Popped off some .38 and .357 rounds in the back yard today.
Quick thoughts:
Best Double Action trigger I've ever fired. Easy to stage. Can bring it right to the break and hold it. Smooth with an ever so slight rise in tension at the break. Squeezing off double taps was natural and well facilitated by this trigger. Couldn't ask for better.
With Remington 158 grain round nose .38's; it is easy to shoot, recoil is not significant and the gun feels well balanced and completely manageable.
With Federal 158 grain jacketed soft points in .357; this gun is stout on the recoil. The webbing and wrist of my shooting hand are still feeling it, though I was able to control the gun and get it back on target. I give the credit as due, IMO, to the Hogue and the well balanced feel of the gun. The Hogue grip is very nice in the hand and one of the best features of the gun, especially when shooting .357.
Did I say this gun is stout on the .357 recoil? I see the few ounces of greater weight of this piece as an advantage over the Scandium Smith and Titanium Taurus (Alliteration, anyone? Anyone?) as the additional weight helps to manage the recoil. I also like the idea that all the pressure areas on the gun are stainless steel.
Overall, fit and finish are excellent. The LCR is a nice piece for EDC or BUG. Training with .38's will get you well practiced with the gun. Carrying .357 will get the bad guys well acquainted with it's capabilities (BOOM!) and the adrenaline of that kind of situation will keep the kick of the .357 a small issue, IMO. Besides, if the recoil is too much for you with the .357 the .38+P should give you plenty of room to find the round that works for you. It is that kind of flexibility, as well as the all steel pressure areas and fantastic trigger that helped me to pick this wheel gun over the Scandium, the Titanium or the Aluminum .38 LCR.
Now, pardon me while I rest my wrist.
