I’ll be perfectly honest, I owned one of the original LCP’s when they first came out, mine was one of those that had to be sent back for the recall work. While I loved how easily I could conceal it I was not a fan of having a magazine of only six rounds of 380 and let’s be honest. I’ve had better triggers on stable guns than the original LCP had.
When the LCP Max came out it intrigued me as they had fixed the horrible trigger and fixed the magazine capacity issue now having either ten or twelve rounds. I use the 10-round magazine since it’s flush fitting but it still almost doubles the original capacity. The trigger was now on par with traditional striker-fired pistols, which is saying a lot as it remains hammer fired but now with a short pull distance. No, don’t compare it to a 1911’s trigger but do expect it to be in line with a striker-fired pistol.
The best part is, it still conceals just as well with the included pocket holster. While it’s not my everyday carry pistol it works great for when I want to go for a jog or something where I’m not wearing pants with a belt.
It now shoots just as well as any other striker-fired which is a huge compliment when you compare it to the original LCP. Add in the front night sight it comes on target fast and is easy for follow-up shots. The textured grip makes sure you get a solid grip no matter the circumstances. A necessity on a self-defense pistol.
As with all my self-defense firearms, this one is loaded with Federal Premium HST, the 380 in 99 grain weight. For the longest time, Federal didn’t make their HST rounds in 380 so I was excited to see they finally updated them from the old Hydra-Shok design. I don’t know why they took so long with the 380 considering how popular it is but either way, I’m happy it’s here. All my other self-defense rounds are +p but they don’t make the 380 in them so I carry the standard pressure rounds. While I do wish they would come out with them in +p I can understand why they don’t, the felt recoil in such a small and light weapon would make follow-up shots hard to do quickly.
With the improvements made I now gladly recommend the new LCP pistols in my CCW classes. Just know, if you have large hands the extended magazine will probably do you a lot of good as your pinky otherwise has nowhere to go. On the flip side if you have small hands you may want to look at the LCP II as the grip is not as wide but I have yet to come across anyone who couldn’t get a solid grip on the LCP Max. The only real reason I’d say to get the LCP II over the LCP Max is for easier concealability, again, due to the slimmer grip.
As a consumer, it’s great to see companies like Ruger listening to their customers and making adjustments to their products to fit our needs while continuing to constantly upgrade their weapons.
Stay safe, be kind, and help those in need.