Ruger LCP 238 experiences
Today I got to fire a Ruger LCP along with the LCR revolver. There seems to be a lot of breha when it comes to getting a .380 pistol these days. I don’t think I really ever felt the urge to go that small when it comes to calibers, but since CCW is actually more popular now than it was 10yrs ago, and people are finding that small compact semi-autos are far more reliable than previously, people will take the light weight over a larger caliber. The Ruger LCP can take laser grips from Crimson trace, and I highly suggest that you consider that. I was never a big fan of putting lasers on handguns until I started thinking about very small and compact firearms that had terrible small sights. The laser grips will help improve your hits and give confidence.
I have several Ruger factory gun magazines for my LCP, but I decided to pick up a few Promag magazines. Promag had a good reputation in the 1990s for magazines that weren’t as pricey as factory magazines, but were still considered reliable. I have several magazines for my Beretta 92FS, and although I did have a jam on one hollow point round, it has never jammed on ball ammo. I would consider these to be excellent range magazines, but I would do a lot of testing to make sure you are sure the gun feeds reliable with an defensive ammo. Some magazines may need to be tweaked a little and if you have problems be sure to call a factory rep. Most gun magazine manufacturers will replace a magazine if it does not work properly.
The Mini 14 was hands down the gun that was hit the hardest by the AWB in the 1990’s. Ruger is now making 20rd and 30rd magazines available to the public and those magazines were going for close to $100 at one point in the later 1990s’. There is nothing wrong with having magazines for firearms that are not the best, sometimes it’s better to rotate through cheap magazines and practice malfunction drills or just toss them when they were out. You don’t want to use your carry mags all the time because if you are shooting through hundreds of rounds of ammo using the same mags that you use for your daily carry, you may find out at the wrong time that the springs need to be replaced. I picked up a good supply of Mil-Spec 1911 7rd magazines that I rotate through my guns and save the Wilsons Combat Magazines for the serious shooting. When the mil-spec mags start jamming too much, I just toss them.
Although I understand that polymer guns are here to stay and they are far more technologically advanced than their early metal counterparts, I still enjoy shooting my 1911 handguns. The 1911s that are being made today are really several generations beyond where the guns that crossed the European continent and fought on the beaches of the Pacific. The best improvements I have seen in the 1911 design compared to the GI guns are #1 the pistol sights, and #2 the gun magazines. The GI 1911 magazines weakness seemed to be the followers. The slide stops were so heavy that many of the times the tabs on the magazine would bend and the slide would close on an empty chamber.
Promag and Mec-Gar make decent magazines, I wouldn’t suggest them as primary magazines, but factory new magazines can be pricey. I would suggest regardless of which number of magazines you are normally carrying, keep 3 or 4 range mags for each handgun you own.
Something like a 1911 has a questionable reliability track record depending on the conditions they are used in and the type of magazines they are using. Pistol magazines have evolved and improved as much as firearms and the reality is metal guns aren’t in the same category as polymer guns just based on lubrication and climate conditions. There are many firearms out there that will function reliable if lubricated properly and cleaned properly, but polymer guns are the future.
GLOCK MAGAZINES
Die-controlled tolerances held to +/- .001 inches (over 75% tighter tolerances than Mil-Spec). Eleven (11) extra-powerful coils of aerospace grade Rocket Wire spring. More spring coils, more spring power, than any other 1911 8rd magazine.
I’ve served as a local law enforcement officer for 10 years, and not once have I had to fire my weapon while on duty. Still, hours of regimented training have taught me to wield a standard-issue Glock pistol with supreme confidence. I’ve grown so attached to my gun that I bought one just like it for recreational use.