Review: Ruger LCR Revolvers As A BOB/GHB Option (And CCW)

Today’s review is of the Ruger LCR .357 magnum & LCR series as both a concealed carry weapon (CCW) and also as a bug-out-bag (BOB) / get-home-bag (GHB) gun.

The Ruger LCR series are plastic (polymer) framed snubby revolvers, available in several sizes. I will specifically be addressing two of them, the “big gun” of the series, the .357 Magnum, and the “little gun” of the series, the .22LR.

.357 on top, .22LR on bottom

How I use the Ruger LCR’s I own

I personally use the .357 Magnum Ruger LCR as my “everyday GHB” gun, taking over that role from my favorite revolver of all time (but MUCH heavier) Ruger Speed 6.

I bought the .22LR as an inexpensive “trainer” that allows me to practice my draws, firing stances and sighting in without costing me a ton of money, and without having to face the fierce recoil of my Ruger LCR .357 setup.

Range time always involves both, but I usually limit my .357 firing to 10 or 15 rounds to save $ and my palms (more on that later… I am not a recoil wuss, there’s more than meets the eye).

My everyday GHB is a small bag in which I carry only the absolute essentials to getting home, water filtration/purification, Leatherman multi-tool, food via lifeboat-style emergency rations, first aid/trauma kit, knife, compass, map, LED flashlight, etc. The Ruger LCR .357 lives there, along with a box of Hornady Critical Defense ammo. I can’t really tote around a big GHB at work, so I take this one with me like a man-purse.

.357 tucked inside the “everyday GHB” I keep in the car at work in a waistband holster… the bottles are water purification tabs

Philosophy Of Use For The Ruger LCR:

BOB/GHB guns, to me, must stone-cold nail down the following characteristics:

1) They must go bang, every single time.
2) They must be reasonably small
3) They must be reasonably light
4) They must shoot ammunition that has good stopping power
5) They must shoot ammunition light enough to carry plenty
6) They must be durable, and fire dirty or clean

There’s nothing more reliable than a well manufactured & maintained wheel gun. The LCR series is well made, and if kept clean and properly lubricated, they are entirely reliable.

There are two schools of thought on in-close self-defense guns… one, the “semi-auto” school of thought, is “the most firepower available is the best plan” and the wheel gun school of thought, which is “if somebody is within 20 feet of me, 5 rounds of .357 is plenty, and this gun ABSOLUTELY MUST GO BANG EVERY SINGLE TIME”

For a BOB/GHB, another consideration is weight. Polymer wheel guns don’t weigh very much, and there are no magazines, so they are a lot less heavy to carry than a 1911, Beretta or many other semi-auto guns.

What the Ruger LCR does best

Within the LCR series, to ME, there are two distinct philosophies of use. First, for the “big guns” like the .357 magnum and .38 Special, obviously the only use is self-defense. These are not “hunting” guns, they have only one purpose (other than on the range for practice) and that’s to stop somebody who is within 21 feet of you by putting 5 shots into their body and watching them fall down. Period.

The .22LR version, however, is a trainer for the larger guns that have more expensive ammo. It’s a great little gun, fun to shoot (will get to that later) and as accurate as a person could hope for a snubby. I would never conceal carry this gun unless I had nothing else… loaded with 8 rounds of Stingers, it’s light recoil would allow a person to get 8 shots off in 5 seconds at 5 yards into a 5 inch circle with ease… but .22LR is NOT a reasonable round for dedicated self defense.

Having said that, when you are talking about in a BOB/GHB, the whole concept changes a bit… pair the Ruger LCR with a .22 survival rifle like a Henry AR-7 (click here for review), a Ruger 10/22 take down (review upcoming), a Chiappa Little Badger (review upcoming if I ever get it back from the factory, it’s in for repairs… hint, don’t buy one of these guns) and you have a light weight combo of weapons that use the same ammunition, with ammo light enough you can carry a LOT of it.

A look up their skirts…

Again, I do not in ANY WAY recommend any rim fire cartridge as a primary carry weapon (unless it’s all you can carry), but if I were to actually carry a .22LR to defend my life it would absolutely be a wheel gun… misfires mean you just pull the trigger again and the next round goes bang, unlike having to fuss with a semi-auto rimfire gun clearing jams.

Design: The Ruger LCR’s are a “family” of guns. They are available in .357 Magnum, 38 Special (+P), 9mm (a gun SO on my ‘to buy’ list it’s not even funny), .22 WMR and .22LR.

Ruger LCR Tale Of The Tape:

Grips: Hogue Tamer Monogrip
Capacity: 5 rounds up to 8 rounds, depending on caliber.
Finish: Blued & polymer
Barrel Length: 1.875″
Overall Length: 6.50″
Front Sight: Ramp
Rear Sight: Notch (not adjustable)
Weight .357: 17.10 oz empty
Weight .22LR: 14.90 oz empty

Ammunition:

The Ruger LCR .357 can shoot any .357 and .38 Special rounds. The .38 special and .9mm are +P, the .22LR can shoot .22LR, L & S.

Shooting the Ruger LCR:

I am going to break this down into two separate impressions after a paragraph of the things the Ruger LCR .357 and .22LR have in common.

(In common): Both guns have the same sight picture, same overall feel, and same trigger pull (I measured the .357 at just about 11 LBS and the .22LR at 10.4 but in practical shooting the difference isn’t noticeable). Break-over feels fairly crisp.

Both guns, however, have one trigger quirk. You need to make sure that the trigger, once fired, is COMPLETELY released back to it’s resting position (the reset on this gun is really funky). If you don’t, the .357 will not rotate and fire the next round until you do. The .22LR will fire on the next pull, but it will completely skip a round. This may sound like a problem but it’s not, it’s just something to train yourself on… use good trigger form and you are fine. Both guns feel the same in the hand with the exception the .357 is slightly heavier.

OK, now to each gun in particular.

The .22LR is just a joy to shoot. Virtually no felt recoil, the gun is quite accurate up to 7 yards with .22LR (less so with .22L and MUCH less so with .22 shorts… I assume it’s because the cylinder chambers are not rifled so the bullet rifling starts nearly half the way down the overall path inside the gun. The grip is comfortable in my hand (my small finger overlaps the bottom on both guns). My wife, who has smaller hands, does not care for the feel of the grips. Personal taste, I guess.

The .357 as I have it set up NOT a joy to shoot, but I must insert a caveat… I am not running it with the stock shock-absorbing grips, I am using the Crimson Trace model which has a LOT less recoil dampening. I can’t shoot the heaviest loads (Buffalo Bore 180 grains) because the ultra-light frame makes them crimp-jump, about the heaviest I regularly shoot in it are Gold Dots, which are not that bad on felt recoil.

There is a big difference in felt recoil between the factory grips and the Crimson Trace grips.

Factory Grip & Crimson Trace

The guns are as accurate as one would expect from a snubby up to 21 feet, well behaved, the shortness of the grips means “finger wrap” around the bottom.

The Bottom Line:

1) These are good guns, and give interesting options for CCW/BOB/GHB.

2) The .357 is a great choice for CCW everyday. I put a Crimson Trace grip on mine because the LCR can’t be equipped with night sights, and the sights are useless in the dark. I leave the CT turned off and only turn it on if needed.

3) The .22LR “might” be a carry choice for somebody who absolutely positively despises recoil, or for somebody who has a physical disability that limits the amount of shock their wrists can take. The .22LR has virtually no felt recoil.

4) The .22LR is an interesting choice for somebody who wants to “go light” but still carry both a rifle and a handgun in a BOB/GHB situation where “bigger” firearms are available when you get where you are going. If I were hitting the road long-term, I would be hard-pressed to use this gun however… but as a BOB to a cache/BOL or a GHB situation, I think it’s a really interesting option.