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LCP Max Issues

26K views 48 replies 20 participants last post by  DUFFMAN1776 
#1 ·
I purchased an LCP Max a couple months back and have fired ~400 rounds through it, and there are some concerning issues with the firearm.
The first one is that it has failure to feed problems where a round will get stuck between the breech face and the chamber. The only way to clear it is to drop the mag, pull the slide back, and shake the pistol until the round falls through the grip.
This happens every few mags or so. I've tried several brands and grains of ammo, Fiocchi seems to be the worst.
The second issue is that the 10-round mag will pop out after firing a few rounds.
I have 3 mags and they all do it.
It didn't start happening until I hit the 200 round mark.
I don't have any 12-round mags, so I don't know if they exhibit the same behavior.
I was at the range yesterday and the RSO standing behind me, also a USCCA trainer, noticed my mags were constantly falling out.
He told me it might be the way I'm gripping the pistol and offered to help.
The same thing was happening to him. He was puzzled by it.
He then grabbed the range's LCP Max and used my magazines.
No problems.
I tried the rental pistol. No problems.
I really love this pistol and I it shoots great.
I'll call Ruger when I get the time. I'm sure they'll want me to send the pistol to them.

(edited for grammar)
 
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#2 ·
Sorry for your troubles. It sure is frustrating when a new gun has such problems. Fortunately, the fact that the range had the rental you learned the problem is in the gun. Ruger will fixit, but annoying none-the-less. There have been a number of forum members expressing issues with the LCP Max. You can find them in the Pistol and Revolver forum.
Oh, welcome from Southeast PA.
 
#7 ·
Welcome @Danny3737 .......

Several folks have had to send their Max in- I've done it twice.

One thing you need to do is to mark or label your mags. You must be able to tell them apart! Every time you have a malfunction- ID that mag. It doesn't matter if you believe the ammo is bad or something else- always ID which specific mag was in the gun when you had a malfunction.
And Yep- Fiocchi 380 is problematic in many guns. Some folks do okay with it. Also it is a good idea to log what ammo you are shooting.
When you look back over your logs- sometimes it becomes very easy to SEE- hmm? all my issues were with mag # 2 and Fiocchi ammo! DING!

Mine was Mag #1 and Gecco/ Remington fmj ammo.

Once you've run many rounds through it and are not having any more issues- don't worry about logs. But up front and if you are having problems- log everything.
 
#9 ·
In the meantime, which ammo brands should I think about using for range and self-defense?
For range I just buy what's on the shelf at Academy- Federal, Blazer Brass, Armscore....
There have been numerous complaints with Remington- and not just me-I would dodge that one.
For S/D loads- Speer Gold Dot has a nitch no one else has- it always opens, and penetrates no more than 12 inches. That would make it the perfect S/D ammo if you need to use it in a crowded situation-
If you are not worried about over-penetration- then just about any other jhp will work. BUT- most don't open well anyway- SO -many folks just use range ammo for self defense in 380- they already know it works.
There are others that open pretty good- Hornady CD comes to mind. But are they worth it?
 
#10 ·
The argument against hollow points in a .380 is that they may not have enough energy to expand. I say so what? If it doesn't expand, it will act like a full metal jacket. If it does, it will be better than a FMJ. The key is to find one that reliably functions in your gun. I don't put a lot of stock in fancy rounds. I find a round that works in my various guns and stick with it. I don't shoot many defensive rounds, so it doesn't pose an issue financially.

Bottom line is, buy one box and make sure it works in your gun, then buy more.
 
#14 ·
The argument against hollow points in a .380 is that they may not have enough energy to expand.
Actually, there are 2 arguments against JHP in .380, the second being if they do expand, they won't penetrate adequately. The Hornady American Gunner XTP that I usually carry in .380 barely makes the FBI minimum based on the tests I've seen, and they're among the best.

Here's a link to an interesting article about .380 ammunition from a few years ago, written by former LAPD Chief Firearms Instructor (among many posts) Larry Mudgett. He helped develop ammo standards for them, and here's what he had to say:

Note that the LAPD currently requires the use of the CCI 95 grain Full Metal Jacket load in their .380 ACP backup guns. They have concluded that this load feeds in all their authorized pistols and it will not “under penetrate.”
I keep going back and forth on this, and since my new P365-380 won't lock back on empty with the American Gunner, I'm probably going back to SIG Elite FMJ, at least for that pistol.

Anyway, here's the link:

.380 ACP Ammunition Comparison
 
#13 ·
I got the Max back from Ruger today and it appears they replaced almost everything on the gun.
I took it to the range and it looks like they fixed the issue of the mag falling out while shooting.
I was still getting double feeds on every mag while shooting Fiocchi.
However the Sig Elite V-Crown JHP ran without a hiccup. I put 2 boxes of it (40 rounds) through the Max.
Then I switched to Sellior and Bellot FMJ and no jams after 100 rounds.
I guess the Max just doesn't like Fiocchi.
Anyway, I'm calling it good.
 
#17 ·
Koko! lol all I can say is,,,your Post resembles mine when I first started posting trying to figure this thing the lcp max 380 out. Out the Box mine wouldnt cycle eject extract just stuck couldnt move slide whenit stuck until u dropped the mag then seems the slide is given room once dropping the mag you can then pull slide back the rest of the way the round that got stuck drops from the mag well. Im not laughn at you but with you,your post looked just like mine when i first joined the forum,,,,but you think your post is long should of seen mine lol wooohoo they were literally novels,i apologized and vowed to get shorter splitting up the paragraphs. all i was trying to do joing the forums was get answers. I am familiar with firearms maint its functions etc but was seeking the forums for those who had gone through the same issues. It was apparent ruger set this thing out onto the market the 380 max that is in may or june last year with quality control issues like i said mine wouldnt cycle, when i approached forums i got all kinda feed back some helpful some criticising as if i knew nothing about weapons but i didntcare those who were helpful were exactly that helpful..Got responses like take to the range and fire it because mine never madeit to the range the cycling problems i discovered were by manual cycling kept it 3 days trying to work with it before i jus sent it back to ruger stated they replaced entire slide assymbly and barrel, wheni got it back it did cycle and at a bout a 7-75 % but still periodically would have hiccups i continued to mess with it,,the max jus as new felt tight,,,making you think themags are too tight some cut section of the spring in the mag i did too but it still had some issues i gotthis youtbuder posted a video in 2015 about the lcp 2 yep that long ago,,,and that was what pissed me off with rugeri was like the friggin lcp line has all had the same issues since 2015 and theyre still turning out this crap like this all for the sake of a friggn sale never mind their name but i listened to that dude i sent it on the forums and mannn! lol woohoo you talkn bout low down well not too bad but i got frowns because the youtuber stated what he did to get his with zero issues any more in 2015 now,,, everything he pointed out about the lcp tho he had a lcp2 and up to date we have the max 380,,,was the same issues,,,,dude pointed out friction points with the weapon friction,,,,,certain parts making contact with other parts rubbing etc,,,dude basically recommended and pointed out areas of friction the hammer facing the breech face which is where the firing pin comes out to strike the primer when firing the metal bar under the slide where the mag securely butts up against when incerted the feed ramp and the top part of the feed ramp...dude recommended sanding and polishing,,,i knew i wasnt sending mine back to ruger one reason is because when i got it back didnt seem parts were new seemed they replaced with parts that were used although it did get my max up and working but the barrell had scratches on top rubbing from when the slide back and opens to eject a round the top of the slide rubbs up against the top of the barrel creating scratches i sanded the under part of the slide also thaat area when it rubbs but dude until i followed this youtubers suggestions,,,though its at a risk ruger may or may not want to honor warranty though your not sanding so hard or so much to make scratches except under the slide where it rubs the top of barrel other than that the other areas sanding with your hand enough to create a smoother surface but that breech where the firing pin comes out when i got mine back from ruger it was dirty and not just gun powder residue as fired and needs cleaning but a type of harder as if the slide has never been cleaned might of been rust or something wheni sanded that part i literally sanded until i got a brand new looking surface then polished it well,,after all the sanding of parts i did use my dremel ad a slower speed with one of the metal surface cleaning which kinda sands but actually makes a new surface so its equal to sanding but after all that i ran dremel with high speed polish until i was satisfied,,,and dude,,,,woohoo it worked like a charm,,,zero issues thing runs like a dream,,,ill say this last i wasnt gonna give up on the max i love this thing,,runs like a top now but because its a small weapon recommendations after each use to clean it ,,,field strip cleaning i mean and thats what i do to keep it running tip top,,,apparently most returns to ruger of the max your most likely to get a new slide assembly and barrell,,,just make sure you inspect if ,,,field strip it on the spot check for scratches on barrell and slide if they are then like me theyre replacing with not new parts least not mine but with parts probably repaired sent back on assembly which i didnt feel was fair because i purchased a brand new weapon,,im including the youtube video so you can see it,,,u may not be willing to do this ,,,,if i were you id send it back in the one time like i did and check it out if it still hangs up or mag issues etc id contact them again,,,what ive discovered about the mag issue,,,,when i purchase mine i also purchased a 12 round mag,,,what i discovered the mag with issues not locking back after the last round fired its the 10 round mag that comes with it not the 12 round mostlikely since yours is new yours may be a combo of the mag and the issues of it being tight rubbing creating friction spots,,,check that video out ill say it again,,,mine didnt act right like its finally doing with out issues until i applied what dude said in his youtube video,,,,good luck sorry for the book jus tellin you all i know,,,responses you may get from the forums are helpful some with short suggestions making you wonder if they know what your saying so smile thats where i come in lol i know exactly what your saying been there done that i am my own gunsmith and have full knowledge of weapons big small medium their functions and operations trouble shooting etc,,,good luck,,, this was a mini novel i jus wrote you smile
RUGER LCP .380 Problems and Reliability Issues Solved - YouTube
 
#18 ·
Hey all,

I just got my Ruger Max today I tried to load it but when I put the magazine in and tried to rack it, the slide did not go to full battery. I am a little concerned as after I told my buddy I bought this gun he told me he had a friend having the same issue with the fire arm. Then after quick Google search I ended up here where I see this is obviously a known issue with the firearm. My buddy also told me his buddy was selling his for $150 because Ruger was charging him $300 plus he had to buy insurance to ship it back. I have sent firearms back to S&W they email me a label I box up the gun bring it to FedEx tell them it's a firearm being shipped back for service and done. So I wanted to know from you guys here that say you sent yours in for repair. What is Rugers process?
 
#19 ·
Hey all,

I just got my Ruger Max today I tried to load it but when I put the magazine in and tried to rack it, the slide did not go to full battery. I am a little concerned as after I told my buddy I bought this gun he told me he had a friend having the same issue with the fire arm. Then after quick Google search I ended up here where I see this is obviously a known issue with the firearm. My buddy also told me his buddy was selling his for $150 because Ruger was charging him $300 plus he had to buy insurance to ship it back. I have sent firearms back to S&W they email me a label I box up the gun bring it to FedEx tell them it's a firearm being shipped back for service and done. So I wanted to know from you guys here that say you sent yours in for repair. What is Rugers process?
My wife and I have sent several guns back to Ruger over the years, including her LCRx that went back a couple of weeks ago. This was the first time we ever had to pay shipping, because the gun is 6 years old. They did say though, that if shipping was more than $45, to call back and they would send us a shipping label for a $45 charge. I think there's something your friend's buddy isn't telling him. The MAX has only been out for a year. If there was a problem with it that was Ruger's fault, they would pay for the shipping and they wouldn't charge anything for fixing it.
 
#28 ·
Finally took my gun to the range and could not have been more disappointed. Issues were, mostly not going in to battery, mag falling out, shooting way low and to the left ( at even 10’). I even tried 3 different types of ammo. I know most owners probably love this gun, but I was just snake bit with this one. The QC even after going back was non-existent. I will say that they have excellent customer service although the last woman I spoke to there was obviously having a bad day. With all this, I had to trade it in. I ended up going back to a SIG P365. I love the size and feel of the MAX, but was afraid it may let me down when I needed it most. Lastly, the large retailer I traded it in to said they sell a lot of them, but also said they had a lot of buyers come back trying to return them. I hope everybody that has one has nothing has nothing but good luck going forward.
 
#30 ·
danny yep!! have been there with the Ma

x 380...wont make this a book,,,but Dude as for me Ive figured it out with the aid of others,,I got my answer from a youtube video,,,lots shun the Idea but dude...My max when FRESH outh the box,,,mine never made it to the range i took info when mine wouldnt even cycle with me doing full mag incerted and manually rocking the slide similating firing. Lots dont consider tis to be viable or a reliable action enough to reflect of call it not ejecting or extracting ,fail to go into battery but I did and so did Ruger I sent it back in Box and all back to ruger,,,got it back in about 3 weeks with a note from ruger stating what they found what they did,,,yes weapon was defective fail to fee extract eject etc just a jumbled up mess of cartridges in the battery area freezing the slide. Ruger stated they replaced the entire slide assembly and the barrel, stated they fired approx 50 rounds with no failures which i doubt. when i got it back it did do better but at about 80% still not satif=sfied,,,started reading in areas including forums some stated to resend your weapon back in some have exp ruger fixing this and return it without fixing that also so back and forth back and forth..well i decided not to go thru that.I know enough about gun smithing weponknowledgy familarity safety ect,,,i know enough of what I know so i sough information online stories forums etc presented it to forums as a newbie....Jumped on youtube for various ideas things to try before i ran across a video posted back in 2015 baout the Ruger LCP 2 which is a variation of the Max 390 currently waay back then...The poster was stating having the same issues even that long ago..That kinda pissed me off because I was like How could Ruger still be turning out LCP models with the same issues from bck in 2015...ill give you this video but gotta warn you if you ask others they will shake their heads about not going this method but let me explin something about what theyre trying to deter others from doing,,,the guy in the video explaines how he got his LCP 2 UP AND RUNNING WITH ZERO ISSUES IT WAS DOING JUS TO NAME A FEW,,,THIS CONSIST OF DOING SOME POLISHING AND SANDING,,NOW WHEN YOU HEAR SANDING ,,,FIRST THING LOTS THINK IS OH NO IM NOT GONNA SUBJECT MY NEW WEAPON TO PRIMITIVE MEANS AFTER ALL SANDING IF NOT DONE CORRECTLY COULD AFFECT THE OVER MECHANICS AND OPERATIONB OF THE WEAPON,,,BUT THINK OF IT THIS WAY ,,,YOUR NOT TAKING A GRINDER TO THE FRIGGN THING (sorry for the caps) but your literally using your finger to sand or sanding with something to get into smaller areas i will admit i did do jus a lil with my dremel but at the lowest speed but not alot,,but mostly sanding with my finger some surfaces i sanded i sanded it to a smooth new finish ,,,like inparticularily the feed ramp the feed ramp looked like it had a finish on it not as smooth as it could be so yep i stepped out on my own my weapon and sanded it smooth to a metal smoothed and polished it to a mirror babys bottom smooth finish,,, other things the breech fact or where the firing pin comes out ,,,that too seemed to have a rough to feel and looked like a tarnish instead of it being a smoothed manufactured fini=shed,,,i smoothed that to a meatal finis too polished it as well like the feed ramp using some bronell wax yep i did it its my weapon also on the video he explaind the back of the barrell that will brush up against the breech face when the slide comes back the back of the barrel makes contact with the breech face and rubbs or has friction other area was the metal bar under the slide where the mag when incerted butts up against when you see it youll see the brass scrapes,,yep correct perhaps should have some but when the mag is incerted this thing feels tight as a drum yep hit that sanding with my finger ok wont lie i did a little with the dremel but very little the rest with my finger then polished with the dremel..one last thing the happer facing i sanded that a lil to metal not too much at att smoothed it some.let me jus say this,,by now your either discouraged saying i wont do that,,,its cool lots may not infact i do recommend you sending it back in first then see ,,but let me say this when i was doing all the sanding polishing sanding polishing rocking the slide and doing slide similations with loaded mag yes loaded to check the effeciency of extract eject of the catridges,as they ejected out a no no to some gun safety dudes but trust me i know safety,,,let me say this as i did all this sanding and smoothing let me say this i felt this thing literally come to life right there in my hand dude,,,seriously like it loosened up in my hand jus little by little then checked it little by little then checked it until it felt so good when i was satisfied i mean i watched his thing go from slight jam fail to go into battery,,,slide so jammed slide wouldn move til you dropped the mag from the well ten the stuck round fell from the bottom,,,trust me you dont have to tell me i already know,,been there trust me,,i literally feel i can write a book on what i discovered from the dude on video so it got better and better to hmmm a lil better to hmmm even better to hmmmm well damn!!! hot dam! things fixed smooth as a babys bottom...i know its a chance i took many may not but i decided too and glad i did,,,youll see the guy in the video tells and shows you all this if you decide just do little by little this is metal your not really taking metal off your smoothing so sanding with your finger is better ideal i decided to use some rotory some to make lighter work or on a lil more stubborn parts...One last thing,,in my book lots who are quick to say weapon has to wear in some especially when new which is true wear down comes from use as the mote you use it the more itll loosen up things fall into place operations becomes a smooth process youll see the jamms the fail to feed into battery fail to eject or extrat all jus kinda dissapate true,,,so mention some sanding and polishing and youll hearr """ohhhh no dont do that""" lol when all lite sanding and smoothing and polishing is doing is helping it get to that wear process quicker instead of constance trips to range ammo used up for the sake of assuring its smooth extract eject etc the similation action with your hand (not firing) but engaging the slide with your hand as rapidly as you can to similate the slide action watchn then extract eject extract eject do this sanding and polishing and dude,,,its lovely,,and yes there are some who love it,,,yep i got fed up and quick too so i decided to not send mine back in so not what i got back that was better at 80% from ruger but still some issues,,,when i did what i did,,,,,100% now no hiccups no fail to feed no fail to go into battery no fail to extract or eject,,,jus alllll a smoth action,,,,,remember this video is from 2015,,but its dead on dude! look at his comments including mine i had to let him know,,,and still of course i look to hear the forum throw rocks at me for telling you this,,you are on your own but again i do recommend you send it back to ruger atleast once make sure you get them to list the problems its doing if you only tell them partially or they take down only partially thats when im told theyll fix partly,,one last thing i recently addressed,,,if you notice your mags fail to hold slide open after the last round fired,,,they had issues with th mags had to correct some spects etc will give you new ones but you gotta tell them,,,they wont argue especially new purchases they are surpurb to me,,,,,good luck,,again the room or lots if not most i tink stil shun this video but do what you feel is best im just telling you what worked hands down for me with zero puss^ footn around,,,
1. No I did not
2. Yes but then I tried it with just a few rounds in mag and no it was not difficult to load last round
3. I did not try yet with the slide locked but I will. This is at least the 3rd time I've heard this and I did see on page 21 of the owners manual were it says this.
4. Not sure what you mean here
got alotta good infor on this form danny that can help,,,,,,yep im smiling especially the video i posted on youtube,,,lots quick to shoot it down but all i can attest to and yep i do my own gun smithing worked for me even after i sent it bac in got it back with what they replaced lots were like did you do this when you first got it,,,,,watch how you hold your hands lol or and this is true from jholla to clean it because its sat in warehouse its probably dirty,,,but that video i posted is what i did carefully as i did sand smoothed and polished little by little i literall tested after each sanding and polishing and i literally watched this thing loosen up in my hand,the video is back in 2015 posted and thats what pissed me because i was like the LCP 2 WHEN THEY CAME OUT BACK THEN HAD THE SAME ISSUES HOW COULD RUGER DO A RE UPDATED DESIGN OF THE LCP THE LCP MAX 380 AND IT HAVE THE SAME ISSUES,,,THATS SORRY,,SAYS ALOT ABOUT THERE QUALITY CONTROL SO THE MAX HAS ONLY BEEN OUT SINCE LAST MAY I THINK SO BARELY A YR OLD ..Problem to me Danny and this is fact,,its a small weapon where parts do rub ,brand new its tight like a drum,,,there are parts that cause friction rubbing etc WATCH THE VIDEO ATLEAST WATCH IT ITS NOT LONG DUDE ON VIDEO COVERS AREAS...when i followed most of what he did on video i literally watched my max open up loosen up literally in my hand jus little by little sanding smoothng polishing the more i did as i checked with full mag incerted and engaged slide manually with my hand quick as i could similating action watch it extract eject into battery and repeat,,until mag emptied if it still did jams fail to go into batter i sanded polished smoother until BAMMM!! zero problem,,to lots in room this is damaging your weapon but i say nope it has to wear anyway which is what lots will say wearing over times smooths out rough pots hiccups by and correct smoothing surfaces through its use but who wats to waste ammo get tired of it jamming so much gotta drop mag to clear weapon um telling you this because i know exactly what your dealing with,,,you dont have to do anything im saying again jus know what worked for me i took the chance tried it and it worked,,make sure jus as lots recommend clean your weapon and because its so small i would run it wet or lub it prior to range youll even see diffrence lubing it but not too excessive ,,so where lots shun sanding and polishing and again i didnt say hard,,,your cleaning up surfaces mine appeared to have dirty spots eveen after i got it back from ruger initially breech face dirty seemed caked on surfaces and other areas,,,the video shows you areas that rub create friction but again when i did mine carefully the more i did the more it relaxd or loosened up and as i similated its action yes with rounds in mag incerted to watch its extract and ejection it got better and better and i smoother sanded sanded and polished the more i did again carefully i sanded mostly with my finger polished with dremel at a low speed to make lighter work quicker,,,ok wont lie i did take a shot using dremel on feed ramp breech face where firing pin comes,,,there were some very stubbord surfaces i was like what is that snded the feed ramp to a new surface to strip whats manufactured on the ramp to a newer surface metal surface but it didnt take much to remove what was manufactured to be on there when i sanded it then i smoothers it then polishe it with dremel to a baby smooth mirror finished,,,, no way a cartridge could stick there but like i said the forums may kick all this video out im takin but and though that is taking matters in oyur own hands but i know gun smithing may not be for the unexpeirenced jus peep the video wheather you do it or not but first if its not been sent back to ruger coarse do that first jus know what worked for me and the video is in this post one last thing when you purchasd you could have one from a bad batch sent to retailers,,,the mags,,,if your mag doesnt hold back slide after the last round then when you send it back to ruger make your you list all things its doing and the mag not locking back they will give you a new redesigned or corrected of its spects which thy had to do,,,they gave me 2 12 rounders no lie ,,,you can go on ruger to get process started up load a pic of you reciept pic of the weapon in the box with all items and besure to list what weapon is doing ,,,,what ever you dont tell or let them know could result in them not paying any attention to that you dont mention this is what ive heard others say make sure the representative tell you what you have listed as the problem,,again or other wise you may get a weapon back partially fixed because you forgot to say there was another issue,,,good luch danny,,,jus telling you what worked for me,,i am believer of that video but you send it back in if it hasent been already...deuces,,,,and watch that video!!!!!! in this post judge it for yourself but again send it bck in atleast once back to ruger before doing anything.....
 
#32 ·
I had a lcp max that I traded in. At first I was getting failures to feed and failures to have the slide go fully into battery. But I’d not cleaned it out of the box.

I ended up doing a couple of things.

1. Clean and oil
2. I noticed mag springs were VERY tight. I used a speed loader to force the full 10 rounds into the mag. Then put it in the gun. Note doing that was difficult too with a full mag. Once you do though, leave it for about a week. What seemed to happen is the tension on the mag springs and part of the internals seemed to loosen.
3. I replaced some parts, I installed a 13lb spring if I recall from Galloway precision, stainless steel guide rod, and a higher strength takedown pin(I thought I was going to keep the gun a long time).

Anyway on my particular gun, between all of those things, the next time I went to the range the gun seemed to run just fine. However I ended up trading it. For one the price of 380 vs the relatively lower price of 9mm, plus I just decided I’d rather have a little higher caliber. So it went on trade towards a Springfield hellcat. Once it started working better it seemed ok, they just seem to have some pretty tight tolerances on those little pistols. I don’t know if I needed to replace springs and all but the upgrades were cheap enough. I suppose I’d appreciate them if I’d kept the max.
 
#33 ·
I got lucky with mine as it performs just fine. I notice that with Rugers in general, it’s critically important to clean and lube them before firing.
Secondly, they seem to need a “grace period” for breaking in. For me, 50 to 100 rounds for both my Security 9 and my LCP Max were required for the slide to lock open on last shot. Had a few stovepipes with the Max, too, until I broke it in.
Now they’re both 100% reliable.
 
#39 ·
tru Dat.....steam but got a hint from another...um try out this Hornady critical defense for 380 the ammo with the red plastic inserted in the hollow...I've measured it up against the ball ammo it's shorter which by math makes sense longer ball to present issues loading up feed ramp fail to c lose gate or fail to extract or eject jumbling up ..so um in the test labs if this nails it umma be passed at ruger for not jus honestly coming out tell an d alerting the issues may not be as much the lcp max 380 in as much as the ammo u use will keep u posted
 
#34 ·
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the size, weight, and feel of the MAX. Any time you have a new model, there are always chances of hiccups with it. I just didn’t have the time or patience to send it back a second time. It seems that every manf. Is trying to cram as many rounds in to the smallest gun possible.
 
#40 ·
I bought my LCP Max in mid-October 2022. I cleaned and oiled the handgun prior to going to the range, but I experienced multiple chambering and FTF issues during my visit. I contacted Ruger and explained my experience at the range using two magazines. They agreed to send me a new barrel and slide, which should be arriving in the next couple of days, if you believe USPS.

I'll report back once I have some range time with new parts.
 
#42 ·
Yes this is a Novel,,,,,unless im wasted my time tell you this stuff i have knowledge knowing and hands on you want to know this,you will get frustrated and wanna give up send it back for your money but im telling you i didnt and it worked out for me,,love this thing!!,,, so if you wanna hear me you will sit down with a cup of coffee to read it,,,trust me if not then cool no harm no foul jus telling my life story smile ,,,i searched all over in forums got some good info and often time a lil of nothing helpful room is nice tho but also can be critical mostly of my books like this lol but like i did i take constructive criticisim and use and apply it because you never know some one may know wht you dont in this case this is self hands on exp im telling you..

got mine over a yr ago,,,mine did the same right out the box,,,,i never made it to the range,,,i similated action by engging the slide manually loaded mag it jammed ftf all that after messing with it 3 days trying to figure if i could figure,,,finally i took it back to gun store,,,they said they had a few bad batches sent it back in for me,,,got it back after about 3 weeks when it returned i got a note stating whst they did they replaced the barrell and entire slide assembly,,,,made it to range where it cycled completely extracting ejecting and all few still hang ups ftf,,,weapon was successful at about a 80% of the time it was better considering i couldnt get it to do not much out the box read on a post not expeirenced myself that you can go back and forth back and forth with ruger fixing one problem but if still not fixed theyll replace another and so on so forth back and forth,,,but again wasnt me,,

,i inspected it well,,and noticed somethings wasnt too terrible but slide didnt look new as i sent in a new weapon and should of gotten new parts replaced ,,,breech face where firing pin comes out,,,was super crutty buildup barrell had scrape marks on it but i didnt sweat that too much weapon did cycle atleast some but i still wasnt satisfied,,,though i vowed i wouldnt go thru the back and forth thing so i decided to dive in myself risking warrant breech to figure if problem was the mag being what appears seated fully in mag well super tight it felt or under neath the slide where the top of mag butts up against the slide on the metal bar its where the round in the mag butts up against i further inspected more i lubed it like all get out it did even a lil better but still ftf some but better each lil thing i did researched came up on a video on youtube dated downloaded or created back in 2015 yep that long ago where this guy had one of the first lcp rugers ,,,having the same identicle problem,,,i got pissed,,because i was like ruger still putting out lcp models from even that long ago doing the same thing,,

,but i watched the video and dude did a me,,,he took upon him self to figure what wepon was doin,,,,,he demonstrated how he got his functioning with lil or no issues any more,,,his method will breech warranty because it involved some sanding smooth spots where slide rubs that metal bar under the slide where mag butts up recommended sanding but slightly not with a tool but use your finger not really shaving any metal off,,,,he polished the feed ramp using a dremel polisher pad let me say this wheni posted this to ruger forums mannn lol had lots jump thru the freakin roof lol seriously,,,,,i had to explain i understood the risk breachin warranty and let them know i know weapon nology and do my own gunsmith ,,i wouldnt recommend anyone who doesnt know gun smith to even attempt but i was confident and took the risk,,,,he polished and sanded other areas too when guy on video finished he demonstrated and explained his diagnosis told him a exteeme small weapon ,,,so small it has tight parts rubbing to the point friction,,,

, let me say this i did consider what lots on the room stated that if weapon is new then it has to wear some or break in period some stated rock the slide manually alot to loosen its mechinisims and action i believed that then i figured the sanding some agai not alot that breech face i stated was crutty i sanded that to a clean surface shiney,,, i sanded where the slide slides on the rail heres that video,,,,,,again i state if you dont wanna risk warranty to take responsibility and have ruger to tell you they wont repair because it has apparent wear and marks but my theory,,,, the sanding and polishing is going to be anyway as the wepon wears,,,,plus ruger is super nice honoring its warranty but it is a risk,,,when i did mine just as the video,,,yep nailed it! but again thats my story thing cycled without a hitch,,,,no fail to feed etc...My final conclusion since owning the lcp max ive discovered you gotta keep it wet when going to the range,,,others may state not too but with this smallest of almost the smallest of weapon parts will rub....and not only that theory,,,,

,thing is super tempermental about certain ammo,,,,ball ammo is nasty with this thing will ftf ammo sticking to the top of feed ramp all that etc expect that,,,i caught onto this,,,,,its not uncommon for certain weapon manufacturers will state recommended ammo even if its some of the most expensive or moderately cost ammo,,,,,,i found this with lil or no hang ups and tested and found there is something about Hornady Critical Defense that this lcp max loves lil or zero issues feed eats it burps and wants more no handups i dont know if its the design of the ammo i think it is because hornady critical defense is rated for smaller pocket carry weapons such as smith and wesson models ruger lcp and lcp 2 lcp max etc... and yes im unloading on you for u its been a while im known to write books but you need input correct,,,this is just mine,,,lots in the room can be helpful but you also wanna hear from those whove exp the same issues correct? you will hear from lots you will hear oh ive had one and had no issues,,you will get suggestions jus as im letting you know my side of the story,,,,maybe yours is not doing exactly like mine but sounds awfully familiar so this is just my take,,
Im not telling you or advising you to do any of what i did im loading this youtube video to you jus to watch,,,,,but once you watch it notice the guys weapon is a first gen of the lcp i think a lcp 2 its a 380 as well its where the max generated from what make it the max is because of its design and mag that holds 12 rounds other lcp went to like 7 i think,,,one last thing if you have issues with slide fail to lock back also call them and tell them that and they will send you another mag free and youll keep the older one as well they did have issues with the mags as well and did some kinda correction on thise too and i havent reall had much of a fail of slide to stay locked back after emptied mag but a few times it still doest it,,,theres videon on youtube about this too,,,youtube is the joint because its people just like you and me whove had the same issues and figured out somethings and lots of it works,,,the room not necessarily everybody will frown on youtube videos and instead will jus let you know jus send your weapon back in to ruger ,,,i jus took upon myself to not do that so far things are nice,,,but check video also out on youtube about hornady critical defence,,infact before you follow anything from youtube get you a box of 25 hornady critical defense load a mag and see if its better if its alot better and zero hiccups then youll know its mostly a ammo thing this is fact and remember lube it well,,,i didnt say submerge the friggn thing in gun oil lol but try this stuff ,,im almost certain ill be willing to bet its mostly ammo problems even though ruger has honored the problem being the slide or barrell which they replaced both of mine barrell and entire slide assembly,,,im done,,,,smile you can cash app me some money smile jus kiddn,,,let me know dude! good luck heres that video RUGER LCP .380 Problems and Reliability Issues Solved - YouTube
 
#41 ·
Hello @jim1609... Welcome. We will be looking forward to your report. It appears that a new barrel and slide is the fix for a lot of the LCP Max pistol woes. That is finally what fixed mine. (y)
Lots of folks had zero issues with their Max....but the few that did -had enough issues for all of us.

One thing I'll recommend- if I may:
Label or number your mags so you can tell them apart. Anytime you have a fail to feed- stop and note which mag failed-and what ammo was in it. Eventually you will see that some brands of ammo just are not reliable in your gun. Or- that mag #3 doesn't do well with this ammo.

There are several brands of ammo I no longer purchase for just that reason. Fiocchi and Winchester are two that caused me trouble in several guns.

Good luck- be sure to let us know how the new barrel and slide work. P.S. be sure to start a new thread for that- this one is too long already. (y)
 
#43 ·
I purchased an LCP Max a couple months back and have fired ~400 rounds through it, and there are some concerning issues with the firearm. The first one is that it has failure to feed problems where a round will get stuck between the breech face and the chamber. The only way to clear it is to drop the mag, pull the slide back, and shake the pistol until the round falls through the grip. This happens every few mags or so. I've tried several brands and grains of ammo, Fiocchi seems to be the worst. The second issue is that the 10-round mag will pop out after firing a few rounds. I have 3 mags and they all do it. It didn't start happening until I hit the 200 round mark. I don't have any 12-round mags, so I don't know if they exhibit the same behavior. I was at the range yesterday and the RSO standing behind me, also a USCCA trainer, noticed my mags were constantly falling out. He told me it might be the way I'm gripping the pistol and offered to help. The same thing was happening to him. He was puzzled by it. He then grabbed the range's LCP Max and used my magazines. No problems. I tried the rental pistol. No problems. I really love this pistol and I it shoots great. I'll call Ruger when I get the time. I'm sure they'll want me to send the pistol to them. (edited for grammar)
I mover the mag release to the other side FIX IT
 
#44 ·
I purchased an LCP Max a couple months back and have fired ~400 rounds through it, and there are some concerning issues with the firearm.
The first one is that it has failure to feed problems where a round will get stuck between the breech face and the chamber. The only way to clear it is to drop the mag, pull the slide back, and shake the pistol until the round falls through the grip.
This happens every few mags or so. I've tried several brands and grains of ammo, Fiocchi seems to be the worst.
The second issue is that the 10-round mag will pop out after firing a few rounds.
I have 3 mags and they all do it.
It didn't start happening until I hit the 200 round mark.
I don't have any 12-round mags, so I don't know if they exhibit the same behavior.
I was at the range yesterday and the RSO standing behind me, also a USCCA trainer, noticed my mags were constantly falling out.
He told me it might be the way I'm gripping the pistol and offered to help.
The same thing was happening to him. He was puzzled by it.
He then grabbed the range's LCP Max and used my magazines.
No problems.
I tried the rental pistol. No problems.
I really love this pistol and I it shoots great.
I'll call Ruger when I get the time. I'm sure they'll want me to send the pistol to them.

(edited for grammar)thats exactly what you do,,,but have serial beready to email them what they need possibly a pic of all you have with it when purchased,,,the recpt do it this way and theyll literally process your order for new mags free give it a week or two,,,ruger is super about this,,,last thing because you have mouse size max 380 its what i have too one poster nailed it keep it lubed every range day,,,clean it more so than you would after each visit,,,you cant do max 380 like others say 9 mm etc,,its tempermental but once you nail it get to know it better ,,,will be your best friend and road dog smile i know mine is
 
#49 ·
My max had issues today feeding fiocchi but not Remington golden Sabre. It looks like the conical/pointy shape of the fiocchi wasn’t going up the feed ramp smoothly. The rounded off hollow point seemed to chamber much better. I’m gonna test more brands to see if that’s really what it is and if not I’m sending it to Ruger.
 
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