My LCP works, so I went no further. I did have Seecamps when they were the only game in town. Now I'd say there are cheaper, better, slightly larger caliber solutions.
If I were in the market for a .380 today, I'd go with a G42 or working LCP, and skip the rest. Depending on what kind of pocket carry we're talking about, a pocket shield or good holster and a 442/642 is another, and probably better, option. On that note, you might consider a J frame AIWB.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
The people I know who carry an LCP have never had any issues. I've also heard good things about the Keltec P3AT. My dad's is beat to crap but still runs like a champ.
Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
Because I owed a debt I could not pay.
I had a LCP, sold it to get a Diamondback DB380, sold that to get another LCP and sold that and now have a Kahr P380 and CW380. The LCPs worked fine but I didn't like the lack of slide stop holding the slide open when empty and the sights are useless. The DB380 had a great trigger and was nicer to shoot but crapped the bed so I couldn't trust it. DB customer service left some to be desired too. The Kahrs work well once they get a few hundred rounds through them and have decent but low sights as well as a slide lock that holds open on the empty magazine. The triggers are long and longish reset but smooth. I only have mine for the NPE type of deep carry but I rarely use them except for maybe beach carry with just a bathing suit shorts where it works well enough.
Not a .380 but s&w 360j or kimber solo may suit.
Originally Posted by JHC
Yes I have. It was almost as large as my Walther PPS M2 and definitely would not fit in a pocket. I'm sure it's a great gun but it's not a large enough difference in size to make me want to carry it instead of the.
The conses seems to be The Ruger LCP custom... why the custom over the LCP2?
To those saying J Frame I already have a Ruger LCR which is great but I'm not as proficient with it as I am with some other options and it isn't quite pocket able either.
I’ve messed around with and/or owned all of the guns on your list with the exception of the PICO. Since I have absolutely no interest in a .380 that is similar in size (or weight) of some 9’s, that narrowed the list of options for me quite a bit.
I had a 1st Gen LCP and while it was totally reliable, the trigger broke so far back that I had issues with manipulating it with my XL (glove size) hands. The 2nd Generation (Standard Model) LCP was improved in 2013 with a shorter trigger pull and enhanced sight “bumps”. To me, those slight improvements made all the difference in the world. The Custom Model - the one with real sights - was nothing but a snag looking for a place to happen and I found it totally unsuitable for pocket carry.
All of my LCP’s (about half a dozen samples and 2400 rds) have been totally reliable with zero malfunctions. I’m certain that keeping them clean and feeding them good ammo is the major contributor to that record, but I don't think I'm "lucky" in any respect regarding reliability.
I routinely shoot mine on standard LE qualification courses of fire (Day back to 25 yards & Night firing back to 15 yards) and my scores are always in the very high 90’s with just a point or two down from shooting clean. I made a single attempt at Dot Torture at 3 and 5 yards with two different LCP’s and my scores on both were clean. 7 rounds in 7 seconds on a B8 target at 10 yards resulted in a score just a few points down. I’m really not sure what more anyone could reasonably expect from a 10 oz pocket pistol.
While I don’t personally care for the new LCP II, every LCP owner that I know of shoots it better than the previous iterations so it’s obviously an improvement in the hands of most shooters. I suspect that I may be an outlier in that respect because I cut my teeth shooting revolvers and DA trigger pulls aren’t too much of an issue.
As always, YMMV.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.
I find a Glock 42 fine for pockets. Reliable - now that is crap shoot. Supposedly the new ones work. Take that with a grain of salt. Mine and a friends (just bought recently) had to go back to Glock.
Glock 42 gets my vote!!!! The Glock 42 is a really good shooter the recoil is almost zero. Just stay away from the S&W Bodyguard 380 the smith carried like a dream but when I took it to the range for the initial test run my large hands would hit the mag release button halfway through a magazine no matter how I changed my grip this would occur I had to sell it soon after that
Really good notes thank you.I’ve messed around with and/or owned all of the guns on your list with the exception of the PICO. Since I have absolutely no interest in a .380 that is similar in size (or weight) of some 9’s, that narrowed the list of options for me quite a bit.
I had a 1st Gen LCP and while it was totally reliable, the trigger broke so far back that I had issues with manipulating it with my XL (glove size) hands. The 2nd Generation (Standard Model) LCP was improved in 2013 with a shorter trigger pull and enhanced sight “bumps”. To me, those slight improvements made all the difference in the world. The Custom Model - the one with real sights - was nothing but a snag looking for a place to happen and I found it totally unsuitable for pocket carry.
All of my LCP’s (about half a dozen samples and 2400 rds) have been totally reliable with zero malfunctions. I’m certain that keeping them clean and feeding them good ammo is the major contributor to that record, but I don't think I'm "lucky" in any respect regarding reliability.
I routinely shoot mine on standard LE qualification courses of fire (Day back to 25 yards & Night firing back to 15 yards) and my scores are always in the very high 90’s with just a point or two down from shooting clean. I made a single attempt at Dot Torture at 3 and 5 yards with two different LCP’s and my scores on both were clean. 7 rounds in 7 seconds on a B8 target at 10 yards resulted in a score just a few points down. I’m really not sure what more anyone could reasonably expect from a 10 oz pocket pistol.
While I don’t personally care for the new LCP II, every LCP owner that I know of shoots it better than the previous iterations so it’s obviously an improvement in the hands of most shooters. I suspect that I may be an outlier in that respect because I cut my teeth shooting revolvers and DA trigger pulls aren’t too much of an issue.
As always, YMMV.
The LCP I had was a model with the stainless slide so I wonder if that was why mine wasn't very reliable. Have any of your LCPs been stainless models? How often do you clean them?
Why don't you like the LCP 2?
Last edited by mrozowjj; 03-24-2017 at 12:23 PM.
I had a stainless model briefly, one of my Brothers has a stainless model, and my Daughter has a stainless model - they all work just fine. Ruger CS is pretty darn good these days so should someone have an issue, they'll most likely make it right.
My dislike for the LCP II is purely subjective;
Personally, I can manage a 7 pound DA trigger easier than I can a 7 pound SA trigger when the gun doing the launching weighs 10 ounces. Specifically, I have tendency to lean too much on the newer trigger's "wall" than I do the "rolling break" of the older model's trigger design.
Secondly, while the sights on the LCP II are a bit larger, the dimensions leave very little "light" around the front sight and I just can't pick them up any faster than the previous design.
If I was so inclined, I could readily adapt to the new trigger and open up the rear sight notch to fix those two issues, but the last round hold open feature and the "improved" frame design just aren't worth the squeeze.
I have another concern but I don't want to even mention it unless I can replicate the issue in another shooting session.
Again, most people find the new LCP II to be a better mouse trap and I understand why - it just doesn't warrant a change for me at this point.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.
Reply With Quote
