I got home yesterday from day long police week memorial services and discovered my LCP’s magazine had popped out. I was dressed in a coat & tie, pocket carried in a DeSantis pocket holster, and this is the second time I’ve had this experience. This little gun has been 100% w/everything but this is disturbing to say the least. Normal EDC is a 340PD but this little gun is perfect in a coat & tie role. Anyone else have a similar experience?

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I had the same issue with a S&W Bodyguard, not just when carrying it, but also when shooting it. The magazine release button was ironically small enough to be hard to intentionally hit with a finger, but was superb at unintentionally releasing.

I owned that pistol for less than a week.

I've got a KelTec P3AT which I carry with the pocket clip. They way I carry it, the mag catch is away from my body, and it still gets hit occasionally . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Check and see if the if the magazine retaining stud is engaging all the way into the cut-out in the magazine. On 1911's I sometimes had to dress them with a small file. (On plastic parts an emory board from your wife will do)

Ivan

Make the retaining stud fit the mag, not the other way around, and then every LCP mag should work. This type of problem is one of the few problems on semi-autos, that replacing the mag won't do the trick!

Got a original and a II, not a problem. The original is in a Galco pocket protector and the II is in a... can't remember pocket holster. Both cover the mag release and are leather. Is the DeSantis one of those soft nylon holsters? Maybe that's the problem. I'm left handed so the mag release is facing out. That might make a difference too. I have heard of the mag popping out during firing, but I've heard that about many pistols over the years.

I have both the original and a II and never a problem with either using any of a variety of both soft and leather holsters. I do agree that that little firearm is perfect when you "can't carry a gun".

Have you the same experience with a different mag?

A friend of mine had the same problem with a Remora holster. He carved the part of the holster that was rubbing on the mag catch so that it wouldn't put pressure on it and problem fixed.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Sounds like these guns have turned into single shot backup pistols. I guess one shot is better than none.

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Dr. B

Mark a line around the release button, remove catch from
pistol and dremel/file/grind down to line. Remove about half
the protruding height of the button.

I know nothing about the LCP Ruger but from what I see looking at pics of the magazines for it, both the flat base and the finger extension mag are flared.
Or to put it better, the base of the magazine limits how far it can be inserted into the frame.

If the base is a bit too thick on it's upper surface, the magazine will fall short of seating the necessary depth for the magazine latch to securely seat and lock into the slot in the mag body.

Most pistols, the mag latch inside is at least somewhat tapered on it's forward/entering surface to make locking the mag in place easier.
But the latch then seats fully into the body.
If the base is not letting the mag go in far enough, the latch may be only grabbing and hanging by that small tapered front edge.

It'll seem secure and will hold most all the time, but a light pressure on the mag release button will drop the mag instantly as it is 'spring loaded' with the 6rds in this case pushing heavily against the bottom of the closed slide.
Firing the pistol with the mag latch in this condition can also make for magazines to drop out of the gun.


Disassemble the magazine and remove the base (spring and follower) altogether. Then reinsert the empty mag body back into the pistol and let it latch in place. It should then go into place as deeply as it needs to as there is no flared floorplate hitting the frame to limit it.
Look and see where the small bent side rails on the base of the mag body sit (the ones that the floor plate slides on to) in relation to the frame.
Even draw a mark along the edge of the frame onto the mag body if you can.
Now remove the mag and re-install the floorplate. If the floorplate covers up that mark,,then you know the floorplate is higher than it needs to be oon it's top surface. It's not allowing the magazine to seat all the way and the latch to engage all the way as well.

The loaded rds in the mag pressing against the bottom of the slide will give the mag some downward pressure against the mag latch to keep it from rattling and seeming loose.
A very close fit of the base/floor plate to the frame will do the same for the mag when there are no rounds in the mag.

The nice close fit is just that ,,nice. But if the flared base is too thick, then the mag latch can't do it's job correctly.
If needed, reduce the height/thickness of the floorplate so the mag can seat deeper. I take it they are plastic of some sort. The emery board trick works well, or common sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood and work the part over the flat surface. It cuts quickly.

W/modern CNC mfg and all that, these things shouldn't come to light, but they do sometimes. Mags are often a vendor item, and even from them they can be a farmed out item again.
Polymer moulded parts, stampings, ect and a couple specs off a bit and the latch may not engage all the way.

This may not be the problem and fix,,but it has been what I've seen over the years as a common problem. Especially on older pistols when introducing a new(er) magazine or aftermarket mag.

I’m a lefty too so the mag button is not pressed up against me. I use the extended 7 round factory mag for carry and will switch to the factory 6 rounder, then swap out the DeSantis for my hard leather Talon pocket holster (does not cover the mag button) to see if that will help.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I've had this happen with my Kel-Tec, but only in an IWB holster, not a pocket. Even more disturbing to me is the fact that the Kel-Tec mag stays put, and only pops out enough to keep it from picking up a round. You don't really notice until you visually inspect or fire it.

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Because of the metric system?

Sometimes mine doesn’t catch all the way when putting it in, but it has never popped out while carrying it. I’m left handed so maybe that has something do with it as well!

My LCP was the same way. I took the gun, still in the DeSantis holster, out of my pocket and as I was putting it in the safe, noticed the 7 round factory mag, slightly out from the bottom of the pistol. A light smack re-seated it.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Would it be possible to replace the spring for the mag catch? Make it a little harder to actuate maybe?

Just take down the protusion of the mag catch button (the part you depress with finger, to release mag).

I've done it on P3AT, PF9 and P11. Works great on all.

You're not shooting IPSC with these guns, and you do need
the mag to be in place, if they're ever needed. Taking the button down to just above the grip surface makes the
mag release a deliberate, intentional event, instead of an
accident.

Contact Ruger and ask for a new mag release spring.
Should be a YouTube video on how to change it.
It's a five minute job.

May be a good idea to file down your button, but my gun is a very early model and it's never happened to me.

It's possible they would send you a free shipping label, especially if you L.E.
Your gun should not do that.
Most LCPs don't do that.

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<><

What would be the best way or tool to use if i decide to file down the mag button?

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

"Your gun, your call", but safest bet is removing catch from
pistol, after you mark side of button for how much you want
to shorten it.

A file or even coarse sandpaper will work for a composite
catch, a dremel or grinder does quicker work on aluminum.

Finish shaping edges and face of either material with
needle files and fine wet or dry sandpaper. Composite
usually looks pretty good if you get it smoothed enough.
For aluminum, Birchwood Casey's Aluminum Black works, or
rattle-can flat black.

Be conservative with how much you remove, it doesn't
take much to make a big difference. This also helps for
small 9mm's that can shift in recoil and tend to release
magazines.

I did this with one of my LCPs (it was one of the regular LCPs, but not the one with the most recent upgrades - its mag release was higher than the later one's) and the fix worked fine.

As a lefty, the facing-the-world mag button is an ongoing consideration. I really like the old heel-release mag catches on a pocket pistol - this ain't IPSC and I ain't Jerry Miculek.

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Now go make God proud...

Yup, I had an old .25 auto w/the heel mag release and never had a problem. That little gun was carried laced into the top of my right combat boot when I was a young officer. The gun was purchased at a local Western Auto and carried for years before I gave it to a relative living in a trailer park. They needed it more than I did, and I started carrying a J frame back-up.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Here's a couple of shortened buttons...forgot I could
do direct attachments.

PF9 (aluminum) foreground, P11 (composite) background.

Attached Images

20160315_140009.jpg (141.0 KB, 24 views)

Nice job, Steve!

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Now go make God proud...