Ruger LCP II in .22LR (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)
Ruger LCP II in .22LR (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)
Previous Post
Next Post

The Ruger LCP didn’t make the first .380 ACP pocket pistol. Not by a long sight. No, but the Ruger LCP made the .380 ACP cool again and the People of the Gun should be grateful for that. It’s a great cartridge, just capable of being “enough gun” in the hand of the inexperienced, and plenty of gun in the hand of the expert. Ruger’s smash hit is as popular with the soccer moms crowd as it is with the Special Forces community.

Generally improving on the original design, Ruger released the LCP II in 2016, again in .380 ACP. Late last year, for the first time, Ruger released the LCP line in something other than .380 ACP. This time, the LCP II would be chambered in rimfire goodness, the venerable and versatile .22LR.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II in box. (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

You might ask why this gun exists in .22LR. After all, if someone is so recoil sensitive that the .380 ACP is too much, the obvious choice is to simply buy a larger gun. The reason is that there are folks who, either through age or disability, simply have a hard time operating the slide on any small automatic that’s chambered in anything larger than .22LR.

Years ago, I got my mom an LCP in .380 ACP.  She is very small and no longer in her youth. At that time, this was one of the very few guns small enough for her to carry all the time, and had a light enough action where she could work the slide. Her hands were too small and weak to work the trigger of a double action revolver.

Soon she won’t be able to manage her LCP and she’ll need to choose a larger firearm, or a smaller caliber.  That niche — and it’s a pretty big one — is right where the LCP II in .22LR fits. The .22LR version of this small semi-automatic pistol might not be for me…yet…but it has the potential to be useful protection for a lot of folks who have few other options.

The LCP II in .22LR is not a smaller version of the LCP II in .380 ACP. In fact, the specifications list the .380 version as shorter in height and ever so slightly less in weight. All of the measurements between the two calibers are extremely close, but not exactly the same. I have no idea why, other than weight, there’s any difference at all.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II magazine loader (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

The 10-round magazine sits well below the line of the grip, and is required to get even two fingers on the grip of the gun. Even though it’s a .22LR caliber pistol, the magazines aren’t particularly easy to load. The small diameter of the cartridge, combined with sharp top edges of the magazine rails, make inserting each round a job for steady hands.

I usually find loading assist devices of little value with pistols, but the one included with the Ruger LCP II in .22LR is particularly helpful. For those of you who have a bit of shake in your hands or some weakness from age, or those of us who have arthritis, the loading device is good to keep on hand.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

The magazine release is a tiny rectangle, but I didn’t find it difficult to reach at all. There’s a relatively wide and smoothed out section of the grip just above the magazine release. This section is also slightly below the plane of the rest of the grip. The result is an easy reach for the otherwise very small release. It’s a smart design, focusing on finger-friendly geometry to make up for tiny controls.

A much appreciated feature on the LCP II is that the slide locks back on the empty magazine. This was missing in the original LCP and considering the small caliber of these guns (either of them) and the relatively low round count of the .380 ACP version, the necessity of expending all of the gun’s ammunition on a single attacker in an encounter is high.

Getting the gun reloaded and back in the fight as fast as possible is a necessity, and the last round hold open feature certainly helps. It also makes single handed reloads much easier.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

This LCP II also includes a manual safety. If you are going to choose to carry the firearm with a round in the chamber and ready to use, (which is the whole point of the thing), and if you aren’t going to use a rigid holster that completely protects the trigger, then a manual safety is a must on these guns.

Like the magazine release, good design has made what could have been a disaster an easy and natural process, for right-handed people. I had no issues simply sweeping my firing hand thumb forward to release the safety and fire. I did, however, need to use my other hand or change my grip entirely to put it back on.

Do note: unlike the original LCP, the LCP II has a magazine disconnect. This is billed as a safety feature. It is not a safety feature. Quite simply, if the magazine is removed from the firearm, the trigger will not travel to the rear and fire a round.

Especially for a firearm that is designed to be used at close range, and one in which many will pocket carry with the supplied holster, I find a magazine disconnect entirely inappropriate and a significant hazard.  Each of us is free to make our own choices, but I would carry a pistol with a magazine disconnect if it was my only option.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II trigger (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

The trigger on the LCP II feels dramatically different than the original LCP.  It’s not just the reduced weight. This trigger measured at an average of 5 lbs. 12 oz. over 5 pulls with a Lyman digital trigger scale. The big change is the quality of the trigger itself.

We see the same familiar safety blade on the shoe, which has barely over 1/2″ of pre-travel before anything really happens. At that point, all of the real work begins, and you’ll find just .3″ of a steady squish until the hammer falls.

One of the greatest features of the LCP line is that they are tiny. You can carry them anywhere, so you are more likely to carry them everywhere. That’s a good thing. But there are some significant considerations for a firearm of this diminutive size.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II grip issue (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

For instance, mind the grip. If you are an adult with size large hands, a thumbs-forward grip may not work for you. This is generally how I run most of my pistols, but it can’t be how I run this gun.

My support hand thumb sticks out about half an inch in front of the muzzle. This is less than ideal. The solution is simply to tuck the support thumb down onto the textured front of the trigger well. This keeps the thumb from flagging in front of the muzzle, as well as completes a very tight grip all the way around the firearm.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II trigger guard texture (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

The LCP II isn’t particularly comfortable to shoot. No, in .22LR, there isn’t much recoil. That’s not the issue. This is just a little gun. The short grip of the pistol terminates right in the middle of my palm. A range session feels like driving a Lego through my hand. That said, there’s no issue keeping a good grip on the gun.

No part of the grip is rubberized or soft, but the aggressive and almost complete texturing of all of the grip surfaces means that the pocket pistol won’t snag when being pulled from said pocket, but also locks firmly in the hand for rapid shots at close range.

When it comes to actually aiming the LCP II, the sights are certainly better than the original LCP, but still, not great. Not only is the front sight very small, but it’s also just as black as everything else on the gun. It is, however, serrated. A little bright nail polish or a paint pen treatment would help.

The rear channel sight is also serrated, and a low slung ramp style. Neither it, nor the front sight, is likely to snag on anything during a draw, or print in a pocket through a fabric holster. Unfortunately, that also means that the rear sight can’t be used to rack the slide on a boot or belt one-handed in the case of a malfunction, which is far more likely in semi-automatics fired at contact range.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II 25 yard group (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

Given the very short sight radius on a gun with a 2 3/4″ barrel, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of precision the LCP II in .22LR was capable of. Seated off a bag at 25 yards, the Federal Premium Target 40gr solid cartridge scored an average of 3.6″ groups for five rounds over four shot strings.

That round did have a fairly wide standard deviation. The Winchester 36gr HP round did not, scoring a fairly consistent 2.3″ average. Standing and shooting that same Winchester round at 7 yards, 1.3″ was the average, although one of the groups did measure right at 1″.

That’s better than I thought and I owe the relatively small group size on a very small pistol to a good trigger pull and solid grip surfaces giving good control of the gun.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II problem (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

The next surprise was the reliability, but not in a good way. Thirty rounds into the first box of ammunition, I was ready to give up my questions on my value of this gun in this caliber and buy it anyway. What can I say, it’s hard to convince me not to buy a .22.

By the end of the first 50 round box, though, I was having serious misgivings. Light primer strikes were the reason for my concern. By the end of the next 30 rounds, I couldn’t get through a single magazine without a light primer strike. These were with both Winchester’s  36gr HP Copper plated round, and CCI Standard Velocity 40gr Lead Round Nosed cartridges.

I switched to Federal’s Target 40gr solid and the Wolf 40gr solid. Now I had light strikes, as well as double feeds and rounds caught in the action. I switched again to Aguila’s 40gr lead solid and Herter’s 36gr Plated Hollow Point, but the same issues persisted. Of the two dozen rounds that would fail to fire because of light strikes, all but one would then go off successfully when fired from a Ruger Single Six revolver.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II problem (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

At under 200 rounds, I gave up shooting standing and sat down to shoot the groups listed above. By that time, it was rare to get a full 5 rounds to go through the gun without a malfunction, significantly lengthening the time it took to shoot groups.

I’m a pretty huge Ruger fan, partially because of their excellent customer service. It’s second to none in the industry. TTAG’s generally policy is to allow any company to repair a defective firearm and then to review the repairs and repost the review once returned.

We did exactly that and Ruger had a new LCPII in .22LR and three new magazines out to us within just a couple of weeks. I also had a call with a Ruger representative who recommended using a couple of different CCI ammunition choices, as well as to making sure that I wasn’t contacting the slide in any way during firing.

The slide contact issue certainly makes sense. This is a small .22LR semi-automatic with a fairly light recoil spring. I didn’t think that was my issue before, as it failed shooting single handed several times, but I made sure to pay attention to the slide during my second outing with the pistol.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Some of the ammunition with regular failures. (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

Unfortunately, it was almost a perfect replay of the first gun sent to me. Using several different ammunition types, including Aguilla, Wolf, a few different CCI loads, and Federal Premium’s Target line, I had quite a few failures to feed and failures to fire.

This time, after lightly lubricating the gun with CLP, I had no issues until about round 150. After that, problems got worse and worse. I field stripped and cleaned and lubed the gun again, and experienced the same issues shooting CCI Mini Mags and CCI Standard Velocity, at about the 100 round mark. I took several videos of the failures, and it’s clear in viewing them that no part of my hand was making contact with any portion of the slide. I had failures shooting with both a two-handed and single-handed grip.

I hope these reliability issues get sorted out, because the LCP II in .22LR has a lot going for it. It’s very easy to carry, has a manual safety, 10+1 rounds, and is quite accurate for such a small gun. It also has the magazine disconnect, which is a no-go for me, but may not be for others. While it’s small and might not be for every shooter. the big thing the little gun has going for it is that it’s possible for almost anyone to operate this gun safely.

Ruger LCP II in .22LR
Ruger LCP II (image courtesy JWT for thetruthaboutguns.com)

Specifications: Ruger LCP II in .22LR

Capacity: 10+1
Barrel Length: 2.75″
Overall Length: 5.20″
Weight: 11.2 oz.
Grip Frame: Black, High-Performance, Glass-Filled Nylon
Grooves: 6
Feature: Lite Rack™ System
Slide Material: Alloy Steel
Barrel Material:  Stainless Steel
Slide Width: 0.81″
Sights: Integral
Twist: 1:16″ RH
Slide Finish: Black Oxide
Barrel Finish: Satin Stainless
Height: 4″
MSRP: $349 (about $320 retail)

Style and Appearance * * *
Little form, all function.

Customization * * * *
The LCP II line accepts all of the accessories of the original LCP line, of which there are many.

Reliability *
With some ammunition, I couldn’t get through a single 50-round box before the light strikes happened, and it got worse from there. Even after cleaning and using the recommended ammunition, the pistol failed regularly with less than 200 rounds through it.

Accuracy * * * *
Much better than I though from such a small gun.

Overall * *
This is a four star gun that meets the needs of a lot of shooters, if it runs right. I hope the reliability gets fixed, because if it does, the LCP II in .22LR turns a great pistol into a great pistol line. If you don’t intend to shoot it more than 100 rounds or so prior to cleaning, reliability won’t be a concern.

Previous Post
Next Post

62 COMMENTS

  1. Little .22 pistols are a hoot and many people enjoy them. But, I’m wondering why Ruger would produce this pistol when it already sells the diminutive SR22. It’s a nice little pistol and seems to fill the same niche as the LCP II in .22LR.

    • Check out my supercool seven year old review of that pistol on YouTube at
      FullHouseOutfitters. Why the LCP2, I don’t know either.

    • This pistol is somewhat smaller than the SR22. I own both an LCP (gen 1) and an SR22. I like them both, but the LCP is easier to pocket carry.

      I don’t so much see the LCP 22 as a defensive firearm for the inferm. I see it more as a pocket plinker fun gun, which could be used defensively in a pinch.

      I could see throwing it into my pocket for a day hike when plinking might sound like fun. Of course the SR 22 also works for that.

      The SR22 is a far superior defensive gun for the elderly and arthritic. The SR22 is generally reliable, and is very easy to shoot. I guess there isn’t much purpose for the LCP 22.

      • Art Out West, I’m not sure about your statement, “The SR22 is a far superior defensive gun for the elderly and arthritic.” While my wife and I are not elderly, she is arthritic. With the arthritis she has lost hand strength. The SR22 isn’t something she can manipulate (rack) the slide. We went to a gun store and tried lots of guns. She can’t rack a Shield EZ nor other guns made for arithritics. She can rack a Mk series Ruger and she can rack the LCPii in 22. Other than that she can’t do it. Unfortunately, the LCPii in 22 went back 3 times and got replaced and right now that replacement is back due to light strikes, failures to load, extraction problems, locking back prematurely, etc.

    • Because I told them to make a .32 version of the LCP and they must have thought it was a typo and I meant to say .22 instead.

      The one and only thing that a .22 LCP has going for it is as a point and shoot trainer for the centerfire LCP’s. It’s never going to be as reliable as a centerfire pistol, not just due to the rimfire priming, but because a heeled bullet is not as good with feeding as a non-heeled design.

      Ruger for some reason just doesn’t want to make anything in the .32 caliber for a semi auto, be it a .32 ACP or a .32 NAA, yet those would run circles around any .22 LCP. Doesn’t mater to Ruger, they’re gonna sell 100 times as many .22 LCP’s as they will .32 LCP, but there gonna take a hit when people buy them and go on the internet and complain about all the issues the .22 LCP has.

  2. Little .22 pistols suck. I really like my LCP II in .380 for pocket carry, but for my wife who is disabled with weak hands, the S&W .380 EZ was the golden ticket. It is significantly larger yet very easy to manipulate. While .380 is not ideal, its a reasonable step down for many people. The .22 is just anemic for self defense. I like .22, run 4-5,000 rounds a year but its because its fun and cheap, not because its a self defense round. I think Ruger misjudged the market which is too bad, because the make some decent guns.

  3. Haven’t read the review yet.
    I know it will be good. Why?
    JWT.

    Thank you for respite from the the racial turmoil.

  4. I don’t own a defensive handgun smaller than 9mm. I do own several .22 LR handguns, but they are for camp and trail. In the context of this review I recognize the utility of this pistol. Better than a sharp stick. Puts me in mind of an aquantantice of mine who was looking at a Beretta .25 auto one day in a local pawn shop. A large gentleman walked in, listened to the dialogue for a minute and said, “If you shot me with that you’d just make me mad.” My friend replied, “Well, let me see just how mad I can make you.” He left the store post haste.

  5. Ok. So now I have read the review. (Check time stamp)
    Excellent as expected.
    Made me think of my last purchase (2 wks ago) of a used Beretta 21A Bobcat.
    Runs like a top on the CCI Mini Mag; other brands/sizes/FPS, not so much.
    WAY more accurate than it should be at 15yds (Palm size groups for 8 rnds).
    As a firearms instructor I am debating myself on getting this for training w/ newbies.
    I might hold off a bit more.

    And, nothing but love here… but looking at the pics of your hand(s) holding that pistol, I gotta ask… Shrek much ?
    Your hands are HUGE.

    You must have a happy wife.
    😉
    Happy wife, happy life!

    • I own an LCP II .22LR. Want to teach people how to clear jams, misfeeds, lite primer strikes and other fails? Just hand them this gun and stand back…

  6. WRT older folks with arthritis or a lack of grip strength, a great alternative is the old Beretta 86 Cheetah in .380 ACP. The “tip up” action allows the user to chamber the first round / unload without having to rack the slide, but still have the power of 8+1 .380 rounds.

    And, of course, no mention of the Ruger LCP is complete without a description of why, in Texas, we know LCP stands for Lonestar Coyote Protection. (Ruger actually produced a run of them with that designation.) I’ll leave it to JWT to tell that story, as he got it straight from the horse’s mouth.

    • The tip barrel makes a lot of sense for people with hand issues.

      That coyote thing? That when the gov shot a yote while he was walking his dog?

      • But that’s not a “tip up” action (only the Model 86 Cheetah had that).

        If we’re including conventional action .380’s, another interesting one is a Detroit-made PPK clone by Indian Arms (from a time in the ‘70’s when the PPK could not be imported due to the ‘68 GCA). All stainless and built like a tank . . . but definitely not a gun like an LCP that you can slip into a pocket.

        • There are also .32acp versions of the Beretta. Classic Firearms has some used Italian police pistols for sale right now. A .32 the size of a Beretta 84 would be pretty mild.

          There were also .32 acp versions of the CZ83.

  7. The M&P 22 Compact eats everything. You have to mentally get past the idea that it’s not a Zamak POS because it seems visually so similar to the Umarex crap, but it’s not like those at all. It’s the platform they based the EZ380 off of. When “match” 22s like a Grand Power or 41(!) fail on some ammo at the range, one of my favorite range activities is to run that same ammo through the M&P immediately to determine if the ammo is bad, because it’s just that reliable. I would definitely recommend that you give this a shot. Of course it’s not as tiny as an LCP, has a manual safety, etc. But in a field of small 22s it is an unexpected gem. And the mags are fantastic to boot.

  8. I have two 380 LCPs. I really Wanted to like the LCP II but it was terribly unreliable. When it came back from Ruger it was even worse.

    Ruger gave up and took it back and asked what gun I wanted in exchange. And that’s how I got my second “Original” LCP.

    JWT you mentioned the SF community. Are LCPs common as an easy pocket carry BUG in that setting?

  9. I love little guns. Even little bitty 22s. Owned and traded a bunch.

    But the little 22s are for fun plinking and not a great choice for defense. I’ve never owned one that I would on for defense (unless it was all I had).

    Iver Johnson, Diane, Sterling, Jennings – they all were unreliable.

    Little guns are just too finicky and 22 rimfire just too variable for reliability.

    One of my favorites was a Walther TPH (Murican made). A beautifully made pistol and was tremendously accurate.

    I tried about 10 different brands of ammo including Eley. WW Super X made it through 200 rounds and I was stoked. The next box from the brick resulted in several FTE and FTF in the first two mags with a clean gun.

    My two Ruger LCPs (1st & 2nd Gen) have never failed. Never had an LCP II as I didnt like the way they looked or see a need.

    If you need a tiny gun and have weak hands, I suggest a Beretta Tomcat. Unless Ruger decides to make a 32 ACP LCP.

  10. Did I read the review the correctly? You can expect very reliable performance for a few dozen rounds after cleaning and lubricating?

    Beyond that, I believe there is a design flaw: the hammer/striker spring is too weak. My father purchased a Sig Mosquito and it has the same problem. Remember, you have to strike rimfire ammunition really hard for reliable ignition. That is why double-action triggers are so heavy on rimfire revolvers.

    Come to think of it, insufficient hammer/striker strikes on the rim could also be causing weak ignition which fails to produce enough recoil energy to cycle the slide properly.

    I get the sense that Mr. Taylor is capable of disassembling that LCP II and then finding/installing a stiffer hammer/striker spring. Please give that a try and let us know what happens. I REALLY want these LCP II in .22 LR to be reliable.

  11. “By the end of the next 30 rounds, I couldn’t get through a single magazine without a light primer strike.”

    Jon, Ruger is screwed both ways on this one, it seems to me.

    Light primer strikes are inexcusable, but if they increased the mainspring strength, it now becomes a real bitch to shoot for someone with poor hand strength.

    Damned if they did, damned if they didn’t.

    In your opinion, if the gun’s action was DAO, would that cure the light strikes?

  12. “Ruger’s smash hit is….popular……with the Special Forces community.”
    Really? I’d not heard that.

    • I own an LCP II .22LR. Want to teach people how to clear jams, misfeeds, lite primer strikes and other fails? Just hand them this gun and stand back…

  13. I musta got lucky. After first 200 rounds reliably got very good. My only complaints are the terrible sights and sharp edged mags. You need the mag loader assist (included) or a couple of bandages for sliced fingers. I agree, Ruger customer service is excellent. I had a rusty extractor. They apologize and sent me me a whole new slide within days.

    • Everybody always says that Ruger has great customer service, and I agree. I don’t have any idea about Glock’s customer service. I think that says more.

      • I’ve owned 5 Rugers, 3 were junk. My LCPii 22 was replaced and even the replacement is junk.
        I own 7 Glocks and not a single problem with any of them. I own 3 S&Ws, I had an issue with one but they sent the part I needed.

        I really don’t know how Ruger is making money. I paid 300 for the gun, they’ve paid over 900 in shipping, replacement gun, and shop rate…and I still don’t have a reliable gun.

  14. Bought one a few months back to carry while jogging. I get a light strike about every 50 rounds, but that still makes it twice as reliable as my G44. I love the feel of the LCP, but I hate shooting it in .380 — the .22 is awesome though.

  15. Nice article and review. The reliability was the only question I had and I’m glad you gave it such attention in this article. I’m betting that by lightening the trigger they used a lighter hammer spring, resulting in light strikes. I’ve seen the same thing in my MP15-22. As for the cycling problems: tolerances or 22 grime build-up would be my guess.
    Again, nice review. I could carry a reliable/accurate 22, but I will pass on this gun.

  16. Mine has been back to Mayodan because mine runs like the one in this review. I’ve had multiple failures to feed, failures to extract, failures to eject, failures to go into battery, double feeds, failure to lock back on an empty mag, but does lock back on half full mags, and after returning from the factory it still does those things but now I have light strike problems on top of the old ones.

    My advice is to stay away and hope they fix the bugs.

    • An update, mine went back 3 times then Ruger replaced the gun and wouldn’t you know it, the replacement is also unreliable. I’m waiting for several months before I call them again, hoping they know how to fix the bugs when the replacement goes back.

  17. I have a Ruger Security 9mm but got expensive to practice with so bought a LCP 2 22lr. At 80 years old grip strength ain’t what it used to be. Tried Remington Golden HV but had 2 misfires per 10 rounds in a box of 100. Cleaned gun but same results. Tried Federal AutOmatch and so far working well. Will try CCI when I can find it.

  18. I am an experienced pistol shooter and instructor. I purchased a .380 LCP because many other officers were picking them up as backups. I’m not recoil sensitive, but found the combination of micro size and light weight created a sharp recoil impulse I found uncomfortable. I sold the pistol after about 100 rounds.

  19. Ruger LCP II 22lr…. I bought one of these and I do not recommend this gun. I have tried 6 different 22lr ammo that’s been recommended and every one I have problems with it. From not firing at all, to not being able the shot one clip this out double stacks. Not a good gun wouldn’t recommend for safety. And it’s a pain in the butt clearing it. Feel like I spent $300. for a gun that’s not fun to shoot.

    • I have the same issues, from light strikes and double stacks takes all the fun I was shooting his gun. I don’t remember Ruger II 22lr. I was so hoping Ruger made this gun right. Something you could have fun shooting at targets. Should have bought a revolver…

  20. Just got one… every time I fire a shot the safety comes ON!!! Now it was quite reliable and shoot fairly close to aim (I did some 100 yard shots and aiming just a bit to the left and cocking the front sight a hair I could drop them right in between the target stands! BUT… THE SAFETY COMES ON!! Every shot. Two types of Federal ammo used. Just how stiff is the safety spring?

    Now I really do like the gun but that safety has got to be fixed. I suspect it should have been made to go up and down… not back and forth.

  21. I have discovered something about the LCP2 .22 lite rack.
    It eats Remington Thunderbolt RN flawlessly.
    Yet Browning Performance both HP and RN as well as Winchester 36 gr hp would have FTF and FTE’s in every magazine.
    Why?
    Measured the ammo.
    On average the Remington Thunderbolt was very consistently .2240″ along the case and extremely concentric.
    While the more expensive Winchester and Browning ammo measured 2.245″ and were not as consistent or concentric.
    I ran a brass brush made for .22lr through the barrel and swabbed out the barrel chamber 30 times.
    Consistency improved.
    A lot.
    Shot some more, cleaned some more.
    I really believe some of what appear as light strikes are actually due to a tight chamber where some of the rounds are hanging up enough to cause the rim not to seat entirely.
    The striker hits the rim of the ammo but since the round is maybe a few thousandths from seated, you get a “light strike”.
    Now some of the ammo is just defective as evidenced by reloading it and firing it again with some going off and others clearly duds.
    Go ahead and send it back to Ruger if you wish.
    But at least in my case, the chamber was simply a bit tight from the factory.
    A little work with the brass brush, cleaning, shooting, repeated over 200 rounds, and it is nearly flawless.
    The few rounds I get that don’t go bang I put into my Marlin 39A to test and now almost every round turns out to have just been a typical factory dud, having nothing to do with the gun.
    I did get a kick out of the fact that it liked Thunderbolt, a cheap ammo, best of all at first before I got the chamber sorted out.
    Even now that I have got it working, I can take the pistol down and holding the barrel, insert various brands of live rounds by hand into the chamber.
    By far, the Thunderbolts slip into the chamber with ease. The Winchesters and Brownings hang up slightly quite often.
    Overall length of the ammo is the same.
    But it seems the difference is the variation in concentricity over the length of the case.
    I think Ruger needs to open up the chamber .0005″
    Or you can clean the snot out of it like I did with a brass brush.

    • We have discovered the same thing, that thunderbolts run well in this gun, and the 36gr mini-mags…we have tried and tested all sorts of .22lr, and those two stand out…your explanation makes sense, we do scrub the chamber vigorously after each range visit, and put other ammo brands to work in other firearms…it is a small hassle, but we’ll manage

    • Thank you! Just ordered this for my wife despite reliability issues and having watched every YouTube video on it I could find. You, sir, are the only person who took the time to measure case variation, which may also explain why newer Ruger 10/22s have with coated ammos (such as Norma TAC-22) and why reliability improves after wearing in with thousands of rounds. I will perform your brass brush solution right away. Also already ordered the spring kit from Galloway Precision, which includes a stiffer firing pin spring. As the review states, this is a highly versatile 4 star piece that fits the needs of a whole lot of people so long as it’s reliable.

  22. Very interesting comments, Matthew and I appreciate your inciteful analysis. Like so may others, I look my new LCP II .22 to the range for the first time yesterday and experienced what so many others have experienced. I took three different ammunitions, Winchester X bulk which was hopeless, CCI MiniMag, which worked a lot better and CCI Stinger which, of the ten rounds that I fired, worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, I had only 30 rounds of the Stinger, in total.

    My Ruger MkII Target has no problems with the Winchester X.

    I will try what you suggest and clean the barrel thoroughly with a wire brush to see what improvement can be gained.

  23. Well I have had nothing but trouble out of my LCP.22 Even had the springs changed that were supposed to make it run better. It appears to be junk and wish I hadn’t wasted my money on it

  24. I had all these problems with my Ruger lcp II 22lr… I worked on guns with my dad how worked for a gunsmith, so I had some idea what I could do my self. First I cleaned out the barrel with a wire brush. Then I used a Dremel on the shell end of the barrel with a fired cartridge until the fired cartridge fall out on its own.
    Shot way better, but still had some problems. So
    then I changed three springs kit to help stop the lite hits. The last thing I did was I removed the magazine safety… That did it! Once that magazine safety was removed made a big different. The magazine safety pushed the magazine forward trapping in the cartridge coming out no more double stacks…

  25. 1. Polish all internals, rails, feed ramp, 5/8’’ into barrel where casing sits. Top and side of slide
    charging ramp, sides and top of bolt. Mothers with a dremel, cotton tip at casing end of barrel.
    2. Most important, order the MCarbo recoil spring. I took and old Marlin 60 recoil spring and cut it down approx. 3/16” bigger than ruger type ball point pen extractor spring. No more slop
    at this area. Can’t wait for MCarbo or Tandemkross to make a better spring and extractor.
    This has helped immensely!!
    3. Ammo shoot 40 grain above 1200 FPS! Right now because all i can get is Aquila and Blazer
    those rounds are working well. Mini Mags will be back (someday).

    • Got the m*csrbo spring coming myself. Only issues i have are fail to feed as that stock spring is just too weak.

  26. I just bought my LCP II 22LR. I shot fifty rounds of cheap ammo through it without any malfunctions using four different magazines. It’s not enough to think it would make a great primary EDC, but perhaps after another 150 rounds or so as a backup or in gym shorts around the house while getting to something bigger. It’s nowhere near as fun to shoot as my Taurus TX22, but that’s not going in my pocket or an ankle holster either!

    • If you grab one of those Hogue grips, it transforms the feel of the gun tremendously for the better. Today I took my LCP II LR out with my TX22 and enjoyed the feel of my LCP so much I ended up neglecting my TX.
      I was having a great time shooting until the hammer of my LCP locked up in the cocked position. Now the trigger won’t release it no matter what I do.
      Tried breaking it down, messing with the safety, with/without mag, poke it with a screwdriver – nothing; it’s stuck.
      Anyone know how to fix this so I don’t have to send it off? 🙁

      (btw – Federal AutoMatch 40gr works flawlessly in this gun for anyone who might find that helpful)

  27. I don’t know if Ruger sorted out these issues or if I obtained the best of the litter. My Ruger LCP 22 (bought late summer 2021)has shot everything I have thrown at it from Velocitors to subsonic in CCI, Remington, winchesters in both HP and RN. I even threw in some old mixed ammo I had in an old pill bottle. No FTF in over 600 rnds. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is the 750 fps quiet and I don’t think they are made for autos. I did take it home and cleaned it first, put on some slide glide and Lucas HD oil like I put on my 1911’s. (I just use it and don’t endorse it) Shoots great groups for it’s size and fun to carry.

  28. หวย อันดับ 1 มาแรงแซงทุกเว็บ
    เว็บพนันออนไลน์ เว็บตรง ไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ฝาก-ถอน รวดเร็ว ด้วยทีมงานคุณภาพ ตลอด 24 ชั่วโมง มีความยุติธรรมและโปร่งใส ไม่เคยมีประวัติการโกงลูกค้า

  29. HUAYDED789 หวยออนไลน์ 24 ชั่วโมง ระบบที่ทันสมัย แทงหวยง่าย โอนเงินไว หวยออนไลน์ที่นี่จ่ายสูง ส่วนลดเยอะ โปรโมชั่นพิเศษสำหรับสมาชิกใหม่ และสิทธิพิเศษมาก มาย แจกเครดิตฟรีอย่างต่อเนื่อง”

  30. I have been teaching CCW since 1996. I use 22s for trainers. My first and long time fav is the Walther P-22, Glock 44, the Beretta 21, the GSG 1911-22, the GSG Firefly, and the PPK/s-22. All but the Beretta I can add a suppressor. I have a pretty good idea of what ammo works and what does not. Stingers work in everything and last longer before the gun cruds up, the nickel case does that.

    The number one problem of every 22 shooter, is limp wrist. Big strong guys are the worst, they all do it. Give them a 1911 45 and they grip it hard, no problem, give them a small plastic gun, every few rounds there is some kind of jam. Think ab out it, you have a problem with the gun, send it to the factory, they have no problem, you still do. 99% of the problem is the customer, repeat it is you. The only way you know for sure is to spray the gun down with a lube, any lube, Rem Oil, CLP, Bristol, WD 40, does not matter just make sure it is wet inside. Then fire from a solid rest 5 mags of ammo. If they are 100%, clean the gun and put it up, it works.

    The light primer strikes are a dirty gun, little guns do not have a lot of room to store dirt. I had a discussion with the VP of Glock USA shortly after the Glock 42 came out. The had 94 guns returned as having jams. 93 of them they had no problem firing at the factory, they were all limp-wristing problems. My take is 98% of the problems with the small 22s and 380s, is the shooter, 1% is the lack of lube and 1% is a faulty gun. if you read gun reviews it is pretty easy to pick them out. And by the way, a dirty gun is more susceptible to limp- wristing than a clean gun, duh? The slower slide speed.

    Too many people complain rather than just clean the gun and figure out the problems, there is very little that can go wrong with a gun, it is a bad mag, a bad extractor, or a bad feed ramp or chamber. Very simple, yet people scream to high heaven. You do not need a gunsmith to figure them out. Just saying…..

  31. My LCP .22 is one of the best pistols I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned a lot of high end pistols. It came from the factory having all the goodies of the big guys. Adding two parts to this solid base will make it run virtually without a kink. m carbo is the place to find them. I installed a heavier recoil spring and stainless guide rod for under $20/00. It won’t handle Stingers due to the 1/10th.” longer shell casing. Most autos won’t. But it will run all day (with a bit of cleaning along the way) on anything you feed it. The narrow grip in my big hands cut into the web area big time. A call to Hogue grips fixed that quickly with a slip-on grip. Recoil became very manageable. I had to go back to my targets after the add-ons, but at 20 yards an 8″ pie plate is in grave danger. The best test of this pistol can be found on line. Look for the test run by a man named Warren Grey. It’s worth your time if you want the scoop on his testing of 5 brands of ammo in ballistic clay. Not gel. He covered all the bases to include who is now carrying .22 pistols in many high end places. It ain’t no longer a pop gun. Keep on shootin” on. SAFELY!!!! Old man Way

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here