OT - Ruger LCP **Updated** 3-27-10

[deerwhacker444]

I'm going to get one of these pistols, but not sure which one yet. They seem nearly identical. For those of you that own one, why did you choose one over the other.? Any differences between the two?

Are these pistols cocked or uncocked when a round is placed in the chamber. I want to carry it in my pocket but don't want to blow my twig n berries off, and don't like carrying a pistol cocked with a safety on.

Any thoughts...?

[Hobie]

It seems to me that aside from the small price difference it is a matter of personal preference. They look enough different, feel enough different but don't shoot enough different or hold up worse than the other enough to make any difference at all.

[JB]

I own the Kel-Tec because I bought one way before the Ruger came out. I've looked the Ruger's over, but they don't offer anything to me the Kel-Tec doesn't.

[Tycer]

I bought my P3AT before the LCP was announced. I always have it with me, even when I'm carrying other guns. I've never had FTF, FTE or DF with any ammo. It puts the bullet where I point. I made a 2 mag carrier out of a piece of Kydex I got on fleabay.

[tman]

take a look at the keltecpf9. a little bigger, but not by much. one more round in the mag, 9mm is generally a big step up from the .380. i carry the pocket pistols in a pocket(no holster) with the chamber empty. not exactly the answer you are looking for. just another look.

[Tycer]

The P3AT is a double action only pistol. You are not going to accidentally pull the trigger.

I did superglue a red pencil eraser to the frame behind the trigger as an overtravel stop. It made a wonderful change in trigger reset. Oh, and I also used some knead-type epoxy to fit the frame to the web of my hand.

[jkbrea]

I have a Ruger LCP I've carried for about a year and so far no problems. It feeds well and is surprisingly accuate under 25 yards. It is very light to the point I forget it's in my pocket holster, I'm afraid I'll throw it into the washer by mistake. There is no safety, just load, rack, and carry. Trigger pull is decent for a compact. I suggest you get the magazine with the small extension to get a better grip. Either way, Good luck.

[olyinaz]

The Ruger has one major advantage for some people over the extremely similar Kel-Tec and that's the shape of the grip. My hand is large enough that my thumb accidentally hits the mag release on my Kel-Tec when I shoot it enough that the gun will not work for me. The Ruger has a small thumb depression and ridge in the grip above the mag release such that I do not have that problem with the Ruger.

Have had ZERO failures to feed with both of my my Kel-Tecs (I have the double stack 9mm also and it's a deadly CC pistol if ever there were one) and I cannot say a single bad thing about them, but sometimes a pistol just doesn't work for any given person and you have to discover that. CHECK YOUR GRIP very carefully - look to see where your thumb is falling when you give a good strong battle grip on the pistol. You may find that, as with me, the Ruger is the better choice for you.

Best,
Oly

[jdad]

The Ruger has one major advantage for some people over the extremely similar Kel-Tec and that's the shape of the grip. My hand is large enough that my thumb accidentally hits the mag release on my Kel-Tec when I shoot it enough that the gun will not work for me. The Ruger has a small thumb depression and ridge in the grip above the mag release such that I do not have that problem with the Ruger.

Have had ZERO failures to feed with both of my my Kel-Tecs (I have the double stack 9mm also and it's a deadly CC pistol if ever there were one) and I cannot say a single bad thing about them, but sometimes a pistol just doesn't work for any given person and you have to discover that. CHECK YOUR GRIP very carefully - look to see where your thumb is falling when you give a good strong battle grip on the pistol. You may find that, as with me, the Ruger is the better choice for you.

Best,
Oly

I got rid of my P3AT after 2 weeks, for exactly that reason. Every time I drew it out of my pocket I could only get 1 round off.

I'm sticking with my S&W 642.

[olyinaz]

I got rid of my P3AT after 2 weeks, for exactly that reason. Every time I drew it out of my pocket I could only get 1 round off.

I'm sticking with my S&W 642.

Yep, it's too bad because I got a good deal on it and I like the pistol in other respects but it just isn't going to work for me.

Oly

[Dave]

Over time I have seen a lot of guys buy Kel Tecs. They seem to run hot and cold. You may get a good one or you may get one that will never run right. I never bought one because of that.

I got an LCP for my wife and she loves it. While it looks the same as a Kel Tec the build quality is much better. The polymer of the Kel Tec is sure enough plastic, but the polymer used by Ruger seems almost like aluminum.

The Kel Tecs have a big following and you are supposed to do a "fluff and buff" job on them. I think that info can be found on the KTOG website. I know a guy who killed a doe at about 10 yards with a front on head shot with a 32 cal Kel Tec.

Since they cost about the same money I would choose the LCP.

[MrMurphy]

I had a P32 years ago.

The LCP is slightly bigger, a few changes (mag release, etc) and appears more "finished" being a Ruger.

I'm contemplating one for my "gun when i don't have a real gun" days when concealing a .45 is not possible.

[Hobie]

Now, if you want a good pistol that fits a bit better for about the same price try the Diamondback Arms DB-380. Keltec P3AT mags will function in the gun because it is made by former Keltec engineers. However, the grip shape and the trigger and the sights are much better (in my opinion) than either the P3AT or the LCP. Crimson Trace has indicated that they might be producing a laser for this gun in the near future.

[alnitak]

Now, if you want a good pistol that fits a bit better for about the same price try the Diamondback Arms DB-380. Keltec P3AT mags will function in the gun because it is made by former Keltec engineers. However, the grip shape and the trigger and the sights are much better (in my opinion) than either the P3AT or the LCP. Crimson Trace has indicated that they might be producing a laser for this gun in the near future.

My vote would be for the Kahr P380, though I have heard good things about the Diamondback. I like the looks and the grip angle of the DB380 better than either the LCP or P3AT, and the DB uses a locking barrel, rather than blowback, IIRC. That is supposed to reduce the sometimes harsh recoil found with the P3AT and LCP.

I believe the "made by former Keltec engineers" is a false rumor though. You might want to check it out. I've seen it disputed on other boards.

[olyinaz]

I looked at that Diamondback and it looks like there's a place for the thumb to rest so perhaps it would work for me but I KNOW that the Ruger, with it's well defined thumb ridge, will work so I'm probably going to stick with that. I just wish Ruger made the .32 ACP version as Kel-Tec does - dang thing weighs practically nothing.

Best,
Oly

[ceb]

My dealer had both the LCP and P3AT at the same price. Fit and finish of the Ruger was far better so it followed me home. I've owned it about a year, put 350 rounds through it now. Its in my pocket as I type this.

These guns function much like a double action revolver. Takes a long pull of the trigger to fire it. Perfectly safe to me. Sights are small, but a dab of white paint helps a lot. Mine will shoot into 2" or so at 7yds. Below is a pic of a target I shot recently, top group is 7rds at 7yds as fast as I could get back on target and the bottom is 6rds fired in the same fashion at 15yds.



.380 ain't my first choice in calibers, a 1911 in .45acp is my top choice for a SD handgun, but this thing is so small that if legal theres no reason not to have it.

[Hobie]

Now, if you want a good pistol that fits a bit better for about the same price try the Diamondback Arms DB-380. Keltec P3AT mags will function in the gun because it is made by former Keltec engineers. However, the grip shape and the trigger and the sights are much better (in my opinion) than either the P3AT or the LCP. Crimson Trace has indicated that they might be producing a laser for this gun in the near future.

My vote would be for the Kahr P380, though I have heard good things about the Diamondback. I like the looks and the grip angle of the DB380 better than either the LCP or P3AT, and the DB uses a locking barrel, rather than blowback, IIRC. That is supposed to reduce the sometimes harsh recoil found with the P3AT and LCP.

I believe the "made by former Keltec engineers" is a false rumor though. You might want to check it out. I've seen it disputed on other boards.

Some couple of people who have talked with them have told me that. I think one was Jeff Quinn and the other was my boss man. http://www.diamondbackfirearms.com/

There's a lot of subjectivity in judging these small guns as everyone's hand is different and the feel is critical to one's opinion. From what I've seen there isn't much difference in quality or in reliability.

[2ndovc]

I couldn't get a good grip on either one so I ended up with a Sig P238.
So far no complaints.

jb

[lthardman]

As stated above, the P3-AT is double action only. There is quite a bit of travel on that trigger. Hard to imagine it going off by accident based on trigger movement.

Being honest, I had to give up my P3-AT because it was just too small for my meat hooks. Nothing wrong with the gun, just the shooter.

[alnitak]

Now, if you want a good pistol that fits a bit better for about the same price try the Diamondback Arms DB-380. Keltec P3AT mags will function in the gun because it is made by former Keltec engineers. However, the grip shape and the trigger and the sights are much better (in my opinion) than either the P3AT or the LCP. Crimson Trace has indicated that they might be producing a laser for this gun in the near future.

My vote would be for the Kahr P380, though I have heard good things about the Diamondback. I like the looks and the grip angle of the DB380 better than either the LCP or P3AT, and the DB uses a locking barrel, rather than blowback, IIRC. That is supposed to reduce the sometimes harsh recoil found with the P3AT and LCP.

I believe the "made by former Keltec engineers" is a false rumor though. You might want to check it out. I've seen it disputed on other boards.

Some couple of people who have talked with them have told me that. I think one was Jeff Quinn and the other was my boss man. http://www.diamondbackfirearms.com/

There's a lot of subjectivity in judging these small guns as everyone's hand is different and the feel is critical to one's opinion. From what I've seen there isn't much difference in quality or in reliability.

I didn't see a reference in JQ's article. One example of what I've seen several times, but don't know for sure:

Posted 24 November 2009 - 07:03 PM

Nemo, on Nov 23 2009, 07:57 PM, said:

open17, on Nov 23 2009, 07:14 PM, said:

Are the companies related? Looks like they are .57 miles apart on the same street--or is it another
spin-off from KelTec?


I e-mailed Kel-Tec today asking that question.

Their response: No relation. "

[deerwhacker444]

Well,..I decided to get a Ruger LCP after handling the 2 different pistols. Thanks for all the input.

For those who haven't held these pistols, they border on tiny. It's not much bigger than a deck of cards, and probably weighs less. It slips right into my front pocket and is hardly noticible. I snapped a few pictures just for show. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, probably get a chance on Monday.

I found out 380 ACP ammo is hard to find. Luckily Academy had a few boxes. $25/box for Hornady's Critical Defense ammo. That's $1.00/round..... Looks like I might have to start reloading these as well.

[BobM]

Deerwhacker, for what it's worth I was at a Hornady ballistics demo a few weeks ago and I saw that 380 round fired into ballistice gelatin. I thought it had a good balance of penetration and expansion for a 380, especially through the clothing barrier they used.

[ceb]

deerwhacker444, good choice, give us a report when you shoot her. Just a FYI, the only problems I've had with my LCP is 3 rounds of that Hornady Critical Defense that failed to fire on the first hit. When I reloaded and tried it again, they all fired normally. I have run 2 boxes through my gun so I have had 3 failures in 50rds. I personally will not use this as carry ammo till I am sure this has been addressed. There has been a fair amount of talk over on elsiepea.com about hard primers in this ammo. According to some its already been fixed, but I'll wait awhile. By the way, elsiepea is all about the LCP, lots of info about your gun there.

I've been finding Winchester .380 100 packs at Wally World on occasion, usually around $32.00 a hundred. Its pretty good ammo.

[Hobie]

If you haven't done so get a pocket holster. It does two things. One, it protects that trigger from unintentional manipulations. Two, it makes certain the pistol is correctly positioned in the pocket so that you can find that tiny grip without looking like you've got an itch.