The Ruger LC9 is another fine product from Ruger. They are continuing to change my mind about their handgun business.
Well you can already suspect that I’m a fan of the LC9. I was hoping they would come out with the LC9 for some time because I’m just not a .380 guy.
I’ve had this gun for a relatively short time but I’ve shot it and used it as my concealed gun quite a bit. So let me dig you into this review by starting off with how it shoots.
This gun shoots great for a compact 9mm. That being said it is just that, a compact 9mm and you will feel more recoil with this gun. I’m not quite as accurate with the LC9 as I am with the SR9c as that gun has a little more to grip. But it’s easier to acquire your target and hit your mark with the LC9 vs. the LCP or other .380.
Trigger pull
This gun could probably go down in some record book as having the longest trigger pull in history. Ruger makes it so when you pull this trigger there’s no, “I didn’t mean to” it is a very long smooth trigger pull and just as far of a reset.
That being said that makes it a good gun to carry strictly for self defense. Some people won’t like this feature but for someone who isn’t looking for a range gun and rather a “I only shoot if I need to defend my life” situation it’s perfect.
Build
This gun is built very well, it’s an extremely solid gun. The slide is metal and the frame is a hard polymer. I don’t think anymore will be able to break this gun easily. Also the magazine has an optional pinky rest attachment for the bottom. I use the pinky attachment and love it because it provides and increased grip area.
| All Models: | |
|---|---|
| Caliber: | 9mm Luger |
| Capacity: | 7+1 |
| Barrel Length: | 3.12″ |
| Barrel Material: | Alloy Steel |
| Barrel Finish | Blued |
| Slide Material | Through-Hardened Alloy Steel |
| Slide Finish | Blued |
| Grip Frame | Black, High Performance, Glass-Filled Nylon |
Apologies for the question, if somebody has already answered…
I just jumped on here and haven’t read everything yet, but I handled an LC9 yesterday at the range and now have a bad case of gotta-have-its.
One of the comments I heard from a guy there (who is a gun dealer) was that this is a gun you can carry a lot but isn’t a gun you can shoot a lot. I don’t plan to carry anything I can’t shoot a lot.
How many rounds can this thing fire before the barrel wears out or something else begins to come apart?
Same question for +P rounds…
Is there any empirical data available anywhere?
Thanks for any guidance
The gun can hold 7+1 it is a gun that can hold a good number of rounds but with the trigger pull it’s not going to be a recreational or match gun. Ruger built it for a specfic purpose and that’s protection and I think it does a great job at that!
Not sure about +P rounds in this gun and I don’t know of any longevity data for the weapon but if I find some I will pass it along!
You are not suppose to use +P with the LC9 per it’s instruction manual.
Wrong you can use +p but not a steady diet. Never use +p+ page 12 of user manual
I expect what that dealer meant by “It’s a gun you can carry often but not fire often” was not a reflection on the gun’s reliability but because of the sharp recoil for this or any pistol this size, it’s not going to be your favorite for extended shooting.
The LC9 is a good solid weapon for concealed carry and self defense. It has a long life and will eat anything you feed it. Before I purchased mine I spoke to my instructor from my CCW class and he happened to own one and had it in his office. He let me take it to the range and empty 2 clips. The first were FMJ’s and the gun performed true. The second 7 rounds were a mixture of ammunition (fmj, hpj, etc.) and were 30 years old. He just reached into a bag and pulled out random bullets and said, “Once you feed a weapon everything and it performs with all types of ammo, well you know you’ve got a weapon you can trust in.” The LC9 performed true again. So after only 14 rounds my decision was solidified.
Also what I learned in only squeezing off 14 rounds, because of the long trigger pull (which is smooth) it helps to aim above your intended target location. When the instructed told me to aim 4 inches above what I want to hit, I began to hit just shy of center.
The gun is light but very strong and sturdy. I plan on getting the LCP and the SR40C because I am so happy with the LC9. The LCP and the SR40C are almost identical with the .380 being smaller and the .40 being slightly bigger. I think I have just become a rugger customer for a long time to come.
Lastly… Never ever use +P ammunition in the Ruger LC9. It states so in the instructions manual. Though the gun can handle the +P it is not recommended as it will significantly reduce the lifetime of your gun. You can feed it everything else but, stay away from the +P if you want the best performance out of your LC9 for the duration of it’s life
I just purchased the LC9 with the lasermax. I put 50 rounds through it today. I had read some other reviews on another site that complained about the rear sight coming loose and making the gun inoperable. So I checked my rear sight before shooting and found that the set screw as backed off about 1 and 1/2 turns, a bit of lock tight and an Allen wrench, I think that may have solved the problem. The laser was off by about 1 inch at 12 feet so I adjusted it. It shoots well, and is easy to operate. The double action Looooooong trigger pull is a bit of a drag but no a deal breaker. I shot it against a Bersa Bp9cc and will take to Bersa over the LC9 as it is a better all around gun. The Bursa has better trigger pull, ease of shooting, follow up shots etc. The LC9 does have a better magazine release and extra Magazines are about 1/2 the price of the Bursa’s. But then again the Bursa came with 2 and the Ruger only came with 1. I will keep them both but if I were forced to choose between them I would take the Bursa.