Ruger LC9
[Richard Johnson is a firearms instructor, law enforcement veteran, contributor to Guns and Patriots, and the publisher of Guns Holsters And Gear.]
Announced just before the 2011 SHOT Show, the Ruger LC9 made an appearance at the Media Day at the Range. The gun apparently was very popular with the media as I shot the last two magazines of ammunition Ruger had at their station.
The LC9 is a subcompact 9mm pistol, modeled after the LCP, Ruger’s .380 ACP pistol. Slightly larger than the LCP, the LC9 added a number of welcome features such as usable sights, a manual safety and one additional round in the magazine (7+1 vs 6+1). The sights are even dovetailed, meaning you can add some other sights if you so desired.
I found the LC9 was very comfortable to shoot. I any handgun that light and small, recoil from even the normally mild 9mm can be rough. I did not find the recoil to be any worse than a snub nose .38 Special, and slightly easier to shoot than a pocket revolver due to the fit to my hand.
Perhaps 14 rounds is not much of a review, but I saw nothing that raised any flags of concern. Based on my short interaction with the pistol, it seemed reasonably accurate at about seven yards, and it had no malfunctions.
I look forward to getting a production LC9 and running it through its paces.
Just got my new LC9 two weeks ago, and really like it. I have the lcp .380 and it is a pain to shoot! But this little nine will do the job and with the extra oomph. The “real” sights are great on this small of a piece.
Bonus: If you own a jt slide for a khar pm9, it fits the lc9 perfectly.
I purchased an LC9 Ruger yesterday for $369.00. I fired it this A.M. With less than a 50 rounds of ball ammunition through the weapon, I would give it a good rating. There are too many safety features(so called to entice the California and Massachsetts market)to suit me. I do not prefer magazine blocks, manual safety, and key locking devices on my firearms. The more “add ons” equal the possibility of more problems with the piece. All and all, I did like the way the LC9 fired. Michael
@ Komrad
What about the Taurus 740?
@Piers
I don’t think so
it would have to be increased by the .04 ish difference, which is insignificant, but .40 sw is a much higher pressure cartridge so chamber walls would need to be thickened significantly and recoil springs strengthened
after all that, it wouldn’t be a pocket pistol anymore
Fairly extensive Youtube review compares LC9 with PF9:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiXbGwnVhVY
I was really eager to pick one up upon local availability but I still have a couple of issues with it: 1. probability of recall; 2. it requires a key for take down. Others take issue with the magazine safety. I’m leaning toward the Taurus 709B Slim now, but I read it doesn’t like +P ammo. I wanted a Glock 26 but the grip on my 19 makes me rotate the gun 45 degrees in my hand to drop a magazine, and I don’t think the 26 will be any thinner, whereas the controls for the Taurus are right where I just have to move my thumb.
I’m seeing a scant few of these tiny 9′s coming out. Is anyone working on .40 S&W variants? Sure they’d be a bit bigger and heavier, but not by much.