptional, with
absolutely no failures exhibited in well
over 100 rounds fired. The gun happily
digested all my test ammo—the
Hornady .380 Auto 90 grain HP/XTP
jacketed hollowpoint. An average group
at seven yards measured two inches.
That kind of performance is certainly
“combat accurate,” and represents excellent
performance for a gun with
minimal sights. Average muzzle velocity
with the Hornady rounds was 800 feet
per second–not bad for a .380 Auto with
a 2.75” barrel! Hornady’s excellent line
of ammunition can be viewed at www.
hornady.com, or you can call (800) 338-
3220.
In short, the LCP shoots and performs
very well for its diminutive size.
It exceeded my expectations for such
a small piece. The limiting factor on
shooting this gun is the sights, which
are designed to be minimal. As long
as you can do your part, I believe the
Ruger will perform well in any realistic
self-defense situation.
Conclusions
I am happy to see Ruger making a
serious run at the civilian concealed
carry market. Ruger’s reputation of
building quality frames is well-known,
and the company stands behind its
products. Ruger has gotten some criticism
of the LCP being a close copy of
another manufacturer’s design. Clearly
this is not an uncommon phenomenon
in the firearms market. Ultimately the
successes of any model will depend
upon its functionality over time and
the manufacturer’s support of the product.
Given Ruger’s track record, there is
every reason to believe the LCP will be
well-received, and that Ruger will sell a
bunch of them.
The LCP is an excellent new offering
from Sturm, Ruger and Company that is
specifically designed for concealed carry.
This pocket pistol should serve you
well as a backup gun or a primary carry
gun for deep concealment. As for me,
when I finished shooting the LCP for
this review, I cleaned it, loaded it, and
put in my pocket. You can view the LCP
at www.ruger.com or call (928) 778-6555
for additional information. n
[ Duane A. Daiker is a Contributing
Editor for CCM, but is otherwise a regular
guy—not much different from you.
Duane has been a lifelong shooter and
goes about his life an armed, responsible,
and somewhat opinionated citizen.
Duane can be reached at Daiker@
RealWorldCarryGear.com. His other
feature articles and Real World Carry
Gear Columns can be viewed at: www.
RealWorldCarryGear.com. ]
Shooting Results
Load
Hornady .380 Auto
HP/XTP
Average
Velocity
Extreme
Spread
Average
800 83 2.0
Velocity measured in fps 10 feet from the muzzle
for 10 consecutive shots with a Shooting Chrony
chronograph. Temperature: 75° F. Accuracy
measured in inches for two, five-shot groups fired
offhand at 7 yards.
The Ruger LCP performed
very well, and there were no
failures in over 100 rounds.
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USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2008