Decisions Decisions.... First Revolver
 

Well went today and ordered my new 1911. My LGS was unboxing some new inventory and got a s&w bodyguard .38 +p and a ruger lcr .357 mag revolvers it. I have shot numerous "show your friends" ones but never owned one let alone a DOA pocket one. He said I could get one or the other at cost. Told him to hang on to both. Which one would be the one to go with? Doubt I will ever shoot .357 out of a stubby like the lcr but nice to have the option. The s&w had the laser sight. Both are within 30 bucks of the other.

I'd go with the 357. Like you said, its nice to have the option.

Almost want to kick myself for saying on a Glock forum, but I haven't warmed up to the idea of a polymer frame revolver yet...

That said, I summer carry my S&W 638 bodyguard in a DeSantis Nemesis holder. Very accurate for a snubby, and manageable with practice, despite the Airweight.

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I hear ya there. Never thought I would own one but after handling them and both being sub 415.00. I figure why not. They both seem to get decent net reviews.

I'm a S&W revolver fan but I would take the LCR over the BG. Better trigger and sights. The BG laser is funky. With that said, a steel J-frame is my choice but the price jumps.

Safe guess you are looking at one or the other as a small concealed carry revolver then my choice would probably which ever was less expensive. And say that because the polymer revolver seems about as "good" as some of the recent triggers on the S&W j frames. I would probably skip both and go for an earlier S&W Model 36 or Model 60.

LCR. I like the S&W's, have had many. But the LCR is really nice. I can pocket carry, IWB, OWB or back up. It is so light weight it is very comfortable. Plus I have big hands and the grip is much better than my 642.

Me three...

I'd carry a model 60 any day however. Or even a Ruger GP or something.

My edc is the Ruger LCR 357. Its light and powerful. Very comfortable to carry and accurate enough to be effective.

You aren't going to get the answer here. Don't worry about the magnum vs non-magnum in this type of gun unkess you are THAT type of guy.

Instead hold them in your hand, ask to dryfire, look at the sights, feel the grip, and pick whichever one YOU like better :)

Just kidding. Look at ALL the choices, and you'll end up with a 642 :)

Shooting a lightweight snubbie like the LCR or the SW lightweight snubbies...don't worry much about a gun being able to shoot .357 Magnum. Sure, it's an option but it's an option that hardly anybody ever practices.

I own magnums all the way up to .454 Casull and I have even shot the .460 Magnum. I'd rather shoot these crazy powerful mofos than shooting an LCR in .357 Magnum. Yes, I did shoot the LCR in .357 Magnum as a range rental.

Check out the Ruger Sp101. You won't look back.

I was going to say this but seemed drowned out by other suggestions.

If you want a revolver for carry, I think this is a great one. A little heavy for pocket carry but that weight makes it practical to shoot .357s. Fairly stout .357s constitute the majority of my shooting out of my SP101 and it isn't at all abusive. Far more durable than any S&W J frame. Don

I often carry a Colt Detective Special as my pocket EDC. I have a few tighter pockets that it's not practical for so I went shopping for a more "pocketable" revolver for those instances.
I looked at the new S&W Bodyguard revolver (I already have a BG.380) and although it had a nice trigger, it was just too funky with that ambi cyclinder latch. I've had a 442 and didn't care for it, so that was out. I liked the LCR, even though I thought it looked strange. Nice trigger, felt good in the hand, but the grip was no improvement size wise from my Colt. Also, it's "stickiness" made drawing it from a tight pocket even more problematic than the Colt. In the end, I chose the S&W 438. I like the way it feels better than I did the 442, the boot grip fits in my tighter pockets better and I like having the option to cock it if I choose.
I carry my pocket revolvers in a Mika pocket holster, and I prefer them to a .380 when I can.

That is exactly what I was thinking! Can't tell you how many times I've read, or talked to people who say how nasty .357's are to shoot out of small light weight revolvers. I'm thinking few ever do although I guess it's good to have the option. I only need one pocket revolver, and it's a 642. From what I've heard, if I had to do it again, I would opt for the LCR. Hear their triggers are the best ever! It would be in 38+P though, and not the .357.

Well..that's just not true. There are great j-frames. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/18/ze8a4evy.jpg

S&W would be my choice of those two. The ruger sp101 would also be a good choice

The SP101 is good if you don't mind a much heavier snubbie. There ain't no free lunches: shootability or ease of concealment. The lightweight LCR and SW snubbies (Scandium & aluminum framed) are much more pocketable than the SP101 or the Colt snubbies.

BTW, as far as better trigger goes, I don't know what's the big whoopdedoo about the LCR's trigger pull. It's fairly light but it's not smooth - uneven pull but not good for staging like the Colt action.

However, I finally picked one up after renting a couple of times. I shot .38 and .38 +P out of the rental .38 Spl LCR, and the .38 was OK but the +P definitely packed a goodly amount of recoil more. Then the next time I rented the .357 Mag LCR and shot it with some 125-grain JHP. That was plenty enough.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...gerLCRJPG7.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...gerLCRJPG6.jpg