Convince Me For or Against Ruger LC9s

SubieGuy4

SubieGuy4

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So here's the deal. I have a Diamondback DB9 as my super sub compact right now. I LOVE the size and weight (.8" thick, 5.6" long, 11oz empty). I can carry it IWB in a light t-shirt and it disappears. Great for business or if I'm going to be playing pool at a bar (printing would be more obvious and less accepted in that setting). Thing is it's a bit small for my larger hands and.. well.. I'm a Glock guy. I'd pay double the money to go from a gun that's 99.5% reliable to 99.99% reliable. The DB9 is the former. Good enough for most people but not me.

I'm looking at the LC9s (specifically the 's' model as I'm not into hammers). For me the pro is reliability, a little more gun to grip, and one more round. Cons include the safety and mag disconnect (both of which I'll disable) and more weight. Anyone have an LC9s? Convince me it's worth adding $200 with accessories after selling my DB9 (or convince me it's not).

Should mention I wouldn't consider a .380 so if you have an alternative please only suggest 9mm. Also when Glock eventually releases their 9mm single stack I'm all over it, but that could end up being over a year away so I'm not waiting that long.
 
NFW

for striker gun, kahr pm9, M&P shield or walther pps any day of the week. all 3 of these guns shoot amazing. far superior to any ruger LC9(s)
 
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Owned a K9, Shield, and LC9 (not the striker).

Wished I still ahd the K9, and could afford a P9.

Shield was too large compared to the LC9.

I did the Galloway upgrades on the LC9. It works. Never had a problem. Trigger isn't too bad.

I would consider the P9 (free state version if you can find one).

Aloha
 
What's the difference between the P9 and PM9?

Also the Shield is out. Great gun. I endorsed my girlfriend getting/carrying one. Too big and heavy for this application and the bore axis is obnoxiously high.
 
alohadoug said:
PM9 has the shorter grip. Works for pocket carry, but for IWB the P9 conceals just as well and gives you a full grip.
Click to expand...

I'd rather go smaller. I normally carry a G19. I'm not bothered by a bigger gun. For this application super small size is the real priority. Just looked them up and the trouble with the Kahr brothers might just be that they're out of my price range all together for this purchase.
 
functional size difference between shield and lc9 was significant for me. could pocket carry the lc9 all day while the shield i could not. got rid of it d/t the trigger (did not have the s) and never minded the loaded chamber indicator. disabled the mag disconnect safety in 20 minutes. hope some of this info helps
 
mursenary4 said:
functional size difference between shield and lc9 was significant for me. could pocket carry the lc9 all day while the shield i could not. got rid of it d/t the trigger (did not have the s) and never minded the loaded chamber indicator. disabled the mag disconnect safety in 20 minutes. hope some of this info helps
Click to expand...

Good to know the mag disconnect delete was quick. I assume it's a similar or the same setup in the 's' model. That's good to hear about the size because the Shield is definitely a solid size class above what I'm looking for.
 
I've pocket carried the LC9 before as well. The Shield was just big enough not to make that possible.

In your size class, without going down to a .380, I'd say the LC9 is the largest with the PM9 and DB9 about the same.

There's a chart "mousegun sizes" available (have to google it) that breaks down size pretty good.

Aloha
 
SubieGuy4 said:
What's the difference between the P9 and PM9?

Also the Shield is out. Great gun. I endorsed my girlfriend getting/carrying one. Too big and heavy for this application and the bore axis is obnoxiously high.
Click to expand...

???
i have never heard this complaint about the shield. my experience has been quite contrary.

the kahr p9/pm9 are certainly more expensive but factor in 1. they are built far superior, 2. they hold their value, 3. they do not require any trigger work and 4. they come with 2 magazines with options for 8 round extended mag. The MA-compliant models have the external thumb safety which is easily ignored unlike the LC9 which can inadvertently be switched on-off pretty much anytime.

the PM9 walks all over the LC9 any day of the week. it's worth saving the $$ and getting a pm9.
 
I am a glock guy all day...but i do really like my shield 9mm for CCW. Im 6.2 good size hands and it fits great with flush or extended mag. Shoots great. Best of luck with your decisions


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Didnt see shield was out...probably should have read ALL the comments first. Anyway again best of luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Get a Kahr 9mm and be done with it, if the money is an issue get one of the skinflint (CW) guns, they're still built to a pretty high standard.

-Mike
 
I am impressed with the premise of a Shield. Though not convinced on it reliability yet.

I am against any Ruger product. Don't think I ever had a good reason for it. Its just one of those thing that I just don't care for. Their firearms are ugly and cheap looking. Sorry to the loyal supporters.
 
Serapis said:
I am impressed with the premise of a Shield. Though not convinced on it reliability yet.

I am against any Ruger product. Don't think I ever had a good reason for it. Its just one of those thing that I just don't care for. Their firearms are ugly and cheap looking. Sorry to the loyal supporters.
Click to expand...

I'm actually totally sold on the Shield for reliability and as a great compact gun. I shoot it reasonably but don't care for how it handles. My girlfriend has one in 9 and my friend has one in 40. Great gun but not a small enough profile for this application. I like that the Ruger is rounded to make it all around more concealable. Raw dimensions don't say everything. I agree that Ruger's offerings seem cheap, but my current DB9 doesn't exactly seem like Glock or M&P quality so it would be a lateral move at most.

I find that the Kahrs actually look cheap to me, though their reputation is obviously great. There's just no way I'm spending more on the gun I'll carry 5% of the time then I did on my G19 that gets 95% of the attention. I'd probably get a PM9 if it was $450-475 but it's closer to twice the price of a LC9s. Every I'm reading indicates it has a great trigger and is reliable. For this application I don't mind if it looks a little cheap if it works and it's a good carry profile.

So far in this thread I'm hearing buy the Kahr based on a sense of trust in the company and I'm hearing buy the Shield because it's the Shield. Kahr is too much and Shield is too big. Haven't heard any founded knocks against the LC9s yet so still leaning that way at $359 and a good size.
 
Ok then get the LC9s.
i couldnt say its a bad gun, just not my 1st choice.

let us know how you like it especially after a few hundred rounds. I am interested to hear cuz few people own the striker version LC9s as of yet.
 
I have a LC9 Hammer gun. I can hit paper plate targets at 30' all day long with this. I bought a Sig 938 and have to admit I can't shoot it as well as the LC9
 
I traded the wife's LC9 on a LC9s 2 days after they released it. I was a fan of the hammer fired gun, except for the mile long trigger pull, and carried it on occasion when I just wanted to throw something in my pocket. The striker gun is worlds better than the old one in terms of trigger. I had never done the Galloway kit on the old one, because it was my wife's gun, and she shot it pretty well with no modifications. Now, with the striker gun's decent trigger, she shoots very well. All in all, it's a good little gun, has proven to be reliable so far, and I would recommend it to anybody who wants a pocket pistol.
 
I've carried an LC9 for 2+ years. It took some practice to shoot it well, but I managed fine. I never did the Galloway upgrade.

I got the LC9s a couple months ago. HUGE improvement. Much shorter takeup and trigger weight is about 1/2 of the LC9. There's no more loaded chamber indicator. I'm very happy with it. YMMV.
 
The LC9 feels and shoots great, however it has a magazine disconnect, the safety locks up the entire slide rather than just the trigger, the sights are tiny, and it has a plastic guide rod. I'd take a Shield over an LC9 any day. That being said it does have a really nice stock trigger for a MA compliant firearm.

*Note I thought you meant LC9(s) plural, not the LC9S. That being said, I've only handled the hammer fired LC9.
 
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If you can get by that terrible trigger the LC( is really not a bad pistol. It's flat, lightweight and mine was 100% reliable. But I just could get used to that trigger, it was long and very heavy. The trigger on the LC9 I had made the S&W Sigma trigger feel light. So I sold it for a Shield. Unfortunately I had to sell that pistol too because the best I could get was about 85% reliability, for me that's just not good enough for a EDC pistol.
 
Hellbound said:
The LC9 feels and shoots great, however it has a magazine disconnect, the safety locks up the entire slide rather than just the trigger, the sights are tiny, and it has a plastic guide rod. I'd take a Shield over an LC9 any day. That being said it does have a really nice stock trigger for a MA compliant firearm.
Click to expand...

Are we talking about the same LC9 here? The stock trigger on the LC9 does nothing but suck rhino balls. The LC9s is a lot better, almost great.
 
I have had a PM9 for years now and I have to say it is the handgun I am happiest to own. It is way more accurate than you expect, more concealable than any 9mm available, and is surprisingly mild to shoot.

It is not my favorite handgun, but I can throw it in my pocket with a spare mag and still feel like I am carrying a capable firearm.

I prefer a bigger handgun, but there are times and weather conditions that really make it hard to carry a 1911 or 229. When I really can't carry a bigger gun, I am very happy that I bought a PM9.
 
My LC9S shoots great and has nice 3 dot sights with a great trigger. It shoots as well or better than my GLOCK 26. It has a steel guide rod with captured spring. Early ones had a different steel guide rod that caused problems for some people. I asked RUGER for the new one and I had it in the mail a couple days later. I do like a safety on a gun that I will pocket carry. I don't care for the mag disconnect. Very easy to carry, and like I said, shoots GREAT. Fantastic trigger.

Hickok45 Ruger LC9s: http://youtu.be/Opx_IFm0iQU
 

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