Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Ruger LCP II Carry Safely?

  1. #1

    Ruger LCP II Carry Safely?

    I'm interested in buying the Ruger LCP II as a pocket pistol. I've noticed a lot of discussion about how safe, or unsafe, it is to carry, given the lack of a firing pin block or other positive means to prevent firing. I do plan to carry whatever I buy in a stiff holster, probably kydex, or possibly leather.

    What I have not seen is any input on safety by people who identify themselves as armorers. It's hard for me to believe Ruger would produce a self-defense pistol that's unsafe to carry with a cartridge in the chamber (though I understand their lawyers tell them to put that in the manual). So, what about it? Are the people who claim it's unsafe missing something that qualifies the piece for shell-in-the-chamber but isn't big and obvious? Or is Ruger assuming the trigger safety tab hidden in a stiff holster is adequate?

    Thanks.
    Last edited by Jaywalker; 05-07-2017 at 10:28 AM. Reason: Clarity

  2. #2
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter 41magfan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NC
    Personally, I find the concern is much to do about nothing. The hammer has a half-cock notch should the full-cock fail, but the level of engagement on the primary notch felt pretty substantial on the two or three samples I've handled and fired.

    I read somewhere - and I have no reason to doubt it - that during design phase testing, they couldn't get the full-cock notch to fail so they had to grind it off in order to test the efficacy of secondary hammer notch.
    Last edited by 41magfan; 05-07-2017 at 12:08 PM.
    The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.

  4. #4
    George, thanks, I'd actually read that, as well as lots here: http://rugerpistolforums.com/forums/...cp-discussion/ The opinions there are what occasioned my post here.

    41M, thanks, that's useful if true, but it would be great to see it documented so we could check the source.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter 41magfan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NC
    https://www.policeone.com/police-pro...-Ruger-LCP-II/

    “From a safety standpoint, the LCP II lacks any type of passive firing pin safety. The pistol’s hammer and sear engagement is very robust when fully cocked, negating the need for an internal firing pin block. Just to be safe, Ruger engineers did add a second sear engagement point on the hammer (similar to the half-cock position on a 1911) that will catch the hammer in case the sear receives a sufficient shock that might jar the hammer loose. In factory testing, Ruger found the primary sear engagement was so good that the sear actually had to be machined away in order to test the secondary engagement. “
    The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.

  6. #6
    41M, thanks, that works.

  7. #7
    I've been thinking about adding an LCP2 to my world. It's place would be in a tiny, colorful and blatantly non-gun fanny pack at the gym, which would solve my phone retention issue as well.

    This seemed like a good thread to necro for some first hand experience. I'm also not opposed to spending a little more for an LCP Custom if the cognoscenti advise such.

  8. #8
    Site Supporter 41magfan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Gun Mutt View Post
    I've been thinking about adding an LCP2 to my world. It's place would be in a tiny, colorful and blatantly non-gun fanny pack at the gym, which would solve my phone retention issue as well.

    This seemed like a good thread to necro for some first hand experience. I'm also not opposed to spending a little more for an LCP Custom if the cognoscenti advise such.
    I pocket carry a standard model LCP 12+ hours a day and since I cut my teeth on revolvers, the longish trigger on the standard pistol is no issue for me personally. In contrast, the much shorter trigger pull on the LCP II appeals to about 99% of the people I know for the opposite reason.

    The only issue I had with the LCP Custom was the additional height and sharp edges of the enhanced sights created two issues;

    - The snag factor for "pocket carry" was considerable, so that was a deal-breaker for me.

    - The Custom wouldn't fit most of the commonly available leather or textile pocket holsters (see below) as they were fitted for the lo-profile nubs on the original model.

    The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.

  9. #9
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Wokelandia
    I prefer the LCP I (gen 2) to the LCP II for a few reasons.

    1. Smaller
    2. Long model history, no major issues. For defense use, I wouldn't touch a Ruger model that was less than 5-10 years old.
    3. Hammer = Better safety
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  10. #10
    Site Supporter 41magfan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    NC
    I'm not posting this to be contentious, but all the iterations are essentially the same gun internally. The difference between the two standard model pistols (besides the enhanced sight nubs) is the position of the pre-staged hammer. Since the distance the trigger must travel is directly related to the position of the resting hammer, they simply staged the hammer farther back, creating a shorter trigger pull on Gen 2 guns which in turn makes them easier to shoot well.

    On the LCP II, the hammer is fully cocked, which allows for the tabbed trigger arrangement that requires very little movement of the trigger. I will note that the force required to pull the trigger on some LCP II's I've shot seemed excessively heavy, but the reduced distance required to fire the gun still works to make the gun more "shootable" for most people.

    Lastly, I don't think the LCP II's trigger design is as "safe" as the original design from inadvertent forces on the trigger, but that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me personally.
    The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •