{"id":8245,"date":"2020-04-29T13:09:49","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T17:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/?p=8245"},"modified":"2020-05-12T16:36:14","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T20:36:14","slug":"ruger-lcp-ii-22lr-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/ruger-lcp-ii-22lr-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Ruger LCP II .22LR the Ultimate Underwear Gun?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Small guns are typically at their best when they&#8217;re chambered for small calibers. So it was kind of a no-brainer for Ruger to finally make a .22LR version of their wildly popular LCP. Today, I&#8217;m looking into why this is such a great idea and whether Ruger&#8217;s execution of that idea is equally great in this Ruger LCP II review.<\/p> <p>Watch the details in the video below, or scroll down to read the full transcript.<\/p> <div class=\"entry-content-asset\"><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/E-v1.js\" async><\/script><\/p> <noscript class=\"idle-load\"><div class=\"wistia_responsive_padding\" style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\"> <div class=\"wistia_responsive_wrapper\" style=\"height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;\"> <div class=\"wistia_embed wistia_async_iphlyz9viu dnt=1 videoFoam=true\" style=\"height:100%;position:relative;width:100%\"> <div class=\"wistia_swatch\" style=\"height:100%;left:0;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0;transition:opacity 200ms;width:100%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/medias\/iphlyz9viu\/swatch\" style=\"filter:blur(5px);height:100%;object-fit:contain;width:100%;\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" onload=\"this.parentNode.style.opacity=1;\" \/><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/noscript> <\/div> <hr \/> <p>At the very end of last year, Ruger introduced a new version of the LCP chambered in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/rimfire\/22-lr-ammo\">.22 LR<\/a>. Officially, it\u2019s called the Lite Rack LCP II.<\/p> <p>If you followed my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/category\/pocket-pistols\/\">Pocket Pistol Series<\/a> then it\u2019s no surprise that I think this is a really great idea. Ruger\u2019s marketing for this gun seems to be taking the approach that you should use the .22 LCP as a training gun for your .380 LCP. Well, maybe, but I think when we get into the realm of 12-ounce pocket pistols carried for self-defense, something chambered in .22 makes a lot of sense. But I\u2019ll get back to that in a minute. First, let\u2019s look at the basic specs for this gun.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8260 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side.jpg\" alt=\"Ruger LCP II 22 lr review pistol with ammo and magazine\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-22-side-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h3><strong>Ruger LCP .22LR: Basic Specs<\/strong><\/h3> <p>On paper, it\u2019s really not much different from the .380 LCP II. It\u2019s got a 2.75-inch barrel. It\u2019s a little bit heavier than the .380, but when it\u2019s fully loaded, it\u2019s actually lighter at 12.3 ounces. The magazine capacity is 10 rounds of .22 Long Rifle. The .380 is only 6+1. The mag does stick out the bottom of the grip a little, but it\u2019s really not any longer than the finger extension on the .380 LCP.<\/p> <p>The very back of the slide has these little fins that are just a tiny bit wider than the rest of the slide. It makes it a little bit easier to get a grip on the slide when you\u2019re racking it, which is where they get the name Lite Rack.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8247 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs.jpg\" alt=\"Side by side pistol comparison\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-vs-380-specs-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>Otherwise, these two guns are basically the same. They\u2019re both single action only with a lot of takeup in the trigger and a somewhat heavy break. They\u2019ve got the same grip texture, same black fixed sights &#8212; which are actually pretty good as far as pocket pistol sights go. They\u2019re a decent size and they have a snag-free profile. Like always, I\u2019ve painted the front orange on both of them.<\/p> <p>There is one other difference, actually. The .22 LCP comes with a manual safety lever. It\u2019s over here on the left side of the frame only. The rear position is safe and you press it forward to fire.<\/p> <h3><strong>Ruger LCP .22LR vs. Other .22 Pocket Pistols<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Most pistols being made today in this size class are chambered for .380. Almost all of them, actually. Back when I did my video on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/the-best-22-lr-handguns-for-concealed-carry\/\">The Best .22 LR Handguns for Concealed Carry<\/a>, I mentioned that there are only two truly pocket-sized .22 Long Rifle semi-autos in current production: the Beretta 21A Bobcat and the Taurus PT-22. The Taurus doesn&#8217;t deserve a second look but the Beretta &#8212; I actually really dig this gun.<\/p> <p>It&#8217;s a DA\/SA, which is my favorite type of action, even though the double action is pretty heavy. It&#8217;s got the tip up barrel &#8211;I mean come on, who doesn&#8217;t love that? Beretta is coming out with a threaded barrel version this year and I plan to be first in line. I&#8217;ll stick a set of lasergrips on it and a can and blast tree rats in my backyard all day. But would I carry a 21A? Probably not. The sights are lousy. And the grips on this thing are just massive. It&#8217;s almost the width of two LCPs. And you only get seven rounds in the mag instead of ten.<\/p> <figure id=\"attachment_8254\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8254\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8254\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1.jpg\" alt=\"Beretta 21A Bobcat\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Beretta-21A-1-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beretta 21A Bobcat<\/figcaption><\/figure> <p>So, as far as I&#8217;m concerned, the LCP easily wins the title for the best itty bitty .22 pocket pistol. For the person who is new to concealed carry or who doesn\u2019t necessarily want shooting to be their new hobby, a gun of this size doesn\u2019t require any serious changes to their wardrobe or lifestyle. And they can practice with it occasionally without feeling intimidated. For more experienced shooters, the LCP .22 is the perfect candidate to fill that role of the underwear gun. That\u2019s the gun you have on you when you can\u2019t or don\u2019t want to carry around a real gun.<\/p> <h3><strong>Concealed Carry Without a Belt<\/strong><\/h3> <p>This is a good place for me to throw in a plug for <a href=\"https:\/\/discreetcarryconcepts.com\">Discreet Carry Concepts<\/a>. They make these low profile metal clips that can replace the clips your holster came with. (And no, I\u2019m not being paid to say this, I just think this is a really good product that could be a real game changer for a lot of people.)<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8256 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip.jpg\" alt=\"Discreet Carry Concepts HLR Gear Clip\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/discreet-carry-clip-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>Some of my friends have been raving about these for a long time and I finally just got around to trying them out myself and I\u2019m totally sold. The clips have an incredible amount of clamping force and that means you can attach them to your waistband without a belt and they won\u2019t come off. So even with just gym shorts, sweat pants, yoga pants, swim trunks, or whatever &#8212; you can clip on a holster and it\u2019ll stay put.<\/p> <p>Now, I\u2019m not saying your pants are going to necessarily stay up if the gun is too heavy. But if you draw the gun, the holster is not going to come out with it. This holster is a Desantis Slim-Tuk &#8212; it\u2019s a pretty unremarkable holster on its own, but with this clip, it\u2019s something I wouldn\u2019t mind using on a daily basis. I know there is another product that supposedly accomplishes the same thing called the UltiClip, but after trying both, I have found the DCC clips to be far superior.<\/p> <h3><strong>.22LR For Self-Defense?<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Okay, so back to the LCP .22. The objections to carrying a gun like this are so loud, I can hear them already. \u201cBut Chris,\u201d some of you are going to say, \u201ctrusting your life to a .22 is for old ladies and morons. You\u2019re going to get people killed with this advice!\u201d<\/p> <p>I have already gone over, at great length, the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/why-a-22-lr-pocket-gun-should-not-be-underestimated\/\"> merits of .22 as a self-defense cartridge<\/a> in other videos, so I\u2019m not going to rehash all of that now. For our discussion about the LCP, I\u2019ll just bring up two relevant points. First, .22 is really not all that bad ballistically, especially when you compare it to other small pistol calibers like .380. Even looking at reports from real-world shootings, a few rounds of .22 into some important body parts tends to make a compelling argument. Would I rather depend on a high quality expanding 9mm hollow point? Of course, but they don\u2019t make a 9mm this small and if they did, I wouldn\u2019t want to shoot it.<\/p> <h3><strong>Performance: LCP .22 LR vs. .380 ACP<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The second point is that most people really suck at shooting pocket .380s. And people who <em>can<\/em> shoot them reasonably well can shoot a .22 much, much better. In the context of a carry gun, shooting it well means you can draw the gun and get two or more high center chest hits in a short amount of time.<\/p> <p>To really drive home the point, let\u2019s take a look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/start-shooting-better-episode-3-bill-drill\/\">Bill Drill<\/a>. That\u2019s where you draw and fire six shots into the center of an IDPA or USPSA cardboard silhouette at 7 yards. Now, for me, on a good day with a full size 9mm, I can clean this drill in about 2.3-ish seconds. That\u2019s fairly respectable but it\u2019s not going to win me any awards. Obviously, I\u2019m going to be a bit slower on the draw with the LCP because it\u2019s smaller and harder to grab onto and the sights are harder to see. But let\u2019s see what I can do with the .380 LCP and an appendix style holster.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8259 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1.jpg\" alt=\"Firing the Ruger LCP II as part of this review\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-22-close-1-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h4><strong>The Bill Drill<\/strong><\/h4> <p>After I got warmed up with a few mags, I tried the Bill Drill three times. I dropped a shot on this first run with a time 4.04 seconds. On my second try, I cleaned it at 3.99 seconds. My draw time is consistently right at 1.5 seconds. My third run was clean at 4.25 seconds. That\u2019s about as fast as I can go with this gun and be reasonably sure that I\u2019m going to hit what I\u2019m aiming at.<\/p> <p>Now let\u2019s take a look at how I did with the .22 LCP. Same draw speed, right around 1.5 seconds but a much faster overall time. 2.79 seconds on this first run. My second run was a little faster at 2.68 seconds. And on my third run, I threw the last shot just outside the circle with a time of 2.63 seconds.<\/p> <p>Comparing the two guns, if you do the math, I\u2019m about 50% slower with the .380 than I am with the .22. And that all comes down to the split times &#8212; the time in between shots.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-5\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8262 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison.jpg\" alt=\"The 380 ACP side by side with the LCP II 22 long rifle model\" width=\"1181\" height=\"786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison.jpg 1181w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Bill-Drill-Comparison-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1181px) 100vw, 1181px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h3><strong>Recoil Control<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Okay, so the .22 is faster. Big deal. You probably didn\u2019t need a demonstration to tell you that. And no, I don\u2019t believe those slightly longer split times are likely to mean the difference between winning and losing a deadly force encounter. Those numbers are a direct reflection of just how much more effort is required to run the .380.<\/p> <p>My grip has to be pretty much perfect if I want to adequately control that gun. I have to consciously think about trigger control. With all that muzzle rise, I have to really verify that my sights are back on target after every shot. And of course, this gun is really not enjoyable to shoot. It\u2019s not a pistol I would voluntarily put a lot of rounds through if I wasn\u2019t doing this review. Unfortunately, if I don\u2019t practice with this gun for a few weeks, I need to fire at least a full box of ammo to get re-acclimated to it before I can shoot anything like what I did in those Bill Drills.<\/p><p><\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-6\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8263 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View.jpg\" alt=\"A shot of the sights on the pistol\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/Ruger-LCP-II-22-Target-View-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>So where does that leave the average LCP owner who most likely practices almost never? The .22 version of this gun starts looking pretty good. Because the recoil is negligible, it requires very little effort to achieve and maintain a decent level of competency with a .22. And of course with the low cost of .22 ammo, you can get in a ton of practice even on a very modest budget.<\/p> <h3><strong>Ruger LCP .22LR as a Training Pistol<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Another option would be to use the .22 as a training aid and carry the .380. That sounds great in theory, but in reality, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s all that helpful. When you boil it down, the hardest part of shooting a pocket .380 is effective recoil management and that\u2019s the one thing you cannot practice with a .22 training pistol. If you spend a day at the range with the .22 and then try to shoot the .380, you are likely to find that the way you\u2019ve been gripping the gun for the last however many hundreds of rounds is woefully inadequate for controlling the .380. That\u2019s why I\u2019m inclined to recommend people just skip the .380 all together and carry the .22.<\/p> <p>But I\u2019m not quite ready to do that without some reservations. I\u2019ve had a few issues with this gun. Three of them in particular. The first two are relatively minor and the third one is kind of a big deal.<\/p> <h3><strong>Sight Misalignment<\/strong><\/h3> <p>First, the sights were way off. Even at just seven yards, the best ammo I tried was shooting a couple of inches high and left. Out to 15 and 25 yards, it was off by more like five to seven inches. The elevation changed a lot depending on the ammo, but every load was shooting left a few inches.<\/p> <p>For most people, if this is happening with your gun, the easiest solution is going to be to just get a Crimson Trace laser guard. They\u2019re not a bad addition to these small guns anyway, and you can just align the laser to wherever your ammo is hitting.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-7\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8264 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target.jpg\" alt=\"Testing the accuracy of the Ruger LCP II pistol with a target\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/25-yard-target-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>I decided to take the riskier path and I filed down the right side of the front sight just a few thousands of an inch. Then I retouched it with some Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black. That pretty much took care of the windage problem. I could file down the rear sights to fix the elevation but I probably won\u2019t do that until I\u2019ve had a chance to figure out for sure what kind of ammo runs best in this gun.<\/p> <h3><strong>Manual Safety Manipulation<\/strong><\/h3> <p>My second problem is the manual safety. Not the fact that it has one, but the design of that safety. It slides forward and back instead of up and down like most handgun safeties. That, in itself, is not too difficult to get used to. It\u2019s easy enough to ignore if you don\u2019t want to use it, and that\u2019s pretty much what you\u2019ll have to do if you\u2019re left handed since it\u2019s a non-ambi safety.<\/p> <p>The issue I\u2019ve had is that it\u2019s really easy to accidentally engage the safety when I\u2019m racking the slide. Not so much when I\u2019m loading the gun, but if I\u2019m doing a malfunction clearance drill and trying to grab the slide quickly. So I decided to try the slingshot method to rack the slide instead of the overhand technique. Same thing: I kept grabbing the safety along with the slide.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-8\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8266 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup.jpg\" alt=\"Close up shot of the Ruger LCP II pistol\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/safety-closeup-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>So what I\u2019ve settled on for now is rolling the gun over 90 degrees and grabbing the front of the slide so my hand doesn\u2019t come anywhere near the safety. I\u2019m not sure I can always remember to do that, and it would be ideal if the safety had a different design, or wasn\u2019t there at all.<\/p> <h3><strong>Mechanical Reliability<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Actually, what would be ideal is if I didn\u2019t have to worry about clearing malfunctions to begin with, and that\u2019s the third problem I\u2019ve had with this gun. This particular .22 LCP has not been super reliable.<\/p> <p>And I know that a lot of you are feeling vindicated right now because I, conveniently, did not mention reliability when I was making my case for a .22 carry gun a minute ago. And that\u2019s totally fair. The reason .22 LR has not been widely embraced as a self-defense cartridge probably has as much to do with questionable reliability as it does terminal ballistics.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-9\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8265 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA.jpg\" alt=\"A cardboard target fired as part of this Ruger LCP II review at the range\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/15-yard-IDPA-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>I do think the ammunition has come a long way over the years and there are some guns that can run .22 very reliably. Some of you might remember the test I did with a Smith &amp; Wesson 15-22 where I fired 1500 rounds in a day with no failures to speak of. My M&amp;P 22 Compact has been extremely reliable for thousands of rounds. But I haven\u2019t had the same kind of luck with the LCP.<\/p> <p>I had a handful of failures to feed in the first 200 rounds, but those seem to have gone away. Right now, I\u2019ve got roughly 800 rounds through the gun and I\u2019m still having a problem with failures to fire. I\u2019ve counted a total of 19 light primer strikes across five different types of ammo. It doesn\u2019t seem to like the loose packed bulk ammo, but that\u2019s no surprise. However, most of the light strikes have been with CCI Mini-Mags.<\/p> <p>I\u2019ve had really good luck with Federal Gold Medal Target lead round nose. I\u2019ve shot about 300 rounds of that. I also haven\u2019t had any problems with 70 rounds of CCI Velocitors.<\/p> <h4><strong>Other Range Reports<\/strong><\/h4> <p>Now, that\u2019s just one gun out of the thousands that Ruger has made and I don\u2019t think these problems are necessarily typical. A few of my friends also bought LCP .22s and have been trying them out. Two of those friends even bought a pair of them. So not including this one, that\u2019s six LCPs.<\/p> <p>They have fired something in the neighborhood of 3 to 4000 rounds across those six guns. So far, some of the other guns have had failures to fire, but very few. And the majority of those were with the cheap bulk pack ammo.<\/p> <p>So it seems like this LCP is probably an outlier. But it also might be the case that all of the LCP .22s could benefit from a slightly stronger hammer spring.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-10\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8267 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash.jpg\" alt=\"The author shooting the Ruger LCP II at the range\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/LCP-II-22LR-Muzzle-Flash-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h3><strong>LCP .22LR: Still In the Beta Testing Phase<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Even though I really want to like it, I\u2019m reluctant to recommend this as a carry gun, especially for inexperienced shooters. They aren\u2019t likely to vet the gun thoroughly and might not know how to diagnose potential malfunctions. If you\u2019re interested in the LCP .22, the best thing to do might be to just wait a little while. It\u2019s a brand new model and teething issues like these are not uncommon. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Ruger made some minor tweaks to the design over the next year so in order to iron out some of these issues<\/p> <p>If we\u2019re really lucky, they\u2019ll roll out a version in .32 ACP and we\u2019ll get reduced recoil with centerfire reliability. But I\u2019m not holding my breath on that one. In the meantime, I will probably send this gun back to Ruger to see if they can get it running a little better. If you\u2019ve got some rounds through a .22 caliber LCP II, let us know in the comments how it\u2019s been working for you.<\/p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Small guns are typically at their best when they&#8217;re chambered for small calibers. So it was kind of a no-brainer &#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/ruger-lcp-ii-22lr-review\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[361,15],"tags":[91,47,310,40,62],"class_list":["post-8245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pocket-pistols","category-review","tag-22lr","tag-concealed-carry","tag-pocket-pistols","tag-ruger","tag-ruger-lcp"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ruger LCP II Review - The Ultimate Underwear Gun?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ruger finally made a 22LR version of the LCP. We think it&#039;s a great idea. But is the execution equally great? 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