LC9S for first time gun owner

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A married couple,friends of mine just got their LTC’s so I went with them out gun shopping on Saturday. The LGS actually had several pistols and a few revolvers to choose from. Two being an M&P 9 compact and a few LC9S’s. She wanted something small in 9mm so when I spotted the Rugers I suggested one of those. I think I did ok for my recommendation. After handling it, I just thought it was better all around quality over the S&W. I can’t really say why, it just seemed better all around. After reading a bit, I see the trigger breaks way shorter than the M&P, and everyone always gets a trigger job with them so I think she will be better suited with the Ruger. I know I was jealous. I want one now. Her husband went for a Seecamp. I can’t say the Seecamp is a good choice for a first time buyer because of its idiosyncrasies, but he wanted it so I’ll help him with the ins and outs of it. So let’s hear your opinions of the LC9S. My brother has the LC9 hammer fired and he loves it. The striker fired S‘a trigger is supposed to be better according to Hickok.
 
I have a LC9S. And love it haven’t done anything to it except painted the front dot bright orange so I could see it better. Very accurate and easy to conceal. I did buy some 9rnd mags. Forget where I bought them. Had some failure to chamber. Ruger replaced them free of charge.
 
The Seecamp is not a good choice for anyone, nevermind a first time buyer. [rofl]

The original LC9 is a piece of dog meat very similar to things like the PK380, BG380, in others in terms of its dog meat status. I wouldn't give someone 100 bucks for an original LC9. Junk. That's why the LC9S came out shortly thereafter. The original LC9 was so bad they had to do something to pretend they never made it.

There's also some non-retard versions of the LC9S, like a "pro" rev or something, too.
 
I had an LC9S for several years. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the magazine lock out (I had the standard and not the Pro) and you couldn’t cycle the slide with the safety on. The LC9S is easy to carry and has a great trigger. I think it’s a good choice.

I’ve since moved on to a Sig P365 which doesn’t have a magazine lock out and you can cycle the slide with the safety on. I found the LC9S grip to be a little too thin for me. I was able to get the P365 slide milled for a Holosun 507K red dot optic since my aging eyes need help. The LC9S is a fine gun and a good first choice for someone but I wanted to mention these things.
 
That things going to break her wrist and she's going to hate it.

For women, small = cute
For firearms small = recoil.

She doesn't want it, but for a shooting gun she'd be happier with a baby 1911 or something with relatively low recoil. Personally, I hated the lc9s, the sights were too small, the recoil was snappy as f***, it was uncomfortable to shoot, the only thing nice about it was size.

Traded that pos out for a g43 and never looked back.
 
My LC9s is great in a pocket and murderous to shoot. It likes to feed live cartridges up the ejection port instead of into the chamber. Overall I would consider it to be standard Ruger “quality”.

despite their desire for small stuff, the only handgun a newb should buy is a full size one.
 
Not every gun fits everyone one the same, owner of an original LC9 here and there’s targets of mine posted as my LGS w/ 2-3” groups fired at 50’.

Not for everyone, but learn the trigger, learn to shoot ... done!
 
My LC9s is great in a pocket and murderous to shoot. It likes to feed live cartridges up the ejection port instead of into the chamber. Overall I would consider it to be standard Ruger “quality”.

despite their desire for small stuff, the only handgun a newb should buy is a full size one.
Did yours rub all the bluing off the chamber in 100 rounds too?
 
Did yours rub all the bluing off the chamber in 100 rounds too?

the finish of my LC9s is poor with the usual Ruger rust spots, yet completely overshadowed by the miserable recoil and shooting experience. While the firing mechanicm - rotating sear design is a good one, the slide has far too little mass handle 9mm. The grip is extremely thin. Add these 2 together and you get a very sharp impulse into the hand. the Keltec PF9 is similar. since stopping their P series hammer guns, Ruger hasnt built a pistol worth crap. Perhaps their security 9 is an ok gun but it lacks a firing pin safety and relies solely on sear engagement for keeping that hammer back...as someone who carries a gun pointed at my junk, no thanks.

Only reason I’ve kept the pistol is I have a sweet Alabama pocket holster for it And the LC9s is the only 9mm that can disappear in my pocket (Not that I ever pocket carry anymore).
 
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That things going to break her wrist and she's going to hate it.

For women, small = cute
For firearms small = recoil.

She doesn't want it, but for a shooting gun she'd be happier with a baby 1911 or something with relatively low recoil. Personally, I hated the lc9s, the sights were too small, the recoil was snappy as f***, it was uncomfortable to shoot, the only thing nice about it was size.

Traded that pos out for a g43 and never looked back.
It can’t be any worse than a Ladysmith. I think she’ll do ok with the recoil. The good thing is if she hates it she can transfer it to her husband.
 
the finish of my LC9s is poor with the usual Ruger rust spots, yet completely overshadowed by the miserable recoil and shooting experience. While the firing mechanicm - rotating sear design is a good one, the slide has far too little mass handle 9mm. The grip is extremely thin. Add these 2 together and you get a very sharp impulse into the hand. the Keltec PF9 is similar. since stopping their P series hammer guns, Ruger hasnt built a pistol worth crap. Perhaps their security 9 is an ok gun but it lacks a firing pin safety and relies solely on sear engagement for keeping that hammer back...as someone who carries a gun pointed at my junk, no thanks.

Only reason I’ve kept the pistol is I have a sweet Alabama pocket holster for it And the LC9s is the only 9mm that can disappear in my pocket (Not that I ever pocket carry anymore).
What rusts on it, the slide? I’m thinking there’s some coating to put on it to protect it. Eezoc is a dry lube which may help.
 
We had one (LC9s). It was reliable at least for the limited use it saw, the tigger was good and unlike some reports we had no issues with the finish.

I did not need it and my wife did not like it because of the seriously stiff recoil spring making it very difficult for her to rack the slide reliably without great effort and concentration (in other words not good for rapid drills).

So when my sister expressed interest in it despite that issue then I transferred it to her.

In return my wife got this 1982 vintage HBAR S&W Model 64 which has never been fired, my sister had bought it new and left it setting in a drawer for decades.

9z7ian6.jpg



🐯

P.S.> My wife who use to carry a P938 stole my P365 and I think if I took it back she would buy her own - that might be the direction your friend should be looking.
 
I recommended the LC9s to my sister and she loves it. Carries it all the time. I will say rust was starting to form on the barrel and slide but my sister doesn’t keep it in a climate controlled safe or anything.
 
It's been my EDC for 3 years, I like it for 2 reasons only, it fits in my work pants pocket, and it has a laser so it's great for shooting from any position.
It's my less cleaned gun, and shows its wear as I treat it like a dirt bike vs a road bike,
 
The Seecamp is not a good choice for anyone, nevermind a first time buyer. [rofl]

The original LC9 is a piece of dog meat very similar to things like the PK380, BG380, in others in terms of its dog meat status. I wouldn't give someone 100 bucks for an original LC9. Junk. That's why the LC9S came out shortly thereafter. The original LC9 was so bad they had to do something to pretend they never made it.

There's also some non-retard versions of the LC9S, like a "pro" rev or something, too.


I just want to 2nd this. I have the original LC9. My modifications to make it bearable cost me as much as the gun... I shot the LC9S and liked it.
 
the only tiny 9mm pistols i've owned that shoot worth a shit are the XDS9 and the kahr CW9/P9/PM9. the XDS9 is hands down the most fun to shoot. it's also a bit heavy which helps. since i no longer play with small guns i have no experience w the hellcat or P365.
 
I'm a pretty small guy so it's harder for me to conceal carry. I usually carry a BG380 in my front Carhartt pants pocket but sometimes I carry my LC9S on my hip. It's been reliable. My only complaint is that it's "flippy" and "snappy" when fired but I haven't tried any other similar tiny 9mm's for comparison. The muzzle goes up and the grip goes down so it kinda wants to rotate out of my hands. I have to make a conscious effort to grip it as high as possible and hang on to it. It takes me longer to regain a sight picture too. I'm still a novice shooter and I'm 5'5" and slim so I'm sure that's why. For comparison, I can confidently rapid-fire my SR9 and stay on target. I'd just make sure she gets some practice on it to make sure she's confident with it.
 
LC9S has been my carry for 2 yrs now.. very concealable.. long trigger but not heavy.. no issues with reliability w close to 1000 rnds thru it.. only thing i did was get a hogue grip which helped a lot as i thought the grip was a little narrow. i have "medium" sized hands if that helps..shoots well..
 
I’ve had mine for a while. It replaced my no dash model 60, I’m slow to upgrade.
It was supposed to be my summer gun, with my winter carry being either a 1911 or model 15. I like my LC9s so much that it has pretty much become my only carry now. It rides unnoticed in a pocket, boot or IWB. It is the biggest pistol that I can comfortably carry in a pocket.
Reliability has been 100% for me.
Finish has really suffered, but that happens to all my stuff so isn’t an issue to me.

I haven’t found it unpleasant to shoot, but my 12 year old daughter finds it snappy and prefers a .45, 9 year old son feels the same way.

I don’t know about a first gun. But definitely a good gun.
 
I would have gone with the m&p 9 compact, more gun, less recoil. Tiny guns kinda suck to shoot.
 
The Seecamp is not a good choice for anyone, nevermind a first time buyer. [rofl]

The original LC9 is a piece of dog meat very similar to things like the PK380, BG380, in others in terms of its dog meat status. I wouldn't give someone 100 bucks for an original LC9. Junk. That's why the LC9S came out shortly thereafter. The original LC9 was so bad they had to do something to pretend they never made it.

There's also some non-retard versions of the LC9S, like a "pro" rev or something, too.
He was warned about the battery of arms and that it’s not a range or fun gun. Seecamps I think are impulse buys but everyone I know who owns them love them. I’ve been an engineering tech most of my career so I’ve taken mine completely apart most times I’ve cleaned it except for the hammer. Little things like if you tighten the grips too much the trigger sticks. For me it’s been 100% reliable with the recommended ammo. I find the recoil manageable also for a tiny gun. When I owned my Bodyguard I couldn’t stand the recoil. It made my finger bleed. I’m not totally sure how a magazine disconnect is beneficial for safety on the LC9S, but at least it has a safety and that’s reassuring for a newbie and anyone around them. Especially if they are going to keep it in a handbag.
 
My LC9s is great in a pocket and murderous to shoot. It likes to feed live cartridges up the ejection port instead of into the chamber. Overall I would consider it to be standard Ruger “quality”.

despite their desire for small stuff, the only handgun a newb should buy is a full size one.

+1. A full-sized 9x19 is very mild to shoot and easy to learn on. I shot one of the old LC9s with a crap trigger and I couldn't put that down fast enough because of the recoil and trigger. While Ruger has upgraded the trigger, a LC9 is still going to have a fair amount of recoil that could off-put a new shooter. Plus, a new shooter is going to struggle to find ammo to practice with. So, hard to shoot gun + lack of inexpensive, available ammo = a gun that sits and never gets shot.

There's a reason why the Glock 19 is probably the most popular handgun for relatively new gun owners who want to concealed carry - its a balance of size and concealability.
 
It can’t be any worse than a Ladysmith. I think she’ll do ok with the recoil. The good thing is if she hates it she can transfer it to her husband.

its a fine first gun purchase considering the times. better to have something on her that she can only hit a man sized target at 6 feet then a full sized sig 226 at home in her safe that she can shoot bullseyes with.

when ammo becomes more obtainable she can buy something big and work out her bad habits and flinches.
 
I would have gone with the m&p 9 compact, more gun, less recoil. Tiny guns kinda suck to shoot.

But tiny guns are far more concealable, especially for a smaller women/newbs. No one I know who "compromised" with the M&P Compact as their first gun ever ended up carrying it. I like the M&P line but the Compact version does nothing for me. Either the full size for homepro/range or the Shield or BG for carry.

The best carry gun is the one you'll actually carry. I'm not a big fan of the bodyguard for shootability reasons, but my office manager who is 5'0" and all of 105lbs soaking wet didn't like carrying her P238 in a belly band in the front (cocked hammer and all that, just gave her the willies). I borrowed a friend's BG and took her shooting w/ it. She loved it's size and concealability and it wasn't as awful to shoot as I had remembered. It certainly was serviceable for the application intended. I bought it for her last Xmas. The bottom line is, she carries it everywhere when she rarely carried the 238. Sure, she shot lights out w/ the 238, so what? In a self defense scenario how far do you really need to shoot? 10-15 Feet? Both the P238 & BG are "get off me" guns. I'm also not a big fan of the airweight/LCR revolver class for shootability reasons but I'd certainly recommend them as carry guns for newbs who otherwise probably wouldn't carry anything else.
 
I would have gone with the m&p 9 compact, more gun, less recoil. Tiny guns kinda suck to shoot.
For a first gun, I second this. Learning fundamentals on that will be more pleasant for many shooters. If I wanted to make a safe bet (and assuming they're in similar condition) this is what I would recommend. Having said all that, I've lost count of the number of small-handed shooters that have preferred my Shield to my G19 shooting the same ammo.

On the LC9S, I have limited experience; I tested one out next to a Shield when I was on the hunt for a subcompact a few years ago. It felt fine, and worked well enough for ~100 round test. I wasn't a fan of the mag safety, and the controls felt a little smaller than I'd prefer. Its grip texture did little to help keep it under control, but really I gave it a pass because the slide chewed up my hands. I doubt your friend's hands are as big as mine, so a lot of this probably won't affect her experience.
 
Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t OP is looking for a lady pistol in 9mil that’s easily concealable and easy on the recoil...
I’d approach it as wha would you recommend to a nurse per se’
 
But tiny guns are far more concealable, especially for a smaller women/newbs. No one I know who "compromised" with the M&P Compact as their first gun ever ended up carrying it. I like the M&P line but the Compact version does nothing for me. Either the full size for homepro/range or the Shield or BG for carry.

The best carry gun is the one you'll actually carry. I'm not a big fan of the bodyguard for shootability reasons, but my office manager who is 5'0" and all of 105lbs soaking wet didn't like carrying her P238 in a belly band in the front (cocked hammer and all that, just gave her the willies). I borrowed a friend's BG and took her shooting w/ it. She loved it's size and concealability and it wasn't as awful to shoot as I had remembered. It certainly was serviceable for the application intended. I bought it for her last Xmas. The bottom line is, she carries it everywhere when she rarely carried the 238. Sure, she shot lights out w/ the 238, so what? In a self defense scenario how far do you really need to shoot? 10-15 Feet? Both the P238 & BG are "get off me" guns. I'm also not a big fan of the airweight/LCR revolver class for shootability reasons but I'd certainly recommend them as carry guns for newbs who otherwise probably wouldn't carry anything else.
Totally valid points.

My question is "are these shooters planning to carry immediately?" If the requirement is "something small" and they are drawn to "the cute one" I'm assuming they still need to build fundamentals before they start walking around with it...
 
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