VIDEO: Sending Rounds Through the Ruger LCP II .380 Pistol

Ruger turned heads when it released the LCP II, and to satisfy our curiosity (and yours) about how this compact pistol would stack up against the original version released back in 2008, we had Athlon Outdoors contributor Mike Detty send some rounds through it in the beautiful Sonoran Desert southeast of Tucson. Watch the video below for Detty’s takeaway.

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First unveiled last October, the LCP II sports a short, crisp, single-action trigger with an inner trigger safety, as well as improved sights, a larger grip surface for better recoil distribution, and an easy-to-rack slide that offers an improved slide stop mechanism with a last round hold-open, Ruger says.

Meanwhile, the gun is built on a one-piece, anodized aluminum chassis with integral frame rails and fire control housing. It also features an alloy steel slide; one-piece, glass-filled nylon grip frame; textured grip frame; finger grip extension floorplate; and a blued, alloy steel 2.75-inch barrel.

The LCP II measures 5.17 inches long, 3.17 inches tall and tips the scales at 10.6 ounces, making it a good concealed carry option. It holds 6+1 rounds of .380 Auto ammo. The MSRP for the original LCP II is $349, but when equipped with a Viridian E-Series red laser, the price jumps up to $439.