When
Ruger introduced their LCP (Lightweight
Compact Pistol) 380 in 2008, a new era of truly pocket-sized
pistols of meaningful power at a reasonable price was ushered
in. Ruger did not originate the basic
concept, but they did perfect the design, improving on what
had come before and applying modern manufacturing techniques to
produce their pistols on a large scale. The LCP proved to be a
best-seller for Ruger, and remains one of the most popular
pocket pistols ever produced.
A few years later, Ruger
made a series of improvements to the LCP, culminating in Ruger's
introduction of the LCP II. The LCP II features Ruger's
Secure Action™ fire-control system that combines a protected
internal hammer with a bladed-safety trigger, as well as
improved sights. Both the original LCP and the LCP II remain in
production, with many
different variations available, and continue to be very
popular among shooters looking for the best in micro-compact,
easily-concealable pistols.
Ruger is now introducing by far the best LCP
ever, expanding on the original LCP concept with the all-new LCP
MAX. The LCP MAX offers many significant improvements over
earlier versions of the LCP, so let's get into them...
The 380 ACP cartridge is a perfectly
scaled-down 45 ACP cartridge, and as such it proportionately
lacks the 45's ballistic thump. Nothing can substitute for a big
ol' bullet moving at significant speed when it comes to taking
the bad out of bad guys, and the 380 ACP has long held a
reputation as a borderline defensive cartridge at best. This
might have been true in decades past, but in recent years the
bullet / ammunition manufacturers have come a long way. The 380
will never be a 45, but today's modern bullet designs make
today's 380 a viable man-stopper. A few years ago I
went to a writer's event at Gunsite Academy where we spent
some quality time shooting various calibers and loads into
ballistic gelatin and through car windshields and doors. When
the shooting was done, a lot of preconceived notions about the
efficacy of the 380 ACP were laid to rest, thanks to Mike McNett
and Double Tap Ammo.
Still, a shooter feels better about the 380
when he has a good quantity of arrows in the quiver, but compact
pistols have always been limited in magazine capacity. It is -
or rather, WAS - a simple law of physics: one cannot stuff a
significant supply of life-saving ammunition into the tiny space
afforded by the grip area of such a pistol. The Magic Number for
380 pocket pistol magazine capacity has always been six rounds,
or sometimes seven, but magazine capacity has always been a
severe limitation. Any defensive pistol represents a compromise
between what is effective and what is practical to carry, and
many shooters are unable or unwilling to carry a larger, heavier
pistol; as the old saying goes, "A 380 in the pocket is
better than a 45 in the truck". With the LCP MAX, Ruger has
taken the magazine design concept of their new MAX-9
9mm compact pistol and applied it to the tiny LCP. The new
magazine design tapers from a double-stack to a single-stack,
increasing the standard payload by 40%, from 6+1 rounds to 10+1.
This magazine / grip redesign nearly doubles the capacity while
not increasing the size of the grip; the LCP MAX is just as
small as the LCP, it just holds nearly twice the ammo. As it was
with the MAX-9, this increase in capacity takes the LCP MAX to a
whole new level. Even better, 12-round magazines are available
from ShopRuger.com, fully
doubling the LCP's magazine capacity while barely increasing the
pistol's overall height. The grip of the LCP MAX allows for two
support fingers, leaving the pinky finger hanging free; this is
not really a problem, but many shooters can better control the
pistol under fire with all three support fingers on the grip,
and to aid in this, Ruger includes a finger-extension magazine
floor plate with the LCP MAX that easily replaces the standard
floor plate. The 12-round magazine is the same length as the
10-rounder with the finger-extension floor plate installed, so
the extra shots do not increase the height of the pistol at all
when compared to the 10-rounder with the standard floor plate.
Also, the LCP MAX's magazine release is reversible for
left-handed shooters, if that is desired; my late brother Jeff
was a Southpaw, and he actually preferred to operate the
magazine release with his left trigger finger.
One area where the LCP, and other pocket
pistols, has always lacked is the sights. The original LCP
sported barely-visible, rudimentary sights which were tiny and
cast integrally with the frame; these sights, while usable, were
by no means optimal, especially in less-than-ideal lighting
conditions. The LCP II featured slightly higher profile sights
which were still integral to the slide casting: better, but
still not great. With the LCP MAX, Ruger has upped the ante with
a real set of sights that are effective, easy to acquire, and
designed for use in multiple lighting conditions. The
bad guys often prowl by night, and dim light conditions are
often where the shooter finds oneself when
the need for armed defense arises. In these situations
highly-visible sights are invaluable for accurate shooting, and
the LCP MAX features a sighting system that is the equal of
those on larger-framed pistols.
The front sight is excellent, consisting of a
dovetail-mounted, windage-adjustable square post with a nearly
vertical face and a Tritium dot within a white outline. In
bright lighting conditions, the square post reads like a
standard target-style front sight. In low-light conditions, the
Tritium dot glows while the white outline really makes the
Tritium dot stand-out in all but total darkness, in which case
the Tritium is still more effective. Superb.
The rear sight is likewise dovetail-mounted
and windage-adjustable. The notch is wide and U-shaped, which
allows the round-bead front sight to nestle perfectly within the
notch. The rear face is angled to smoothly continue the contour
of the slide, and deeply serrated to reduce glare in bright
lighting conditions. The front face is vertical, as is often
seen on modern defensive pistols, to allow the shooter to rack
the slide against a table or corner in case the support hand
becomes disabled. The front and rear sights are made of steel,
not cheap plastic, and together they comprise a sighting system
that should prove effective in almost any situation. Should
aftermarket sights be desired, the front and rear sight
dovetails are sized to accept Bodyguard-pattern sights.
The sights and slide are dehorned and
smoothed for comfortable operation, so when one has to operate
the pistol in a hurry, no chunks of skin are left on the pistol.
The slide is through-hardened steel finished in black oxide, and
features fore and aft cocking serrations for easy grasping.
There are slightly raised cocking ears at the rear of the slide
on each side, which greatly aids in racking the slide, resulting
in a slide that is very easy to operate for those with weak or
arthritic hands. The slide also holds open on an empty magazine,
which is a useful feature not always seen on compact 380
pistols.
The magazine feed lips, feed ramp, extractor,
and barrel cam geometries have been reengineered to improve
reliability, and the LCP MAX proved to be 100% reliable with a
variety of ammo types tested. There were no failures or bobbles
of any kind encountered using everything from cheap
remanufactured range loads to premium ammo, in everything from
roundnose to flatpoint to hollowpoint loads.
The LCP MAX features Ruger's Secure Action™
fire-control system as introduced on the LCP II, and it is an
excellent system. The trigger pull on my example was smooth over
its entire length, averaging 4 pounds, 1.1 ounces of resistance
on my Lyman
Electronic Digital Trigger Pull Gauge. Trigger reach is 2.75
inches, which is a good average and should work well for
shooters with small to large hands. There is 0.4 inches of
takeup before resistance is met, which includes activation of
the trigger safety, and trigger travel from that point until
release is 0.13 inch, followed by no wasted motion as the result
of overtravel. This is as good a trigger as one could hope for
on a pocket pistol: light, crisp, and smooth enough for ease of
use, with enough resistance for safety. As an added safety
feature, the LCP MAX utilizes a hammer catch to prevent the
pistol from firing unless the trigger is pulled, so there are no
worries about the pistol firing if dropped. There is no manual
safety lever, as its inclusion would be superfluous given the
several built-in safety features.
The grip frame is one-piece,
high-performance, glass-filled nylon, and features very
well-designed textured grip panels across the grip sides, front,
and rear. The 10-round magazine finger extension, and the
extended portion of the 12-round magazine, are similarly
textured. Together, these textured panels make the LCP MAX easy
to handle under recoil, and are the answer to the only type of
"gun control" which should be under question.
Ruger claims that their patented barrel cam
geometry delays unlocking, slows the slide, and ultimately
reduces felt recoil compared to other 380 pistols; I am not an
engineer, so I can't speak to the veracity of this, but I can
state that whatever Ruger's engineers did, it WORKS. The LCP MAX
shoots noticeably softer than earlier versions of the LCP, as
well as other pocket 380 pistols in my safe; the earlier pocket
380s are known for their snappy recoil, but the LCP MAX was a
pleasure to shoot, and thanks to the improved sights, it was
easy to shoot well. If you've never been able to regularly hit
targets comfortably using a pocket 380, the you are in for some
FUN with the LCP MAX.
Specifications - Ruger LCP MAX (Model
#13716)
Caliber |
380 ACP / 380
Auto |
Overall Height |
4.12 inches |
Overall Length |
5.17 inches |
Weight,
Unloaded |
10.6 ounces |
Slide Width |
0.93 inch |
Slide |
Alloy Steel, Black Oxide Finish |
Grip Frame |
Black, High-Performance, Glass-Filled Nylon |
Barrel |
2.80 inches, Alloy Steel, Black Oxide Finish, 6-Groove 1:16" RH Twist |
Trigger Pull,
Average |
4 pounds, 1.1 ounces |
Trigger Reach |
2.75 inches |
Trigger Takeup |
0.4 inch |
Trigger Travel |
0.13 inch |
Front Sight |
Tritium with White Outline,
Drift Adjustable |
Rear Sight |
Drift
Adjustable |
Magazine
Capacity |
10+1 (12-Round Magazines Available at
www.shopruger.com) |
Magazines
Supplied |
1 |
Magazine
Disconnect |
NO |
Accessories
Included |
Box, Manual, Magazine Loader, Pocket Holster |
Available in
CA / MA |
NO |
MSRP as of
June 2021 |
$449.00 US |
The LCP MAX's $449.00 MSRP is marginally more
than the LCP II's current MSRP of $409.00, and substantially
more than the base-model LCP's current MSRP of $309.00; but
given the many improved features of the LCP MAX, and given that
the Tritium front sight alone is worth about $50.00, the LCP MAX
represents a greater value than the earlier versions, in my
opinion. The LCP MAX's price includes one 10-round magazine, a
finger-extension floor plate, a magazine loader, and a soft
pocket holster. The magazine loader is not absolutely essential,
as the magazines are not particularly hard to load, but the
loader is very helpful in getting those last couple of rounds
into the magazine, especially during long range sessions. Since
I prefer to carry my micro-pistols in my pocket, the pocket
holster is a very nice accessory; it is Ruger-branded,
ambidextrous, made of neoprene (or neoprene-like material),
closed at the bottom, soft, and equally useful in the front or
rear pocket. The surface of the holster is sticky enough to
cling to the pocket, which allows the holster to stay in the
pocket during the draw. This is very important, as you don't
want to waste a precious second or two plucking the holster off
of the pistol, when that second or two may be the last second or
two of your life. Inclusion of the pocket holster further
increases the value of the LCP MAX as a package.
For those who prefer belt carry, there are
many options available. Pretty much any rig made for the LCP or
LCP II will fit the LCP MAX, give or take the holster's sight
track; the higher-profile sights of the LCP MAX may preclude the
use of some holsters made for the earlier versions. I
particularly like the holsters made by my friend Rob Leahy at Simply
Rugged Holsters, and a custom-made "Cuda" holster
he made for me to fit a SIG 938 works
just fine for my LCP MAX. This custom holster is based upon his
"Cuda" holster for larger-framed pistols, scaled down
to fit the compact size, and features two belt slots rather then
the Cuda's usual three. This holster features Rob's "Surf
and Turf" option, consisting of sharkskin over cowhide for
a distinctively beautiful appearance. While these holsters are
not cataloged on his web site, Rob will make one for you just
like mine, including the Surf and Turf option, for $175.00. This
is a good deal on a great holster, but to sweeten the deal for
Gunblast readers, if
you mention Gunblast when you order, he will include a
matching ammo pouch at no additional charge. That makes for an
exceptional deal on an exceptional holster.
Ruger has done it again! The LCP MAX has taken the concept of the pocket 380 pistol to new levels in magazine capacity, ease of use, safety, reliability, ergonomics, and practical accuracy. It represents not
just an evolution in pocket-pistol design, but a revolution that blows the doors off of the competition.
View the LCP MAX and other Ruger products at:
www.ruger.com.
Buy Magazines and other Genuine Ruger Accessories at ShopRuger: www.shopruger.com.
To find a Ruger dealer near you, click on the DEALER FINDER at Lipsey's:
www.lipseys.com.
To order Ruger products Online, click on the GUN GENIE at Davidson's
Gallery of Guns:
www.galleryofguns.com.
Buy Ammo Online at Lucky Gunner: www.luckygunner.com.
The American Marksman LLC Ammunition: www.theamericanmarksman.com.
Winchester Ammo: www.winchester.com.
Double Tap Ammo: www.doubletapammo.com.
Gunsite Academy: www.gunsite.com.
Simply Rugged Holsters: www.simplyrugged.com.
Lyman Products: www.lymanproducts.com.
Boge Quinn


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