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The Ruger LCR is a great handgun. I reckon the snag-free polymer pistol’s got the smoothest, best-breaking trigger of any stock snubbie you can buy, including Ralph’s beloved Smiths. (Thank you patented friction reducing cam.) The .38 caliber round also suits the LCR to a T. So why’s Ruger introducing the gun in 9mm? The come-on above says 9mm delivers “highly manageable recoil” and touts the easy availability of 9mm ammo. No mention made of 9mm’s superiority as defensive round over .38. Probably because it’s not really worth arguing about – IS IT GUYS? The 5-shot LCR in 9mm ain’t cheap: $599 (vs. $529 for the .38). Still, it’s nice to have a backup gun in the same caliber as your main pistol, in case you lose your main gun in a gunfight and need to reload you BUG with ammo from your spare mag. Into moon clips. Want one?

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115 COMMENTS

  1. Hell no. I was hoping they would at least make one with a longer barrel. Yeah that would probably make it less concealable but I think it would look nice.

    • I’d like to see a GP size LCR (especially in .41M, but I’d settle for .44M). I’d have one in every glovebox, toolbox, tacklebox and lunchbox I own. I always feel bad scratching up a blued revolver, no matter how cheap/beat it is, but my LCRs? Beat em like a Glock in a torture test, who cares?

      • I don’t own an LCR (have a GP100 and a SP101), so I don’t know a lot about the internal construction. I have to wonder, though, how well a polymer frame, lightweight revolver would hold up to a steady diet of magnum ammunition? Considering the problems I hear about from time to time with S&W guns of lighter construction, I appreciate the somewhat overbuilt nature of Ruger’s steel brick designs.

        • Doesn’t really matter for a truck gun though since it won’t see any kind of high round count with full power ammo. Hell, even a duty gun would take decades to wear out even counting practice and qualifying. Maybe Jerry M. will wear out a revolver, but 99.999999% of everyone else never will.

        • The frame isn’t polymer, the fire control housing is.
          The frame is either aluminum (.22 & .38) or stainless steel (.357 & 9mm). All cylinders are stainless.

        • At 17 ounces I’m betting the .357 magnum LCR will probably hold up better to a steady diet of magnum loads than your hand will. A revolver like that is no range toy.

          An extra ounce of strategically placed steel goes a long way when it comes to the bigger wheel guns.

        • I bought one of the first .357 models when it came out. I never made it through a single box of .357 but it shot through hundreds of .38 without issue. You’ll likely cause permanent nerve damage to your hand before the gun breaks. With the tamer grip (air pocket at the web) it was rough, but with CT laser grips (hard polymer) it was unbearable.

      • Just wait for the larger, revolver versions. Polymer/metal revolvers are a lot easier, and more economical, to manufacture. There is a lot less machining to do and the LCR is the test ground for larger versions. Ruger is already in this process. Have you noticed the LCRx?

    • You are in luck, Ruger just announced addition of LCR 9mm with 3′ barrel in d/sa and moon clips. No bitching about moon clips, can carry them on your belt in revolver Speed loader case like any .38 special caliber revolver , not hard to load/unload, not delicate made with airplane aluminum.
      Tell you what I ordered s set of moon clips for the new LCR to see if would fit my SP101 9mm revolver, it did not so first person who buys the LCR I send you the set at no charge

      • I just bought an LCR in 9mm so if you have those moon clips I could use them.

        I paid $471 for it but it takes .38 Special out of my ammo locker. I shoot 9mm almost exclusively now.

        Thanks!

        • Finally got around to buying the 9mm version so keeping moon clips after all. Just can’t beat the trigger pull on LCR’s.

        • Well, finally brought the LCR 9mm revolver recently so keeping the moon clips. A year plus out branded clips are readily available on E bay. After market clips also available. Put some hefty rounds though it yesterday, very pleased trigger is as smooth & crisp as the .38 which I’ll pass on to my husband!

  2. Not if you had to use moon clips. Out of a snubbie the 9 does nothing so much better than the .38 to justify the xtra cost and the hassle of moon clips.

  3. If I could get it with external hammer in 9mm, yea, I would be interested. Their webpage is a bit detail lacking.

  5. An LCR in 9mm, I like it. For all the LEOS and others who carry a 9mm for their EDC this make a perfect bug gun. The reliability of a revolver chambered in a round they already carry, whats not to like. Also for someone like me who is looking for a revolver to fill out a hole in my collection, having one in a caliber that I already shoot and reload for is a plus. No additional expense for another caliber to feed and reload for. I do wish they would come out with an pistol caliber carbine for the SR series I already have, again purely for the interchangeability of the magazines, not having another caliber to feed and simplicity of having a group of firearms that work together as an economical system.

    • That kind of makes sense. I don’t think it’s really being marketed to semi-owners-that-might-want-a-revolver-but-don’t-want-to-add-another-caliber though. For defense I can’t see any advantage (more types of defense ammo out there I guess, but you only need one type of defensive ammo, the one that works). For target shooting (S&W makes bigger, longer 9mm wheel guns) I also don’t see any advantage. 9mm is cheaper, but NOTHING is cheaper or easier than reloading your own .38 specials. An answer to a question no one asked?

    • I’ll tell you what not to like: the extra 4 ounces of weight. The version in 38 Spl +P is 13 oz; the same in 9mm is 17 oz. In fact, 9mm seems to be as heavy as LCR chambered in .357!

      Given that efficiency-wise, 9mm does not really offer anything over .38 +P, I don’t see the point of this trade-off at all. It’s not like .38 ammo is expensive, either, and there’s no lack of good loads.

      • .38 is still more extensive than 9mm.
        As for the extra weight, it comes from the steel frame vs aluminum, which is a good thing, given their higher pressures put out by 9mm and 9mm+P.

        • .38 Special isn’t that much more expensive than 9mm. At a nickel a round price difference, and the 9mm LCR priced at $70 more than the .38 version, you have to shoot 1400 rounds before you break even on the cheaper ammo. That’s not worth the tradeoff of having to dick around with moon clips, in my opinion.

      • The 9mm is substantially more powerful than .38 special. Even the standard 9mm will outperform the .38+p. The only downside is you might want to check out shootingthebull’s videos on short barrel 9mm performance before choosing your ammo, you’d be lucky to get 3″ auto velocities out of a 1.875″ revolver.

  7. Hassle of moon clips? You obviously have never used moon clips! Moon clips aid reloading in an amazing fashion because the 5 rounds are kept together without any bulk. In the competition world, shooters MUCH prefer the rimless cases of the 9mm and 45acp over any of the rimmed cartridges!

    • Speaking as a guy who carries a GP Wiley Clapp, I’d love to carry 2 3 round moon clips as opposed to a speed loader, but a full moon clip, not so much of an advantage. I’ve got some Bianchi speed strips, which are kind of handy since they fit flat in your pocket, but I usually don’t even carry those. Then again, there’s a fairly significant difference between 9mm and .357 magnum.

    • Question: Can you load the revolver without moon clips?

      I realize unloading may be a problem, but if you had to, in a pinch, can you just load the 9mm rounds into the cylinders? Will that work? Thanks.

  8. Meh. The .357 version gets you what you need in that bore size. This gun is really missing out on the 6-shot option, .327 federal.

    Or, step up the size, let’s talk about a 3″ .44 spl or .41 mag.

    • I really like the idea behind .327FM (fitting 6 into a compact frame), but it seems to already have died out. Both Ruger and Taurus had stopped making them last I checked. I also like the flexibility of using .32 S&W or .32 H&R magnum in the same gun.

      • Ruger is still making three .327 magnums in Lipsey’s distributor exclusive single sixes. Other than that, I’m not sure anyone is making a firearm chambered in the round. Sad state of affairs IMHO, but I think it’s a round that gets a lot of people thinking, ‘I’d like revolver like that’ and not so many thinking, ‘I’m going to buy a revolver like that.’

  9. I have an LCR in .357 that lives in my front pocket (almost) every day. I really don’t see the point in making this more complicated. The hardest part was choosing ammunition; I finally settled on 135gr Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel Personal Protection.

    As an aside, the LCR .357 does NOT like .38 target ammo of any kind.

    • You couldn’t be more wrong about the LCR 357 not liking .38 target load… Since I bought mine, I have only put .38 +P white box federal 158 gr. lead target load through mine (over 400 rounds easy), and have never had a single problem. Maybe you got a lemon…

  10. I typically get my Rugers for 10 to 20 percent off MSRP (paid $470 for a 38+P LCR) , so street price should be low 500’s.

    Not sure I have much interest in a 9 mm version, though.

  11. I’d love for them to make a 3 inch barreled in 357. That way I could have the extra velocity without having the weight of an Sp101.

    • “’I’d love for them to make a 3 inch barreled in 357″ Ruger does, it’s called SP100 3” barrel .357/.38 6 rounds. I have the Talo version. Also have Ruger LCR .38 and vintage Rurger SP 101 9mm double/single action. Love the ease of reloading with moon clips.

      • As much as I love my 3″ SP101, it is a brick. A 3″ LCR or better yet LCRx with a fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear sight would make a heck of a trail gun as it would be a lot lighter than the 3″ SP101.

  12. I was hoping you guys would post something up on this. I love it. I almost bought the .357, but hesitated due to ammo cost/availability. The street price should drop down to .357 price once the newness factor wears off. I don’t get all the hate over moon clips. They’re faster than speed loaders. I also wish they made all their revolvers using the cam trigger. They could put S&W performance center in a real bind then.

    • I don’t hate moon clips. But they’re an extra step that isn’t needed with rimmed rounds. It’s nice to have speed loaders. But the gun runs fine without them.

      Had a 1917 Smith in .45 acp. Without the clips it was time to do like a math prof and work them out with a pencil.

      • Moon clips are fine for range or competition use, but for street carry, it’s far too easy to bend a metal clip, which will then bind and prevent firing if loaded into the weapon. Synthetic clips may be more resistant to this problem, but damage-protected concealed carry of clipped rounds is no easier than CC of a conventional speedloader of rimmed rounds, in my experience.

        jwm covered it well: “I don’t hate moon clips. But they’re an extra step that isn’t needed with rimmed rounds.”

    • The only way to atone for this heresy would be for Ruger to put out a LCR 5-shot in .44 Special.

      Then we could forgive them.

      • Or a .45 ACP with 5 shot moon clips? Or a 10mm/.40 with 5 shot moon clips? To me it’s hard to beat the thrill of seeing how quick you can shoot/unload/reload 5 or 6 cylinders before a hand massage.

    • Hold on there Ralph, I have a vintage Ruger SP101 9mm revolver, 2.25″ barrel, 5 rounds
      in steel moon clips, can eject spent moon clip & drop in another without having to take my eye off a bad guy in SD situation, that would be 10 rounds in a matter of seconds. Due to all steel construction, recoil, muzzle flip minimal, not picky about what brand of 9mm I feed it, has never jammed, can’t stove pipe jam or double feed, go out of battery, it’s so broken in trigger pull weight about the same as my LCR .38, with smooth as satin double action.
      I have a number of pistols but SP 101 9mm revolver will replace them & even LCR as every day carry once back from gunsmith with XS front sight.

  15. Our oldest is an RN about to get her own place,due to school out of town last few years, she only makes it to my range 4 or so times a year.

    She shoots my Shield 9mm great,but can’t load the mags,and racks the slide fine most of the time…..add in this is the safety,slide release ,mag release take down lever,how to,clear ftf,fte how to strip and clean vs a wheel gun,the wheel gun offers a lot. My steel,frame snubbie she shoots ok but does not like its trigger or recoil,small hands newish shooter . She does deer hunt with a 20 ga 870 just fine though.

    The LCR she dry fired really well, was going to go,with 357 and load .38 but now if recoil is less this might be the winner.

  16. I don’t think it does anything the .38 version doesn’t already do well. Ruger and S&W (and others?) have tried chambering revolvers in 9mm before, but it generally doesn’t do well commercially. They even tried making a rimmed version of the 9mm called 9mm Federal back in the day. Doesn’t matter – 9mm revolvers just seem to not go far. Ruger at least just adapted an existing gun with existing parts, so the gamble isn’t much. They’ll sell a few, then I expect them to be discontinued or only made on special very occasional runs.

  18. I don’t see it personally but might be a good BUG if you carry a double stack 9 like a glock 19 or similar and want to have the same ammo. Or maybe for the wife in the same scenario and you want to keep one type of ammo around the house for simplicity’s sake. But again, there’s a few really nice single stack 9 subcompacts out there for the Her’s gun. I would rather her struggle with the slide at home not under stress when she is loading it in her purse or holster than struggle with a long heavy DA trigger pull every shot if god forbid she has to use it.

    To each his own though.

    • The LCR’s trigger isn’t anything close to being the stereotypical DA trigger pull most people are used to. I personally feel the LC9’s trigger has a way longer pull and maybe even heavier. If I was going to give a gun to someone who wasn’t comfortable with practicing the manual of arms for a semi then this would be it. To each their own though. Doesn’t matter what you carry as long as you do.

    • I was trying to make it work in my mind, too, but it’s just not fitting. If the allure it to share ammo between the primary and backup, then you may as well share magazines, too, and go with a G17/G19 paired up with a G26. But that leaves this revolver out of the picture.

      Alternately, you could flip the script and use a revolver as your primary and an SA 9mm as your backup. Something like a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible (.357/9mm cylinders) and, say, an LC9, would fit the bill. Again, that leaves this revolver out of the picture. Those Blackhawks are just single action, though, so maybe not the best option for CC.

      I don’t know, interesting idea, but there are probably superior options out there, especially for the money.

  20. Wife just bought the .357 mag version last week.

    Since I already have 9mm reloading dies, bullets and 1,000+ empty cases… well, I kinda wish I had known this was coming.

    One thing I did notice about her LCR – There’s a lot of daylight in the gap between the cylinder and barrel. Chronographed velocity certainly doesn’t measure up to cartridge box specs, possibly because of too much pressure loss in that gap?

  21. Yes, I want one. I have standardized to mostly 9mm guns and while I like revolvers I am not eager to get back into .38 special or .357. This just climbed to the top of my “I want it” list.

  23. Might be great for some shooters , love Ruger’s but hate moon clips , have been on a waiting list for a CA Pitbull for over a year , just like the idea of no moon clips , it might make it but then again it might not . Be prepared and ready . Keep your powder dry .

  24. No thanks! I just don’t get revolvers. Maybe revolver-love is a product of growing up watching old westerns. I mean, a whole 5 shots before a reload is required? Seriously??!? I will stick with my LCP with a 7 round back-up mag any day. Or my Glock-brand GLOCK 26.

    • No I just don’t get auto loaders. Maybe auto loader-love is a product of growing up playing video games. I mean, the possibility of a loaded gun just stopping and having to be cleared under stress? Seriously??!? I will stick with my guns that always go bang any day. Or my other guns that also always go bang.

      • If you have a semi-auto, what is the chance that it will fail to cycle properly?
        If you have a revolver, what is the chance that you will want/need more than 5-6 rounds?

        You can do your own risk vs. reward calculations. Law enforcement and military organizations have run the numbers and decided on modern semi-auto pistols.

        To each his own.

      • Thanks Alpo. You should remember, it was the auto lovers who game us the spray and pray technique. With them, it becomes less and less important to hit your target.

    • See how a .22lr NAA Mini just *poof*, disappears in a pocket, grasshopper, and you will understand the gestalt of revolver…

    • Revolvers have several appealing virtues to them:

      – you never need to worry about the “tap-rack-bang” drill on a revolver.
      – or limp-wristing it
      – there’s no issue of trying to rack the slide for people with weaker hands/grip strength
      – if a round fails to fire, you just pull the trigger again.
      – you don’t eject brass all over the place.
      – for those who don’t like any safety in the way of getting down to business, most revolvers have no safety.
      – unlike most modern striker-fired semi’s, a revolver with an external hammer cocked into SA mode often has a very nice trigger pull compared to a striker pistol.

      There’s lots of reasons to like revolvers. For those who don’t like revolvers, hey, that’s cool as well. The nice thing about the modern gun market (compared to the 1960’s to 1970’s) is that now there is a great profusion of well-built semi-auto defensive pistols. From 1990 to today, the market has dismissed revolvers too easily, and I for one, and glad to see gun companies re-discovering the virtues of revolvers for certain applications and gun owners who prefer them.

    • Off the top of my head I can think of at least 2 times reported on TTAG of a semi jamming or failing to fire because of contact with the hostile. 1 was zimmerman and the other was a cop.

      In another case the wounded good guy grabbed his sig with a blood soaked hand, got the grip wrong and it jammed. Fortunately he was able to discard the sig and go to a revolver.

      Revolvers are not for every one. Mass produced plastic semi’s are for those folk that don’t get revolvers.

  26. I have the LCR 357, carrying 38+p, and was tempted to go the 9mm route when I saw this but 1) it is the heaviest of all of the LCRs, I read, and 2) do I get much ballistic advantage with a 9mm snubbie vs 38+p snubbie? If I’m carrying a 9mm I can use my Beretta Nano for a BUG, it conceals more easily than the LCR.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my LCR and often throw it in a pocket for a BUG with some speed strips tucked in a pocket. Just not sure I can justify buying another one just for 9mm. To someone new to the platform, this might make good sense. Particularly in a LEO setting where everyone is carrying 9mm, if you need to hand your BUG off to someone else a revolver is nice – no worries about the particular operation/safeties/slide releases/etc etc. Point and shoot. Repeat.

    • Yeah, the weight is what made me suddenly disinterested in it. If it were built on the alloy frame at the same weight as the .38 but with the more powerful 9mm round, it would be a deal. But based on the steel frame, you might as well get a .357 mag version and have the option of .38 +P+ or reduced recoil .357. If moonclips are a plus for you, there are several gunsmiths that will cut a moonclip recess into the LCR cylinder.

      http://www.moonclips.com/content/machine.asp

  27. I like it. 9mm is much cheaper than factory .38, and while there may not be a ballistic advantage it’s an option. I’m already set for reloading 9mm too. Not so much for .38, even if it would be easy.

  28. The ammo compatibility part is why main ccw is M&P 40pro bug is M&P 40c same ammo in a pinch full size mag will seat in the compact

  29. At the very least, Ruger should have given it a longer barrel, IMHO. Many 9mm self defense rounds under perform when fired from pocket pistols with 3″ barrels, so why would you want to go even shorter? Also, it’s taller, wider, longer, heavier, holds two less rounds, has 1 1/8″ less barrel length, has a worse trigger, and retails for $140 more than a Kahr CM9. Don’t get me wrong. I love revolvers. In fact, the original LCR is on my short list of guns to buy. But I really don’t understand Ruger’s reasoning on this one. At all.

    • ‘But I really don’t understand Ruger’s reasoning on this one. At all.’

      Never second guess Sturm Ruger & Co, when it comes to figuring out what the shooting public will buy. They are experts.

      • I have to agree, certainly during the era when Bill Ruger was alive. Ruger has had fewer missteps than most other gun companies out there, and their products strike an excellent balance between quality and affordable pricing.

        I think my next CCW piece will be a SR1911, Commander-sized. But these LCR’s certainly have my interest for pocket carry.

  30. I can’t afford anything right now, but I would be interested because of the price and availability of 9mm as opposed to .38 or .357. I’m curious, could you fire .380 rounds out of this with moon clips? They’re the same diameter right? That obviously wouldn’t be any cheaper, but I like the idea of having ammunition versatility. Could one gun fire all these rounds with the use of moon clips on the rimless rounds. That’s what I’ll take!

    • Oh, I hadn’t thought about the .380 angle! One of the gunsmiths here, please ‘splain why this wouldn’t work.

    • .380 diameter is slightly less than 9mm. Have the vintage sp101, milled for both but hard to use moon clips with .380 too loose in moon clip. Might go with Charter Arms Pit Bull 9mm rather than Ruger
      CA costs less & 6 vs 5 rounds. CH makes better looking revolvers now. Will put laser sight back on LCR .38 and give it my husband, he’s not a pistol kinda guy, revolver & longs only.

  31. Nice to see a 9mm snub again. Can work very well for folks with smaller hands or 1’s that have problems with grip for a lot of reasons. I use a smith 340pd but will add 1 or more of these to my collection. The power to weight to control ratio should be good. Moon clips like all things have good and bad. Depends on each person use and scenario.

  32. as an unashamed revolver fan, iI want to provide some data here. Gun test magazine in their march 2013 issue compared the charter 9mm to several 38’s .
    The 9mm produced 378ftlbs average with the 38+p at 305 ft lbs . It will be a LOT better than standard 38 ammo.
    The price diffrence for comparable ammo was quoted at $ .28 per round. The energy diffrence is not supprising considering the 9m is a highter pressure round.

    that said , either caliber will work.

    those energy figures are from an actual chrono test of real revolvers. the most reliable data.

    • foot lbs mena nothing. Its woud cavity an penetriation. 9MM rounds are not optimized for
      1 7/8 inch barrel so will act like a FMJ. Several 38 rounds have been optimized for short barrels.

  33. OK, so I am not some uber-guru of guns like you massive-bearded Duck dynasty hillbillies.

    But I was raised to honor the flag, uphold the constitution, etc. Never thought about actually owning a gun.

    That is, until the current presidency really got me thinking. So I did some research. Ended up with the LCR .357 magnum.

    I’m a small boned, physically diminutive guy. But the LCR .357 is a pleasure. I amaze myself with its accuracy. As in, DEAD center of target at 15 yards.

    The hogue tamer grips + the patented trigger are a genuinely useful technological advancement in concealable guns. Having the security of a revolver is awesome.

    I’ve also bought (non-Ruger) semi auto pistols and have had several misfeeds. While I carry both, I would probably go for the revolver in a life threatening situation. It’s just that good.

    So coming from a relative novice to guns, I think this gun is probably a winner if the .357 is any indication.

  35. Five-hundred and ninety-nine dollars!? /christuckervoice

    I’d trade in my pocket carry tomorrow for that weapon but that is novelty gun pricing. No sale.

  37. Ok, Ruger, good job. Now, how about a convertible version of the LCR; one that would come with fitted cylinders for both the .357/.38 and the 9mm. Seems like it wouldn’t be too difficult to produce, since they sometimes do it for other models, like the Blackhawk.

  38. Why carry a .357 loaded with .38 special? That’s like owning a Corvette and never hitting sixth gear.

    • In a word: recoil. At least that may be the case for me. I see your point, however.
      I could also imagine some other perhaps less significant advantages to carrying a .357 loaded with .38 special: quicker follow-up shots; less noise and muzzle flash, which could be a factor in a home defense situations; and finally, if someone trains with .38 special, they may want to carry the same round, for familiarity sake.

  40. I think there may one more ‘tactical’ advantage to the choice of 9mm in this revolver: As short as the 9mm round is compared to .38 or .357, the 9mm should have a lot more empty space in the cylinder in front of the bullet if the cylinder is roughly the same size across all three calibers. So the possibility of a 9mm bullet slipping forward in an unfired case (during recoil) far enough to protrude from the front of the cylinder and jam the gun is significantly less, as the unseated 9mm bullet would have to move a lot further to clear the cylinder.

    This phenomenon does occasionally occur in ultra-light revolvers shooting hot loads when the shooter does not brace the gun well enough. If you were injured/weakened and shooting a .357 in a scandium J-frame S&W while limp wristing for example, it is probably more likely to happen than when shooting a 9mm +p in the LCR. At least it seems so to me.

  41. Farago, I think you are missing the whole point of this revolver.
    Most people who will buy the LCR 9mm will do so because they want to enjoy the LCR design in a centerfire caliber that is less expensive to shoot than the other calibers you mention. It seems you are so concerned about splitting hairs about ballistics that you failed to see the forest through the trees…..

  42. Here is my story:
    6 months ago I purchased an LCR 9 mm revolver. I really liked it – it shoots well, recoil is manageable. After around 300 shots fired one day all of a sudden the trigger went “limp”. It stayed at rear position and wasn’t returning to forward position by itself after a shot. I called Ruger Customer Service, they took it back and fixed it – said the release button had to be replaced. Got the gun back. After a 150 rounds or less I couldn’t close the cylinder after reloading. It turned out the firing pin stuck in forward position and interfered with the cylinder (obviously it disconnected from the trigger somehow). Called Ruger again and they are taking it back for another repair…..It could be just a bad luck with this particular gun but it seems too much for 6 months and a total of 450 rounds fired. On a side note: the only ammo I have used is factory loaded Fiocchi 124 gr.

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