Lcr Vs Lcrx - It's Wheel Gun Wednesday! Today's review is part of our series of articles focusing on the role of the revolver in modern self-defense.
In the series, I discuss techniques, gear, and the viability of carrying a revolver in today's affordable and reliable semi-automatic world. But one popular topic that I haven't paid much attention to is lightweight compact snubnose revolvers.
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That is no accident. Although featherweight snubbies are the most popular type of wheelguns today, they are also largely responsible for the negative impression many shooters have of revolvers. They are difficult to control and shoot accurately. In defensive calibers they present hard recoil, and almost invariably have terrible sights. I'd rather focus on the revolvers that have a little more size and heft that are fun to shoot and easy to shoot well.
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But if there is an exception to the rule of user unfriendliness in the lightweight snubnose category, it is the Ruger LCR series. When the original .38 Special was released a few years ago, I wasn't too impressed at first. The trigger was certainly a big improvement over the ubiquitous J frame Smith & Wesson, but the hard recoil was not significantly better than other light revolvers. Some people are fine with carrying a gun they don't shoot much on the range, but to me, that kind of defeats the purpose of the practice. If the recoil from a pistol is uncomfortable enough that I don't want to shoot more than 50 rounds at a time, I'll find another gun to carry - one I'll enjoy practicing with.
Fortunately, Ruger followed up the original LCR with a slightly heavier version chambered for .357 magnum. You'd have to be a glutton for punishment to shoot magnum loads out of that thing, but the extra four ounces of weight on the .357 LCR makes a big difference when shooting .38 Special Ammo, coming with the recoil from "barely tolerable" down to just "slightly irritating". The addition of the .22 LR version of the LCR, which I reviewed last year, brought even more appeal to the line, as you can then have a snubby trainer with the exact same size, shape and feel as its brothers center.
And that brings us to the subject of today's review - the new LCR 9mm. It is built on the same frame as the .357 version, so the top half is steel with a polymer bottom half. And like the .38 special and .357 versions, the 9mm cylinder holds 5 shots. In fact, aside from the caliber, the only major difference from the 9mm version is that it uses moon clips.
Ammo for the 9mm LCR is loaded from moon clips - small pieces of sheet metal that clip into the base of the 9mm cartridge.
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You might wonder if a 9mm revolver is a solution looking for a problem. With the scores of loads available in .38 special and .357 magnum, what is the point of chambering a revolver in 9mm, especially since it needs to work with moon clips to function properly?
If the simplicity of the revolver is what appeals to you, then the .38 or .357 versions of the LCR probably make more sense, but there are some compelling reasons to consider the 9mm version.
The Ruger LCR 357 (left) and LCR 9mm (right) can be distinguished by the relief cut in the 9mm cylinder to accommodate the moon clip.
First, there is the advantage that moon clips offer for reloading. Ejecting used cartridges and loading new cartridges is faster with 9 mm in moon clips than revolver cartridges and speed loaders. The shorter length of the 9mm cartridge makes jamming less likely, and generally speeds up the reloading process.
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But, as I've mentioned in the past, the chances of reloading a revolver in a real-world emergency situation are slim, at best. However, there are some less exciting but practical advantages of a 9mm revolver. The cost of ammunition is high. Ammo prices are constantly changing, but I can't remember a time when 9mm range ammo was more expensive than .38 special. Another advantage is sharing common ammunition with your semi-auto pistols. Even if you don't envision some doomsday nuclear ammo-waste scrapping scenario, it can be a great convenience to reduce the number of calibers you keep in your personal stockpile.
Unlike a speed loader, the moon clip stays with the cartridge and fits into the cutout cut into the face of the cylinder. The revolver can be loaded and fired without the moon clips, but then the spent cases must be removed individually from the chamber by hand.
Most importantly, however, the ammo performance is probably the biggest advantage of the 9mm revolver. Neither .38 special nor .357 magnum have been known to live up to their potential when fired from short barrels. There are a few decent self-defense loads specifically designed to address this problem, but 9mm loads typically exhibit better ballistic properties in short-barreled rifles. You can find a ballistics test that will show a higher penetration or expansion of a .357 compared to the 9mm, but that will be at the expense of serious recoil.
None of these advantages mean much if the 9mm LCR doesn't perform as well as the other chamberings. I've had the .357 magnum LCR for a few years now, and I've put quite a bit of range time in this year since starting the Wheel Gun Wednesday series. I'm pretty happy with the performance I was able to get out of the .357 version, so how does the 9mm LCR measure up?
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Standard sights for the Ruger LCR 9mm are a white ramp rear and front notch pinned in place.
Despite the less than ideal sights, the accuracy of slow fire was respectable. Using Hornady Critical Duty 135 grain 9mm ammo, I shot a 2.25″ 5-round group at 15 yards. With Blazer Brass 115 grain the group opened up to 4″. Nothing to write home about, but accuracy comparable to other small revolvers.
The trigger on the LCR 9mm is as good as any out-of-the-box revolver trigger you are likely to find. The pull weight measured 9 pounds on my trigger scale, which is about one pound lighter than my .357 LCR. But more important than the weight, it's also smooth and consistent. Stiff triggers have traditionally been one of the worst aspects of shooting small revolvers, but Ruger has completely reversed that trend with the LCR series.
The Ruger LCR .357 (left) and LCR 9mm (right) are almost indistinguishable except for the holster wear and XS front sight on this .357.
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At the range, the moon clips worked as advertised. I had no problems with them binding in the cylinder, and reloading was definitely a lot easier than using speed loaders. Unfortunately, the overall experience of shooting the 9mm LCR did not match what I have come to appreciate from its .357 counterpart.
It all comes down to physics. Sure, 9mm ammo has better ballistic performance than .38 special, and has less recoil than .357 magnum. But don't expect the recoil to feel like a small 9mm semi-auto like the Ruger LC9 or S&W Shield. Without a semi-auto reciprocating slide to spread and soften the perception of recoil, the snap of a small 9mm revolver is no picnic.
The Ruger LCR 9mm is about the same size as the semi-auto Ruger LC9s, which holds three more rounds and provides less felt recoil.
Running some practice with the shot timer, my actual performance wasn't much different between the two revolvers. But after shooting some American Eagle 130 grain .38 special through the .357 LCR, I was ready for more. After three cylinders of the slightly light Blazer Brass in the LCR 9mm, I had to give myself a break for a few minutes.
Should I Keep My Ruger Lcr .38 Special +p Or Look To Get An Lcr In 357 Mag Or 327 Mag
To me, the slight ballistic advantage offered by the 9mm ammo is not worth the trade-off in recoil. Others may find the 9mm LCR more comfortable to shoot than I, but I would suggest that less experienced shooters avoid this one. Even with the smooth trigger, shooting a gun this hook is almost certain to develop a nasty flash reflex unless you already practice regularly with heavy recoil guns. On the other hand, the LCR .357 loaded with some light full wadcutter ammo may be the best way to mitigate light snubnose challenges. I love the 9mm revolver concept in theory, and have no complaints about Ruger operating from it, but the LCR .357 will remain my favorite light compact revolver. upcoming caliber-specific discussions should include references to Smith & Wesson J frames and Ruger LCR snub nose revolvers. Rather than force our viewers/readers to suffer through multiple iterations of a basic "J-Frame vs LCR" comparison, I decided to dedicate this episode of our series to that topic so we can return to it as needed.
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