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Openly carrying a Ruger LCP...?

carolina guy

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Messages
1,737
Location
Concord, NC
For what it's worth I haven't taken offense to anything said in this thread either, none of it came across as personal belittlement.

Most of it seemed like good honest opinions and advice to me. :)

My feeling is that if someone disagrees with my choice of carry weapon, they (IMO) are welcome to accompany me to the gun shop and pony up the extra $$ to get a "worthy" weapon.

If you have a good holster, and are comfortable with the pistol, carry as you wish!! I have a good tuckable IWB holster for the SCCY 9mm and it may get tucked, maybe not. If it was smaller, it would get dropped in the pocket when I want to CC.

Have fun with it! (safely) :)
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
Hence the word "seem."

Your assertion that you have no idea what you did is total Bravo Sierra. Again, read the thread. It is all there. You wish to keep this going, and I will not stop you. Your turn.
 

Red Dawg

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
399
Location
Eastern VA, with too many people
To the OP to get your answer...I think it is a great gun period. People will argue and yes size does matter sometimes...The 380 is a fine round, and the Ruger is a fine make, and the LCP is just a "smaller" version...Carry it, and take care of yourself. My only caution is this, take it out to the range and practice...Get used to the controls, and how she drives. Some comapct type guns can be a little snappy, and need a little practice to be ready for folow up shots if needed...Truth is, most SD shoot happen pretty damn close, and pretty damn fast. If it's on your hip, you have a chance, if it's in your gun safe at home...well....
 

turborich

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2012
Messages
176
Location
Las Vegas, NV
I often open carry my Kel-Tec P3AT which is the same exact size. Why do I carry this gun? Because (1) I have yet to get my concealed weapons permit. (2) I'm not looking to draw a lot of attention and with this gun in a black holster it doesn't draw very much attention and it's very light! If I OC my Glock 17 then it's going to be very noticeable and to be honest my pants will need to be pulled up constantly. (3) A .380 with 7 hollow points will stop a threat, I'm certain of it. I know people like to underestimate the .22LR and .380 but I don't and I know darn well if someone emptied a magazine of either round at me I would be running for my life!

That Ruger LCP is a nice reliable firearm, enjoy it!
 

WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
I often open carry my Kel-Tec P3AT which is the same exact size. Why do I carry this gun? Because (1) I have yet to get my concealed weapons permit. (2) I'm not looking to draw a lot of attention and with this gun in a black holster it doesn't draw very much attention and it's very light! If I OC my Glock 17 then it's going to be very noticeable and to be honest my pants will need to be pulled up constantly. (3) A .380 with 7 hollow points will stop a threat, I'm certain of it. I know people like to underestimate the .22LR and .380 but I don't and I know darn well if someone emptied a magazine of either round at me I would be running for my life!

That Ruger LCP is a nice reliable firearm, enjoy it!

That is why God created suspenders... :lol:
 

Leader

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
274
Location
Livingston Co., Michigan, , USA
Carry it.

When I started, the only gun I had was a Colt .25 ACP. (wish I still had it)

I found out that it wasn't the gun of choice for most people that were hunting elephants at 1000 yards but it would work wonderful to deter *MOST* threats.

The simple fact is, in *MOST* cases a simple starter pistol shooting blanks will cause *MOST* bad guys to turn tail & RUN.

That's all you really want in *MOST* cases. They see a "gun" and it goes BANG, the're out of there. They are NOT going to stick around to see if it is a Kel-Tec or a H&K.
They don't care if it is a .22 or a .575. They have already figured out you have a gun & you WILL use it to HURT them if they stay.

The LCP is a GREAT way to start open carrying because it draws less attention and builds YOUR confidence. When & if you get a bigger gun (size and/or caliber) you will already know *MOST* people are not going to notice it & *MOST* people that do , don't care.

Carry when & where you legally can & don't worry about what's "right" in the eyes of others because someone will ALWAYS disagree with whatever.
 

Jamesm760

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2013
Messages
429
Location
Salisbury, NC
Carry it.

When I started, the only gun I had was a Colt .25 ACP. (wish I still had it)

I found out that it wasn't the gun of choice for most people that were hunting elephants at 1000 yards but it would work wonderful to deter *MOST* threats.

Thank you sir, you made my day. Everyone at my work looked at me crazy because I started laughing out loud like crazy... They wouldn't understand the joke so I just told them I remembered something funny from a long time ago.
 

Davy Sprocket

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2012
Messages
14
Location
NW Iowa
I'm recently getting interested in open carry again. I sold off the pistol I was using for oc a long while ago. This left me with only my "vest pocket pistol" in 32 auto. Seeing this topic has got me to reconsider using it for oc. I found a spare holster that'll work. I do like the idea of ocing a pocket pistol as it would be less likely noticed. Although a previous owner nickel plated the one I got so it'll really shine in the sunlight. IIRC the first pistol I oc'd was a LCP. I'm still in the market for a full size handgun though. So to put it bluntly, carry whatever makes you comfortable.
 

HeroHog

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Messages
628
Location
Shreveport, LA
As long as the holster has good, positive retention, you should be good to go! I carry a P11 Kel-Tec daily myself.
 
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sraacke

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
1,214
Location
Saint Gabriel, Louisiana, USA
Earlier this week I stopped at a local thrift store to look for some items. As I was walking in I saw a woman OCing a Ruger LCP in Uncle Mike holster with zero retention. She was carrying appendix style and we spoke a few seconds and I gave her one of our pamphlets telling her to find us online later. She was just someone who had a gun, wanted to defend herself and had not yet gotten her CHP.
 

Gun Daddy PV

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
10
Location
Prescott Valley, AZ
I just got a Ruger LCP yesterday and do not yet have a CPL. What are your thoughts on someone OCing a subcompact?

It's the only handgun I own and I have a nice leather OWB holster for it with a thumb snap... I'm really trying to resist the urge to OC it while doing my daily business, or even just for a walk around the neighbourhood to test it out. Is this bad? Should I just wait for my CPL (or a bigger gun)?

I make leather holsters and I'm having a heck of a time creating a cross-draw for my LCP. I have several pocket holsters (even one made for cargo pant pockets) but the gun is so tiny it isn't going well. I think I'll just give-up.

Since you can only OC until you get your permit, Uncle Mike makes a universal holster (I think it's Size 1) which will fit the LCP until you can get a pocket holster or something similar.
 

Samopal

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
66
Location
Northville, MI
I make leather holsters and I'm having a heck of a time creating a cross-draw for my LCP. I have several pocket holsters (even one made for cargo pant pockets) but the gun is so tiny it isn't going well. I think I'll just give-up.

Since you can only OC until you get your permit, Uncle Mike makes a universal holster (I think it's Size 1) which will fit the LCP until you can get a pocket holster or something similar.

Actually I have a Blackhawk size 1 universal IWB holster I use for around the house, and a Tagua leather holster for OC. I like them both very much. :) I really don't like the idea of using a cheap universal holster for OC, or any kind of OWB carry.
 

Medic1210

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
298
Location
Rockingham, NC
I bought a nice little Fobus kydex paddle holster for my LCP, and that is my preferred carry when I'm riding my bicycle. It's small, lightweight, and unobtrusive. Paddle slides nicely into the waistband of my cycling shorts, and keeps sweat away from the gun, which the LCP does not like. I carried it one time inside a pocket when I went hiking, and by the time I got done a couple hours later, the slide had surface rust on it. :(
 

Samopal

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
66
Location
Northville, MI
I bought a nice little Fobus kydex paddle holster for my LCP, and that is my preferred carry when I'm riding my bicycle. It's small, lightweight, and unobtrusive. Paddle slides nicely into the waistband of my cycling shorts, and keeps sweat away from the gun, which the LCP does not like. I carried it one time inside a pocket when I went hiking, and by the time I got done a couple hours later, the slide had surface rust on it. :(

Damn. I've carried mine in my pocket, IWB, and OWB. It gets sweat, rain and other crap in it and there's not a mark on the finish, and certainly no rust. For what Ruger calls a "blued" finish it's holding up pretty well.

When was yours made, and what does the finish look like? Maybe they changed it somewhere down the line? Mine's a thin, smooth black coating I thought was some type of tenifer/melonite-like finish until I read "blued" on Ruger's site. It's not like any bluing I've ever seen.
 

Medic1210

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
298
Location
Rockingham, NC
Damn. I've carried mine in my pocket, IWB, and OWB. It gets sweat, rain and other crap in it and there's not a mark on the finish, and certainly no rust. For what Ruger calls a "blued" finish it's holding up pretty well.

When was yours made, and what does the finish look like? Maybe they changed it somewhere down the line? Mine's a thin, smooth black coating I thought was some type of tenifer/melonite-like finish until I read "blued" on Ruger's site. It's not like any bluing I've ever seen.

My LCP is my newest handgun. Wife bought it for me for Christmas after I mentioned I'd like a small pocket pistol to carry as a backup to my primary. Finish, from what I can tell is the same as what is on my Springfield XDm and XDs. I carry my XDs in a crossbreed MiniTuck IWB every day, and that thing is constantly exposed to sweat. The only rust I have found on it is behind the takedown lever and on the rolled pins in the frame (and that doesn't make me real happy either). Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be limited to mine, as I bought one for my wife the year prior, and it also developed a small amount of surface rust after a day in the pocket.

And to be clear, I don't just carry it daily exposing it to sweat without wiping it down. Maybe I need to buy another Tuff-Cloth
 
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Brace

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2013
Messages
183
Location
Colorado
I'm intending to carry my Sig P-238 in Maine when I go there to visit my boyfriend over Thanksgiving break. It shoots well, and with a 7 rds magazine with a grip extension, it feels good in my hand. My gun is also very distinctive, which is probably a mixed blessing:

100_1754_zps182ba6e9.jpg

On the one hand, it might say too much about my personality. On the other, since the gun and myself are both very distinctive, in principle I should only have to talk to the police once or twice before every cop in Portland knows I'm in the clear to be carrying and don't intend any harm. Or maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.
 

SPOProds

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
464
Location
Orono, ME
I'm intending to carry my Sig P-238 in Maine when I go there to visit my boyfriend over Thanksgiving break. It shoots well, and with a 7 rds magazine with a grip extension, it feels good in my hand. My gun is also very distinctive, which is probably a mixed blessing:

View attachment 10853

On the one hand, it might say too much about my personality. On the other, since the gun and myself are both very distinctive, in principle I should only have to talk to the police once or twice before every cop in Portland knows I'm in the clear to be carrying and don't intend any harm. Or maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.

Portland PD has been educated. You SHOULD be okay.

Individually Responsible.
Sent from the back of a black van
 

mobiushky

Regular Member
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
830
Location
Alaska (ex-Colorado)
My LCP is my newest handgun. Wife bought it for me for Christmas after I mentioned I'd like a small pocket pistol to carry as a backup to my primary. Finish, from what I can tell is the same as what is on my Springfield XDm and XDs. I carry my XDs in a crossbreed MiniTuck IWB every day, and that thing is constantly exposed to sweat. The only rust I have found on it is behind the takedown lever and on the rolled pins in the frame (and that doesn't make me real happy either). Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be limited to mine, as I bought one for my wife the year prior, and it also developed a small amount of surface rust after a day in the pocket.

And to be clear, I don't just carry it daily exposing it to sweat without wiping it down. Maybe I need to buy another Tuff-Cloth

Somethings wrong here. I've carried my current EDC everyday for over a year and a half, 90% of that IWB for at least some portion of the day. (Can't OC at work, CC for 9 hours every day M-F). Not one spot of rust anywhere. I'm not saying your lying, I'm saying something is wrong on the finish of your firearms. I think I'd be talking to Ruger about that. That or maybe do some oiling to stop the rust?
 
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