LCR .22WMR from PT7’s “new” gun cabinet

[PT7]

Since my last post in October 2017, I have made adjusts in my gun cabinet residents (the guns are listed in my signature line below). Everyone probably has a similar firearms “history” to tell. There are some Henry Rifles, which I had to regretfully sell: two .357 Big Boys, a .22WMR Lever Action, and a .30-30. When I found I had cross-eyed dominance eye challenges, I let my 20-gauge and 12-gauge shotguns go. Various handguns came and went. Some changes were needed; others can be simply called “regrets” when they departed. Presently, I only have one long gun: my Henry carbine.

I have already posted a number of Range Reports for my Henry SGC in .22LR, and my Ruger LCR revolver in .38 Special + “P” caliber. So, to introduce the other three guns I now own, I plan to share a Range Report on each one. Also will have some comments on the “why” I got these particular firearms.

This is a Range Report for my Ruger LCR .22 WMR revolver.

The Why. My only EDC is the LCR in .38 Special + “P” caliber. So, I decided to get a “back-up” revolver for EDC, if anything happened and the .38 was down. Since I really like the .22 WMR caliber, I decided on another Ruger LCR revolver in that caliber. And it happened that Ruger makes a .22 WMR model that has identical configuration as their .38 LCR. Barrel length, trigger pull & break point, nearly the same weight, sights, the perfect-in-the-hand Hogue grips – this was a good choice for me. It makes switching EDC guns, if needed, much easier. Another advantage I’ve acquired with the duplicates is that both revolvers fit excellently in my two holsters. One is a custom-made IWB leather holster; the other is a shoulder rig. Again, no difference at all in the wearing, carrying, and use. Here are some photos of this sharp-looking pair. Cool

LCR pair_93.jpg (259.37 KiB) Viewed 2944 times

LCR .22WMR_99.jpg (214.46 KiB) Viewed 2944 times

LCR .38 SPL + P_98.jpg (224.43 KiB) Viewed 2944 times

The mid-winter range day. Last January, we had a mild outdoor range day happen. When I arrived that day at the packed-out Parma Woods range, it was sunny and 59 degrees. The only challenge was the wind gusting at +25 mph. I could see the targets "waving" in the breeze, but really wanted to try out the new revolver, which was brand new out-of-the-box. Before I got there, I did only an abbreviated cleaning to get the factory stuff out of the barrel, etc. Waited my turn to get a range booth, and had a really good experience with the sight-in.

Ammo. I shot two ammo brands; no particular reason for my choices. Armscor 40gr JHPs; shot 36 rounds. CCI Gamepoint 40gr JSPs, which runs at 1875 FPS; shot 30 rounds. POI results with both ammos were pretty much straight-on.

Targets. The orange targets are 7", and the yellow is 6" -- both were easy to see the POIs. Shot at 7 yards (using rest and off hand); 15 yards, shot only off hand.

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OFF HAND_7 yards_6-inch yellow.jpg (162.05 KiB) Viewed 2944 times

OFF HAND_15 yards_7-inch orange.jpg (181.36 KiB) Viewed 2944 times

Sight-in. The sight-in target has 11 POIs in the orange, and the flyer very low right hit. I used the S/A trigger to try and keep the revolver as steady as possible. I had brought my two Grace screwdrivers to adjust the windage and elevation, if needed. As I usually do, I held off and decided to try some off-hand shots first.

Off hand forever. Go figure --- nothing new for me! I still shoot better off hand than I do with a rest. Shot off hand 12 rounds at the yellow target, and had 11 POIs in target with 12th somewhere in PW dirt berm. I'm quite pleased with accuracy and sight in of the revolver new-out-of-box. Put my Grace screwdrivers away...not needed.

Last shot. For the final target, I shot off hand at 15 yards. Ran 24 rounds down range. 11 POIs in orange, and two of these POIs were very close to the bull. One POI on white, very low again to the right. As far as the other 12, I must admit that I splashed a lot of PW range dirt that day! But that's okay. Maybe the very windy day impacted the shooting a little. I was encouraged how accurate the LCR was, and how well the shooter did, too! I really like having/shooting wheel guns.

That’s it for this wordy range report. Hope the length didn’t put anyone to sleep.
Take good care, Everyone.
PT7

[BigAl52]

Thanks PT we all have reasons why we do certain things but when it comes down to it, its a to each there own thing. No one can know what its like to walk in another ones shoes. I like the 22 mag and I have a LCRX in 38 special the shorter barrel version that I carry while on my bike in the summer. I like it for its light weight. The version you have I wouldnt hesitate to buy just from experiences that I have with the one that I own. 22 mag is also one of my favorite rounds. I am thinking that I will own a small game carbine in one shortly. Al

[PT7]

Agreed, BigAL....and thanks. BTW, one of the "getaway" Henry rifles from my gun cabinet was the Henry .22Magnum Lever Action (H001M). Mine wasn't a carbine model; it had the 20" round barrel, definitely was a sharp shooter and a lot of fun. The .22 Magnum bullets really "come alive" in a rifle compared to a revolver. I know from my experience you will really enjoy the Henry in that caliber. Go for it!!

Just for fun, here are a couple of photos of my Henry .22Magnum, which I also posted way-back-then in my rifle range report.

H001M_DSCN0711.jpg (212.46 KiB) Viewed 2934 times

H001M_DSCN0982.jpg (176.43 KiB) Viewed 2934 times

Thanks PT we all have reasons why we do certain things but when it comes down to it, its a to each there own thing. No one can know what its like to walk in another ones shoes. I like the 22 mag and I have a LCRX in 38 special the shorter barrel version that I carry while on my bike in the summer. I like it for its light weight. The version you have I wouldnt hesitate to buy just from experiences that I have with the one that I own. 22 mag is also one of my favorite rounds. I am thinking that I will own a small game carbine in one shortly. Al

[North Country Gal]

PT, I greatly enjoyed your report. It was anything but boring for me. I think there's lots of lessons, here, for beginners contemplating buying a gun or guns for the sake of carry. What you carry and why you carry is all very much a personal decision, of course, but it's always nice to see what someone else is doing. I love revolvers, too, and it's what I carry in the woods on the rare occasions when I do carry, such as this time of year when the bears are coming out of their winter sleep and are prowling about and hungry.

I also do better with small lightweight revolvers, offhand, instead of a rest. They tend to shoot very differently off a rest than offhand, so unless you plan to shoot from a rest in an emergency, you better practice offhand work and, especially, double action. Even on my double action revolvers that offer SA mode, I always shoot some DA in every shooting session.

I'm sure you know that there are now 22 mag factory loads that are designed for a pistol. If you see some, I would love to see how it shoots in your LCR.

[PT7]

Appreciate your comments, NCG....thanks! I'm writing a little more about what you wrote.

Revolver weights.
I didn't say much about this revolver's weight when I wrote the Range Report. But it was an important factor in my searching for a different EDC. My two former EDCs were: BASS IV derringer, a heavy-duty O/U in stainless steel @ 23.5 oz.; or my Ruger SP01 .357 magnum (stainless steel kit gun with a 4.5" barrel) @ 29.5 oz. Both unloaded weights. Heavy EDC firearms, and my body noticed that steel weight at times!

What a difference for EDC. Ruger specs list my two LCR revolvers at these weights: .38 special @ 15.7 oz., and the .22 WMR at 17.8 oz., both unloaded. I made the right choice here going to a lightweight revolver --- much better for EDC, and my body!!

Off hand & DA.
As I commented in the Range Report, I'll shoot "off hand forever." For my DA revolvers, I rarely shoot SA. I think it best to master the trigger break point on a DA trigger. Also less thinking is involved with DA, if an EDC is ever needed to be put into use (the good Lord forbid).

.22 Magnum ammo.
I think I may have some of the 22 mag factory loads you mentioned. I have run out of Speer Gold Dot 40gr GDHP-SB for PD, but I'd like to get some more. Shot those out of my Henry H001M, even though designed for a SB firearm. I do have in my stock Hornady CD 45gr FTX ammo. Hornady specs for this ammo, shot out of a 2" revolver is: 1000FPS at muzzle; 926 fps at 100 yards; and 868 fps at 200 yards. My LCR has a 3" barrel. I plan to test this ammo someday soon.

What other .22 mag loads might you suggest? I still have some "learning" range time I'm looking forward to for this new revolver.

Have a refreshing weekend!
PT7

PT, I greatly enjoyed your report. It was anything but boring for me.

...I also do better with small lightweight revolvers, offhand, instead of a rest... They tend to shoot very differently off a rest than offhand, so unless you plan to shoot from a rest in an emergency, you better

...practice offhand work and, especially, double action. Even on my double action revolvers that offer SA mode, I always shoot some DA in every shooting session....

...I'm sure you know that there are now 22 mag factory loads that are designed for a pistol. If you see some, I would love to see how it shoots in your LCR...

[North Country Gal]

I agree on the weight thing, though we all have to choose our personal limit as to how much we want to carry. Since I use a revolver for SD against bears as a backup to bear spray and for only a few weeks a year in the spring or as something I carry back in the deep woods, miles away from a road when mountain biking, every now and then, I do well with a steel revolver in the 25 ounce range and that steel is practically a must to handle the heavy 357 mag loads I need for this kind of work.

My choice for this work is a Kimber L6s in 357, which is a beautiful, 25 ounce double action only, DA revolver with no sharp edges, anywhere. No exposed hammer. Gets me 6 shots, too, instead of the usual 5. Super DA trigger and action, very accurate, nothing to snag, easy to see sights, just draw and shoot. Love it. Will do a report on it, sometime.

[North Country Gal]

PT, another thing I like about your choices is that you've chosen exactly what you want as far as the cartridge, then gotten a gun in that specific cartridge. For the life of me, I've never seen the point in buying a a lightweight 357 revolver and then deciding to carry and shoot 38s in it, all because the recoil of the 357 was too much to handle. Yes, of course, I can shoot 38s in my little Kimber, but when I shoot 38s, accuracy takes a hit in that longer 357 chamber. People who think they'll buy one of these UL 357s because they MIGHT want to shoot a 357 in it at some point are in for a rude surprise. Shooting 357s in these small revolvers and doing it with accuracy, takes a lot of practice. If you're going to that much practice, then, you might as well pack it with 357s, anyway. If you're going to shoot 38s as your main cartridge, get a 38 gun for the sake of accuracy. In the end, it's what you can hit that counts.

[PT7]

NCG,

Wanted to check on the DA revolver you mentioned in your previous note:

My choice ... is a Kimber L6s in 357, which is a beautiful, 25 ounce double action only, DA revolver

I wasn't able to search and find a Kimber L6. It kept on bringing up a Kimber K6 instead. Found a good article and photo from the 2016 Shot Show about this revolver. Is this your revolver by any chance? BTW, I'll look forward to that someday range report on your .357.

Kimber K6 .357 Magnum.jpg (27.12 KiB) Viewed 2889 times

Onward. Yes, I've bumped into some "rude surprises" as I've made gun choices these past six years of my retirement hobby. Your scenario was exactly what I had with the SP101 in .357 Magnum. Although quite manageable, the .357 recoil was still tough stuff. To "take a break," I would go to shooting .38 Special + "P" rounds a little too often --- so finally decided to get a .38 Special + "P." It was expensive getting to that choice however.

Similar challenge with my first Henry BBB .357 Magnum rifle. .38 Special ammo would not chamber that easily, and after also seeing how the .38 Special caliber produced out of the Henry, I decided (my perspective) that it was a rifle designed to shoot .357 Magnum rounds only. And I even figured that one out as a green rookie in firearms!! Of course, some folk might enjoy shooting .38 Special ammo out of the Henry.....that's okay, too.

As part of my newer gun cabinet residents, this LCR pair fits my shooting use well. I'd like to stay with them as long as I can now.

I have two more Range Reports to work on with the final two guns I now own. I think both will be a lot of fun to write about, since they are so different from the handguns I've owned so far. Hope to get them written before too long. Fun to think about my outdoor range plans for this coming summer, and then on to the November deer hunting season!

Take care.
PT7

PT, another thing I like about your choices is that you've chosen exactly what you want as far as the cartridge, then gotten a gun in that specific cartridge. For the life of me, I've never seen the point in buying a a lightweight 357 revolver and then deciding to carry and shoot 38s in it, all because the recoil of the 357 was too much to handle. Yes, of course, I can shoot 38s in my little Kimber, but when I shoot 38s, accuracy takes a hit in that longer 357 chamber. People who think they'll buy one of these UL 357s because they MIGHT want to shoot a 357 in it at some point are in for a rude surprise. Shooting 357s in these small revolvers and doing it with accuracy, takes a lot of practice. If you're going to that much practice, then, you might as well pack it with 357s, anyway. If you're going to shoot 38s as your main cartridge, get a 38 gun for the sake of accuracy. In the end, it's what you can hit that counts.

[North Country Gal]

Sorry, the K6s, not the L. Mine is the new 3" which I like better than the original 2" barrel version.

[RanchRoper]

Sure is good to see range reports again PT7. Nice shooting, always enjoy the reports.

[Catherine]

I enjoy your reports too.

Thank you!

Cate