More time with the Ruger LCR

Had a eye doctors appointment in Delaware (Ohio) yesterday that took me right by The Powder Room in Powell with enough time to put a quick box downrange.  I have been packing the Ruger LCR as my primary most often as of late so that's what I had with me to shoot.  This pistol continues to impress me the more I shoot it.  It has impressed me so much, as a matter of fact, that I sold my LC9 to a friend in order to pay for some other stuff I had on tap.  The LC9 is a great gun for CCW, however the LCR just seems to be more natural for me to carry.

I didn't have the mind to take some pics of my targets this time, but I was satisfied as all of the shots I took would of ended up in an area that would be center of the thorax on most people when bringing the gun up from a low ready as if drawing from concealment.  The issue I had previously "locking up" the action while trying to capture the trigger reset (like on my G19) has been resolved just by repetitive dry fire exercises to teach my finger to allow the trigger to fully extend after each shot.  Accuracy at my normal practice range has not suffered due to this.  My defensive arms and practice are designed around a philosophy that whomever I am most likely to have to draw down on will be close to me (3 - 7 yards) because they need to be that close to convey their threat of bodily harm to me and also to take from me whatever they may be after, if robbery is the case.

Shooting .38 Spl. rounds of normal pressure has become somewhat routine with this gun, and follow up shots are not too difficult to manage.  The cushioned grips (either the standard or boot grip) certainly do help in this matter.  Shooting +P rounds (such as the Remington 125gr Golden Saber rounds I use for carry) does produce a noticeable increase in recoil but with a proper grip its still not hard to manage, even with a snubby weighing in at just a tad over a pound fully loaded.  The more I look into it, the more I am convinced that with the loss of velocity most .357 rounds experience out of short barrels, that using .38+P with a snubby seems to be a very good compromise between over all "stopping power" and recoil management.

That weight, just like the LCP, is what makes it so easy to carry on one's person.  Thus far, my primary means of carrying it has been in an Uncle Mikes pocket holster (size 2).  With the boot grip installed it slips easily in and out and rides rather nicely in most of my pants (although in some of my lighter weight khakis this summer it did seem to print a bit more) and only occasionally became burdensome to have on me.  What I need though is a decent IWB holster that will allow me to utilize the more comfortable (and controllable) standard cushioned grip and also reduce the time it may require to present the gun from concealment.  Note that while sitting with a pistol in a pocket (especially front) that draw times are drastically increased.  Unfortunately the unique design of the trigger guard on the LCR prevents me from having too many options for a holster specifically molded to the gun.  I have decided that the Triple K holster sold through the Ruger store online seems to be my best option and I now have one on order.

Even Ruger stamped...nice touch

Also, while the painting of the front ramp of the LCR was a good step in the right direction for this pistol,  it can be modified better for a defensive firearm...

Paint is good...

I am also going to order a XS Express front dot sight for the LCR as well.  I have used XS sights on a few of my firearms and find them to be easy to install and easy to use effectively.  They work so well that the XS is even an option available from Ruger right from the factory on some LCR models.  This should help significantly in acquiring the front sight post on the LCR when shooting.

...this is better

So after a few "hardware" modifications, the only thing left will be to continue to improve the "software" mods for this gun, which means more range time and training for me.  I would say that the biggest weakness the LCR has right now is that like most snubbies, it is still limited to 5 rounds.  This is not a major concern for me as carrying additional rounds on stripper clips or speed loaders is relatively easy. If I can get to where I can efficiently load this weapon with either as fast as I can see (some) people do on YouTube and such (eg. Masaad Ayoob) I will feel very comfortable carrying the potential of 10 rounds of .38+P around with me indeed.