Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Best Ammo for LCP II

Looking for input . I polished the feed ramp as suggested . I am having decent results with Barnes Tac -XPD defense ammo. What other HP do you guys recommend ?
And also what others for the range ?

I have found this pocket auto is pretty accurate,but still having a feed issue occasionally with some orther ammo ,particularly some HP and jacketed with flat nose .. Will I see improvement as it is fired more/broken in more ? Every time I clean it I give the feed ramp a little attention it seems pretty freakin' polished but I still have feed problems ,although getting better
I would like to hear what you guys think and have to say Thanks ,-Vince

Powerball

Mine feeds Speer Gold Dot HP without a hitch. Also feeds fmj ammo and Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman Hard Cast Factory Ammo just fine.
Personally, I’ve never seen a LCP that wouldn’t feed just about any ammo I’ve tried.

If yours won’t, I’d send it back to Ruger.

My LCPII likes Hornady Critical Defense 90 grn. FTX. Groups tightened up with this load too. Recoil seemed to be easier with the 90 grn. bullet

Probably not an ammo issue. Don't waste your money chasing this problem.
Explain the problem and perhaps the forum can help. Otherwise send it back to Ruger as it should've worked perfectly from day one.

It is a common problem


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UPSNIelLjw


https://forum.officer.com/forum/equipment-tactical/firearms/180055-ruger-lcp-feed-malfunction

This guy has a .22 version and if you read through the comments , after it came back from Ruger it still had a few hickups
https://www.rugerforum.net/threads/lcp-ii-failure-to-feed-big-time-problem.387051/

I prefer Winchester flat nose fmj in the cheap white box.
I do not desire expansion in a 380. I want positive feeding and reliable penetration. Your mileage may vary.

Here's some testing done with a 3.35" barreled 380. The LCPII has a 2.75" barrel. I wouldn't count on expansion.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#9mm

Same here....but I have the original LCP. Never polished anything. I ran several boxes of GD through it and everything went fine. Every couple of months when I'm on the farm, I run the mag that's in it through it just to make sure.

Years ago when I owned 9x18 I would use XTP JHPs from Hornady. While not true 9mm like .380 the ballistics are from practical point of view the same. I recommend .380 XTP from Hornady now knowns under "American Gunner" banner.

So at the range Last trip, I used the Barnes mentioned in my op. The other I tried was these Winchester. Two or three times , the second or third round chambered slow , like a half jam. Gun was not loaded , as it were lowered for inspection, the half loaded round slowly chambered.
So next try I’ll use these again and I’m hoping as I use this pistol it will get mire consistent.
Getting into pistols only recently I really was on the fence revolver vs auto , until I went gun hunting and saw the pistol prices

The other guns I took to the range this day was a GSG Firefly 22 , and S&W 19 , 36 4, and 3” barrels

At this point I’m not concerned about ballistics too much. To me if the dam thing jams on you it’s ng. I have impovement going on and if it wasn’t so friggin accurate imo I’d have sold it already. I ordered some hornandy hp for next time and I’ll take it again

From your own links you provided, it is clearly a RUGER problem..
Send it back.

Or replace it with a PF9.

Actually, it’s my problem 😂

Nah I don’t want to send it back I like shooting it
I have others for self defense

I was looking for feedback on ammo that are consistent in these pistols. I think it’ll break in and I’m looking for feedback ammo, specifically the hp defense stuff

I can get locally this round nose jacketed ammo and it shoots it fine
So far I have some help here thanks

Federal HST shoots well in mine and I trust it. Like others have said it sounds like it's not a ammo issue. I've not had one hiccup through mine. Best of luck

Vince, I've got an LCP Mk. 1, and carry a Winchester flat point in the chamber. (It could as easily be a hollow point.) But everything in the mag is standard round nose FMJ.

No problems feeding or ejecting.

In my pistol - and I can't speak for anybody else's - the rim of an ejecting empty sometimes catches and bounces on the edge of a flat point Winchester next up in the magazine. Not a good thing.

The LCP is always happy with round nose FMJ.

I have shot a lot of Hornady American Gunner 90 gr. XTP’s through mine with zero problems from day one. Sounds like a problem that Ruger would handle for you. Or, buy you some Hornady 90 gr. XTP’s and shoot the hell out of it. It may settle down.

Best factory ammo you can get is a Lehigh Defense made bullet either hand loaded or factory loaded by Underwood. It feeds like a FMJ and creates devastating wound channels. Do a You Tube search for test results with these bullets/loaded ammo. For a .380 ACP, I prefer and carry the Lehigh Extreme Penetrator bullet in my LCP.

I don't think any one has suggested this, HAVE YOU TRIED A DIFFERENT MAGAZINE?

If so, send it back to Ruger, IME it only takes about 2 weeks for them to repair and return them to you. No reason to put up with a gun that jams.

Mine is an LCP TOS (The Original Series), darn little beast feeds everything I've tried and has from the first day. Off the top of my head I've used Hornady 90 gr XTP, Winchester Train and Defend 95 gr HP, Winchester Flat Nose FMJ, some steel cased Russian stuff I got at Academy and several different handloads.

Have you cleaned the inside magazine? I have had magazines not feed right and cleaned them of the factory oil and fixed the problem. If you have had the magazine apart check it was assembled correctly.

He doesn't want real solutions. He just wants to run up his post count by talking about it.
But you have a good point.
Remember, he's never talked specifics about the supposed problem he's having.

I could care less about my post count

Round nose jacketed ammo no problem
Ammo with flatter tips weather hp or jacketed hang up every now n then, but I’m having much better results after polishing the feed ramp as I read a bunch have done
I have 3 mags all Ruger original . I did read where one guy says the grip , how you grip , could affect the loading
I think it needs to be broke in better and yes I’ll clean the [bleep] out of it. I will try some other ammo too and have fun doing it

Thanks for the helpful ammo suggestions. I never really said I was having a major problem but more or less looking for ammo feedback in this pistol as it has a loading problem every now n then

Maybe just load it with ball FMJ? I don't have much confidence in expansion out of an LCP. Unless it's something like Civil Defense... maybe.

I’m realizing this as I get the suggestions in , and in the end probably the wtg. Thanks. Close up I’m shooting more accurately than using my sig 365.

Critical Defense works very well in mine, Keep testing and find what you and the pistol like. To be honest ball ammo is not a bad call for this little pistol.

With an LCP II, I don't see that the difference in performance between ball and HP is going to be all that noticeable to the man being shot.

I have some of those in 9mm 147 grain jacketed flat point. Mine are extremely soft with minimal penetration and will flatten like a pancake.

Load mine with 4 rounds ball and top 2 are Critical Defense. Goes BANG every time for the year I have owned it.

I'd try Hornady American Gunner or Critical Defense.

If I dig it up I’d love to post it but years ago I shot a previously wounded coyote with a 90 gr Hydra-Shok broadside through the heart at 3’. He fell on his side and when I picked him up a perfectly expanded Hydra-Shok was laying on top of the loose sand in the wash. It had just penetrated 4-5” of dog. No shoulder was hit.

From the testing that I've seen, the 90 grain XTP is the bedt mix if expansion and penetration.

Ron

Thanks for all the suggestions I'm going to try the Hornandy critical defense next time at the range I think they will be good Gonna shoot all those flat faced jacketed rounds for target The round nose jacketed is probably going to be the best bet for reliability in this little pistol