which one for an only handgun?

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boomer92266

Single-Sixer
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Jan 21, 2008
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I have a friend near me that finally got his permit and is wanting to get a handgun for carry. he has narrowed it down to two models and I thought i would ask here to see which ya'll would prefer and why. he is on a fixed income and had to save for a while and sold his p95 to be able to get this gun. so he can't put more with what he has to get anything else as he has saved over a year and sold his other gun to do this. the shop near here has offered him these guns at these prices which include 1 box ammo and my friends choice of a tagua iwb or owb holster. the guns are a ruger security 9 for $285 and a ruger lcr 9mm revolver for $425. since i have a lcr i told him all i could about it but i know nothing about the security 9. he wants to know about accuracy, durability, and carry ease. both guns fit him well and he can't seem to make his mind up, he has $500 to spend and no more, also he won't order online as he wants to get whats available in store and these are the only ones near here that he likes. and he has a lot of 9mm ammo put back so thats why he also went with a 9mm gun. i posted on the pistol forum too as the choice is between a pistol and revolver, so between the two which would you go with and why? thanks for any help.
 

boomer92266

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powder smoke said:
Take him to a range were they rent guns and try them out out. ps

no ranges near us that are close by, plus he would have to spend on his gun money if there was one close and he can't afford to do that. wished someone was close by with a security 9 then he could come to my back yard and try my lcr and the sercurity but no one around has one that we have found so far. thanks
 

gunman42782

Hunter
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I don't own either, but just my 2 cents. If this is going to be his only gun, and he might have to use it in self defense, I would go with the Security 9, just for the simple fact you have 15 rounds vs 5 rounds out of the LCR. I have lots of other Ruger pistols and revolvers, and I am a revolver guy 1st and foremost, but if I could only have one handgun, it would be a high cap 9mm pistol.
 

Depcon3

Bearcat
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Mar 26, 2006
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Burnet County, Texas
Given the circumstances outlined above, I'd recommend the Security 9. Initial research looked promising for this pistol and it feels great in my hand (medium sized). Two 15 round magazines, good sights, an excellent trigger pull along with the very reasonable price make it a perfect choice for a self defense handgun on a budget. We have sold several to customers at our shop and all feedback has been good, no reports of functioning issues.
 

boomer92266

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gunman42782 said:
I don't own either, but just my 2 cents. If this is going to be his only gun, and he might have to use it in self defense, I would go with the Security 9, just for the simple fact you have 15 rounds vs 5 rounds out of the LCR. I have lots of other Ruger pistols and revolvers, and I am a revolver guy 1st and foremost, but if I could only have one handgun, it would be a high cap 9mm pistol.

this would be his only handgun, he has a shotgun for home defense. thanks
 

bogus bill

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utah
Funny this should come up as I just posted this on the colt site a few minuets ago! The thread over there was about what handgun is the best ever built. I wrote the following.
Sometimes I can be a wet blanket. I own desirable classic colts and smiths. Couple pythons, old model troopers, smith triplelock, a performance center 66-3, 1950 target, models 27, 24, 29, etc. That said I carry this most common M&P about the most. Fits my hand about perfect, is light, and even if I pack any of my .357`s it`s usually with the same .38 ammo anyway. Plus I aint scratching up my grail guns. When I do carry it, it`s most often on dusty trail riding in our RZR with maybe seat belts rubbing it etc. Sure, I have prettier, more powerful, rarer, target sighted guns with comps etc , in fact most if not all of them are, but I am pretty fond of this one. Think its my cheapest.
 

grobin

Blackhawk
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The LCR9 will pretty much fire any ammo that isn't defective. Poor ammo or even ammo that is fine in a different Security 9 May not work well in his. But if he is serious he needs to practice and that practice using different loads and brands will tell him what he and his Security 9 like for ammo. Using that ammo, the Security 9 and the LCR are equal in reliability. If he isn't able to practice enough to get some qualified ammo then he likely shouldn't be carrying!
 
Joined
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Alaska, Idaho USA
From what you are saying he chose those two guns because they are both 9mm, which is fine, but they are certainly 2 very different guns. You said he's had a Ruger 95, which is a very good gun but you don't say why he sold it. You also don't say how much experience he has with a revolver. Since we can assume he has experience with a semi-auto, I'd stick with that. Also if he's only got $500 to spend I'd go with the less expensive gun and use the rest of the money for more ammo, and a good holster. I have no confidence in the tagua holsters, (at least the ones I've seen). The Simply Rugged is a much better holster.

If someone is going to concealed carry, or buy a gun specifically for concealed carry he needs to decide how he's going to do it. How does he dress? You either need to dress to carry, or you need to carry to dress which might require different guns. You will never see me with a tucked in shirt, so over time no one will think anything about me not having my shirt tucked in. I do that because I carry OWB, with a custom holster. There is just a whole lot more to carrying concealed than which gun.

If I'm going somewhere, that "carrying" is frowned upon, I'm more likely to carry an LC9s, or an EC9s with a Simply Rugged holster due purely to it's concealability. Maybe even an LCR. Most people who concealed carry have several guns in a "rotation" so to speak, depending on what the dress code in any certain situation, and carry the appropriate gun. If he doesn't want to do that I'd certainly consider carrying the easiest gun to conceal. You also don't say anything about his age or condition. Sometimes a heavier gun bothers older folks, which would lend itself to carrying a lighter gun.

As I said before, there's a whole lot more to concealed carry than buying a gun.
 
Joined
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Don't understand selling a perfectly good gun to get something that hasn't been on the market for very long? The Security 9 seems to be a large gun with a 15 rnd mag. Good luck. Maybe wait for an LC9s to come along? Or just waiting till one of the guns says "shoot me".
gramps
 

grobin

Blackhawk
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Posit that he has tried both in CC holsters and has no preference, then the Security 9 is better. But he needs to go with the one that is easy and comfortable!! A mega destructor death ray does no good if it's sitting on the dresser because it's inconvenient or uncomfortable!
 

boomer92266

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gramps said:
Don't understand selling a perfectly good gun to get something that hasn't been on the market for very long? The Security 9 seems to be a large gun with a 15 rnd mag. Good luck. Maybe wait for an LC9s to come along? Or just waiting till one of the guns says "shoot me".
gramps
he tried to conceal the p95 but he said it didn't feel right, as it was just a little too big. i just spoke to him and he said that he needs something he can carry concealed as the most important feature but still wanted it to be accurate and reliable. thanks
 

GunnyGene

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boomer92266 said:
gramps said:
Don't understand selling a perfectly good gun to get something that hasn't been on the market for very long? The Security 9 seems to be a large gun with a 15 rnd mag. Good luck. Maybe wait for an LC9s to come along? Or just waiting till one of the guns says "shoot me".
gramps
he tried to conceal the p95 but he said it didn't feel right, as it was just a little too big. i just spoke to him and he said that he needs something he can carry concealed as the most important feature but still wanted it to be accurate and reliable. thanks

There's always trade-offs to be made as has been noted many times in this and similar threads. He's the only one who can decide which trade-offs he is willing to make.

That said, I do much the same as Bear Paw - rotate between a Ruger 9e, a .22mag LCR, or sometimes nothing other than my Buck 110. Depends on where I'm going to be. :)
 

TRanger

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It would be a mistake to get the LCR in 9mm. I have seen multiple incidents of bullets jumping the crimp in this lightweight revolver.
 

charlesappel

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Marietta, Georgia
The LCR 9mm is extremely unpleasant to shoot. I got rid of mine for that reason. A good semi-auto would be a much better choice. If concealed carry is important, a single stack 9mm such as a Shield or an XDE would be a good choice. Ruger almost certainly makes a pistol in this category.
 

Luckyducker

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I would advise your friend to get a semi-auto if he indeed is set on a 9mm. I never cared for auto pistol cartridges out of a revolver, but maybe that's just me. I dunno
 

bogus bill

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Here is example`s of several of my best. Don't know which one I would grab.
https://i.postimg.cc/KjM1Xhyb/Oct-2012-016.jpg
 

mistermills357

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Tell him to get the Security 9, I am a revolver fan, but I would get the auto myself, it seems like a much better choice.
And as far as accuracy goes, it should be fine; and I used to worry about that more than I do now myself.

Me personally, I have a M1911, and I worried about accuracy with it. I don't do that anymore, I figure that I can hit a man at 100 feet with it.
And the bullet will go right where I am aiming.
 
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