What Do You Think About the Ruger LC9?

[loeman]

Seems to be kind of a Ruger day over in this corner of the forum. So let's continue.

Recent threads have got me thinking about the possibility of losing my CCW in the event of having to use it? My current carry guns are all S&W and I don't want to lose any of them for any amount of time. Plus it would be very difficult and expensive to replace them as they are no longer being made. Therefore I've been thinking of getting a newer model CCW that can easily be replaced at a reasonable price. The gun that has caught my eye is the Ruger LC9. Do any of you own the LC9? And if so what are your thoughts both pro and con. Thanks for any input you can provide. It's appreciated.

 

[Triathloncoach]

I carry a Gen 2 LCP, I've put about 500 rounds through it with zero issues. Its so small it's an easy pocket carry so I always have it. At less than < 5 yards it will serve it's purpose, even at a 380. Id rather carry a LC9, but I'm a pocket carry guy

 

[grover99]

I have had the LC9s for several weeks and I find it to be the perfect pocket carry gun. I had owned a LCP but while it was great to carry I really don't care for a gun that lets my little finger hang over. Plus 9mm is always better than 380. The LC9 is sweet to shoot and I find the recoil mild. So far I have been able to drop this gun into my pocket and forget it is there. Best of all I can get all three fingers on the grip.

 

[LVSteve]

I have an LC9s. It fits my hand very well and the shape of the grip makes it a bit more concealable on my sparse frame. Oh, and the trigger is very good.

 

[Florida J Frame]

Size wise I don't see any advantage to the LC9s over the Shield. Both can be pocket carried in the right pants.

 

[fkienast]

I love my LC9. It carries very well in the pocket, is fair;y accurate, and digests everything. Only bad thing is it doesn't come with two magazines.

 

[Faulkner]

I'd been holding out for a small 9mm and was disappointed when the Glock 42 turned out to be a .380 ACP. Since rumor was that the next Glock single stack was to be in 9mm I held out a little longer. I did go ahead and try out the Glock 42 and was very pleased with it.

When the Glock 43 in 9mm was finally released I couldn't wait to try it out and was again pleased when I first tried it out at the range, and soon thereafter placed my name on the waiting list at the cop-shop in Little Rock. It was while I was waiting that I was introduced to the newly released LC9s. I was instantly impressed (and yes I admit to being a Glock fan due to my first hand experiance of use with our department for the past 15 years).

The LC9s is very similar in size and weight to the G43, yet it holds one more round in the magazine. I realize not everyone is accustomed to striker fired handguns and their unique trigger pull, although I happen to like the consistency of them, and I found the LC9s to be more uniform than the G43. Both are very reliable and plenty accurate and carry well concealed. To top it off, even with the cop-shop Glock discount I could pick up the Ruger for about 50 bucks cheaper.

After a thorough side by side comparison, I found I liked them both very much. Even so, I cancelled my G43 order and bought a Ruger LC9s Pro (sans external safety) and with about 500 rounds through it so far I am very pleased with it.

 

[LLOYD17]

I've carried the LC9 and I prefer it to the 642 due to the lack of a cylinder, 2 more rounds, and easier reloads. The only gripes are the safety (don't like 'em in general and I'm a lefty) and the super long trigger pull.

For the price it's a great forgettable CCW gun.

 

[tinman931]

I had an LC9. I'm a Ruger fan, but I sold it. The trigger was awful and made it difficult to hit anything with what I consider to be acceptable SD accuracy. I replaced it with a G43 that I am very happy with (my first Glock).

That being said, I have handled, but not shot, the LC9s. The trigger appears to be substantially better. Since I liked everything else about the gun I would consider the newer model.

 

[RobzGuns]

The original LC9 was basically a PF-9/P-11 mash-up (P-11 Slide on the PF-9 Body).
The LC9S was what Ruger came up with 3yrs after the Shield came out.

Size-wise, the difference between the LC9 and Shield is a couple millimeters... Literally.

As far as triggers go, the LC9S Factory trigger IS a bit smoother than the Shield.

People complain about the Shield's RSA, but if you check the Ruger Forums, you'll see that the LC9 series has had its share of RSA problems too... Not to mention the complaints they've had about compatibility of the mags between the various LC9 variants.... Something about the difference between the USA mags vs (I think) Italian(?) mags.

I've tried ALL the LC9 variants and over-all, I still like my Shield (even for Front Pocket carry) better than the Ruger.

 

[CTI1USNRET]

You're worried about losing your gun after having to use it? That'll be the least of your worries. Carry the gun you've got. Sheeesh!

 

[keninnavarre]

Traded my lc9 for the lc9s. I cant personally recommend the LC9 because the trigger was truly horrible . As far as the LC9s, I like it and shoot it as well as my Shield. Mine has a safety, but I dont mind. I have quite a few single stack 9mm pistols, kahr, keltec, ruger, S&W, glock, etc. My opinion is the Shield, G43 and LC9s are about equal for pratical purposes. They are all too big for pocket carry but make IWB a comfortable proposition. I can't really think of any cons with the Ruger. Decent capacity for a small 9mm, mags and holsters plentiful, 9 round factory mags are available and a good trigger (on the s model) are some of the pros.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

According to the guy on youtube it's the worst thing ever invented.
But on the other hand another guy says it is the greatest.
Since this ain't the Ruger forum, I'll go with the worst thing ever created

 

[mj2008]

I have an LC9. The trigger is very smooth and light but loooooonnng. Not a good trigger. Th gun itself is very reliable. Good size. Eats anything I ever loaded in it. The newer version LC9s I haven't shot but from everything I have read it's got a good trigger. I would recommend that version.

 

[Rock4gzus]

I have a Shield, Sig 938 and Ruger LC9s pro. The Ruger with a Boraii holster is a very practical combination and gets by far the most pocket carry time.

 

[Jessie]

I wish I held out for the LC9s Pro.
Better trigger, no safeties, especially the mag disconnect.
No loaded chamber indicator, although that's not a big thing.
My LC9 had a problem with shaving primer brass and clogging the firing pin. Not good.
I cleaned the face up around the firing pin channel but so far, I hesitate to trust it completely afterwards.
It's been out of the rotation and I'll probably
Trade it in on the striker fired one and try again.
I like everything else about it but that was a show stopper.

 

[loeman]

Thank You All

I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and help educate me on some of the current production guns that I have no experience with. All of my stuff is from the mid 90s or earlier. And honestly I just haven't paid much attention to the newer stuff. Now I'm going to take a close look at both the LC9s and the Shield. And yes, I'd much prefer to lose a gun that I can go to the store tomorrow and replace than one I can't.

 

[getoff]

Now that the LC9s Pro is out, no doubt it'd be the one I'd recommend. Nothing against the Shield or G43, both really good guns. The LC9s has a vastly improved trigger over the orig. LC9. Grip feels better, holds the same amount as the Shield and has for real 3 dot sights. It does only come with 1 mag, and the mags aren't cheap at around $40. All that said, it would be the one I'd choose. In the mean time, I'll stick with my Springfield TRP...

 

[joe44va]

I have an LC9s pro. It's been back to the factory twice because the slide would lock back mid way thru a magazine. Very prompt turn around and now it runs fine. The issues between the Italian and US mags have been resolved. Some US mags had issues, but I never experienced any. I have one of each. Much better trigger than my Kahrs, which I used to think was good. When I carry small this is what I carry. My woods and fishing carry is an S&W M69.

 

[mj2008]

You know it's funny. Last week I shot my LC9 for the first time in almost two years. I was having trouble with a couple of the magazines. I would fire a round and the mag would pop out a little. I would reinsert it and rack the slide. It would happen again. I put the two magazines on the side and continued to shoot with my other mags with no issues. When I was done I inspected the magazines and sure enough the two giving me problems were the non Italian mags. I called Ruger today and they are going to send me one replacement mag. They said try out the replacement and send back one of my bad mags. If the replacement is good I can call and replace the second one.