My wife has an LCR and loves it, we typically keep it loaded with Hornady Critical Defense +P rounds. I think we have a box of regular Critical Defense 38 Special as well ontop of the cabinet. Whatever you decide on buy two boxes, take one to the range and try them out in your gun so you know how they will handle.
LOL TNPirate, silly questions are good. They're usually pretty easy to answer. I've gotten more answers on this forum in 10 minutes than I got in town all afternoon.
PontiacDM, thanks again. I'll try a few different brands. I bought the plastic ear muffs and yellow glasses for target practice
I was fixing to ask you if you had hearing protection and glasses! I'm pretty darn deaf, from not using hearing rptection in the Army, and it isn't all that fun.
Also, look around and find a store that has NRA classes for introduction revolver shooting--they're not that expensive, and really, a day with a qualified instructor will do more for your ability and confidence than many weeks of shooting badly because you could use a little coaching! it's worth the time and cash! Everybody here was taught by somebody else.
And yeah, don't shoot the most expensive ammo for practice-buy what's cheap. Maybe a few rounds every once in a while of your protection loads, but mostly cheaper rounds to practice with.
It would be a good idea to pick up some cleaning supplies and lube, as well.
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AIRBORNE! All the Way! Recondo: Only the strong survive!
Best book in the world for teaching Revolver shooting is Ed McGivern's "Quick & Fancy Revolver Shooting".
It was the Bible for LEO's in many locations for decades. The man knew his guns
I am a middle aged woman and have to do a lot of night driving and driving in rural areas by myself, so I bought a gun that will fit in the glove compartment for protection, just in case. It’s a Ruger LCR revolver. The guy at the gun store where I bought it was so busy talking to all his buddies who came in that I finally gave up on getting his attention long enough to get him to answer a few questions. He sold me the gun, that’s about it.
I wanted to get some ammo for it so I can practice. I went to Walmart and asked the youngster at the sporting goods counter if the bullets have to say .38 special +P on them, or if the box that says .38 special but does not say +P will also work. My gun says .38 Special +P on the side. He left for about 10 minutes, then came back to tell me all the bullets will fit in guns. (Duh, even I know that!)
Then I called the other Walmart in town. They couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone in sporting goods, but the clerk said she’d ask somebody what kind of bullets to put in my “LTR,” and I gave up on that.
I tried googling the answer with no luck and am becoming frustrated. Does anybody here know? I never thought this would be so hard.
Wow.
Just wow.
I can't believe the clerks you spoke to had to go up the chain of command to ask about compatibility of 38 Special +P, etc.
Sad that Walmart has kids working in their ammo department
The info in this thread is getting printed off so I can re-read and refer to it later, thanks! It’s good to hear that other people like this gun. The grip is comfortable, which is a plus if you’re going to practice and fire it a few times, and I had trouble working the slide on the pistols and don’t want to be fighting with a slide when someone’s attacking.
I also have a Remington 12 gauge and have cleaning supplies for the shotgun, but they probably won’t work in the revolver. The kit has a bottle of liquid, a giant pipe cleaner (sorry, best description), and a cloth. I do not know how to take either gun apart for cleaning.
I can insert and remove the bullets from the revolver and load them into the shotgun, but have no idea how to get them out of the shotgun without firing it. That would be a good thing to learn. You all are right, a class and that book would be an excellent idea. I have the Arizona Gun Owner’s Guide, but someone said the laws have changed and that book’s now outdated.
The young man at Walmart looks like he’s in his teens. If he’s going to sell guns and ammo, it would probably be better if he knew something about them or switched departments with someone who can answer basic gun questions. They could probably find at least one knowledgeable gun owner among their employees if they looked hard enough.
lots of good information already covered here.
I typically shoot regular rounds for practice becuase they are cheaper, but every now and then run some defense ammo through my gun to make sure im familiar with it.
I would also suggest the book "Combat Handgunnery" by Massad Ayoob. It is an excellent resource especially for beginning shooters and covers grip, trigger control, sight picture, etc.
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In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit -- John Galt
With respects, get some training. An NRA Basic Pistol class, and a Personal Protection class will provide you with loads of information. Any local gun shop should be able to steer you to a qualified instructor. An NRA instructor will have ID that says what disciplines he/she can teach. Ask for references, and contact those references re quality of class, instructor knowledge, shooting facility..... safety, student-to-teacher ratio... I won't teach more than 5 at any one time.
Many instances now days, of folks reading a bit, then hanging out an instructor shingle.
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Freedom has a flavor the protected can never taste
USMC RVN '67,- '69
OK, I got another paycheck after getting that gun and got some good stuff to shoot. Here's what I brought home:
25 Hornady Critical Defense hollow points for when the fecal matter hits the ventilation system.
50 Fiocchi 138 grain centerfire cartridges because they guy behind the counter said they fire clean and are really good, and besides, they were on sale.
100 Winchester 130 grain full metal jacket centerfire cartridges for target practice.
And told that I need to contact the sheriff's department to see about training classes, because waving a gun at an intruder to try to scare him off isn't the best option.
So now I have 175 bullets of three different types in the house. How many does it take before the police decide you have an arsenal and are dangerous?
OK, I got another paycheck after getting that gun and got some good stuff to shoot. Here's what I brought home:
25 Hornady Critical Defense hollow points for when the fecal matter hits the ventilation system.
50 Fiocchi 138 grain centerfire cartridges because they guy behind the counter said they fire clean and are really good, and besides, they were on sale.
100 Winchester 130 grain full metal jacket centerfire cartridges for target practice.
And told that I need to contact the sheriff's department to see about training classes, because waving a gun at an intruder to try to scare him off isn't the best option.
So now I have 175 bullets of three different types in the house. How many does it take before the police decide you have an arsenal and are dangerous?
Take a good defensive pistol class i cant recommend that enough.
And I think you will be ok with your 175 rounds . I have several thousand of various calibers stacked up in my house . And I'm sure I'm not the only one here.
woo 4,000th post!
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It's not always the size of the dog in the fight. Often it's the size of the fight in the dog.
OK, I got another paycheck after getting that gun and got some good stuff to shoot. Here's what I brought home:
25 Hornady Critical Defense hollow points for when the fecal matter hits the ventilation system.
50 Fiocchi 138 grain centerfire cartridges because they guy behind the counter said they fire clean and are really good, and besides, they were on sale.
100 Winchester 130 grain full metal jacket centerfire cartridges for target practice.
And told that I need to contact the sheriff's department to see about training classes, because waving a gun at an intruder to try to scare him off isn't the best option.
So now I have 175 bullets of three different types in the house. How many does it take before the police decide you have an arsenal and are dangerous?
Your armory won't be complete until you have rounds in the tens of thousands !
I would humbly suggest that no one knows how much ammo or how many guns you have -- it's your business not anyone else's.
When you become proficient you will have run maybe thousands of rounds through your guns--remember that you now have a piano but don't know how to play it yet. You can get a good start from friendly folks on the range but will develop good habit patterns better with someone who knows what he or she is doing. That someone who knows what he or she is doing will teach the proper safety rules, how to clear your gun, proper stances, grip, trigger control, etc......and will talk thing like high firm grip, PRESSSSSSS the trigger, focus on the front sight.......trigger control, etc--that's why folks here have suggested some of the reading material so you can assess if the person you have teaching knows what they are doing.
Remember, a gun is a tool in the system of self defense and the most important part of that system is what is between your ears. Also shooting is a very enjoyable sport because it requires you to focus and use all your attention to master the skills--this is why many people like it (not unlike golf, cycling, skiing, diving, etc.).
Your mindset will be the most important thing and that means when the gun comes out you need to know how to work it well and employ it to stop the threat.
The Hornady CD is a good choice, and the other ammo will make decent target practice ammo. Getting a good basis, developing good habit patterns, DRY fire practice, and putting rounds downrange will allow you to develop the defensive skills you need. Don't be afraid to practice with the gun, but do get some good advice on stance and safety basics before you get started. A good case for qualified instruction is because as you develop habit patterns if they are the wrong ones you will have to undo them at some point.
An LCR is a great gun but remember as you get started Rome wasn't built in a day. Snubbies are accurate but hard to shoot very accurately because of their relatively long and stout trigger pull as well as the short sight radius which makes picking up tiny movements of that front sight harder (it is an angle thing--that is why you focus on the front sight and it is ok if the target is blurry). The gun will have a pretty good bang due to the short barrel and have a little bit of a snap for the recoil--it won't be that bad but it will be there and you will get used to it. Wearing double hearing protection (and eye protection is always a must) will make the kick seem less because some of the perceived recoil is from the noise. Don't be afraid to move the target pretty close until you get used to shooting the gun then move it out as you get better. You WILL get better but it will take practice and time just like any other skill.
Thanks, TXplt. Training in using the gun is now at the top of my list of New Year's resolutions, and it's the one I won't break. And I'll double up on the ear protection.
I read all of the posts on this thread. There is a lot of very good information here. I have learned a lot from a lot of very helpful people here on G&G.
There is one little thing, that wasn't mentioned, or maybe I just missed it. I didn't see anyone mention the main difference between a defensive round and a practice round, other than cost. Generally speaking, you will find that the bullet in a defensive cartridge is a hollow nose or some sort of rapidly expanding type, while the others are solid, semi-wadcutters or round nose types. The reason for this difference is so that the defensive bullet, by design, expands quickly, and has a tendancy to stop in the first thing it hits, instead of continuing on and hitting something else as well. This is to give the shooter more control. If you have to shoot a zombie coming at you, it is less likely that the bullet from a defensive round will travel through the zombie and hit the person behind him. Also, if you miss the zombie, the expansion tends to prevent the bullet from going through the wall of your house, and into your neighbor's house. Of course the defensive ammo is more expensive, so you should practice with the cheaper stuff. At the range the bullet hits a backstop to keep it from going anywhere.
Along with the firearms classes suggested, I would recommend a CCW class. I learned a few important things regarding self defense legal issues in the class I took. We have a shop here in Vegas called The Gun Store, where they give free CCW classes. They even include free ammo for qualifying. I'm a Real Estate appraiser, and carry my LCR, when I go into a vacant house by myself.
Get practice ammo. Get instruction. Learn the proper cleaning and maintenance of your LCR. Practice. Enjoy shooting. It's actually fun seeing how accurately you can blow holes in paper. I've been doing it for less than two years now. I enjoy shooting as a hobby now.
Thanks, Goat Roper. I read your post and decided that it would probably be a good idea to have more than 25 rounds of hollow points just in case, but Walmart has been sold out for two weeks now. I came back to this thread to use the links to buy ammo on line, but have another question first.
What are wad cutters, and are they a good defensive bullet? The ads don't say what they are used for. Are they for target practice only?
Wadcutters, and semi-wadcutters ae usually used for targets, as they tend to make a cleaner hole in the paper. Not so much for defensive use.
So they'd be good for practice then? One of the web sites has them in bulk, and I need a lot of practice.
Edited to add: What about round nosed flat points? This is the web site I'm looking at: Georgia Arms - .38 SPECIAL
So they'd be good for practice then? One of the web sites has them in bulk, and I need a lot of practice.
Edited to add: What about round nosed flat points? This is the web site I'm looking at: Georgia Arms - .38 SPECIAL
You will do well with Georgia Arms--I have had very good success with them and my last order was at my doorstep inside a week. Downside is shippng costs but that might not be a big deal if you consider going to the store costs you tax and gas. Their lead ammo is a little smoky but cheap and good. Their 158gr LSWHP+P will probably not have enough velocity to expand out of your LCR so I`d stick with the hornady Critical Defense rounds.
I DO consider the use of wadcutters (specifically the Buffalo Bore 150 grain standard pressure) in a snubby but this is open for some debate and up to you after you do some shooting and see what you like. My wife uses the Buffalo Bore hard cast 150 grain flat waductter in her SP-101--this does around 900 fps and has a flat plate nose and is very accurate. Hollow points at the lower velocities were notorious for NOT expanding and the wadcutter front punches a solid hole and tends to cut and shatter rather than bounce off. There are some articles online about it but I like the accuracy and consider the fact I`m not going to get much expansion from a snubbie anyway so I might as well go for decent penetration and a flat cookie cutter plate nose. Now the newer ammo--like the Hornady CD and low velocity gold dots is much better at consistent expansion and my LCR shoots the hornady well which is why I recommended it.
Some really like ther 158 gr LSWHP +P also but it is a STOUT load and my LCR did not shoot it well accuracy wise.
The bottom line with any of these bullets is that shot placement is the most important thing so get what you can shoot well and what your gun is accurate with. The Hornady rounds I`ve found are accurate and have milder recoil from the LCR but your mileage might vary.
I use the Georgia Arms `canned heat` 158 gr. plated semi wadcutter rounds which come with a REAL steel ammo can (seem to be harder to come by these days) for free and you can get 500 rounds or 1000 rounds cheaply. The plated rounds for target (I usually shoot the 158s) are very clean (you can also get the straight lead semi-wadcutters for 15 bux per 500 cheaper but I like the plated ones personally)--the 148 waductters shoot very well but do generate some smoke and powder if that`s OK. They are a very good deal.
Because ammo is relatively heavy, shipping charges are something to consider, when you buy on line. Some places will have good prices on the ammo, but will overcharge you for shipping AND HANDLING. I don't mean just $5 or $10 either. Some charge twice as much as others. Try SGAmmo. They have good prices and flat rate shipping. I bought 500 rounds of Federal semi-wadcutters from them a while back. It was the best price I could find at the time.
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I've gotten more answers on this forum in 10 minutes than I got in town all afternoon. 
. I have several thousand of various calibers stacked up in my house 
