Rented a Ruger LCR at the range today. Specifically, it was the standard .357 model (no lasers or Big Dot sights), but I only shot .38 Specials through it (and after shooting it, very glad I didn't buy a box of Magnums). To make a long story short, I liked the gun, and didn't have any issues with it that weren't experience and/or training-related... except one.

When I was in the middle of a string of shots, I pulled the trigger again just before it hit the reset point, and while the hammer didn't drop, the cylinder indexed over to the next chamber. That happened several times. Now, I know that pulling the trigger before it's fully reset is a training issue on my part, but neither of the revolvers I've shot in the past had ever indexed the cylinder before the trigger fully reset. And each time I "short-stroked" the LCR today, I could've sworn I felt the trigger reset.

So was my rental frakked up, or is this "short-stroking" thing common with LCRs?

I ask because, surprisingly, I really liked the LCR. I'm considering it for a CCW piece (Mama Raptor's okay with me owning a second gun, and I think we could swing Papa Raptor on it too), but if that "false reset" that I thought I was feeling is common in LCRs, I think I'm going to have to pass.

*whew* I was hoping it was just the rental. The place I go does a very good job of keeping their rental guns in excellent shape, but occasionally the customer does get one with a problem (especially if it's a very popular model). Rented a Kahr CW9 a few months bag with a bad mag and a trigger with a bad stacking problem. But I let them know about the problem, and as far as I know, they fixed the gun and mag. I suspect the same will happen to the LCR.

I shot standard-pressure .38 Special FMJs through the gun. Recoil was fairly stout, but still surprisingly pleasant given the gun's size and weight, though I doubt I'd want to put more than 100 rounds through it at a time. As it was, after one box ammo, while my hand didn't hurt, I was sort of glad I hadn't bought a second box. I suspect part of that was because I hadn't quite figured out the proper grip for the gun: I like shooting thumbs-forward, and that's a no-go for a wheelgun unless I want to blow the tip of my thumb off.

The only real quibble I had with the gun, besides the short-stroking malfuction, was the sights. To put it bluntly, they suck. It was extremely difficult to find the little bitty unmakred ramp of a front sight even against the bright blue of the target I was aiming at. If I do buy an LCR, I'm going to either buy one that comes with the XS Dot sight or else (since Ruger doesn't seem to offer the XS sight on the .357 version) buy the sight separately and have it installed on the gun.

This isn't just the LCR. On a S&W, if you don't let the trigger reset all the way the trigger will come to a hard stop, forcing you to release it.

It's just part of the process of learning the peculiarities of a new gun. Don't stress over it. A little practice goes a long way.

Personally, I think it is a poor design issue. There is no reason for the gun to have two very hard, distinct clicks on reset like that. That's just bad engineering. It is the one negative to an otherwise good gun, IMO.

Mike