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Old December 13, 2012, 12:48 PM   #1
cajun47
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why no lcr in .22 mag?

i have become very accurate with my lcr 22 and i think i would rather buy an 8 shot lcr 22 mag over the 5 shot 38spl for ccw. im not at all impressed with groupings i see on youtube with snub 38s.

did ruger say why no lcr in .22 mag?
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Old December 13, 2012, 12:56 PM   #2
jlove1974
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probably because it serves no function? 22mag and .38 special ammo cost around the same price
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Old December 13, 2012, 01:29 PM   #3
carguychris
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Quote:
did ruger say why no lcr in .22 mag?
AFAIK no, they have not said anything about it.

FWIW the market for .22Mag snubbies is rather limited, and I presume Ruger has bigger fish to fry.
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im not at all impressed with groupings i see on youtube with snub 38s.
Snubbies are categorically hard to shoot well. I suspect shooter error in most cases. In skilled hands, Ruger and S&W .38Spl snubbies are capable of shooting groups that most shooters would consider impossible.
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Old December 13, 2012, 03:23 PM   #4
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Gun shops told me they are working on something in the next year or so. Keep a look out for one at shotshow 2013
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Old December 13, 2012, 03:40 PM   #5
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There's a huge differnece between shooting a light-weight snubby in 22lr and a 38special. Try one before you judge how accurate they are based on YouTube videos. If the 38special had the same kick (or lack of it) as the 22 it would be just as accurate.

It seems Ruger markets the LCR-22 as a economical practice gun for their other LCRs. 22magnum would defeat the purpose when it comes to cost. Most people seem to think a 22magnum from a snub-nose isn't much better that a high velocity 22lr anyways so why bother.
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Old December 13, 2012, 05:43 PM   #6
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Quote:
im not at all impressed with groupings i see on youtube with snub 38s.
Definitely not the easiest guns to shoot out there, but they are plenty accurate for up-close and personal situations. I can shoot my .38 LCR much better than my LC9 thats for sure.

A death-grip and lots of practice seem to help with accuracy.
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Old December 13, 2012, 06:40 PM   #7
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I'd like to see a snubbie in .22 Mag. It's still cheaper than .38 spl. .22 Mag with super-fancy self-defense is only $15 a box, and plinking stuff is cheaper. Fancy .38 spl ammo, like self-defense is waaaaay more expensive. Even plinking .38 spl is more expensive than .22 mag.

.22 mag is more like 9mm in terms of ammo prices. For those of us who already own 9mm, .22 mag is kind of a nice niche. There just aren't many guns that run it, and revolvers seem like one of the best choices for rimfire ammo since cycling a slide isn't an issue.

I'd buy an LCR .22 mag in a heartbeat.
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Old December 13, 2012, 06:52 PM   #8
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Snubbies were never intended to shoot "good" or "impressive" groups - they were intended to shoot someone in the belly at arms-length.

That said, IMO a .22WMR would sell in an LCR - but Ruger's busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger right now, to the point that they even shut off their pipeline so their factory(s) could catch up on orders.

I would not expect any "new" introductions from Ruger, until at least the 2013 S.H.O.T. - and, even then, actual production often lags a year or three behind intro @ Ruger.
I'd WAG that Ruger awaits a huge order build-up, before commiting to production (runs).


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Old December 13, 2012, 09:00 PM   #9
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It's not about the ammo cost. The LCR in .22 mag would offer more shots and lower recoil with ammo that I believe is fully capable of ending a threat.

If you think, as I do, that "shot placement is king, penetration is queen, and all the rest doesn't mean jack", then the .22 magnum is a valid choice for a defensive handgun.

Given the choice, I would purchase and carry the LCR-22M over an LCR in .38 Special. In this modern world you may face multiple attackers and 5 shots starts to seem a little meager. No recoil, cheap and painless practice makes me think I will place the 8 shots accurately.

When you consider the millions of new shooters, many of them women, and also the many older shooters who are starting to have wrist pain and other issues, I think there's certainly a larger market for the .22 magnum as a defensive round.
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Old December 13, 2012, 11:18 PM   #10
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Smith Model 351PD

22 mag in a snubbie. 7 rounds.
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Old December 14, 2012, 12:29 AM   #11
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I have read that Ruger had extraction problems with the LCR in 22 mag on experimental models. I fully expect them to make one in their very popular LCR series, but it is a question of when and what they view the market to be in the years following the introduction. I would suspect that 2013 would be the year for perhaps a 327 Federal and a 22 WMR LCR.
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Old December 14, 2012, 04:04 AM   #12
lowercase
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I think a LCR in .22 WMR would be AWESOME. It would be even better with convertible cylinders so you could also shoot .22lr.

Tying to think of a problem with the idea. Don't some .22WMR snubbies have a problem with accuracy and/or keyholing?
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Old December 14, 2012, 06:07 AM   #13
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I don't know. None of the .22 caliber guns has ever had much of a reputation for stopping power. I think if I had to carry something as large at a LCR, then I'd still want a .38.

As far as accuracy, no trouble ringing a 24x36inch piece of steel this weekend from 20 - 35 yards away with too different j-frames this past weekend. It just takes quite a bit of practice to do it well, though. I want to say I fired about 800-900 rounds through mine in the last 6 months, but I reload, so the ammo is dirt cheap.

Still, aren't almost all confrontations at 7 yards or less with 3 shots or fewer fired? I don't think it would take too much practice to become proficient at that distance. Another thought, there also several .32 revolvers that can still be found on the market that could work quite well.
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Old December 14, 2012, 07:59 AM   #14
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im not trying to talk anyone into switching from a larger cal. to a .22 mag for ccw. but i would want to try ccw 2 lcrs in .22 mag(thats 14 or 16 shots) and leave my glock 19 at home. here is why:

glocks are bulky and heavy. the grip on the lcr is second to none for me. perfect fit.

i tried several pocket handguns in 9mm and .40, i don't like snappy at all and have to concentrate a lot. but i admit i have not tried a snub .38.

i think most people's accuracy goes way down in a gun fight. snappy is the last thing i want.

sure i agree most handgun fights take place only a few feet apart. if you have to draw your ccw the bad guy most likely has a gun too, at the ready or in use! lets say under all this stress you manage to hit him in the chest with your .38, he won't drop dead unless you where packing a 12 ga. he most likely will shoot you back.

my line of thought is to go for the head shot if possible. now whats the better tool for that? 9mm, 38, .22?

i know someone who worked the one and only gun fight in my town's history. this is what he told me:

bad guy walks in restaurant with a .45 taped to his wrist, covered with a towel. shoots a waiter who is his ex girlfriend. a customer sitting at the table pulls out a .380, shots are exchanged. bad guy gets hit in chest, customer gets hit in belly. bad guy runs outside, customer chases him and they both shoot but no hits. customer collapses but lives. bad guy runs into woods and shoots himself in the head.

an empty .380 mag was found in the customer's plate. he emptied a mag and reloaded hitting the bad guy only once.
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Old December 14, 2012, 09:52 AM   #15
carguychris
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Quote:
It would be even better with convertible cylinders so you could also shoot .22lr.
True, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

First, DA "convertible" revolvers have generally been more expensive and much slower-selling than SA convertible revolvers due to the inherent added difficulty of swapping cylinders, and because DA swing-out revolver cylinders have a lot more parts than SA cylinders because of the ejection system. S&W has offered convertible .22Mag/.22LR J frames in the past, but they sold so poorly that they're legitimately rare today.

Second, the larger case dimensions and higher operating pressure of .22Mag makes it less likely that 8 rounds will work in the small LCR cylinder. Consider that modern .22LR J frames are 8-shot but the M351PD is 7-shot. If Ruger has to use a 7-shot cylinder, the two will not interchange due to timing issues. (The older S&W convertible models were traditional 6-shot, which sidesteps the timing problem; I suppose Ruger could use a special 7-shot .22LR cylinder, but this would require additional tooling and expense.)
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Last edited by carguychris; December 14, 2012 at 11:06 AM. Reason: info added...
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Old December 14, 2012, 12:57 PM   #16
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I would settle for a 7-shot LCR in .22 magnum only. 8 would be better, but I understand they need the cylinder kept within a certain width for carry and also strong enough to handle the higher pressure ammo.
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Old December 14, 2012, 04:44 PM   #17
Super Sneaky Steve
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I'd buy an LCR in 22 magnum in a second.

Snub guns can be very accurate. My 642 is one of the most accurate guns I own, but to get the most out of it I use a CT laser and a custom handload.

If they are inaccurate it's mostly user error not the gun.
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Old December 15, 2012, 02:03 AM   #18
jason_iowa
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I think its an awful idea. I would never recommend carrying anything less then a 38 for anyone. It would be a fun gun to shoot sure but for SD it just does not cut it imo.
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Old December 16, 2012, 01:24 AM   #19
TennJed
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My wife keeps a LCR in 22 by the bed when I am not there. I would "upgrade' to a 22 mag in a heart beat if they made them. I am really considering getting the S&W 22 mag anyway
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Old December 17, 2012, 12:05 PM   #20
cajun47
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is this the s&w .22 mag you talking about:
http://www.firearmsforyou.com/guns/r...finish-103351/

i can't find any videos on it. it seems very unpopular and expensive.
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Old December 17, 2012, 12:40 PM   #21
carguychris
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Quote:
is this the s&w .22 mag you talking about: (link to S&W M351C SKU# 103351)
I believe the prior posts referred mostly to the Model 351PD, SKU# 160228, which features an external hammer, the ILS, and a Hi-Viz front sight. AFAIK #103351 was a distributor exclusive from a couple of years ago.
Quote:
it seems very unpopular and expensive.
It's arguably both, but S&W has cataloged it for years, so it evidently serves a market segment large enough to justify continuous production.
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