West Coast Armory

While revolvers have served as deep concealed carry pistols and backup guns for years, many consumers seemed to prefer the flatter profile of semi-automatic pistols, which had to compromise in the round they carried. Sensing the market's desire for a semi-auto pistol in a substantial caliber, Ruger and others have met this need with compact carry 9mm pistols.

Given that the Ruger LCP chambered in .380 ACP was one of the wildly popular "pocket pistols" that sold like hot cakes, the Ruger LC9 was one of the most anticipated pistols of the year. Possessing the slim profile of a semi-automatic, but the punch of 9mm, the Ruger LC9 is now available for rent at the West Coast Armory indoor range.

I gave the new LC9 we have for rent a spin, and was pleasantly surprised by how mild it felt in comparison to .380 micro guns.  Its trigger is a very, very long double action trigger, but this is not a bad trait to have for a gun that's likely going to reside in pockets!  I tried shooting with a single hand, as chances of getting a proper pistol grip on this defensive pistol in a defense situation are slim, and the reliability was excellent.  With a proper pistol grip, accuracy was quite good for a pistol of this size.

This pistol has been described as a "bigger version of the LCP", and while that comparison deserves some merit, it is not a perfect descriptor.  The LC9 comes with big gun features, like a slide lock, safety, and 3 dot pistol sights.  The LC9 also shoots more like a big gun than the LCP, with less of a sharp recoil.  The price of better controllability though, is a slightly larger size.  The LC9 fits great in my cargo pants and jacket pockets, but on tighter jeans it may be an issue.  This pistol is not compatible with your "hipster" jeans, if you want to pocket carry basically... and that's a pretty excuse to throw your hipster jeans in the trash!

Come to West Coast Armory and try out our rental LC9!