New LCR Broken

Isk · November 30, 2012, 02:05 PM

I don't usually come on here to complain but I thought I should do my part to inform the community of my recent issues so that consumers can make informed choices.

I purchased a new Ruger LCR in .38 Special +p about 10 days ago that was on sale for $399. During that time I only had the opportunity to dry fire it perhaps a couple hundred times (which the manual indicates is fine). Somewhere around that time the gun seized up and refused to budge. I dropped it off at UPS this morning to be sent back to Ruger. It appears to me that the transfer bar has broken since the firing pin is sticking out.

I knew beforehand about the problems with short-stroking the trigger, so I was always trying to be mindful of fully releasing the trigger with each pull. Even so, it would, on occasion, malfunction to the point where it would begin to turn the cylinder and then refuse to move any further. Simply releasing the trigger again made it operational until the complete malfunction two days ago.

The problem is, even if Ruger fixes it, I know I won't feel comfortable carrying a gun that didn't last through a couple hundred dry fires. I don't get the opportunity to purchase a new firearm often, so I am extremely dissapointed in this turn of events. I think I may have to offload the gun at a small loss when I get it back.

So, now the community has anecdotal evidence of an LCR that broke without ever firing a round. Thanks for reading.

buddah4snow · November 30, 2012, 03:47 PM

This may sound like piling on.....not intended that way....but regardless of what the manual says why in the world would you dry fire a weapon that many times without at least investing in some of the dummy ammo that's available from numerous sources? Moving parts have to have something stop their inertia....if not a dummy round then some other part will take the brunt, no?

Wishoot · November 30, 2012, 04:00 PM

That really stinks. I've dry-fired my LCR about a thousand times and haven't had a problem. In fact, it's strapped to my side at this very moment.

I'm sure Ruger will make it right and you'll have a reliable revolver once again.

Skadoosh · November 30, 2012, 04:02 PM

Quote:

regardless of what the manual says why in the world would you dry fire a weapon that many times

Then you might find this thread on the subject to be quite interesting. Many folks around here have been dry firing their handguns thousands of times for years.

m&p45acp10+1 · November 30, 2012, 04:12 PM

I say give them a chance to either fix, or replace it. Then try the new one out before offloading it.

I would not sell my new car at a loss if it had a problem that required waranty work if it came back fixed right, and the problem did not happen again.

papadork · November 30, 2012, 04:13 PM

Sounds like this is a SIM.

Shooter Induced Malfunction.

Isk · November 30, 2012, 04:44 PM

Yeah, I guess we'll just have to see what comes back and play it by ear. Maybe it'll be worth holding onto.

I don't really think a couple hundred dry fires should be damaging to a gun that specifically allows for it. I understand it to be a fairly common method of smoothing out triggers and have done so on several other guns without any issues.

As to whether or not it is a shooter induced malfunction, one can never be sure, but I don't think I did anything unusual with it.

I'll try to continue to update this post so people will at least have some information on the current turn around times at Ruger.

garbler · November 30, 2012, 05:43 PM

I realize a lot of folks are convinced that dry firing a DA revolver is a no no but let me add that Ron Power who is like the dean of old time S&W mechanics has a machine he calls a clicker, I think that is what he called it, that he sets up his custom jobs on that automatically dry fires for a period of time to work in the action and test them for reliability. If it was just fifty or a hundred cycles I doubt he would have gone to the trouble to build this machine. He is not the only big name gunsmith who does this. As best as I can recall he does this on empty chambers.

fdreano · November 30, 2012, 06:41 PM

My LCR had to be sent back after seizing up after a dry fire session. Ruger did fix it and I notice in a pal's new LCR that they have a big warning in the Owner's Manual now about letting the trigger fully reset. There is also another poster on here that had a similar problem. I still carry it regularly but the fact that the weapon could fail in an emergency is a legitimate, nagging concern.

bedbugbilly · November 30, 2012, 10:00 PM

Sorry to hear of your problem - Ruger will make it right.

I've had a 357 LCR for quite a while now and it's my carry piece. I haven't had a lick of trouble with it. Whether it's right or wrong, I was always brought up to not dry fire and so I have never dry fired my LCR or my other pistols - my practice comes from firing live rounds. Like any SD DAO, the trigger pull is longer and stiffer - but I easily adapted to it and don't even give it a thought now. I practice with live rounds as often as I can and mine just gets better.

Don't give up on it - any pistol - semi or revolver can have a problem. Ruger will make it right. Before you give up on it, get some live fire practice in with it and then decide if it's right for you or not. Good luck and sorry that you had to have a bad experience with it.

testuser · November 30, 2012, 10:12 PM

I was very disappointed by one of these earlier this year, which is sad, because I really wanted to like it.

My experience with the LCR was pretty negative, very tight chambers that were difficult to extract (same ammo shot through two j-frames worked fine) and a trigger that was light, but had a vague and very long reset,which often caused me to short stroke. In addition, it's a bit bulky and although it's made largely of plastic, it isn't much lighter than all aluminum revolvers.

I put about 100 rounds through one this summer and went back to my J-frame. A heavier trigger, sure, but, no short stroking issues to train around.

jmortimer · November 30, 2012, 10:22 PM

Compared to my 637 and 360 J Frames, my .357 LCR has a much better trigger and the felt recoil is so much better. I like them all, but I'll keep the LCR over the J Frames. Pull the trigger and release, pull the trigger and release.....

9mm · November 30, 2012, 10:23 PM

Quote:

During that time I only had the opportunity to dry fire it perhaps a couple hundred times

You broke it....

$399 for a lcr in 38? I saw them in 357 for $399 at the gun show this summer.

I own a LCR in 22lr and I really enjoy it, round count is around 550 or so.

giaquir · December 1, 2012, 06:07 AM

I dry fired my SP101 thousands of times.
The action smoothed out nicely.
Deep 6 the LCR.

kcub · December 1, 2012, 07:02 AM

What happens if you need it right now to save your life and you short stroke it in the heat of the moment?

What is your life worth to you? Is Ruger going to fix that?

Kreyzhorse · December 1, 2012, 07:06 AM

All makes of guns can occasionally break. Ruger will fix yours correctly and quickly. When you get it back, run It through its paces until you have trust in it. Chances are that will be pretty quicky.

garbler · December 1, 2012, 10:43 AM

Ruger will indeed take care of your revolver and send it back to 100% factory spec. Short stroking their design has been known to create issues though it really is kind of rare.

On another note anybody who sends a gun to Ruger should know that if they have a piece that they have spent good money to have slicked up or accurized by a smith when Ruger returns it it will be restored to factory specs. This means they will remove any parts that are re-worked or swapped out and replace with off the shelve parts. No more custom gun. S&W years ago would not do this however in this day and age I doubt they will let a gun out that has been altered but I don't know this for sure

Noreaster · December 1, 2012, 11:18 AM

Dry firing is encouraged by most, if not all, major firearms schools, US Military and numerous smaller venues, (except for rim fire, 1911s, T/C and older firearms.) Competition shooters end each stage with a dry fire on an empty chamber. The revolver shouldn't have broke.

bedbugbilly · December 1, 2012, 12:13 PM

When I picked up my LCR, I was aware of some folks complaining about short stroking the trigger. I've primarily shot SA over the years - mainly BP revolvers - but have also had experience with semi-autos and DA/SA revolvers.

I purchased the LCR for carry because I was not happy with the Bersa Thunder CC 380 I'd picked up used - it had been fooled with and while it was a great gun in my opinion, I didn't like the light trigger pull when it went to SA. For SD, I wanted something stiffer. I actually prefer a revolver as well. I'd looked at S & Ws - boyguard revolver and semi auto as well as several other brands and I felt that most of them had a long trigger pull as well.

I'm not trying to start up a controversy at all - everybody has their likes and dislikes. I'm just wondering if those that have problems with the long trigger pulls like the LCR and others have the problem because they are so used to shooting other revolvers with different pulls? I've got a S & W M & P Target 38 spl, a Colt Army Special and a Colt Python. I'm working on shooting them in DA but still prefer SA when shooting them and let's face it - the trigger pulls on those are miles away from the LCR. The thing that I like about my LCR is that I find that it has a smooth trigger pull (at least mine does) but yes, it's stiffer and longer - I view it as a SD piece and with that in mind, if it has to be fired, it's because you mean to, not because your finger twitched.

As I stated earlier, I have not dry fired mine - I became acquainted with it by firing it - but I am not knocking dry firing in any way. I've had handguns that I thought I wanted only to find out after getting them, there were things that I didn't like and out the door they went. I love my LCR and have six other Ruger handguns that I love . . . but if there is a doubt in a person's mind about reliability . . . then maybe they should look at other makes/models - peace of mind is everything. And, let's face it - any make/model can have a problem as already stated. I'd say the same thing about a Smith or a Python as well.

I'm just wondering if those that have issues/trouble with the longer/stiffer trigger pull on a pistol such as the LCR - do you have the same with the LCP, Smith Bodyguard models, etc.?

I do hope that the OP gets his problem taken care of - it's no fun when issues like that occur.

Ghost22 · December 1, 2012, 12:17 PM

I would try it out after Ruger corrects the issue. With any mass produced item, sometimes a mistake leaves the factory. After you get it back, buy (or preferably, reload) a pile of ammo to run it through the gun. This will build both your confidence and skill with the pocket revolver.

Also, dry firing is safe to do if the manual says so. Otherwise, Ruger would be replacing a revolver every time a owner RTFM (read the 'field' manual). I would get a set of snap caps if your going to do 500+ dry fires, but a few should not damage the gun.

Webleymkv · December 1, 2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

What happens if you need it right now to save your life and you short stroke it in the heat of the moment?

Um, you release the pressure on the trigger, let it reset, and then continue shooting. Even as a died-in-the-wool S&W guy who noticed the longer trigger pull of the LCR right off the bat, I didn't think it was all that difficult to get used to when I shot one. So long as a person practices enough to be familiar with the gun (as you should with any defensive firearm), I very much doubt that short stroking would be an issue.

As to the OP's situation, once the gun is back from Ruger you will have no greater chance of malfunction with it than a brand-new untested gun. Anything man-made can fail and you were simply unfortunate enough to get a gun with a defective part. Once you get the gun back, simply test it for reliability as you should with any new gun before relying on it. If it proves reliable after Ruger fixes it, then don't worry about it any more. The real lesson to be learned here is the importance of thoroughly testing all guns for reliability before depending upon them to defend your life.

Nanuk · December 1, 2012, 04:13 PM

Quote:

I was very disappointed by one of these earlier this year, which is sad, because I really wanted to like it.

My experience with the LCR was pretty negative, very tight chambers that were difficult to extract (same ammo shot through two j-frames worked fine) and a trigger that was light, but had a vague and very long reset,which often caused me to short stroke. In addition, it's a bit bulky and although it's made largely of plastic, it isn't much lighter than all aluminum revolvers.

I put about 100 rounds through one this summer and went back to my J-frame. A heavier trigger, sure, but, no short stroking issues to train around.

That is EXACTLY my experience with the gun. Had a 357 and WANTED to like it so bad. In the end I bought a 640 Pro and back to Smiths.....

Isk · December 1, 2012, 11:50 PM

Thanks for the replies everybody. I'll keep you all posted as things progress. I'll do my best to run the gun through its paces when it comes back and then decide what to do with it.

warningshot · December 2, 2012, 04:47 AM

I just can't put the money down on a LCR. I shoot snub .38 Specials more than anyone I know, and more than the next 3 snub shooters combined. And the LCR just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me too much of a 1987 M85 fake chrome finish Taurus.

Jayhawkhuntclub · December 2, 2012, 08:44 AM

Sounds like a fluke occurence. Every manufacturer has a few. That's why you dryfire and shoot a gun several hundred rounds before you trust it completely. And there is nothing wrong with dryfiring most centerfire guns. If there was the manufacturer would warn against it. Do you think they don't know what will damage their guns? Do you think they want to do free repairs?
IMHO, the LCR has as good a DA pull as any Colt or Smith I've ever tried and better than 90% of them. Shoot what you like and trust. For me the KLCR is the perfect balance of power, accuracy (even out to 50 yards), price, weight, size and trigger pull to be an excellent CCW.

November 30, 2012, 02:05 PM	#1
Isk Senior Member Join Date: June 28, 2011 Location: Alaska Posts: 206	New LCR Broken I don't usually come on here to complain but I thought I should do my part to inform the community of my recent issues so that consumers can make informed choices. I purchased a new Ruger LCR in .38 Special +p about 10 days ago that was on sale for $399. During that time I only had the opportunity to dry fire it perhaps a couple hundred times (which the manual indicates is fine). Somewhere around that time the gun seized up and refused to budge. I dropped it off at UPS this morning to be sent back to Ruger. It appears to me that the transfer bar has broken since the firing pin is sticking out. I knew beforehand about the problems with short-stroking the trigger, so I was always trying to be mindful of fully releasing the trigger with each pull. Even so, it would, on occasion, malfunction to the point where it would begin to turn the cylinder and then refuse to move any further. Simply releasing the trigger again made it operational until the complete malfunction two days ago. The problem is, even if Ruger fixes it, I know I won't feel comfortable carrying a gun that didn't last through a couple hundred dry fires. I don't get the opportunity to purchase a new firearm often, so I am extremely dissapointed in this turn of events. I think I may have to offload the gun at a small loss when I get it back. So, now the community has anecdotal evidence of an LCR that broke without ever firing a round. Thanks for reading. __________________ The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. -James Burgh

November 30, 2012, 03:47 PM	#2
buddah4snow Member Join Date: September 26, 2011 Location: U.P. of MI Posts: 42	This may sound like piling on.....not intended that way....but regardless of what the manual says why in the world would you dry fire a weapon that many times without at least investing in some of the dummy ammo that's available from numerous sources? Moving parts have to have something stop their inertia....if not a dummy round then some other part will take the brunt, no? __________________ Man's got to know his limitations - H. Callahan

November 30, 2012, 04:12 PM	#5
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I say give them a chance to either fix, or replace it. Then try the new one out before offloading it. I would not sell my new car at a loss if it had a problem that required waranty work if it came back fixed right, and the problem did not happen again. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

November 30, 2012, 04:44 PM	#7
Isk Senior Member Join Date: June 28, 2011 Location: Alaska Posts: 206	Yeah, I guess we'll just have to see what comes back and play it by ear. Maybe it'll be worth holding onto. I don't really think a couple hundred dry fires should be damaging to a gun that specifically allows for it. I understand it to be a fairly common method of smoothing out triggers and have done so on several other guns without any issues. As to whether or not it is a shooter induced malfunction, one can never be sure, but I don't think I did anything unusual with it. I'll try to continue to update this post so people will at least have some information on the current turn around times at Ruger. __________________ The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. -James Burgh

November 30, 2012, 05:43 PM	#8
garbler Member Join Date: November 25, 2012 Posts: 20	Dry Firing I realize a lot of folks are convinced that dry firing a DA revolver is a no no but let me add that Ron Power who is like the dean of old time S&W mechanics has a machine he calls a clicker, I think that is what he called it, that he sets up his custom jobs on that automatically dry fires for a period of time to work in the action and test them for reliability. If it was just fifty or a hundred cycles I doubt he would have gone to the trouble to build this machine. He is not the only big name gunsmith who does this. As best as I can recall he does this on empty chambers.

November 30, 2012, 04:00 PM	#3
Wishoot Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2009 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,093	That really stinks. I've dry-fired my LCR about a thousand times and haven't had a problem. In fact, it's strapped to my side at this very moment. I'm sure Ruger will make it right and you'll have a reliable revolver once again.

November 30, 2012, 04:13 PM	#6
papadork Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 49	Sounds like this is a SIM. Shooter Induced Malfunction.

November 30, 2012, 06:41 PM	#9
fdreano Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Posts: 174	My LCR had to be sent back after seizing up after a dry fire session. Ruger did fix it and I notice in a pal's new LCR that they have a big warning in the Owner's Manual now about letting the trigger fully reset. There is also another poster on here that had a similar problem. I still carry it regularly but the fact that the weapon could fail in an emergency is a legitimate, nagging concern.

November 30, 2012, 10:00 PM	#10
bedbugbilly Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2009 Posts: 3,287	Sorry to hear of your problem - Ruger will make it right. I've had a 357 LCR for quite a while now and it's my carry piece. I haven't had a lick of trouble with it. Whether it's right or wrong, I was always brought up to not dry fire and so I have never dry fired my LCR or my other pistols - my practice comes from firing live rounds. Like any SD DAO, the trigger pull is longer and stiffer - but I easily adapted to it and don't even give it a thought now. I practice with live rounds as often as I can and mine just gets better. Don't give up on it - any pistol - semi or revolver can have a problem. Ruger will make it right. Before you give up on it, get some live fire practice in with it and then decide if it's right for you or not. Good luck and sorry that you had to have a bad experience with it. __________________ If a pair of '51 Navies were good enough for Billy Hickok, then a single Navy on my right hip is good enough for me . . . besides . . . I'm probably only half as good as he was anyways. Hiram's Rangers Badge #63

November 30, 2012, 10:12 PM	#11
testuser Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2010 Posts: 495	I was very disappointed by one of these earlier this year, which is sad, because I really wanted to like it. My experience with the LCR was pretty negative, very tight chambers that were difficult to extract (same ammo shot through two j-frames worked fine) and a trigger that was light, but had a vague and very long reset,which often caused me to short stroke. In addition, it's a bit bulky and although it's made largely of plastic, it isn't much lighter than all aluminum revolvers. I put about 100 rounds through one this summer and went back to my J-frame. A heavier trigger, sure, but, no short stroking issues to train around.

November 30, 2012, 10:22 PM	#12
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	Compared to my 637 and 360 J Frames, my .357 LCR has a much better trigger and the felt recoil is so much better. I like them all, but I'll keep the LCR over the J Frames. Pull the trigger and release, pull the trigger and release.....

December 1, 2012, 06:07 AM	#14
giaquir Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Deerfield,New Hampshire Posts: 512	I dry fired my SP101 thousands of times. The action smoothed out nicely. Deep 6 the LCR.

December 1, 2012, 07:02 AM	#15
kcub Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2010 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 3,318	What happens if you need it right now to save your life and you short stroke it in the heat of the moment? What is your life worth to you? Is Ruger going to fix that?

December 1, 2012, 07:06 AM	#16
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	All makes of guns can occasionally break. Ruger will fix yours correctly and quickly. When you get it back, run It through its paces until you have trust in it. Chances are that will be pretty quicky. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

December 1, 2012, 10:43 AM	#17
garbler Member Join Date: November 25, 2012 Posts: 20	Ruger Service Ruger will indeed take care of your revolver and send it back to 100% factory spec. Short stroking their design has been known to create issues though it really is kind of rare. On another note anybody who sends a gun to Ruger should know that if they have a piece that they have spent good money to have slicked up or accurized by a smith when Ruger returns it it will be restored to factory specs. This means they will remove any parts that are re-worked or swapped out and replace with off the shelve parts. No more custom gun. S&W years ago would not do this however in this day and age I doubt they will let a gun out that has been altered but I don't know this for sure

December 1, 2012, 11:18 AM	#18
Noreaster Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2011 Location: New England Posts: 1,449	Dry firing is encouraged by most, if not all, major firearms schools, US Military and numerous smaller venues, (except for rim fire, 1911s, T/C and older firearms.) Competition shooters end each stage with a dry fire on an empty chamber. The revolver shouldn't have broke.

December 1, 2012, 12:13 PM	#19
bedbugbilly Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2009 Posts: 3,287	When I picked up my LCR, I was aware of some folks complaining about short stroking the trigger. I've primarily shot SA over the years - mainly BP revolvers - but have also had experience with semi-autos and DA/SA revolvers. I purchased the LCR for carry because I was not happy with the Bersa Thunder CC 380 I'd picked up used - it had been fooled with and while it was a great gun in my opinion, I didn't like the light trigger pull when it went to SA. For SD, I wanted something stiffer. I actually prefer a revolver as well. I'd looked at S & Ws - boyguard revolver and semi auto as well as several other brands and I felt that most of them had a long trigger pull as well. I'm not trying to start up a controversy at all - everybody has their likes and dislikes. I'm just wondering if those that have problems with the long trigger pulls like the LCR and others have the problem because they are so used to shooting other revolvers with different pulls? I've got a S & W M & P Target 38 spl, a Colt Army Special and a Colt Python. I'm working on shooting them in DA but still prefer SA when shooting them and let's face it - the trigger pulls on those are miles away from the LCR. The thing that I like about my LCR is that I find that it has a smooth trigger pull (at least mine does) but yes, it's stiffer and longer - I view it as a SD piece and with that in mind, if it has to be fired, it's because you mean to, not because your finger twitched. As I stated earlier, I have not dry fired mine - I became acquainted with it by firing it - but I am not knocking dry firing in any way. I've had handguns that I thought I wanted only to find out after getting them, there were things that I didn't like and out the door they went. I love my LCR and have six other Ruger handguns that I love . . . but if there is a doubt in a person's mind about reliability . . . then maybe they should look at other makes/models - peace of mind is everything. And, let's face it - any make/model can have a problem as already stated. I'd say the same thing about a Smith or a Python as well. I'm just wondering if those that have issues/trouble with the longer/stiffer trigger pull on a pistol such as the LCR - do you have the same with the LCP, Smith Bodyguard models, etc.? I do hope that the OP gets his problem taken care of - it's no fun when issues like that occur. __________________ If a pair of '51 Navies were good enough for Billy Hickok, then a single Navy on my right hip is good enough for me . . . besides . . . I'm probably only half as good as he was anyways. Hiram's Rangers Badge #63

December 1, 2012, 12:17 PM	#20
Ghost22 Member Join Date: January 19, 2006 Posts: 89	I would try it out after Ruger corrects the issue. With any mass produced item, sometimes a mistake leaves the factory. After you get it back, buy (or preferably, reload) a pile of ammo to run it through the gun. This will build both your confidence and skill with the pocket revolver. Also, dry firing is safe to do if the manual says so. Otherwise, Ruger would be replacing a revolver every time a owner RTFM (read the 'field' manual). I would get a set of snap caps if your going to do 500+ dry fires, but a few should not damage the gun.

December 1, 2012, 11:50 PM	#23
Isk Senior Member Join Date: June 28, 2011 Location: Alaska Posts: 206	Thanks for the replies everybody. I'll keep you all posted as things progress. I'll do my best to run the gun through its paces when it comes back and then decide what to do with it. __________________ The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. -James Burgh

December 2, 2012, 04:47 AM	#24
warningshot Senior Member Join Date: October 7, 2009 Posts: 995	I just can't put the money down on a LCR. I shoot snub .38 Specials more than anyone I know, and more than the next 3 snub shooters combined. And the LCR just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me too much of a 1987 M85 fake chrome finish Taurus.

December 2, 2012, 08:44 AM	#25
Jayhawkhuntclub Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2007 Posts: 581	Sounds like a fluke occurence. Every manufacturer has a few. That's why you dryfire and shoot a gun several hundred rounds before you trust it completely. And there is nothing wrong with dryfiring most centerfire guns. If there was the manufacturer would warn against it. Do you think they don't know what will damage their guns? Do you think they want to do free repairs? IMHO, the LCR has as good a DA pull as any Colt or Smith I've ever tried and better than 90% of them. Shoot what you like and trust. For me the KLCR is the perfect balance of power, accuracy (even out to 50 yards), price, weight, size and trigger pull to be an excellent CCW.