The Ruger LCP With Viridian Laser

There have been tons of reviews of the Ruger LCP posted to internet forums for years. There is little I could say that one could not find elsewhere on the interwebs. Even so, I feel that I should make a modest effort to review this weapon for the ATS Weapons Forum as I have for others over the years.

A little while ago I picked up a Chiappa Rhino 60DS revolver in .357 magnum. At the same time I bought my wife a Ruger LCP with a Lasermax sight system. After handling the LCP I decided that I would like one for my own concealed carry purposes. I chose the model with the Viridian green laser system with a Viridian pocket holster (I also have a hip holster for open carry...But that's what I bought the Rhino for):




The LCP is about the size of an IPhone. Chambered in .380 ACP with a capacity of 6+1 , its sole purpose is concealed carry - close quarters self defense within 15 meters. The Viridian R5 Reactor Green laser sighting system is top notch. The green laser is extremely bright operating in 532nm wavelength at up to 5mW, making it one of the most powerful lasers commercially available for use with a firearm. It sights in very easily. My favorite feature is the holster the Viridian equipped LCP is shipped with. On the left side is a very small white looking bubble. When you turn the laser on and put it in the pocket holster the magnet inside shuts the laser off. When the weapon is drawn the laser automatically turns on. In a high stress situation laser sights are essential, especially for smaller pistols like the LCP. But a laser that you don't have to turn on yourself is even better.

Shooting the LCP is an interesting experience. It operated flawlessly, as expected from a Ruger product, but the recoil is rough. That is due to the size of the pistol, not the .380 cal round, which out of larger pistols is very tame. However, a proper grip keeps this weapon controllable.

It has no last-round-hold-open feature. So when you run through your seven rounds you must actuate the slide when inserting a new magazine. Which brings me to yet another small gripe. The seating of the magazine is similar to that of an old M16. You gotta slap it in there or it won't seat properly.

The trigger is a double action only system with a consistent 11lbs pull. There is no external safety on this weapon, but the trigger is heavy enough that I don't worry about it with a round in the pipe.

Take down on this weapon is probably the easiest I have ever encountered in any firearm I have ever worked on, and that is saying a lot considering how many firearms I've serviced over the years.



*Note, this video is not produced by me*

Being the firearms tinkerer that I am I have broken down this firearm much further out of my own curiosity. But the video illustrates the full extent necessary for proper cleaning and care of the action parts. No further disassembly is required. Even so, the disassembling of the LCP into its smallest component parts is also not very difficult either. I had it taken apart and put back together in 20 minutes. It takes about 30 seconds to fast strip and reassembly of the weapon for regular servicing if you're going slow.

I've had no issues with any ammo fed into it. It seems to be happy to eat anything you put in it, again, like a Ruger should. That said, I am currently carrying Hornady Critical Defense FTX loads, defense purposes. I run crap and medium grade ammo for range time.

Accuracy, with proper trigger discipline, sight alignment(built in sights are small, but useable), and grip is excellent. With the laser system it takes a lot of the work out of it, and as long as you can hold your aim steady your groups at 15 meters should be consistent and very tight.

THAT SAID, this is a very small pistol. It isn't meant for target shooting, nor is it a range queen. This is a self defense weapon, and for best results I would recommend training with it between 7 and 10 meters.

Hopefully this review helps anyone looking for a decent pocket pistol. I bought my at Buds Gun Shop.com for $318. Your mileage may vary as not all places have this model at such a price and sales are constantly revolving.

Happy shooting!

Thanks for the write up!

I owned the standard lcp and had no problems trigger withstanding. It was unbelievable hard to shoot well. I sold it and purchased a kel-tec p3-at iirc for around $215. Much better trigger. Still pretty rough and not at all refined but....better. Finish and aesthetics aren't near ruger level but function and accuracy acceptable.

Have you had these issues?

a reply to: TiedDestructor

A lot of people don't like the heavy double action trigger, but I don't know anyone that likes a heavy trigger pull on any gun. Double action is always going to be heavy on any weapon. It takes time to get used to it. I spend a few weeks dry firing it before taking it to the range to train myself in proper trigger control.

Firing it feels fine to me.

originally posted by: projectvxn
Accuracy, with proper trigger discipline, sight alignment(built in sights are small, but useable), and grip is excellent. With the laser system it takes a lot of the work out of it, and as long as you can hold your aim steady your groups at 15 meters should be consistent and very tight.

I own the LCP with a lasermax. My main complaint is that the laser is impossible to see outside, during the day. But, I guess that is to be expected of any laser. Idk.

THAT SAID, this is a very small pistol. It isn't meant for target shooting, nor is it a range queen. This is a self defense weapon, and for best results I would recommend training with it between 7 and 10 meters.

Agree.

a reply to: smithjustinb

That is why I absolutely love the Viridian.

I can see that thing for over 60 meters in bright daylight. But green lasers operating at 532nm at 5mW are going to be highly visible

I love mine. Got tired of carrying a Full and/or Mini .40 for years.

I found this company: TanderKross makes some aftermarket hang grip and take down pin.

I love them both as well.

Great gun and thread.

D.

There is also a flashlight you can get, instead of the laser. My bro-in-law has it. We work good as a team. He lights up, I laser when we tac drills etc.

a reply to: projectvxn

I bought one about two years ago with the Lasermax. Have never had a single malfunction with the pistol except the first time I took it out to the range. After about 30 or so rounds, the pin next to the Ruger logo on the grip walked out and the pistol would not fire. I did get the pin back in without taking it down completely (spring tension on the pin made it a b****). I haven't had that happen since then and I'm sure if it was a common problem, Ruger would have addressed it by now.

I recommend this grip. It feels better and as a bonus, it keeps aforementioned pin in place:
Hogue Grip for LCP

(That ones not mine, it's looks exactly the same though.)

I might as well mention these as well, grip extensions.

Good choice on the Viridian. The Lasermax is good, but it tends to turn itself on when holstered. Took a look at the battery and I don't know what kind it is, but I'm betting it's not cheap.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: smithjustinb

That is why I absolutely love the Viridian.

I can see that thing for over 60 meters in bright daylight. But green lasers operating at 532nm at 5mW are going to be highly visible

I'll have to look into it more and maybe switch it out (if I can do that without modifying my gun).

a reply to: smithjustinb

Both the Lasermax and the viridian require no modification of the frame for removal or installation.

I bought the keltec pf9 and love it. A bit of recoil but for a 9mm that can easily be concealed is the perfect gun for me. Bought the pf9-22 conversion kit for it too, so it's not so expensive to go through rounds at the range. It helps in getting used to the double action trigger pull. I've gone through hundreds of rounds with out a single issue. Stacks 7 plus 1 as well so I know I have the most easily concealable 9mm on the market super slim.

I almost picked up a couple of the Ruger LCP's for my wife and I to carry but at the last minute changed my mind and got Taurus TCP's instead.

I love the LCP and have shot one many times as it was my buddies choice for his carry but I really didn't like the fact that they don't have a slide lock. Found the TCP, was a little leery on the fact that it was a Taurus so I did some research and found lots of good reviews on it. The TCP is made here in the states so that was a plus, has the slide lock so that was another plus. It also has an allen key trigger lock feature so that eliminates using a secondary trigger lock while stored (I have a young daughter so this is a must for me). It's slightly heavier than the LCP but by a minuscule amount. I have ran a couple hundred rounds through it flawlessly. All in all I love my TCP and very happy I chose to go with it. Plus I caught them on sale for $199 and saved me about $240 bucks.

So far I have a small mag extender as these types of frames are very short and planning on a wrap around grip to fatten it up a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I love the LCP's and I'm not trying to derail here. Just thought I would throw this out there for anyone that might be on the fence for this type of weapon as there are many to choose from now. Not many people like Taurus guns and thats understandable, as a whole they are not very good. These TCP's will surprise you though for the ones that see the Taurus name and pass over them without taking a closer look.

a reply to: SgtHamsandwich


When it comes to Taurus firearms I have to agree with their reliability issues.

HOWEVER. They do put out a few gems every so often. Their 24/7 series pistols are a good example, same with the TCP. But after the Taurus Judge fiasco lots of people are leery of the Taurus brand.

a reply to: projectvxn

You can obtain reasonable accuracy with this gun if you can see the laser. Otherwise, personally, I can't hit squat aiming down the sights. This gun, to me, is for use if someone is either directly in your face, or if you can see the laser. The red laser I have (laser max) is invisible outside except at basically point blank ranges. I'm looking into getting one of those green lasers. Hopefully, it will be easier to see outside at longer ranges.

a reply to: projectvxn

I love RUGER! And an excellent review Pro.
Not any where close to pricey and perfect for home
defense.

Very cool.

SnF

a reply to: projectvxn

Lasers are good and bad and here is why would you trust you life more with fixed solid sights or a laser that can lose center easily. And yes I have dealt with lasermax and viridian they are not very good in fact I do not trust them.



Good lasers that will not lose center cost much,much more. Insight,surefire,Laser devices inc are good companies that make lasers that will hold center time after time. It took me time and money to figure this out.

I'm fond of my Taurus firearms. No, they're not big innovative name brand firearms.

After firing both the LCP and the TCP, I prefer the TCP. Trigger pull is better, and it's essentially the same gun but a different maker once you get to the internals.

However, if you step up in size to the Taurus PT111 G2, you open a whole new world. 12+1 in 9mm, small, light, and easy to conceal. No problems with mine either.

Taurus used to make junk. And some of their guns still aren't that great. The CEO that took over, Mark Kressner, did help a lot, after redoing the QC and Customer Service departments. However, I'm waiting to see how they go. Taurus just got bought out by another company and Kressner got canned.

But, like I said earlier, my Tauri (semis and revolvers) have all been decent guns. A bit rough around the edges, but five minutes on a buffer to further refine them doesn't bother me.

My dad carries an lcp in 380. His has no laser or anything special but he was able to lighten the trigger to about 7lbs. He likes it but he says that the action isnt so smooth. He carries a decent group at 50 yards, but yet again it is for self defense not a target pistol. We are a ruger family, my wife has a sr22p and I an lc9, both great guns.