Ruger LC9?

[ghost762]

I have been looking for a smaller gun than my Makarov for concealed carry and so far the three shops in my area have shown me the Ruger LC9. What do the people of M4C think of this weapon? My requirements for a small carry gun are around 7 round capacity in either .380 or 9mm and not so small that it's hard to shoot. Priced at around $300-400. Last must be easy to carry inside the pants style. So with those requirements does anyone have a good alternative to the LC9 that my also meets my requirements as well? If ANYONE suggests a Glock I will come to your house and SLAP you.

[KhanRad]

A tad more expensive, but I'd pony up the extra $100 and get a Walther PPS 9mm. So far, it seems to be the best pocket/subcompact single stack 9mm out there.

[ghost762]

I also looked at one of those at Skagit Arms and I liked the feel of it, but I did not like the mag relese on the trigger guard. I'm sure it may be something I might be able to get us to.

[COVERBUSTER]

You favor a Ruger over a Glock???

I say a Glock 19, perfection is hard to beat. Hope you drive a Prius cause that 2000 mile round trip is going to be spendy .

[Warg]

A tad more expensive, but I'd pony up the extra $100 and get a Walther PPS 9mm. So far, it seems to be the best pocket/subcompact single stack 9mm out there.

I've seen mixed reviews on the LC9. Some really like it and shoot quite well with it, others quite the opposite. Naturally there are a lot of internet commandos providing input who have never shot nor handled one. I took a look at one locally (Seattle) recently and thought it would be a nice little pocket carry pistol to toy around with for something like $350-ish. I would definitely shoot one first before buying, of course.

The Kahr CM9 is probaly the LC9s biggest competitor at that price point (low $400s locally) and is comparable in size albeit slighly smaller and lighter. Both fit in my front pockets easily with no visible printing. However, there are mixed reviews on the Kahr too. You might have to get a Glock and since I'm local you won't have to go far to try and slap me

The PPS is at least $200 more based on the prices I've seen, but until there are some long term reliability reports I concur that a PPS would be a better choice even at > $200. If you're an average or above average sized guy the PPS is easy to conceal as well.

[ghost762]

You favor a Ruger over a Glock???

I say a Glock 19, perfection is hard to beat. Hope you drive a Prius cause that 2000 mile round trip is going to be spendy .

Nope a VW GTI and the Prius on only gets good fuel economy around town. If you want real fuel eoconomy get a VW with a TDI in it. So COVERBUSTER Bitch slap served.

[frozentundra]

If I were you I would watch the Military Arms Channel youtube vid reviews of the Ruger and the Kahr. Sturmgewehre is a member here. His reviews seem better than most to me.
He has a two part review of the Ruger. Some of the things that he points out as possible drawbacks of the LC9, I think would be deal breakers for me. Mag disconnect, manual safety, internal lock and a very strange takedown that requires a tool.
At the least, he has taken the time to carry and shoot both guns a good bit.

[Warg]

I saw that too and agree that was a pretty fair review. None of the first four items you've explicitly listed are major negatives for me, but one you sort of implicitly list (shootability) and highlighted by Sturmgewehre might be.

First, I don't think the internal lock is a big deal- assuming Ruger designed and executed it correctly. Lots of guns have internal locks and have proven to be very reliable.

Secondly, the safety doesn't bother me either. Leave it off and it's out of the way.

Thirdly, apparently the mag safety can be removed with some patience, basic mechanical common sense and a few roll pin punches. It's more difficult compared to the SR9, but the how-to is posted on the Ruger forum and a few others.

As far as takedown is concerned, the "gentleman" behind the counter showing me the LC9 demonstrated that it could be field stripped without any tools. A litle poke with a finger on the opposite side of the slide relase followed by some pinching of fingernails and a little shake frees the pin. Not my idea of a great method, but I guess one could become proficient given enough practice.

Lastly, however, relates to how the gun shoots. Its DA only and the trigger pull is a mile long with a the reset of 5,279 feet. I'm not sure I could get used to that nor am I sure I could shoot this gun as accurately as a CM9 / PM9, but again there are some that shoot it quite well.

If I were you I would watch the Military Arms Channel youtube vid reviews of the Ruger and the Kahr. Sturmgewehre is a member here. His reviews seem better than most to me.
He has a two part review of the Ruger. Some of the things that he points out as possible drawbacks of the LC9, I think would be deal breakers for me. Mag disconnect, manual safety, internal lock and a very strange takedown that requires a tool.
At the least, he has taken the time to carry and shoot both guns a good bit.

[ghost762]

If I were you I would watch the Military Arms Channel youtube vid reviews of the Ruger and the Kahr. Sturmgewehre is a member here. His reviews seem better than most to me.
He has a two part review of the Ruger. Some of the things that he points out as possible drawbacks of the LC9, I think would be deal breakers for me. Mag disconnect, manual safety, internal lock and a very strange takedown that requires a tool.
At the least, he has taken the time to carry and shoot both guns a good bit.

I watched the review and kind of am interested in the Kahr arms gun of the similar size. The thing I don't like about the Kahr is the two-tone look. Either way I may have narrowed my search to the Ruger or the Kahr not quite sure yet.

[Warg]

I watched the review and kind of am interested in the Kahr arms gun of the similar size. The thing I don't like about the Kahr is the two-tone look. Either way I may have narrowed my search to the Ruger or the Kahr not quite sure yet.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a robust and uber reliable subcompact other than the baby Glocks , M&Ps or perhaps the Walther. Some of the Kahrs have had some reliability issues like many a Ruger. I'd recommend spend a little quality time searching M4C.

Sig has also introduced a subcompact 9mm, the P290. I'm not aware of anyone who has actually shot it, however. Let's hope it doesn't have the teething issues of the P250.

Lastly, these little 9s can be snappy and many do not like how they recoil, the lack of purchase on the grips, etc. I would strongly recommend that you put lots of rounds through each of them before buying. I'm not sure what ranges are near Oak Harbor, but Wades and I think Bellevue Gun Club has the Kahrs (well PM9, but essentially the same gun), but I don't think any have the LC9 yet. I'll check Bellevue for you since I'm headed that way today.