The Ruger LCR pistol first debuted in January of 2009 at the 2009 SHOT Show. The name LCR is an acronym that stands for Lightweight Compact Revolver. The LCR was specifically designed for the concealed carry market and as a competitor to the very popular S&W J Frame series. Like some of the smaller J Frame revolvers, the LCR carries 5 shots.
Originally the LCR was only chambered in .38 Special, but, in June of 2010, Ruger released a .357 version as well. As it stands right now, Ruger offers 4 different models of the LCR:
- LCR – The original handgun chambered in .38 Special
- LCR-LG – This model is chambered in .38 Special as well and comes with Crimson Trace Laser grips.
- LCR-357 – The .357 version of the standard LCR.
- LCR-BGXS – This version is chambered in .38 Special and features two upgrades. First, it features a Hogue “boot” grip as an option, and second, it comes with a XS tritium dot front sight.
Like many other handgun manufacturers, Ruger is trying to focus some models on the concealed carry crowd so they are working towards a lighter and smaller handgun for that purpose. Ruger’s other popular handgun is the SP-101, and it’s heavy and large for a CCW gun. The LCR features a polymer trigger housing and grip panel. The frame and cylinder are produced from aerospace grade stainless steel. The barrel is just under 2″ long and the standard LCR weighs just 13.5 ounces (unloaded). The LCR-357 is slightly heavier at 17.10 ounces (unloaded).
In terms of holsters, there seems to be some information on the Internet indicating that the LCR will fit the same holster as a S&W J frame or Chief’s Special. I personally didn’t find this to the case. Apparently it isn’t as most mainstream holster manufacturers like Galco, Don Hume, etc. are producing holsters specifically for the LCR with no references to them crossfitting into a J frame holster. I had a conversation with Don Hume when looking for a holster for my LCR and they reported that an LCR had completely different dimensions than a J frame and they were building holsters specifically for the LCR.
As the LCR has been out for over a year now, finding a holster for it shouldn’t be that hard. Here are a couple of LCR holsters below that are ready to ship.
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