by Woodsbum
Well, I did it again. I couldn’t leave well enough alone and had to purchase a new carry pistol. Before you judge (I can hear you through the vibrations of your mouse finger wanting to start clicking away), I had a reason for buying a new carry pistol:
The M&P Shield that I was carrying is annoyingly heavy, doesn’t really fit my pocket too well and my NAA Wasp is too small to really scare much more than a small rodent or two…..
For a quick weight comparison: My LCRx loaded weights about 1 lbs (16 oz) and my S&W M&P Shield 9mm (version 1) weighs in at 1.52 lbs (24.32 oz). I was surprised by the fact that my scale was WAY different than the numbers that other people were tossing around. I have seen LCRx declared weights from 13.4 oz up to 15.7 oz unloaded. I have also seen Shield weights from 19 oz to 21 oz unloaded. Either there needs to be some better standardization among scales, people can’t read digital displays, or QA for gun manufacturers is for crap……
No matter why my readings were so much different than other’s, the result is really the same: My Shield was weighing my britches down to the point where I had to pull them up WAY too often. Couple that with the fact that the size/shape seemed to poke me in my nethers when I carried my Shield in my front pocket and you have a recipe for an annoyed concealed carry person. My nethers were annoyed, too. Just saying.
The pistol did need a few modifications when I pulled it out of the box. I put on a new front sight by HIVIZ and a Pachmayr Guardian grip. The stock front sight is okay in low light conditions, but it really is really nothing more than a white stripe on a simple blade. The HIVIZ sight is really more visible in more conditions and with the addition of some white nail polish on the rear sights I am able to quickly acquire my target and get a good sight picture. The original grips are not bad, but I don’t like how the gummy type texture sticks to my clothing. Pulling it in a hurry could be quite bothersome due to the way that my shirt and/or pants pockets really like to hold onto the rubber grip’s surface. The Pachmayr ones are a hard plastic with checkering in the middle of the grip. When you grip the handle, a button will be depressed by your middle finger. This releases a spring loaded pinkie finger extension that gives you a full grip. If you like to mess around with your pistol while carrying it (reaching into your pocket to readjust for instance) you can spend a lot of time putting that pinkie finger extension back into a locked position. Other than that, it actually feels quite comfortable and fits my bear paws quite nicely.
Thus far I have only had a chance to shoot about 30 rounds through it. It does seem a bit harder to hit targets at distance than my Shield, but it is “minute of paper plate” at 25 – 28 yards with me shooting it. In my defense it was cold, raining, and a bit foggy when I went up shooting so I was hurrying up the whole process a bit…..
My final thoughts are this: If you are looking for a lightweight, easy to carry revolver the LCRx should definitely be on your list to try out. The single/double action option due to the stubby hammer is a bit of a game changer in the snubby .38 market. Other than the AirWeight line by S&W (which my LCRx is about 3 oz lighter than my brother’s AirWeight), there are not too many other options around the sub $500 price tag. From a personal standpoint, I have started leaving the Shield at home and now carry this as my EDC. Hopefully, that says it all.
Happy shooting and don’t tell the wife I got a new gun!!!!!