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If you know you’re headed for a gunfight, you bring a rifle. For daily concealed carry, though, we all compromise by carrying a gun that’s small enough to conceal without being too cumbersome or too uncomfortable. For me that’s usually a micro-compact 9mm carried IWB, but for the past week I’ve had the new Ruger LCP MAX in a front pocket and I’m loving it.

Don’t miss the Rumble-hosted video above of the LCP MAX out on the range! Or click here to view it directly on Rumble.

We’re all well familiar with the Ruger LCP, correct? It has been a .380 ACP concealed carry staple for over a decade, with no shortage of TTAG articles revolving around it. Our original LCP review from May 2010 is HERE, and our review of the upgraded and updated LCP II is HERE.

Ruger’s new LCP MAX takes the LCP II and cranks it up to 11. Literally. This bad boy now holds 11 rounds (10+1) with its flush-fitting magazine instead of the LCP II’s (and LCP’s) 7-round (6+1) capacity. While certainly not the only change, the “MAX” capacity is clearly the most noteworthy.

As if that isn’t enough, the LCP MAX has an available 12-round magazine for an onboard capacity of 12+1 (some claim that’s as many as 13). Despite the two extra rounds of .380, the extended mag adds less than half an inch to the height at the rear of the magazine. Direct comparison photos between the LCP II and LCP MAX can be found below, after the end of this review.

It adds a little more than a half inch to the front strap, which provided me and my men’s size L hands enough room for about 3/4 of my pinky finger to be officially on the front of the grip. It’s a small size penalty to pay for an extra two rounds of ammo and one more finger on the gun.

In fact, in the box with the LCP MAX is an extended pinky rest floor plate for the 10-round magazine that’s included with the gun, but you’d have to be suffering presidential-grade cognitive issues to use it when the 12-round magazine is no taller.

The LCP MAX employs a similar “pebbled” or light sandpaper-like texture as the LCP II, arranged similarly in panel-like sections around the grip frame. It’s enough texture to provide secure purchase, but it won’t tear up the inside of your pocket or velcro itself in there. Nor will it shred your tender love handles.

Compared to the LCP II, the LCP MAX is rounder and smoother; less blocky, more svelte. It’s more ergonomic and more comfortable in the hand than the previous generation, and I think it looks nicer.

Despite the switch to a double stack magazine and upping the mag capacity from 6 to 10, the MAX adds only 0.4 inches to the height of the LCP II and only 0.06 inches to the width. Length and weight are exactly the same.

Also improved is the magazine release, which is slightly larger and textured, unlike the completely smooth, incredibly tiny LCP II button.

Trigger design is similar, with a safety blade and a gentle curve to it. There’s a decent amount of smooth, light take-up slack before the trigger stops at a wall. Applying seven pounds of pressure rewards with a fairly clean, fairly crisp break. Reset is quite short and it’s easy to feel.

Overall, though heavy, the LCP MAX’s trigger is fundamentally quite good. Smooth, crisp, not much creep, and a nice reset. It’s a decent trigger for a pocket gun, and considering that likely use and carry style I don’t take issue with the 7-pound trigger pull weight.

Like previous generations, the LCP MAX is an internal hammer-fired mouse gun. It’s single action in that the slide must cycle in order to cock the hammer.

One cool feature on the LCP MAX is a flare in width at the rear of the slide. That last slide serration is wider than the others — little “wings” are machined in. This provides additional purchase when manipulating the slide, but even with those wings the total slide width is a very skinny 0.81 inches.

One perhaps (depending on your feelings on the topic) not-so-cool feature on the LCP MAX is a slide catch that’s truly just a catch. It locks back on empty, it’s easy enough to use for manually locking the slide back, but it does not drop the slide. Due to the angle of the cut in the slide and the design of the slide catch, it was impossible for me to release the slide via downward pressure on the slide catch.

For me, I really don’t care. I use the slingshot method to release the slide and used to carry a gun that didn’t even have an external slide-related control at all. I’d take reliable and secure locking back on empty over a slide catch that’s also a release. Though achieving both of those functions is obviously entirely possible.

Sights on the LCP MAX match my preference. The rear is a serrated black piece of steel.

And the front sight is eye-catching. In this case it’s a green tritium dot inside of a white outline. Very nice.

Not only do I find the black rear and eye-catching front to be the fastest and most accurate configuration for me, I prefer, at least for self-defense purposes, only the front sight to be a tritium night sight.

Construction and take-down is similar to previous LCP generations with a takedown pin that must be removed out of the left side of the slide. No trigger pull is required. A skinny, steel guide rod holds twin, nested recoil springs.

On the range, I found the LCP MAX was a very good shooter. Unsurprisingly, it feels like the previous LCPs but with a more ergonomic grip and better sights. It’s still a teeny little pocket rocket, but it’s easy to control and keep right on target.

The strangest part of shooting the LCP MAX is popping off 10 to 13 shots before having to reload. It’s unexpected and incongruous from a pistol this size.

I fired four different types of .380 ACP through the LCP MAX, including lightweight frangible ammo, some strange cast zinc ammo, and two brands of hollow points and it ate it all. Again, this isn’t surprising as the LCP has earned itself a good reputation for reliable function.

Accuracy was solid, even during rapid fire, and I wasn’t hindered at all by the heavy trigger due to how decently crisp it is.

I recall how impressed we all were when the original wave of 6-round polymer frame micro-compact mouse gun pocket pistols hit the market and they — most of them — proved reliable enough to trust for CCW use. Along with, of course, modern .380 ACP ammo that made the cartridge itself a much more viable self-defense option.

It’s hard to believe that it took so long for a company to up the capacity, especially as we’ve been mumbling about a double-stack .380 pocket pistol for years now! Good on Ruger for being the first into what I’m positive is going to be a huge market.

Though I prefer to carry IWB and I prefer to carry a 9mm, I fully admit there are occasional days where I just don’t feel like it. Whether it’s my chosen attire that day or it’s the weather or the activity, I simply choose possible death over certain discomfort. And I’m good with that.

But the LCP MAX provides another option. Throwing this bad boy into a pocket holster like a Sticky Holster or using the included, Ruger-branded soft pocket holster and carrying it in a front pocket (or the correct kind of side/thigh pocket) is just awesome. It’s so small and so light that it’s barely even noticeable after a few minutes. It feels like a phone and it looks from the outside like a phone.

Sure, it can’t be drawn as quickly as an IWB gun and it isn’t as ballistically impressive as a 9mm, but it beats the heck out of my lazy, fatalistic days where I go unarmed. And 10+1 or 12+1 rounds of modern, self-defense .380 ACP is nothing to sneeze at!

I’m buying this LCP MAX, and as of last week it’s in my regular carry rotation. It’s an awesome little gun.

Specifications: Ruger LCP MAX

Caliber: .380 Auto
Capacity: 10+1 rounds flush fit, 12+1 extended
Barrel Length: 2.80 inches
Overall Length: 5.17 inches
Width: 0.81 inches
Height: 4.12 inches
Weight: 10.6 ounces
Sights: tritium with white outline front sight, black rear sight
Includes: one, 10-round magazine and a soft pocket holster. 12-round magazines and other accessories available separately.
MSRP: $449 (find it for less at Brownells HERE)

Ratings (out of five stars):

Style and Appearance  * * * *
Improved looks over the previous generations of LCP. Fit and finish are very nice.

Reliability  * * * * *
Rock solid even with a mix of strange ammo.

Ergonomics  * * * *
For such a tiny little gun, Ruger has done a good job making it feel comfortable and controllable.

Customize This  * * * 
The LCP MAX truly doesn’t need much in the way of customization, but it also doesn’t have a whole lot of options. It ships with great sights and feels good in the hand with what I think is the correct amount of texture. Holsters are already plentiful, as the LCP MAX will fit in many holsters made for the LCP II (you should verify, though, with Kydex holsters as the tiny — 0.06″ — increase in slide width might make for an overly snug fit).

Overall  * * * *
Ruger’s LCP MAX is an absolutely awesome little mouse gun. As much as I hate the term, I’d be remiss not to call this gun a game changer in the pocket pistol market. Who in their right mind would choose 6 rounds when they can get 10 or more in effectively the same footprint? Not me.

 

LCP MAX vs. LCP II size comparisons:

That’s a photo of the LCP MAX hiding underneath the LCP II. The footprints are nearly identical, with the exception that the LCP MAX’s magazine baseplate goes almost as low as the LCP II’s pinky extension. So instead of just a poky point in the front, the LCP MAX’s baseplate is a flat line all the way across the bottom.

This is some of where the LCP MAX’s additional 0.4 inches of height comes from, but not all of it…

More than I expected is simply a difference in sights. The LCP II’s sights are machined integrally into the slide and they’re only about 2/3 the height of the LCP MAX’s sights.

So, when flipping the guns over to rest ’em on their sights, the full 0.4 inches of additional height can be seen in the MAX and its baseplate suddenly passes the pinky extension on the LCP II. When the trigger guards and slide rails and such are lined up instead, the MAX’s baseplate doesn’t make it as far as the pinky extension on the LCP II, as seen in the first couple of comparison photos above.

Grip and slide width is nearly identical. Baseplate width represents a more obvious difference, with the double stack magazine’s baseplate coming in unsurprisingly close to twice as wide as the single stack’s.

At this point I have alternately carried both guns over the course of a few days and the difference between them is almost entirely academic, with the sole semi-noticeable CCW difference being the magazine baseplate width.

I’ll take the increased capacity, thank you very much.

 

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105 COMMENTS

  1. I think Ruger owns the market on ugly pistols.
    It is good to get the mouse guns into a higher capacity offering like this though. Not sure I’d trust my life to a .380 when 9mm pistols can be had in tiny guns but to each his own.

    • My normal carry for the last few years is a SIG P365, but as tiny as that is there’s a big difference between that and the LCP MAX if you’re putting it in a pocket. Even aside from the footprint, the difference between a 10-ounce gun and an 18-ounce gun is very substantial and noticeable.

      • Right, my Bodyguard .380 is a viable pocket gun for normal jeans, my P365 is not.

        • I totally love my J-frame, but I was thinking something similar. I’ll always keep my J-frame, but now I want to add one of these. It really could replace both my LCP and my 642.

        • You can still shoot your j-frame multiple times from a coat pocket without fear of jamming, and no shell casings left behind at the scene. Just sayin…

      • How does it compare size-wise with a Kahr CM9 for pocket carry?

        Asking for a friend….

        • Thanks KJ, but the LCP II has a much shorter grip than the LCP Max.
          Since I am considering a Kahr CM9, I would like to know how it compares to the LCP Max from someone who has stuffed both in their pocket. I don’t own either pistol.
          I have carried an LCP for around 10 years. It is easy to draw from the pocket even with jeans. I can get my 43 in my pocket easily, but I cannot draw it with a firing grip.
          I won’t pocket carry something I can grab and draw.

      • This. There is a substantial difference in bulk and especially weight between this and the p365, hellcat etc.

      • Specialist- It looks like at least some of that .4″ height difference is in the sights. Looky here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akUakyGVx1c

        He’s got both teets up on the table and the frame of the Max is higher than the frame on the LCPII. Maybe the slide is taller for some reason, but the sights certainly are.

        Good hunting.

      • This article really should have included side by side photos with the new pistol and an older LCP or LCP2. We all want to see the size comparison. LCPs are everywhere and everyone has one, so the comparison should have been made.

        It also would have been nice to include side by side photos of the new pistol and the Sign P365.

        Also, congrats to Ruger. This looks like a very useful gun. They should have introduced it years ago, but I’m glad they finally did. Well done Ruger?

        • Art, thefirearmblog has a video review and size comparison with the p365. Not sure he compared it with the lcpII though.

        • Micah,
          Thank you. I did check on YouTube and also found a video with a comparison with the LCP2 and new Ruger Max 9.

      • If you want a small 9mm, give the Kahr CM9 a try. It’s about the same size as the LCP Max. It does weigh 5.3 oz more though.

      • Totally Agree. I bought the LCP Max. I have the A couple of the CM’s and much prefer them over my Sig 365 and for sure my Beretta Nano’s are not going anywhere. But the MAX is now the main carry gun for me. A Huge difference in weight. Ounces DO matter.
        And what is nice, is the fact that now you can have a 380 carry gun and put a Hogue tamer on the LCP lite rack 22.cal and you have a identical trainer.

    • Agree. I have an original Ruger LCP running around the house somewhere. I found that it key-holed much with cheap ammo I was testing with. Perfect size for a pocket pistol but I later bought a Kahr CM-9 for pocket carry, esp when it’s blazing hot out.

    • Underwood ammo extreme penetrator in .380 is ballistically equivalent to standard 9mm, sure you’ll get better expansion with HSTs, but for pocket carry in the summer the .380 is a little more convenient.

      Especially if they make the cool holster that makes it imprint like a phone for this that they made for the original LCP and m&p shield.

  2. Hi, Okay more rounds. I don’t need another LCP. You never mentioned, does the 12 round magazine fit in the last LCP?
    Thank you.

  3. OH!!!!… I forgot to put in the review how much it bothers me that Ruger’s high capacity LC9 is called the MAX-9 but this high capacity LCP is called the LCP MAX hahaha. I mean, shouldn’t it be the MAX-380? Or the 9mm should have been the LC9 MAX? This is exactly the kind of pedantic branding shit that I drive Chris absolutely crazy with RE Black Collar Arms stuff. But seriously, how did this happen? Makes no damn sense. SMH.

  4. Would this be considered the first tactical mouse gun? Up to 23 rounds using the standard 10 round magazine with 1 in the chamber & a spare 12 round magazine sounds rather tactical to me. Or if you use 2 12 rounders it could be up to 25 for a gun that can easily fit in a pocket.

    • You can also have 23 rounds on tap with a single shot Derringer and 22 rounds of loose ammo in your pocket.
      🤪

    • Grendel P-12 had an 11+1 mag long before this came out. They were in business from ‘87 to ‘94 though I’m not sure when the P-12 entered production. They had some reliability and QC issues but if you come across a good one they’re pretty neat little guns.

  5. If you are signed up to Ruger’s news e-mails, you no doubt noticed that last week they offered a chance to sign up to win one of these, but they didn’t say what it was. They just said they were releasing a new product. I thought they were going to announce production of Marlin rifles. They have stated they would start producing Marlins in the latter half of the year.

    Too bad. Guess I’ll need to wait a little longer.

  6. I watched several video’s on YouTube of this yesterday. IF I was ever getting another 380 I’d seriously look at this. 380 ammo seems like vaporware in any iteration.

  7. Nice review, but disappointed to see no comparison in width to the original LCP or LCP II, no comparison of the magazines, etc – I spent most of the article wondering how they did the magic to cram an extra 4 rounds in and by the end of the article I was still wondering.

    Only found it was a double stack mag by reading in the comment section.

    • It’s pretty clear from the pictures (especially if you’ve seen “two into one” mags for micro-compact 9s), and there’s also this: “It’s hard to believe that it took so long for a company to up the capacity, especially as we’ve been mumbling about a double-stack .380 pocket pistol for years now!”

      What I’d like to see is a side-by-side comparison of the LCP Max with pistols in the Max-9 or P-365 class.

    • I would also like to see a comparo with the original LCP.

      All the reviews gloss over the extra length of the grip, without the extended mag.

      The taller grip will be the biggest factor in pocket carry for me.

      The LCP is easy to carry and draw with a firing grip.

      May be tougher to get a firing grip and draw with the longer, wider grip.

      • I don’t have an LCP handy to do a direct comparison. Yes, it’s 0.4″ taller and I probably need to mention that in the review somewhere. It’s only 0.06″ wider so pretty dang impressively close considering the near doubling of capacity.

        • Thanks. That 0.4 inches puts it close to my 43…..which I can’t pocket carry well.
          But the snout is shorter so it may sit deep enough in the pocket to allow a full grip from drawing.
          I mainly think of comparing to Kahr CM9. Its shorter than the glock 43 and again may sit deeper in the pocket.
          I’m still hoping Beretta would make the Tomcat with a polymer frame and a 10 round mag. Or a 380 Tomcat (Civet?) In a 10 round polymer would be nice. I am a Beretta fan of.
          Good review as always.

        • Okay. I went to handgun hero now that they have the LCP max.

          This is much bigger footprint than the original LCP.

          Don’t really care about the width, that extra half inch of grip may prevent me drawing from a pocket .

          I guess I’ll wait until my LGS has one and try it in my LCP Nemesis holster.

          The proof is in the pocket.

  8. With only a safety blade is this something that can be pocketed or carried safely with one in the chamber?

    I guess it’s not much different than carrying my cz75 but both of that is double action with hammer dropped.

    • My thoughts exactly. I went for Smith’s Bodyguard .380 because I could get it with a safety.

      • The trigger on the .380 bodyguard is enough of a safety for me. I’ve had trouble firing it even when I wanted to.

    • I’m comfortable carrying a similar weapon in condition 1 in a pocket holster, but never outside of such a holster. Pocket holsters also reduce printing.

      • Condition One means the safety is on, so from what I’m reading it appears this gun can only be carried in Condition Zero or Condition Three (it has no manual safety). I would not ever recommend carrying a handgun in Condition Zero (even if it has a “safe” action).

        But I’m old and set in my (safe) ways.

        • I stand corrected. I carry an SA/DA. I holster it with round in the chamber, hammer down, safety on, and once in the holster, I disengage the safety. I am comfortable with the firing pin block doing it’s job.

        • I carry DA/SA hammer down, round chambered, safety on (Condition 2.5?). I carry SA hammer down on a chambered round (Condition Two). I carry a striker-fired with a manual safety round chambered, safety on (Condition 1.5?), and the striker-fired without a manual safety does not get carried- it has a round chambered and resides in a quick-access gun safe.

          The key is firearm familiarity and training.

          Let me reiterate- LOTS of repetitive training…

          regardless of what you’re carrying.

        • Well, since Cooper’s readiness conditions were originally developed for 1911-style pistols, revolvers don’t directly apply to his carry codes- mainly due to the lack of a safety.

          Condition Zero for a revolver would mean carrying it single action with the hammer cocked (trigger fully back) on a loaded chamber- how safe does that sound? Well, that’s how it appears to be for the LCP- if the chamber is loaded the hammer is cocked- it cannot be manually lowered and there is no manual (or grip) safety. Yikes.

          Since I would never recommend carrying a revolver in Condition Zero, I cannot recommend carrying any other handgun that way, either. In my opinion, “Safe Action” pistols are no different- chambering a round cocks the hammer and the only thing keeping the gun from firing is pulling the trigger. And no, I do not believe a “trigger safety” can be considered a safety at all… simply putting a lever on a trigger that disengages when the trigger is pulled does not a safety make- it’s still a cocked single action requiring only a pull of the trigger to discharge the weapon (it should have a manual safety).

          A double action revolver with the hammer down on a loaded chamber requiring a long, heavy, double action trigger pull that involves physical articulation of intrinsically tangible major components of the firearm (the rotation of the cylinder and the rearward movement of the hammer) does meet my requirements for being able to be considered a “safety”. It takes considerable deliberation to fire a double action revolver, IMO.

          In short- I highly recommend carrying a double action revolver… just not in single action mode.

  9. How easy is the slide to rack and how stiff is the recoil? Thinking of my mother and wife who both have trouble with some semi autos. My wife had to stop carrying a Ruger SR9c due to the stiff slide and my mother had to sell her S&W Shield 9mm for the same reason.

    • I don’t really think micro compact guns in general (including revolvers, but especially semis) are appropriate for most slight-of-build or low-on-grip-strength or -forearm-strength people. I’d recommend an M&P 380 EZ. While the slide on this LCP MAX is pretty easy to rack, it’s a tiny, lightweight gun so it has non-trivial recoil, it has a fairly heavy trigger, and the magazine is hard to snap into place when fully loaded with the slide forward. They’ll basically want to insert a 10-round mag with the slide locked back then release the slide to chamber the first round and leave it like that. If they aren’t comfortable carrying chambered, then my guess is they’ll be carrying with 9 in the mag and none in the chamber.

  10. Remember that a .380 is a 9mm(short). These are really belly guns, pocket pistols that are meant to be used up close and personal. I would not want to be shot from 10 feet with a .22 standard, or even a .22 cap(the ammo used in the penny arcade shooting galleries). The .380 sidearm was issued to many officers in many country’s militaries, the Nazis used them for “ethnic cleansing”, so the .380 did do the job. Using a pocket pistol for longer range shooting is not responsible. A .32 mouse gun is manageable, a .380 is just barely so. I would consider a 9mm(particularly + ammo) to be a little overpowered to use in a mouse gun. A .380 loaded with + ammo defensive rounds will do the job as well as 9mm from the same length barrel, and since the round is shorter, the overall length or the handgun can be shorter.

      • Yes, but I do not believe it is standardized. You can get it from Buffalo Bore and others. I stay away from it myself. I would think it wears down guns faster.

        • When and if the ammo shortage calms down, go with Underwood .380+P XTPs. They produce 288 ft/lbs@1200 FPS which is basically a low powered 9mm but just barely.

          I wanted a LCP 1.0 but couldn’t stand the trigger. I ended up buying a Taurus TCP in black SS. After a guy on YouTube (ShootingTheBull410) did a bunch of tests the best rounds were XTPs. His test gun was the TCP.
          All of the rounds went at least 12″ and expanded.

          I bought a bunch of Fiocchi XTPs at Cabelas.
          Then Hornady had 75 round packs of their American Gunner XTPs and they were like $25 so I bought two. Why so much ammo? Well I have a Beretta 84FS also and bought another TCP in black SS for $180 when Taurus came out with the Spectrum. I had two mouse .380s and a Beretta but it gets interesting.

          I had ordered some surplus ammo online and it was Santa Barbara Spanish military ammo made in 1983. For .380 it was dirt cheap but it wasn’t hollow points and it had extra snap to it. I would later find out that this stuff was very hot for .380 It was 284 ft/lbs@1161 fps and I had been shooting it out of the TCPs.

          The moral of all of this is in the USA the .380 is under-loaded. This from a discussion on another board: Anemic loading of .380ACP by U.S. manufacturers is pretty well documented. 12,000 – 16,000 PSI is what I usually hear, instead of the 21,500 PSI that is (IMS) top of the mark.

          I have shot a BUNCH of the Santa Barbra through the TCPs and not one hiccup. If the USA 16,000 PSI XTP can reach the 12″ mark consistently then the euro loaded 21,500 PSI stuff should go farther.

          The point of the following video is twofold: The LCP does not blow up and the +P version of the XTP goes almost 16″ but it would have been a better test if the guy put some denim in front of the block.

          I agree it will likely wear down the guns faster but they aren’t going to blow up. A mouse gun the size of a LCP or TCP in a pocket holster with an extra magazine looks like a small wallet. They are a bit more unruly but not uncontrollable. I can shoot them pretty accurately out to about 25 feet which is SD distance. There is no official +P designation for the .380 but when I spent some time in Italy, most of the cops had .380s. It’s considered a sissy round in the US but is still pretty popular in Europe.

          Finally, A perp is not going to just walk off 7 or 11 rounds of this stuff.
          It’s perfect for casual summer carry in shorts, it really doesn’t even print in a pocket holster.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F5rPTHcrmg

        • @Rob S
          I got a tcp738 about two weeks ago. The first dao pistul I’ve ever owned, I dont like it. Evidently I need more practice because I cant hit nothing with it past 7 yards. Practice consisted of one mag, 10 inch paper plate nailed to barn, after missing the barn I decided I dont have enough money to become proficient with this gunm.

        • I put a ton of lot of rounds through my TCP and really loved that gun despite the “sights” on it. Great trigger, shot really well, and I was shockingly accurate with it out to weirdly long ranges. I’m sure I’d still be using it if the abuse of a thousand rounds of +p ammo and a couple thousand rounds of standard ammo hadn’t cracked one of the slide rails.

        • Realistically WHO is going to ever shoot out a .380? Not a firearm you take to the range for fun day. It’s a last ditcher.

        • Realistically people who know that there is very little difference in handgun calibers from the .380 to the .45 in term of effectiveness.

          They aren’t range guns, they are perfect save your ass guns in a SD situation but you must practice with what you carry to become proficient.

          A couple of .380 expanded hollowpoints parked 12-15″ in your chest is going to have exactly the same effect as a 9mm, .40 or .45.
          One parked in your head ends it.

          In the summer it’s a first ditcher in a pocket holster, by the time you draw from IWB you have been shot multiple times with a little .380. Hopefully one isn’t a CNS hit but you wouldn’t know anyway, you have been ended.

          “Keep in mind that handguns generally offer poor incapacitation potential, bullets with effective terminal performance are available in all of the most commonly used duty pistol calibers—pick the one that you shoot most accurately, that is most reliable in the type of pistol you choose, and best suits your likely engagement scenarios.”

          Basically shot placement is everything, a .380 in your pocket does a lot more damage then the 10mm that you left at home.

          In the summer I usually wear sweat wicking shorts. I find it impossible to conceal an AR pistol which would have a different wounding effect then any handgun round. A little .380 in a pocket holster?
          Nobody has EVER even noticed it in my right front pocket.

          Crimson Trace makes a laser for it and it could be dialed in at 50 feet or more. I refuse to pay more for a laser then I paid for the gun but
          it would make it a range gun then, would it not?

          In the winter I carry a modified M256 120mm Smoothbore under a leather jacket. It’s pretty effective.

    • The problem with most pocket pistols is a rough trigger and nearly invisible sights. Fix those two issues and you have a pretty good gun albeit without the energy of a 9 mm. Watch Hickok45 on YouTube ringing the gong at the back of his range with a Kahr P380.

      • @ Jeremy S
        “Ton of rounds through it.”
        “Shockingly accurate. ”
        Your starting to piss me off. I’m glad it broke. SoThere nanny nanny pooh pooh
        .
        The trigger was better then I had expected though.

        • The trigger is really the reason I bought it.
          5 years ago I wanted something small but effective.
          I drove pretty far to buy a LCP but IMO the trigger was horrible.
          The LGS had a TCP but I was pretty apprehensive about a Taurus.
          Especially a small Taurus semi auto. It got great reviews on YouTube.
          Then I bought it and it’s pretty much been my summer very casual carry.
          The Spectrum came out and they dropped the price.
          I bought another one figuring the 1st one would break.
          It never did and I began rotating them between two pocket holsters.
          It really doesn’t what you would call “sights”.
          The cost of .380 right now makes practicing very expensive.
          Both of them have eaten every ammo thrown at them.
          When .380 ammo doesn’t cost as much as gold, you will get better.
          Until then get a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster # N38BJG3Z0. $20
          Inside of 7 yards use it for SD, just empty it if needed.
          You’re bound to hit someone at that range.
          It’s not a Les Baer bullseye shooter.
          Use the paper plate for hotdogs and beans over the 4th.
          We aren’t all evidently as uber rich as Jeremy.
          “It broke, so I forgot about it and threw it away”.
          Taurus will honor their warranty if you call and send it back.
          I wouldn’t mention +P. Taurus has parts for them.
          The Mec-gar magazines are much better then the old factory ones.
          The “new” factory mags are Mec-gar. $20
          $20 here and there and you’ll have a good “Leroy Brown gumn”
          You’ll have a 380 gun in your pocket full a fun.
          Get a razor for your shoe. $20.

  11. Very few .380’s have ever been appealing to me. Low availability of ammo doesn’t help. I’m sure this one is fine. It just wouldn’t be my first choice personally.

  12. If .380 acp ammo was less expensive than 9mm I’d be all over this. I just have a hard time going down in power and it costing more. I just carry a P365 regardless of weather (hot in TX!).

  13. “…cognitive issues to use it…”
    cognitively, someone behind mag cap limit area borders might like a bit more purchase.
    for front pocket carry consider a recluse. i can extract more quickly from one than a crossbreed or grizzle.

  14. My original LCP, I think the Gen 2 is the official name, a wonderfully reliable pocket pistol. The LCP II I had was a JAm-O-Matic even after multiple trips back to Ruger. I know that some people have them and they run flawlessly, but quality control does seem to be an issue with the newer manufacturing activity for Ruger. I think I will sit tight and not be an early adopter on this one, although it is very attractive as a hot weather alternative to the diminutive P365 I have right now.

  15. Great review. How does this compare to the original LCP in terms of footprint?

    Side note: I hate my LCP. It’s great and what not but not fun. Can’t believe I’m thinking of trading it in for the updated version.

    • Don’t do it. Buy the new one if you want but keep the LCP. The trade-in value is not worth the utility you still get from it as a hideaway piece. Ankle holster, glove box, coat/pants pocket grab-n-go, whatever. That longer, heavier original LCP trigger lets you stick it places you might not be comfortable with on the LCP II or MAX for safety reasons. If you have any issues with the thin grip, put a Hogue Handall pinned sleeve on it and you’ll never look back. It transforms the gun.

  18. RUGER – This lower (with decent trigger) and 2x mag, as a direct replacement/upgrade of all those Gen1 versions out there. SOLD.

    • adverse6:
      I suppose that for slightly larger prey you would buy a RAT gun(?) Just curious…

  20. Ok, this is nice. But how long until this new magazine technology is applied to something in 45acp. All those single stack designs out there just begging to be made stack and a half. Not to mention maybe managing to squeeze more rounds into something like the Hk45 with it’s fairly slim grip.

  21. I have had a sccy cpx3 for a while now it came with three ten round magazines. It has been a great little handgun. I’ll probably hold off on the Ruger until it has been proven reliable. I do own several Ruger handguns and rifles, Mini 14,mini 30,10-22. Gp100 but my favorite is my Security 6.

  22. I still love my original LCP, but given that I always needed to fatten the grip with a sleeve just to get a reliable grip on it, a fatter-gripped LCP with more rounds makes a lot of sense right now.

    POLL: Just curious, let’s say all you had to use in a self-defense situation was a G43 with 6+1, or this LCP MAX with 10+1. No reloads allowed. Consider the mob possibility. Which would you rather have in your hand?

    • Even on even, I’d take the 9 over the 380, but I’ve got to have it on me. The LCP is the classic “gun you have on you beats the gun in the safe” example. Otherwise, it’d be ARs and G19s all day, but I’m thinking my coworkers would raise a fuss.

  23. THANKS FOR REVIEW , IT HELPS .
    TRUE IT’S THE COST OF .380 AMMO IF CAN GET WHAT WANT AT FAIR PRICE ..??

  25. So, we begin with a deliberately ‘small’ handgun, because ‘concealment’, right? (If I wanted to carry a bigger gun, I would.) Then we incrementally make the little gun bigger as we add capacity & capability, thereby negating the whole point of having a ‘small’ gun.

    I like Ruger and I’m sure the ‘max’ is a great pocket gun. But when you make it 1/2″ longer here, and 2oz. heavier there, etc., I no longer have the deep concealment GTFOM gun I wanted in the first place.

    Pass.

    • I think the purpose is to drive an existing gun owner to buy more guns by presenting more options between mouse and full sized pistols along with incremental improvements. Back in the good old days we had 3 sizes of pistols which kind of limited how many pistols you own before someone considered you a gun nut. Now we have rational reasons to buy a lot more :-). We might not need them, but we want them.

  26. 1. Good thing it is 10 rnds because it will take that many to neutralize the threat
    2. I didnt read any of the above…does it go to half cock when loaded?
    3. My 380 Shield does not go to half cock when loaded. Only carry it when I can walk with a friend. That way if things go sideways, I can shoot him in the leg and run like hell.

  27. Thank you for referring to Trump’s cognitive issues. Maybe now address his treason?

    • I agree with you that Trump has cognitive issues and is a traitor to our Republic. Don’t see though how that fits in this story about a new pistol? Are you sure you posted this in the correct topic?

      I’m interested in the LCP Max as a replacement for my rather venerable KelTec P3AT. Will wait a while though, the gun is too new. Already hearing those comments of failure of the last shot slide hold=open not working on every gun or magazine.

  28. SPOILER ALERT…I handled two. Neither functioned as advertised.

    I visited my favorite LGS twice in last two weeks to examine two new Ruger LCP MAX he had received. One of the real benefits advertised on this new model is last round lock-back.
    First one locked open consistently on its included ten round magazine. Same gun would not lock open on one of several Ruger factory 12-rounders. After repeated tries, my salesman friend tried another 12-rounder. Still would not lock open. We both figured it was an issue with the factory 12-rounders. Very disappointing.
    I went back a few days later to discover they had just taken in another new LCP MAX. However, this experience was worse. Not only would it not lock open on the 12-rounders, but it also would not consistently lock open on the included 10-rounder. I’m thinking it’s not the magazines, or else Ruger is unknowingly shipping out a whole lotta defective 10 and 12 rounders.
    I think I’ll hold on to my 13 year old original LCP until they work the bugs out.

    • I just picked mine up and brought it home. Mine locked open in the fun store when I picked it up, but I could tell the slide lock wasn’t going fully up into the grove in the slide. Once I got it home I found it’s intermittent and it doesn’t seem to matter how I seat the mag.

      Reading online it seems this is somewhat common. If the gun runs reliably I can live with it until Ruger comes up with a fix.

  29. …so Ruger releases a beefier version of the LCP (a whole new firearm), but won’t release an expanded magazine for the LC380 (potentially, a modified LC9 9-round mag)?

    (big frowny face)

  30. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I had a LCP blow out an extractor after about 1000 rounds.

    I traded it in for a Glock 42. I use the 42 for pocket carry, but I carry a smith wesson shield 9 for IWB on most occasions.

    There is just nothing better than a Glock or M&P in my experience.

  32. I would like to recommend a holster which I use for my ruger max, its a Hawg holster with the ulti clip. Its a kydex holster attached via a ulti clip that clamps onto fabrics etc. Its my underwear gun (don’t make this weird) the firearm sits up a little higher than normal which allows a fast and full grip when presenting, the kydex is thin but manages to keep its mount open even with the tightest pantline. This setup at the 4’oclock presents and holsters faster than any holster ive used and I highly recommend it.

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