Airwieght vs. LCR

[b4uqzme]

I shot them both today and the SW shot a whole lot better. At least it wasn't has hard on my hands. That's kinda the opposite of what I expected given the Ruger has a polymer frame and a gel-filled Hogue grip to absorb recoil. Accuracy was the same with each.

I'm not sure how to explain it but the difference was very noticeable. Maybe it's just me. Anyone else have experience with both?

[yqtszhj]

I haven't shot the LCR but carry the airweight regularly. I find the airweight to be not too bad to shoot and I shoit it relatively well.

[Barth]

No experience with the Ruger.
But my S&W 342 ti is nothing short of outstanding.
11.1 oz empty and 13.5 oz loaded with Speer GDHP SB 135 gr 38 Special +P.

Barth
http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r678/barthunderwood/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-07/20150726_122151_zpsmswuohsm.jpg?1437938572352&1437938575561

[kenemoore]

I prefer the LCR trigger.

[Barth]

I prefer the LCR trigger.

I did have a professional trigger job.
And a gunsmith rounded and polished stainless steel trigger installed on my Centennial.
The stainless trigger polishes itself with use - LOL!

Plus my gun is a pre-lock (No Hillary hole).:mad:

Barth

[Scarywoody]

I was at a gun show where they had an Airweight and an LCR for same price at $329. This was a while ago. After hemming and hawing I settled on the Airweight. I like Rugers, I have a bunch. I liked the full grip of the Airweight vs. the Peg in Gel of the Ruger. The Airweight seemed less blocky and I think carried better. I have many rounds through the Airweight with no complaints.

[ltxi]

Nice gun, Barth. Smith J-frames have been the class standard since forever. Everyone else either makes substandard clones or has been playing "ours is new and improved" differentiation catch-up for decades. Current production does need trigger work/lightening to get to acceptable (to me), but that's no big deal...always been 'smithing even my older J and K frame anyway. No lock option is good....and appreciated.

[b4uqzme]

^^^ a spring kit did wonders for my J- frame. A smith just made it even better. Shooting today I didn't really notice much difference in triggers. The Ruger's was stock.

[CJB]

I have both.

Smith - parts available, can be disassembled if need be, trigger heavier not as smooth. Comfort... so so

Ruger - forget parts as Ruger sells none for this pistol, cannot be completely disassembled, has wonderful smooth trigger. Comfort just a bit better than the smith.

It irks me that the ONLY part Ruger sells is the screw for the grips. You cant even get the pin that holds the front sight in, nor the sight... tell me those are "factory fit". Smith is great on parts. The Ruger trigger is a cut above and follows some nice geometery to make it so. Smith can be made nicer, but I don't think it will ever match the Ruger for overall smoothness. You can put other grips on either, but the Ruger comes with outrageously nice Hogues as standard.

I've got both, the female unit carries the Ruger

[mr surveyor]

I bought a 637 Airweight several years ago after I got tired of having to pamper blued revolvers almost every day after field work. As much as I loved the carry aspect, I just could NOT shoot the Airweight. My Son bought the S&W BodyGuard (I think that's what it is) for his wife, and neither of us can shoot that revolver worth a flip. One of my best buds has the LCR .... another "light weight" I can't shoot. I went back to the steel j-frame for those occasions that .38 special should be "enough" (or for a back up in the boot). Usually, inside of three shots, I can hit a clay target on the berm at 40+ yards with my little nickel plated Model 36. With the 637, I could normally keep all the shots inside the berm. :) I think the light weights don't like me.


jd

edit to add .... still scratching my head on that lightweight revolver my D-I-L has .... maybe it's a Shield?

[Planedude]

I carry a 642 Airweight, a lot. I bought it used, loaded my favorite .38 specials, slid it into a thin pocket holster and dumped it in my pocket daily. My best bud was horrified to find that I was carrying a gun for SD that I had never shot. I shrugged and said something like "it's a J frame Smith, it will go bang like its suppose to..."

Many weeks later we went to the range for a "therapy session" and I had that 642 in my pocket, exactly same everything as my first loading it. Ran the target out 7yds, made a smooth draw and fired five at the head in (somewhat) rapid fire. placed the first five rounds from that gun in a palm size group around the target's nose. That'll do...

I have tweaked the gun now with the Wilson spring kit, Cylinder and slide extended firing pin and the VZ grips. I am ashamed to say I kind of treat that J frame like dirt. I still have faith it will shoot straight if I ever need it.


My problem I have with the Ruger LCR is exactly what was talked about in earlier post. You can't get any parts for one to fix or improve it. Annoying...

Sooner or later, I tweak them all. I have only shot one LCR, a young man from work has one and we swapped out snubbies for a box of 50 rounds. Shot the gun fine, was not thrilled by the trigger, but it wasn't awful. For me, the scale will always tilt to the Smith due to parts availability.

Your mileage may vary...

[JohnR]

I've only fired the LCR and hated every shot that came out of it. It felt toy-like, probably because of the size, weight, and the plastic. I'm a Ruger fanboy, but give me metal.

[b4uqzme]

I've only fired the LCR and hated every shot that came out of it. It felt toy-like, probably because of the size, weight, and the plastic. I'm a Ruger fanboy, but give me metal.

Same here. I own mostly Ruger revolvers and love them. But the J-frame feels more like a full steel revolver to me vs. the LCR.

[getsome]

My 642 Airweight is my every day carry gun and with a speed strip and 6 more rounds of Gold Dots in the other pocket I feel well enough armed with it....I love Rugers but just don't like the LCR line for no real good reason other than I like metal guns and I think the LCR's look kinda cheap and toy like but they do have a real nice trigger....

My wife has come around after 40 years of marriage and hating anything to do with guns and now wants a permit and to learn how to shoot after a "Road Rage" incident she had recently where a Mexican in a work van tried to run her off the road....Scared her enough to want a gun, (funny how that works isn't it)....I let her hold the 642 and she hated it, said too small and not enough grip area so I'm thinking the 3 inch barrel LCR with a fulll size grip would work for her....

[berettabone]

I don't care for the LCP, or LCR line myself.............horrible trigger, horrible sights....................had a BG................same thing...................Airweight is a much better option IMHO.

[JohnR]

My 642 Airweight is my every day carry gun and with a speed strip and 6 more rounds of Gold Dots in the other pocket I feel well enough armed with it....I love Rugers but just don't like the LCR line for no real good reason other than I like metal guns and I think the LCR's look kinda cheap and toy like but they do have a real nice trigger....

My wife has come around after 40 years of marriage and hating anything to do with guns and now wants a permit and to learn how to shoot after a "Road Rage" incident she had recently where a Mexican in a work van tried to run her off the road....Scared her enough to want a gun, (funny how that works isn't it)....I let her hold the 642 and she hated it, said too small and not enough grip area so I'm thinking the 3 inch barrel LCR with a fulll size grip would work for her....
The LCRx3 is actually half way decent. Recoil is acceptable. It still feels cheap, but it's light and shoots ok. I went with an SP101 2 1/4" to keep my GP100 company.

[CJB]

I should have also said... the LCR that I've got, is the third one I purchased. #1 was stolen, #2 was given to a friend in need, and #3 the ol' lady stole for herself. All of them were .357Mag, not .38Special

In .357, with the LCR, you get a steel frame, with polymer grip section rather than an "alloy" frame with steel cylinder and barrel sleeve.

The LCR's are not bad revolvers. The forward cylinder latch is something to keep very clean. If that piece gets gunked up too badly, or full of sandy gritty crap, its going back to the factory. Reason being is that the cap that holds the spring and detent in position, is held in place by the flange at the forward end of the barrel sleeve. You need to service that area of the mechanism, and the barrel sleeve's gotta come out. I know of no tool by which do this in a non destructive manner. Ruger may have one, or, they take out the sleeve and put in a new one.

The finish on the LCR does chip and ... well... you "can" touch it up. Its a rather thick coating.

On a much better note... in my shooting with 'em, the .357 frame (steel) and shooting .38's in it, ought to yield just about a "forever" revolver that will give outragously long life.

[ltxi]

I bought a 637 Airweight several years ago after I got tired of having to pamper blued revolvers almost every day after field work. As much as I loved the carry aspect, I just could NOT shoot the Airweight. My Son bought the S&W BodyGuard (I think that's what it is) for his wife, and neither of us can shoot that revolver worth a flip. One of my best buds has the LCR .... another "light weight" I can't shoot. I went back to the steel j-frame for those occasions that .38 special should be "enough" (or for a back up in the boot). Usually, inside of three shots, I can hit a clay target on the berm at 40+ yards with my little nickel plated Model 36. With the 637, I could normally keep all the shots inside the berm. :) I think the light weights don't like me.


jd

edit to add .... still scratching my head on that lightweight revolver my D-I-L has .... maybe it's a Shield?

My steel J-frames get 135 gr Gold Dot +P. LW versions 125 gr std pressure Fed NyClad...no matter what ammunition they're rated for. I did run a cylinder full of .357 out of the 340 M&P just for the hell of it. Not seein' that as practical use concept.

[berettabone]

The LCRx3 is actually half way decent. Recoil is acceptable. It still feels cheap, but it's light and shoots ok. I went with an SP101 2 1/4" to keep my GP100 company.
That's what we've/i've got the wife set up with...............the Wiley Clapp SP101..............it's a much better set up IMHO, than theLCP.

[Armybrat]

Guess I'm kinda odd - I like Ruger plastic autos, but don't particularly care for the idea of plastic wheelguns. So my Airweight gets the nod when comparing the two in the OP:

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w349/ScoPro/SWrevolver002.jpg

[b4uqzme]

That's what we've/i've got the wife set up with...............the Wiley Clapp SP101..............it's a much better set up IMHO, than theLCP.

+1. Smiley inherited my SP101 awhile back. It's perfect for her. Small enough to fit her hands and heavy enough to tame .38sp+p. I feel comforted knowing she can shoot it well. I still have a GP100 and a couple SA Rugers.

[Planedude]

My 642 Airweight is my every day carry gun and with a speed strip and 6 more rounds of Gold Dots in the other pocket I feel well enough armed with it....I love Rugers but just don't like the LCR line for no real good reason other than I like metal guns and I think the LCR's look kinda cheap and toy like but they do have a real nice trigger....

My wife has come around after 40 years of marriage and hating anything to do with guns and now wants a permit and to learn how to shoot after a "Road Rage" incident she had recently where a Mexican in a work van tried to run her off the road....Scared her enough to want a gun, (funny how that works isn't it)....I let her hold the 642 and she hated it, said too small and not enough grip area so I'm thinking the 3 inch barrel LCR with a fulll size grip would work for her....

If the grip on a J frame is the issue, as it is for me, then have you seen these yet??

http://www.raascogrips.com/jframe.html

I need the "palm support" on the right hand side of the gun. I can shoot an Airweight with the factory boot grips, but it's not going to be a nice small pattern.
I once shot a friends J frame with Craig Spegel grips and fell in love with the feel. Pricy and you have to wait, but they feel great and they are very pretty...

http://www.craigspegel.com/#grips

The VZ grips mine wear now are approved copies of the Spegel design, just in G-10 and a quarter the cost. Note: Get the 320s and not the Tactical Diamond grips. I had to take a file to the tops of those diamonds They would grater off the flesh of my hand in the pocket and were never going to dull on their own.

https://vzgrips.com/gun-grips/smith-wesson

The Raasco grips are new and look great, but as I said, I treat that 642 too roughly for such pretty wood grips...

Grips make all the difference for me. Well, grips and a Wilson combat spring kit. Have a good one.

[Barth]

There are bunches of full three finger grip options for J-Frames.
IMHO, when you go there, it's no longer a pocket pistol.
If I'm running a revolver on a belt?
I'm preferring my 6 shot 3" Heavy Barrel S&W 65-3 K-Frame.

Barth
http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r678/barthunderwood/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-08/20150805_151320_001_zpsspm27rw0.jpg

[b4uqzme]

Seems like a lot of us prefer steel revolvers even if they are a bit heavier. But I'm pretty glad I opted for an Airweight when I gave the Ruger to the Mrs. It's light enough for a pocket and I shoot it just as well. I do think the grips make a difference. I couldn't find what I wanted so I took some combat grips and cut them down to boot length. They work well for me.

[340pd]

I assume it is a SD gun so I would buy the one that best gets on target when you bring it up quickly. If you have the option of shooting both, a few cylinders of rapid fire may be in order. That will really help your decision making.

I have a steel 640 and a Scandium 340pd for carry. I never carry the 640 and bought it just for practice. Both carry Crimson Trace lasers which I consider a must for my small revolvers. Recoil and trigger pull weight is not really of concern in my SD guns.



http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t320/gnystrom_photos/340pd.jpg