I've done a lot of looking into the LCR, and from what I've seen so far there have only been maybe 3 or so confirmed cases of excessive flame cutting on the top strap (actually looks more like melting), the link posted above being one of them. Ruger has not done a recall (yet) on the LCRs, so I suspect this is a very rare issue, one that normally manifests within the first 500 rounds fired. Some have theorized that it isn't the aluminum top strap that is inherently weak (why would some melt in under 500 rounds but others go for 10,000 without significant damage?), but that the gap between the cylinder and forcing cone on these few guns was completely out of spec, allowing excessive amounts of flame and gas to be directed at the top strap. In these reported cases, all were using factory ammo, or so they say. One person sent their LCR back to the gun shop and got a full refund, while the other two sent their LCRs back to Ruger, and Ruger replaced them and upgraded their grips to the Crimson Trace models. Given the rarity of these incidents, and given Ruger's commitment to customer satisfaction, I am going to buy one...as soon as I can scrape up the cash, that is!