Ruger LCR?

[LockedBreech]

Yes, but it's not insurmountable. Some ammo is fine, some not so fine. The oddball Boberg 9mm had the same issue, and I bet if you Google around a bit you can still find lists of ammo that didn't pull and ammo that did, although with manufacturer's specs changing I'm not sure how reliable older charts would still be.

The best thing to do is probably to load up a cylinder, shoot two, check the remaining cartridges, shoot another 2, recheck, repeat a few times with both practice and carry ammo types.

Am I right to presume that premium carry ammo like Gold Dot, HST, etc. would be crimped and sealed tight enough to avoid this, or is that dangerous "expensive is better" thinking?

[UNK]

And what ammo exactly is it in 9mm that you expect to perform out of a 1 7/8" barrel? Speers short barrel is a 124p+ out of a 3.5 inch barrel. 124 p+ is going to be way outside its performance envelope in a 1 7/8 barrel I would think. How would it be better than a 148 wadcutter?

[lawnguy]

So is there less recoil in the LCR 9mm, making it easier to shoot?

[BillSWPA]

The reason why I started this thread asking ya'll which LCR you would choose is because I thought that the ammo in 9mm might be cheaper to target shoot with,and everyone is telling me that 9mm is the ultimate in conceal carry. I also read somewhere that for an in experienced shooter,or newbie in regarding to getting my conceal carry that a revolver would actually be safer for me to conceal carry than a semi-auto. That does makes since I suppose.

A revolver is safer for the person who is going to buy it, put a box of ammo through it, and then not shoot again unless/until the time of need arrives. Non-dedicated shooters may on occasion forget that removing the magazine must occur before racking the slide, not the other way around, in order to ensure that the chamber is clear. Or, they may remove the magazine, completely fail to check the chamber, and assume all is good (I have witnessed this happen). The fact that you have prior shooting experience and are trying to educate yourself to a higher level tells me that you are not this type of shooter.

I prefer something that has a trigger that is easy to use, good sights and/or multiple sight options, easy concealability, size efficiency, quick reloading, and easy to carry reloads. Those characteristics generally come in a semiauto.

With a revolver, you invariably have a long, heavy trigger pull, although DA revolver triggers are a mature technology and many are better than many DA semiauto triggers. The are not size efficient as compared to a semiauto. You are generally stuck with what you get in terms of sights, although Crimson Trace Lasergrips are sometimes an option. Reload options are speed loaders, which are difficult to carry and still not as fast as a detachable box magazine, or speed strips, which are even slower but are easy to carry.

You will also hear the nonsense about revolvers being more reliable. There is an entire thread on that subject. Revolvers do tolerate neglect better than semiautos because they are completely human powered, but the small parts are prone to breakage. Semiautos tolerate extensive shooting better than revolvers because the working parts are generally large and strong. Despite my age, I came late to the semiauto party, and my first carry guns were revolvers. For about a 7 year period, I was able to put about 5,000-10,000 rounds/year downrange, mostly from semiautos. Even with my semiautos taking the most wear and tear, the round count between revolver trips to the factory was lower than the semiauto round count between failures to feed.

[BillSWPA]

I don't know crud about this, but for a lightweight 9mm revolver, is there an issue with bullets creeping out of the cartridge casings?

The .38 has a 7XXX series aluminum alloy (commonly called "aircraft aluminum") frame, while the 9mm has a 400 series stainless steel frame.

[Duelist]

And what ammo exactly is it in 9mm that you expect to perform out of a 1 7/8" barrel? Speers short barrel is a 124p+ out of a 3.5 inch barrel. 124 p+ is going to be way outside its performance envelope in a 1 7/8 barrel I would think. How would it be better than a 148 wadcutter?

The barrel of a pistol includes the chamber. The barrel of the revolver doesn't. Measure from the rear of the cylinder to the front of the muzzle to add the chamber, and you'll see the 3"-3.5" pistol barrel isn't actually much longer, if at all, than the 2" barrel revolver cylinder and barrel. Even though with the 9mm, you'll have cylinder jump, and a bit of gas loss to the cylinder gap, it isn't going to be nearly as dramatic a performance difference as dropping from a service length barrel to the equivalent of a snubby barrel.

[UNK]

Ahhh ok I didn't think about that. I just measured a j and its almost exactly 3.5". I guess then that any of the short barrel ammo or the heavier bullets like the 147's HST's would work fine.

The barrel of a pistol includes the chamber. The barrel of the revolver doesn't. Measure from the rear of the cylinder to the front of the muzzle to add the chamber, and you'll see the 3"-3.5" pistol barrel isn't actually much longer, if at all, than the 2" barrel revolver cylinder and barrel. Even though with the 9mm, you'll have cylinder jump, and a bit of gas loss to the cylinder gap, it isn't going to be nearly as dramatic a performance difference as dropping from a service length barrel to the equivalent of a snubby barrel.

[BehindBlueI's]

Am I right to presume that premium carry ammo like Gold Dot, HST, etc. would be crimped and sealed tight enough to avoid this, or is that dangerous "expensive is better" thinking?

There's some testing info online, but I can't vouch for any of the sources. HST and Critical Defense seem to do very well, and I *suspect* they would work great. If it were my ass on the line, I'd box a box of each, test it, and then you'll know for sure how it works.

[Hambo]

So, I owned a Smith 642 and my hand didn't like it, but shot an LCR .38 and my hand very much did.

I guess I'm torn on LCR .38 vs LCR 9mm because the barrel length is 1.87" - since the 9mm trades on speed, wouldn't 158-grain .38 Special be a better bet? Or can a 147-grain 9mm get a decent speed from a sub-2" barrel?

The real question is: can you load a 148gr WC sized to .355-.356 in a 9mm case and chamber it in an LCR?

[GJM]

lawnguy, between moon clips and other considerations, I suspect the LCR 9mm may be more of a niche handgun than a first choice as a primary.

For those that are interested, I spoke to Bill Rogers again today. In a Rogers School intro course, they have two relays of six, with twelve total LCR 9mm revolvers on the line. Depending upon student progress, they shoot between 6,000 and 10,000 rounds a week long class through their school LCR 9mm revolvers (Rogers provides all guns, ammo and equipment for the intro class.) They run 147 grain ammo through the LCR revolvers and have had zero problems with bullet set back. In his BUG LCR, Bill only has run standard velocity 9mm ammo, and has had no problems with setback. He has not tested 9mm +P ammo, and has no information on setback. I asked him about favorite loads, and he just had no preference, saying he planned to shoot the head, and didn't think it would matter as long as it penetrated. I don't think is unique to the LCR, as I have never known Bill to be concerned about this or that load, just speed/accuracy, and proper POA/POI, and let shot placement take care of that.

I asked him about benchmark data between the LCR 9mm and the M&P 9 FS from the school test. He said because of the difference in capacity and how they run the different tests, he didn't have directly comparable data. He said that his criteria for a BUG are best filled by pocket carry of a revolver. He mentioned a shape that would not snag when drawn from the pocket and safety of the longer, heavier revolver trigger. He also said he found the LCR 9 to be a softer shooting revolver than a lightweight J frame. He gushed about how quickly it could be reloaded. Back to bullet placement, he again remarked how he could hit the head plate at 20 yards easily with the LCR, with well regulated sights out of the box.