The popular Ruger LCRx has gotten a bit bigger with the introduction of a 3-inch barreled model.
The Ruger LCR line has earned a dedicated following for some pretty good reasons. In short, the revolvers are highly concealable and offer the reliability inherent to the platform.
But the New Hampshire/Arizona manufacturer is taking a bit of a departure in the most recent addition to the line. Ruger recently announced it is introducing a 3-inch barreled model of the LCRx, giving shooters all the virtues of a longer barrel on the innovative revolver.
For all intents and purposes, the extended barrel should add up to a more controllable handgun. The longer barrel means the gun has a bit more weight where it counts, the muzzle. In turn, the felt recoil should be reduced on the new .38 Special +P.
The new LCRx could also be a more versatile handgun than its predecessors. Like the other guns in the line, the new LCRx is light and small enough to be a concealed carry option. It weights in at 15.7 ounces and has an overall length of 7.5 inches. But with the potential added accuracy from the extended barrel, the handgun could have the ability to be a nifty recreational revolver in an affordable caliber.
Helping the LCRx's cred as a potential lights-out plinker is its exposed hammer, allowing the revolver to fire as a double- or single-action. Unfortunately, there was no data available for the trigger-pull weight for each mode at the time of writing.
While the new LCRx has a single-action option, Ruger highly touts the double-action for the line. The company's friction-reducing cam fire control system aims to be a smooth double-action trigger pull. It is suppose to build gradually and peak later in the trigger stroke, resulting in what the company says is better control and a trigger pull that feels much lighter than it actually is.
The revolver has a fully adjustable rear sight for both windage and elevation. It features a full-length Hogue Tamer Grip without finger grooves to make for more comfortable shooting. The new LCRx also comes outfitted with a grip peg, making switching grips a snap.
Like the older iterations of the LCR, the new version is made of a number of different materials, to keep it rugged, yet light. The handgun has polymer fire control housing, an aerospace grade aluminum monolithic frame, and an extensively fluted stainless steel cylinder.
The new LCRx is priced similar to the rest of the line, presently listed on the Ruger website with an MSRP of $529.
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I guess I’m wondering just how well this firearm would work, in the long run, with Ruger using dissimilar metals in this design. Usually a reaction between the different metals, results in an undesirable reaction between the electron movement within the metals. I wonder what could be done to inhibit this reaction?
I do believe that this is a nice improvement in the firearm, and I’d like to try one myself, only in .357 mag, or 38 Super.
The original Ruger LCR is a fine piece of craftsmanship, bordering upon a work of art. Extending the barrel to 3″ will be seen by many as an improvement, and by others as an unnecessary exercise in marketing. There really is no downside to THAT part, and the LCRx will still be easily concealable, and still weighs less than 16oz. But, the exposed hammer and adjustable sights may create a bit of a problem (snagging on clothing) when one attempts to bring the revolver from concealment into action. The “hammerless” and concealed hammer sidearms were designed specifically for the purpose of eliminating the possibility snagging on ones clothing when “presenting” the gun. The photo appears to show the rear sight as having slightly rounded outside corners, which should help in reducing snags, but there’s still the hammer – which looks pretty-much standard. For some reason nobody has ever offered us a revolver (DA or SA) with a rounded hammer-spur.
Ruger will, undoubtedly, kick this concealable handgun right between the goal posts. It has more upside than downside, and the Ruger name – a name which has carried a reputation for quality and dependability since the first Ruger “Standard .22 Automatic” rolled out of the factory in 1949.