Review: Ruger LCR-22 Snubnose Revolver

Chris Baker

11 years ago

Ruger released the .22LR version of their popular LCR revolver back in 2012 without a whole lot of fanfare. By that time, the original .38 special and .357 magnum versions of the LCR already had their day in the spotlight, and it doesn’t exactly make headline news when an existing revolver is re-chambered in a caliber that’s less than ideal for self-defense. But I’m a sucker for fun wheel guns, and when I saw the Ruger LCR-22 with Crimson Trace grips on sale for just $500, I jumped on it.

Ruger LCR-22 Review Video

Ruger LCR-22 ReviewAs much as I like wheel guns in general, I have to admit that snub-nose revolvers are a bad choice for 95% of the carry permit-holding population, and .22 Long Rifle has to be close to the bottom of the list of calibers I’d recommend to anyone for self-defense. Today, I’m taking on a review of the .22 version of the Ruger LCR. So you might think I’m going to complain about what a terrible idea this guy is, and why nobody should buy it. But you’d be wrong. .38 snub-nosed revolvers have been popular for decades, but they’re notoriously difficult to shoot. They have long, stiff triggers, the recoil’s pretty snappy, and in most cases, the lightweight versions that people like to carry are just not fun to practice with. On top of that, they hold fewer rounds than just about any other carry gun out there, usually just five. So really, I think these guns are best-reserved for expert shooters. But if you take the same-sized revolver and you chamber it in .22, now you don’t have any of that recoil to deal with, and that changes everything. So the obvious application is to use the LCR-22 as a training tool for the larger caliber versions. But I think it also has some merit as a self-defense tool on its own, With the smaller diameter of .22, you can fit three more rounds in the cylinder, for a total of eight. That’s still not a lot, but it’s at least as many shots as most single-stacked semi-autos. The low recoil is also great for less-experienced shooters. It’s actually fun to shoot, and it won’t intimidate people who aren’t used to the muzzle flip of a small center-fire handgun. Shooting instructors used to start everybody out on revolvers until they eventually realized that it’s actually easier to teach somebody how to operate a semi-auto than it is to train them in how to manage the stiff trigger and recoil of a lightweight .38. In general, that’s been a good change in the training world, but there are still a lot of people out there who want to carry just occasionally, and they don’t get to practice very often. They might feel more comfortable with a revolver because it’s so much easier for some people to remember how to use them. And with a .22 revolver, they know it’s not going to recoil out of their other hand, they can easily tell if it’s loaded, and they be confident that it’s going to work when they pull the trigger. This is not a new concept. Compact .22 revolvers have been around for over 100 years, but the root Ruger LCR-22 brings a lot of modern improvements to the table. The polymer frame makes it super-lightweight, just 14 and 1/2 ounces. And Crimson Trace Lasergrips make a lot of sense in a revolver that’ll be used as a training tool, and might also find its way into the hands of a novice. My only real complaint for the Ruger is the trigger. It’s smoother than most snub-nosed revolvers, but unfortunately, it’s not nearly as light as the center-fire version of the LCR. Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking. Forget the trigger, .22 is garbage for self-defense. Well, no, it does not have great ballistics compared to a real service caliber. But unless you’ve got a lot of trigger time with revolvers, you’re going to shoot the .22 much quicker and more accurately than a .38. And in self-defense, that might count for a lot more than bullet size. With a revolver, you also mitigate the problem of rimfire ammo reliability. Misfires and light strikes are common with .22, and that’ll tie-up a semi-auto until you can clear it. But with a revolver, you just pull the trigger and keep going. I still think the snub-nose is a bad choice for most people. And I would encourage anyone who wants to carry a handgun to get lots of training and practice until they can competently handle a gun in a more serious self-defense caliber than .22. But let’s consider reality. You probably know someone who has a concealed carry permit who’s life circumstances just aren’t going to allow them to become really proficient with the kind of gun that you or I might think they should carry. So until those circumstances change, these people can really benefit from a gun that’s simple and reliable. Something that’s really easy to aim, and isn’t going to have a whole lot of recoil. And healthy the LCR-22 might not be a very powerful gun, but it’s a self-defense tool that an inexperienced shooter can use with confidence.

Deleted Scenes

I had lots of other stuff to say about the LCR-22 that didn’t make it into the video. So for you scholars out there who prefer reading to watching videos, here are a few additional thoughts. And for you non-bookish types, there are some pretty pictures, too.

Tested Ammunition

I used a variety of .22 LR loads for the LCR-22 review, and they all functioned perfectly with no misfires, light strikes, or extraction issues. The tested loads included Wolf Match Target, CCI Mini-Mags, CCI Standard Velocity, Federal Champion LRN, American Eagle LRN, and Aguila Super Colibri.

I skipped the “proper” bench-rest accuracy testing this time around, since there hardly seems to be any point with a sub-2-inch-barreled snubby sporting a 15+ lbs. trigger. However, I did try several slow fire shots standing from 10 yards, and easily kept the groups under 2″ with every load except the Colibri. Point of impact changed slightly from one brand to the next, but all showed consistent performance.

If you’re not familiar with Aguila’s Colibri and Super Colibri ammo, they are basically under-powered loads in a shortened .22 LR case intended for practice without all the noise of the full power loads. They have no gunpowder/propellant, and push out the bullet through the blast of the primer alone. It’s an interesting product, but the low power of the loads has some down sides. Neither version creates enough pressure to cycle a semi-auto firearm, and even if they did, most handguns and rifles would not feed the shortened cases reliably. Some magazine fed bolt-action rifles also have trouble cycling the cartridges. In addition, the standard Colibri version may not even give the bullets enough velocity to make it out of a rifle barrel, so they’re limited to use in handguns only. The Super Colibri uses a bit more of the primer compound, making them safe to use in rifles, but they’re also louder than the standard Colibri loads.

But revolvers like the Ruger LCR-22 don’t care either way. Without dependence on feeding or cycling, they’ll run Colibri and Super Colibri ammo just as reliably as anything. Same goes for .22 Short, .22 Long, and any other odd-ball rat/snake-shot type .22 ammo you can get your hands on. Just don’t go cramming a .22 magnum cartridge in the cylinder, and you’ll be fine.

Why Not .22 Magnum?

Speaking of .22 WMR, I’m sure some of you are wondering why I chose the .22 LR version of the LCR over the one chambered in .22 magnum. The magnum would still be very light on recoil, but many hold it in higher regard as a self-defense load because of its higher velocity. From a rifle barrel, that makes a lot of sense, but out of a handgun, we need to take a closer look at the numbers.

Referring to the excellent information provided by the classy gents at Ballistics By The Inch, there’s a huge disparity in the performance of .22 magnum out of a 18″ barrel versus a 2″ barrel. The four 40 grain loads they tested showed an average velocity of 1923 fps from an 18-inch barrel. Three .22 LR loads using the same bullet weight averaged 647 fps less, which makes a huge difference in terms of real world effectiveness. It’s no wonder that .22 WMR is such a well-respected varmint load.

But then take a look at the data for the same loads out of a 2″ barrel. With so little room to burn its extra powder, the .22 magnum only gives an average 30 fps increase over .22 LR. The Ruger LCR-22 barrel is actually only 1.875″ long, so it would provide even less velocity increase in .22 magnum than the BTI test barrels. The .22 magnum LCR also holds just six rounds instead of eight for .22 LR, which hardly makes the mighty magnum version a good trade-off.

With so little room to burn its extra powder, the .22 magnum only gives an average 30 fps increase over .22 LR.

So why does Ruger even make the .22 WMR version? Because most people don’t care about things like “facts” and “science” and they want a gun with magnum in the name. It makes great business sense for Ruger to accommodate these folks, but unless you think that a double-digit increase in muzzle velocity is really worth a 25% loss in ammo capacity, as well as being more expensive to feed, the .22 LR version is clearly the better choice.