Ruger LCP Issue Resolved

[StringJumper]

I purchased a new Ruger LCP about 3 weeks ago and took it directly from the shop to the range. The only 380 ammo available was a box of cheap no-name FMJ cartridges. Long story short is that I had about 5 jams in 15 shots. Uh-oh.

I thought it might be the ammo, or maybe the factory grease job, or possibly both. Turns out a good cleaning is all it needed. I went back to the range this weekend and ran 100 rounds through it without a single jam. I even finished off that no-name box of ammo without a single problem.

So I guess the moral of the story is small gun = small tolerances, and it does not take much extra lubricant to muck up one of those pistols.

[LampLighter]

In the Ruger rimfire pistol world, we automatically install a Volquartson extractor. It is so well known to do this, I actually ordered my extractor before I ordered my pistol.

I don't know if Volquartson makes any for the LCP .


here is my other domain

http://guntalk-online.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10

[Hi Ball]

StringJumper.....My wife just picked up one of these little roach killers the other day. We took it to the shooting range and ran 50 rounds of Blazer ammo 95 grainers down the barrel. It was very accurate under 12 feet! At 6 feet you could cover the 5 shots fired with a silver dollar, doing slow fire.

Now at high speed, I laid all 5 shots into a pie plate at 10 feet, actual group size was about 7.5 inches......Good to GO! I found the trigger to be a bit unkind to my index finger if I only used the first finger joint on the trigger (which I do with my Sigs pistols) putting my index finger further past the trigger was OK and the pistol NEVER JAMMED during any of those 50 shots. It was brand new at the time.

If one is looking for a super accurate .380 auto, than turn to the Sig P-232 model OK. This pistol the wife has is one very accurate little carry gun. She put 5 of 7 shots that clover leafed on the bullseye. She fired the next magazine full and 3 of those shots were on top of one another with 2 shots 3/4 of an inch low. All done on slow fire!!! Now to speed things up a bit, the wife fired a whole magazine full FAST in 2 shot bursts at 10 feet. All shots were in an 6.5 inch circle on target "The Kill Zone"

[Hi Ball]

String Jumper, it pays to clean those little pistols (especially if your gong to carry it on your person for CCW purposes) every time you bring it back from the firing range.

I ran 100 rounds a week through a Sig P-226 just to break it in and also used 4 different brands of cheaper ammo doing so. Now it was never cleaned until it hit the 500 shots fired mark. During this time there were NO JAMS or malfunctions of the pistol.

Accuracy with Blazer and Winchester white box ammo was excellent (2inch groups at 25 feet) then backing up to the 25 yd, 30, and 40 yds, I found this pistol to be excellent, along with a Sig P-229 the Navy Seals use in .357-Sig cal. Now both these pistols are 40 S&W caliber, which I personally believe is a better route than the more muzzle blast faster.357-Sig caliber using a much lighter (115grn) bullet than the 180 grain 40-S&W caliber.

[GF.]

Saw something about that on the Ruger site....

[StringJumper]

GF, yes there was a recall on the early versions. All recent manufacture does not have the issue. FWIW...I think that most of the people affected by the recall were pleased with Ruger's response despite being inconvienenced. When Ruger returned the pistol they included items like hats, T-shirts, and extra magazines. A nice touch and great way to sincerely say "We're sorry".

[StringJumper]

Hi-Ball, the pistol may be accurate but I consider this a 20 foot or less pistol. This is a weapon to be used when someone attacks you or pulls a pistol. Very close range defense.

BTW...welcome back. I hope you get your energy back soon.

[GF.]

... I consider this a 20 foot or less pistol. This is a weapon to be used when someone attacks you or pulls a pistol. Very close range defense.

And that would make it different from any other CCW pistol because....???

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

[Bill Mc]

I've got a LCP. Nice little pocket pistol. I have sold many of them in the gun store where I work.

I tell everyone it is a "get off my back" pistol and best result are at "Jack Ruby" range.

By the way, we also tell everyone that buys any kind of firearm (pistol or rifle) that it must be cleaned throughly before shooting.

[Hi Ball]

Bill Mc.......You are absolutely correct!!! I will do tests tomorrow, have phone books and newspaper soaking in water barrel. The .380-auto with Cor-Bon ammo is said to be a big plus. Personally I don't really see how any caliber with only 200 lbs of energy can be considered a DEFENSE GUN but I suppose it is better than nothing. Anyway we shall run those penetration tests and see how things go.

[Bushman]

How did the .380 Cor-Bon test go Hi Ball? Those surprised me when I was testing them into water filled gallon milk jugs. I was shooting the normal stuff at about 15 feet and they went bang and glug glug glug. The Cor-Bon 90 grain HP +P says 1050 fps on the box and the blow back from the first water jug got me wet. That never happened with the Winchester and the Federal loads. Those Cor-Bons are a little too hot to practice with, but for a load to grow up a .380 as a defensive round, I think that they would be hard to beat.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman we ran tests today (thanks to gun club members who assisted) on the Cor-Bon ammo! Now to make a long story short, can I really do that? Well I will give the COR - BON ammo an A+ rating compared to anything else I have seen or shot so far.

Now the Hornady ammo for very good too! However, I had 2 misfires with the .380-auto ammo and we ran them through two more times and still they did NOT go BANG! I will NOT be buying any Hornady Defense ammo anytime soon to carry in my CCW pistols.

You can go to "Gun Talk on line.com" and read the report I posted over there on our test today. It least is was not raining this time. Wet newspaper is one tuff test on pistol bullets. I am sold on Cor-Bon ammo and purchased $200 dollars worth last week for our pistols......380-auto, 9mm Kurtz, 40 S&W and 45acp's. They don't give that ammo away cheap! 20 rounds to a box too.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman that thread on the other forum is in the handgun section "Walther PPS" OK !!!:D

[Hi Ball]

StringJumper I have the Cor-Bon bullets down stairs now on my bench from the test we ran the other day. I would not want to shoot a .380 pistol past the 6 foot range. I think 6 feet is maximum for penetration sake. The little Ruger is very accurate for what it simply is in a pistol.

Now the Sig P-232 .380-auto is a much more accurate pistol but it also costs twice as much money at $650 dollars. You get what you pay for in a pistol just like anything else in this world. Although the .380-auto is NOT a so called Stopper, it is sufficient to take care of 85% of most problems that might arise on the street using the Cor-Bon brand ammo in the little roach killer.

[MOGC]

StringJumper I have the Cor-Bon bullets down stairs now on my bench from the test we ran the other day. I would not want to shoot a .380 pistol past the 6 foot range. I think 6 feet is maximum for penetration sake. The little Ruger is very accurate for what it simply is in a pistol.

Now the Sig P-232 .380-auto is a much more accurate pistol but it also costs twice as much money at $650 dollars. You get what you pay for in a pistol just like anything else in this world. Although the .380-auto is NOT a so called Stopper, it is sufficient to take care of 85% of most problems that might arise on the street using the Cor-Bon brand ammo in the little roach killer.

This post probably should have a ending of something like "in my opinion" or something to that effect. Not picking on you HiBall, and I'm certainly no expert either, but a statement like that last sentence is quite a mouthful to throw out there.

[Hi Ball]

GC........It's OK......pick all you like, hell I need woke up sometimes. It used to take Archie Moore 4 rounds just to get warmed up!!! Now take your best shot English Teacher...LOL Now which part of the last sentence causes you to feel uneasy?

Now I will ask YOU want the caliber should be perhaps, so what is it GC?

Now the Gun Manufacturing Industry has been pumping out semi-auto .380 auto caliber pistols like a cook on a chuckwagon! Why even Sig Sauer got wind of the WANT from the general public and they went to work fast developing the Sig P-238 (little pocket pistol) to deliver to the public and they are selling like Free Egss & Bacon at breakfast time.

There has been NO .380-auto ammo in our state since November, only recentley (last 2 weeks) has some showed up for the general public and you are limited to only 2 boxes per customer. NO small sub-compact and not many compact model pistols either for sale at gunstores. Those .380-auto pistols been like looking for a diamond in a hay field!!! I personally dislike the .380-auto caliber but I must give it it's do's when using Cor-Bon ammo, since I ran the blessed tests last weekend with help of course.

Now my figure of 85% may be a little strong but if there are several LEO'S or FBI agents out there, please do speak up on the subject matter. Now GC just for YOU Savvy! In my opinion, being street smart as well as not raised on the farm, also having a lot of big city time under my belt and having been in some of the most notorious places one could step foot into during my youthfull years, I do believe that in a 1 on 1 or even a 3 on 1 situation, a person with handgun knowledge, training and marksmanship, could take care of business up close and personal like, with a .380-auto caliber using good "defense ammo" like Cor-Bon". I sure don't want anybody thinking they could go up against a Drug Lord with a frigging .380-auto! The .380-auto is as Bill Mc stated in one of his posts, it will do to "Get a man off your back" simply said.

Now GC I don't know what you carry but in the BAD A$$ part of town my tools are a Glock 10mm and Glock 45acp. If I head down to your part of the country it will be a 40S&W & .380-auto. cal in Sigs. If out on the boat it is a 40S&W and .380-auto in Sigs best, the wife packs a 9mm Para. Now if I am in a run down the highway in the truck, the Glock 10mm under the armpit with 40S&W right hand side of the seat and the old 12 gauge is beside me like my best girl!!! :D:D;):cool:

[MOGC]

and the old 12 gauge is beside me like my best girl!!!

I like that HiBall, I like that! I may borrow that saying if you don't mind. ;)

[Hi Ball]

MO-GC......You sire can borrow anything you want from me except my best girl, chain saw, guns or any of my awesome dogs!!!:D:D:D

[Bill Mc]

The little Sig 238 is a copy of the old Colt Mustang. Sig bought the patent from Colt.

A little 1911 style pistol.

[Hi Ball]

Bill Mc......It still has the thumb safety one needs to clear before pulling the trigger. I don't like that idea one iota!!!

The other thing that will hurt sales I believe, it the fact it is only in the .380-auto and many places are not having any .380-auto ammo yet. Some places are selling the damn crap for over $40 dollars a box.

I took 600 rounds down to a friends store the other day, just so they could exchange for me some 9mm Luger and give those who need the .380-auto a chance to purchase some ammo for their carry pistol.

However, if SIG would have come out with their P-238 in a 9mm Luger and NO thumb safety, I would have purchased 2 of them instead of the KEL-TEC PF-9's. Incidently we ran another 200 rds a piece through those KEL-TEC'S and NO JAM'S or problems whatsoever. A good simple small pistol that will certainly take care of business using Cor-Bon 9mm Luger ammo at 466ft-lbs of energy going 1350 feet per second. Now that is flat shagging with a 9mm Luger and 115 grn bullet. ;):):cool:

[Bushman]

Hi Ball, Guntalkonline.com did not come up for me when I tried it or I would have had to register or something. What did you see with the Cor-Bon .380 ammo that you tested into wet newspaper? I know that you like the 9mm Luger more, but we just don't have enough bad guys around here to justify my getting another pistol.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman if you use the .380-auto within 6 feet and load the magazine with Cor-Bon ammo, you will get 200-lbs of energy and the bullet will travel 4.5 inches deep into wet newspaper.

There is no doubt in my mind, that using this brand of ammo, will certainly penetrate the skull of any humane being on this planet. Where things might get tricky is the criminal wearing a leather coat or heavy down jacket etc. However, I got a solid 4.5 inches of penetration, so I am doing some guess work but it should travel at least 7 inches or more into a torso give or take an inch ok.

It is not a caliber that you want to shoot from one end of your home to the other Bushman, like Bill Mc stated, it is for up and very close work, getting a guy off your backside ok. We also used Hornady Defense ammo and 20% of that crap did NOT go BANG!!! I already called Hornady about this fact and taken the unfired ammo back to the store. Cor-Bon is high dollar but if your going to bet your life on it, I'll pay the money for Cor-Bon any day.:D

[MOGC]

I much prefer Buffalo Bore to Cor-Bon or Double Tap.

[Hi Ball]

Hey MO-GC.......YOU GOTTA GO WITH WHAT IS AVAILABLE OK!!! :D

You purchased in .380-auto ammo lately? It is not easy to find let me tell you that for a fact.;)

[MOGC]

I usually have to order my Buffalo Bore ammo, but that doesn't bother me. It gets delivered right to the door with no muss or fuss. Now, the price... that does bother me some! :( Actually, I haven't bought any factory ammo of any sort for awhile now. I'd like to buy some quality .22 LR ammo but that seems impossible right now.

[Bushman]

Hi Ball you make a good point about the clothing worn being a deterrent to adequate bullet penetration. Winter break-ins verses summer break-ins. More cloths mean more bullet to be equally effective. That probably goes hand in hand with what type of pistol is most concealable under lighter summer clothing for a CCW...a little one.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman I have a KEL-TEC PF-9 for certain times I may go out with the wife! However the majority of the time, I carry a little more than a KEL-TEC, it will be at least a 40S&W, more likely the 10mm and backed up with my S&W revolver (no rear sight & no hammer exposed) with .38+P ammo. It is the "Airweight model", the .357 stainless I purchased for the wife 7 years ago got traded and I wish to high heaven I would have kept that revolver just for the sake of having it around.

Now that KEL-TEC PF-9 (In 9mm Luger cal.) is an excellent pocket type pistol in my humble opinion and packs twice the punch of the .380-auto, a big plus in my book.:rolleyes: The PF-9 also has the 8 shots total verses the KEL-TEC 11 double stack mag model with 11 total rds. The PF-9 model has a better trigger over all in my opinion and not as much poundage to pull either.:)

[Hi Ball]

MO-GC, I priced some of that Buffalo Bore ammo for a 45/70 once upon a time and liked to fainted when I got the price. I exspected it to run higher than most factory but not that blessed high!:o :rolleyes::eek:

[MOGC]

I don't use it for anything that I can load myself. But I can't get a .38 Special 158 gr. LSWC-HP to 1,000+ fps from a 2" barrel. They do and the quality is consistently outstanding.

[Bushman]

Wow, that load would grow up my S&W M60 considerably.

[Greybeard]

I've always liked my Glock 17, 9mm. It is a bit hard to conceal but my holster in the middle of my back with a light shirt or loose jacket does the job. Its light weight is a real advantage and it is a very shootable pistol, at least for my hands. There are newer and fancier pistols but the Glock 17 is the old reliable work horse. I've put about 300 rounds through it.

My buddy used to work in US Customs and he gave me a box of their ammo not available to the general public. Do not know how it penetrates but it sure is impressive on filled 5 gallon water jugs. I figure that is a good test of what it could do to a man if needed. I save a clip with those rounds for personal defense. Greybeard/

[MOGC]

Bushman,
That Buffalo Bore +P load does a mans work from any .38 Special. But is hard to hang onto with the lightweight alloy frame J-frame size revolvers. Buffalo Bore also has a non-+P load with a gas checked dead soft lead SWC-HP that will get an HONEST 850+ fps from a 2" barrel and is a lot easier on the gun and the shooter. I've chronographed their loads and unlike some claims made by some other companies they really do what they advertise. Plus the quality is excellent and consistent. I have some Double Tap and Cor-Bon in the ammo locker right now and both have QC issues.

[Bushman]

I just found that load in my Midway catalog. Both the +P and the standard 158 grain SWC HP are priced the same at $21.49 a box. My old M60 is stainless rather than an alloy, but with a 2" barrel and that small grip, it isn't my favorite target gun. Everything that I have read says that the lead 158 grain bullets are the best for the .38 Special for personal defense. Not so with the .357 Magnum though. There the 125 grain loads have a better reputation. Go figure. Lots of that info comes from the Marshall & Sanow books that make interesting reading, but I've heard that they might have been a little "creative" in their writings.

[MOGC]

M&S have been widely discredited. The .357 Magnum gets more points because of velocity over the .38 Special standard loads. But there isn't anything "standard" about the Buffalo Bore loads. In certain calibers I think they are worth their cost, other calibers don't need them. Stuff like the .380 ACP, .38 Special, 9mm, may benefit from the added "pop" of the BB loads. But nearly any proven quality .357 Magnum or larger caliber performs well enough that you don't need the expensive stuff IMHO.

[GF.]

MOGC - I always figured that with the .357, it was more a question of whether the shooter could make good use of the load than whether the load was up to the task.... :confused: Was there ever any doubt? :confused:

But maybe I got that impression from the likes of the BuffaloBore guys - from the way they tell it, they can upgrade a .357 to a legitimate big-whopper-bear-stopper.....

Hmmmmm... Don't suppose a Ruger SP would stand up to those pressures... surely not for very long.... But I guess if you really needed it, just holding things together for 5 rounds of their high-test stuff would be long enough...

Or not. Can't imagine reloading would be much of an issue....:eek:

But any firearm that saves my bacon will cheerfully be given a very attractive retirement package, should that prove necessary.

[Bushman]

Midway is not showing a .380 ACP loading from Buffalo Bore. The 9mm +P and .38 Special and above, but not the .380 ACP. I think that I read once that the semi-auto blow back design on the .380 ACP pistols is not as strong as on other larger pistols. I'm not enough of a gunsmith to tell the difference, but it is probably why they don't pep up .380 ACP loads any more than what you can get from Cor-Bon and those were more impressive to me than the regular white box stuff that I was shooting from Winchester.

[MOGC]

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=129

[Bushman]

Thank you for that link MOGC. With all the .380 ACP autos out there, you would sure think that an outfit like Midway would be all over this by listing a more effective load for this popular smaller pocket pistol cartridge. To paraphrase what you and GF wrote, the larger the pistol that is being used, the less important the load becomes.

[GF.]

Interesting that they build up low recoil/flash suppressed .357 loads, too....
a definite step up from even a .38 +P, so there's really quite a range of gradations up & down the line there....


Whoooo-eee! So many toys, so little time!

Interesting, too, that they say that their heavy .357 loads are safe in any .357, so I guess that means that the Ruger SP could be safely pressed into duty in bear country as well as being a pretty 'normal', day-to-day carry pistol....

[Bushman]

Well, Midway might not be cashing in on the .380 ACP Buffalo Bore ammo, but Cabela's sure is. Road trip today and The Richfield store has both the +P 100 grain Hardcast and the +P 90 grain JHP loads. They have one less box of the HP stuff since I got there. I feel the need for a test between that and the Cor-Bon HP load that I like. I was at a Gander Mountain store today too and there was not a .380 ACP or .45 ACP round to be had there. I went to another big sport shop north of there and the guy next to me was trying to buy a case of 1000 rounds of .223. They made him take only half the case. What is going on with people?

[Hi Ball]

Bushman the .380-auto ammo is still pretty scarce in many area's across the USA.......Fact. This is one big reason I optted to go the route of the 9mm Luger calbier.......CHEAPER for one and easier to get your hands on it for another. Not to mention the fact it has twice the knock down power of the little .380-auto. ;) :rolleyes:

Now in the .380-auto, Cor-Bon has their "defense ammo" listed at 200-lbs of energy, while the 9mm Luger is listed at 466-lbs of energy. Now that is a NO BRAINER to this country boy.:D :D

[Bushman]

No doubt that the 9mm hits way harder than a .380 ACP and they are packing that cartridge into a way smaller package like your Kel-Tec's now. They were not available back when I bought my little stainless .380 ACP Colt Government. That larger, longer grip just felt right to this ham fisted poster. Glock brought out that mini grip model 26 I think it is, where the clip has a place for another finger. With twice the load of a .380 ACP, I would want all five fingers wrapped around the grip. That Kel-Tec grip looks short to me.

[Hi Ball]

Bushman the grip is a bit short but you can get the extension to the bottom of the clip, this enables you to wrap your pinky around in such a way as to help control the pistol. Why even in the KEL-TEC, a hot 9mm Luger is not that difficult to handle for most men and many women too. Now if it was, my wife could not handle the little PF-9 KEL-TEC.

The PF-9 is only 7 in the mag and 1 for a total of 8 rds in the pistol verses the P-11 model that has 12 + 1 one in the chamber. The grip is better for most men on the P-11 but the trigger pull is Looooong and more pull weight verses the PF-9 which is about 2-lbs lighter. I really like the PF-9 KEL-TEC so far. ;):D :D

Now what you will save in ammo costs Bushman, you can purchase a KEL-TEC PF-9 at the going price of $275 dollars US money.

[Smokey]

Just picked up a new LCP at Cabela's. Fired about 30 rounds through it after cleaning it. Used three kinds of ammo through two different clips. All went well.

Wanted something small and lightweight. Don't wear many jackets out here at this time. Last night at midnight it was still 101 degrees.