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If Nick hates gun makers that change one minor thing and call it a new gun, he won’t be happy with the “new” Ruger LCRx. Why? All they’ve done is add a swept-back hammer spur so you can cock this eminently light, pocketable pistol and shoot it in single action if you fancy that. At least for now, you can only get a hammerized .38 version (+P rated). Same Hogue monogrip, same 1.875″ barrel, same great friction-reducing cam trigger. And no extra charge for that hammer spur – the LCRx has the same $529 MSRP as its hammerless sibling. Snubbies über alles!

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39 COMMENTS

      • New and improved. What did we have before, old and crappy?

        Seriously tho. I see a snubbie as a contact weapon. Hammerless is the way to go. Avoid tangling on clothes and can even fire from inside the pocket.

        • You must be a terrible shot if you can’t hit a human at more than contact distance. Consider a taser or pepper spray.

        • Who said anything about can’t? It’s just undeniable that a snubnose, hammerless revolver is perfect in a last ditch situation. It won’t jam in a contact shot, it requires no extra room to cycle, and therefore it can be fired from inside a pocket or from tight to the body.

        • That’s why I went with a 3″ barrel (Ruger SP-101). Sort of an everything gun, as you can carry it for a short time in coat pockets, etc…, but still have increased accuracy and bullet performance (especially 357 magnum). I have the hammer version, as I prefer single action option over decreased snag chances.

  2. Three things, first, that is one ugly gun..
    second, if you think the hammer is going to get tangled in your clothing, you need new clothes,
    third, one of the most useless things to put on a snub nose is a front sight….. just saying

    All that said, snub nose revolvers fill a need and serve a purpose, not like you need to worry about a perp who is a block away.

    • Gil, you don’t see any chance of the hammer getting caught as it comes out of your pocket? Unless you practice often I would expect it to catch more often than not.

    • External hammers do snag on clothes and there are plenty of videos demonstrating this. One strategy to minimize the risk of this happening is to wedge your thumb beneath the spur when drawing.

      Still, an exposed hammer on a snubby is kind of pointless IMO.

  3. Some of the folks posting should go to youtube and view Bob Munden hitting a balloon at 200 yds with a snubbie and Jerry Miculek doing the same only holding the snubbie upside down and pulling the trigger with his pinky. They both seemed to be using the sights. 😉

    • I think we can agree that Munden and Miculek are not your average shooters. The snubbie is a close range, “Oh Shit.” weapon for most folks. That’s how I see it. I have better guns for distance use. I have a single j frame hammerless for that close encounter of the ugly kind.

      • I’m with you, jwm. Some people call the snubby a 5 yard gun. I think it’s that and also the best contact weapon ever made.

  5. I still don’t see why someone should choose one of these over a pocket nine. I cannot think of one thing revolvers do that semi-autos can’t do better.

    • 5 rounds of .357 magnum in a reliable, easily pocket carried gun is better than 6 or 7 rounds in a “pocket” 9mm (like the Shield).

      When I owned a Shield, it jammed a few times. My LCR has never jammed and I doubt it ever will.

    • A revolver will give you a quick avenue to the next round in case you have a FTF, or FTE.

    • I can’t believe you said this, almost everything:

      Revolver won’t go out of battery if pressed up against an assailant, semi-auto will.

      No jams, will shoot no matter what.

      Those two alone make it a vastly superior self defense option.

  7. I believe the correct draw from pocket is thumb under spur with knuckle raised. After the barrel clears body you can quickly cock it.

    • You shouldn’t be cocking it in a defensive situation, people with snubbies should master the double action trigger pull, or they shouldn’t be carrying revolvers.

  9. I’ve seen 50 articles since the LCRx was announced, but NO ONE has measured or even described the feel of the single action. How light is it? Crisp? Is it an improvement?

    Every one praises the DAO trigger but IMHO it has a weird unusual feel on the 38 and its awful on the 22lr version.

    • Have you actually shot one, or just read the reviews? I saw the same reviews online but was still curious about the is gun so I rented one at my LGS and have put over 300 rounds through the .38 version. I LOVE the trigger on this gun! (FWIW, I also really like the trigger on Kahr’s.)

      I have not shot the .22 version, but wonder if the one in the on-line review had ever actually been shot (break-in and all that). Has anyone here actually fired the .22 version? Is it really that different from the centerfire?

    • The single action is just what you’d expect. Light and crisp. I didn’t carry anything with me to measure pull weight, but it was very nice. What do you really expect from a single action pull?

      An improvement? Over what? The double action pull? Yes, yes it is.

      If you’re an LCR fan, you’ll undoubtedly be happy with the LCRx as long as you’re not worried about it snagging. And no, I’ve never shot the .22.

    • The trigger on the DAO LCR seemed pretty good to me. I don’t own one, but I don’t think the trigger would be an obstacle to my getting proficient with one if I did.

    • I love the trigger pull on my LCR .38…very smooth and light. My wife has the .22lr, but the trigger pull isn’t that great. As far as the looks of the LCRX…it’s more of what I think a classic snubby should look like, but the snag-free draw of the hammerless version is definitely a plus.

  11. I’ve played with one of these. The hammer is so small it seems unlikely to get caught on clothing. Not saying it can’t, but it didn’t seem to be a problem drawing it from any of my pants or coat pockets.

  12. Mine is in a survival kit. I shoot better with a revolver SA when hunting. DA is great for protection from any animal; 2 or 4 legged. I am not worried about clothing snags when protecting myself, just stopping the bad guy/critter. In a survival situation I believe this gun serves my purpose. Protection and a food provider. Yes the sights make sense. If you are patient, there are plenty of animals that will get close enough for a shot from a snubbie. They are actually more accurate than people think. I know I could shoot a small dog or cat at 25 yards with mine. And yes, I would eat those if there was nothing else. . . .

  13. I bought one, I consider the hammer a classic necessity, I owned and carried a Smith Airweight snubbie, a fine gun, the Ruger seems like a nice new “take” on the classic, its lighter, better trigger, the grips are nicer, at least in my hand, 5 ronds ouf Plus P, and a hammer if I i need the SA for better reach on accuracy..whats not to like? The debate on hammer snag is endless, like anything else..its practice
    It shoots real well…..

  14. Sometimes you feel like a hammer
    Sometimes you don’t

    LCRx has Hammer
    LCR don’t

    Different hammer strokes for Different folks
    In any case having the hammer doesn’t mean you have to buy if you don’t like but, someone will and thats the beauty of it.

  15. I can hit the chest and belly area of a man sized target at 25 yards by staging the trigger. Snub noses are very accurate. The short sight radius is unforgiving of bad trigger control. Every guy I gave a snub nose to, both S&W or LCR, who was raised on striker fired or 6 lb. triggers, said it was a crappy gun because they could not shoot it well. I showed them how well it could be shot when you have used a snub nose since 1971. Most born into the striker fired for SA semi auto generation, have problems shooting a revolver. I see it all the time. However, once you learn to shoot a gun with a 12 lb. trigger pull and short sight radius, you can shoot any darn gun put into your hands. Bench rest one someday and you too may be surprised how accurate a snub nose is. It is the shooter, not the gun, that makes it a close contact weapon. With practice, it can even hit a gong at 50 yards consistently. All it takes is skill born of practice.

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