There's a rumor running around that Ruger is going to be making an LCR chambered in .357 Magnum. This is interesting to me in that the LCR would then rocket to the top of the "may buy" list for this year - perhaps not ahead of the PM9, but certainly in the running. The LCR in .38 Special is approved for sale in MA; there's no reason to suspect the .357 Magnum variant wouldn't follow suit.
When I bought my 360, the gentleman at the gun shop suggested the hammerless 340 instead. Being somewhat old school, I chose the exposed hammer (Chief's Special) 360 instead, reasoning that it would work better for IWB or ankle carry. Naturally, I've ankle-carried the gun once or twice, and IWB in a holster than doesn't have a top strap, completely negating the advantage offered by the exposed hammer. For pocket carry I've been using the shrouded hammer (Bodyguard) model 38, as the covered hammer doesn't snag on the draw. If I hit the lottery I'd pick up a 340 to complement the 360, but at $700+ for the 340 vs. $400 for the 642/442, and how little I shoot .357 Magnum, I just can't justify spending the extra $300.
Now Ruger throws this wrinkle into the mix. If they offer the LCR in .357 Magnum for the same price as the .38 Special (currently hitting shelves somewhere around $400 ATM), I'd be very tempted to pick one up. I've received a favorable report on the LCR in .38 Special (still haven't seen that Range Report, you know who I'm talking about...), and have been a fan of Ruger wheelguns for a long time - my Security Six in .357 Magnum is the first gun I ever purchased. If the price for the LCR in .357 Magnum is comparable to the price of the S&W 642/442, it becomes a serious contender.
Why the .357 Magnum over the .38 Special +P for a lightweight pocket pistol that will see an almost exclusive diet of .38 Special ammo? There's the flexibility of ammunition selection - it's nice to be able to use anything for light .38 Special wadcutters for practice to red hot 125 grain .357 Magnum screamers for personal protection (albeit painfully so...). There's also longevity concerns - while both the Smith & Wesson 638 and the Ruger LCR in .38 Special are rate for +P ammo, it's possible that a steady diet of the higher powered round could lead to premature wear on the revolver. Not so much in a .357 Magnum, however.
Besides, there's something that just kicks the "IGOTTAHAVEIT-ITIS" into high gear when talking about a polymer-framed wheelgun in .357 Magnum...
That is all.
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9 comments:
Sometimes something comes along that just sings. It is the Preciouses, and must be gotten from nasty display case, gollum.
My most recent such item was a Ruger SP-101 with a 3 inch barrel. I like it for an number of reasons and it is currently my regular c-carry piece. I'm not sure how I feel about a LCR in .357, but if you get one, I have two questions for your range report.
Comparing .38, .38+P, and .357 out of the snubbie, what are the differences in felt recoil, and, over a chronograph, how much difference in velocity is there out of the short barrel?
I like the extra weight of the SP-101, which would be missing in an LCR, and am curious about how much difference it makes.
LCR in .357Mag? My hand hurts just thinking about it.
38+P is plenty as far as I'm concerned. I like Speer's 135gr short barrel load. I just picked up half a case of it for a good price (50c/round).
My friend's LCR is excellent. The trigger is much better than my 442. The recoil feels a little less, probably because of flex in the polymer frame. The only downside of that is the sights track funny, but it's not like I'd shoot matches with it anyway.
One of the guys I work around just bought a LCR last week. The first thing we thought, simultaneously, when I sent him the link to this, was
OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!
Regards,
Rabbit.
Hmm, a 13 ounce revolver with .357 Magnum in it...
How 'bout I just beat the guy to death? It'd probably do less damage to my hand.
Alrightalrightalright, it'll be up tomorrow morning :)
Hmmm.... I have the S&W 642 Power Port, my bride doesn't like to shoot it with the current grips cause it impacts her hand in a certain place. She really likes the LCR... she carries the Kahr P9, she would like to get something a tad lighter... The wheels, they be a turnin'!!!!
I gotta say I'm as happy with my S&W642 as I could be with any other gun. In the end I'm not even sure how different a .38 Sp +P load differs from a .357 Load given the difference in the amount of flash between the two. How much of that magnum load of powder is just there to start fires and burst eardrums, vs. fling lead?
In the end I'll be keeping my 642 because you can't beat a small light revolver for it's versatility in carry and convenience.
Still I'd rather just augment my collection with a similar idea, but in a revolver platform like the Kahr PM9.
Did you read my range report on the LCR?
http://nugun.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/the-ruger-lcr-and-me/
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