Which new pistol first SR9c or LC380?

[seb1899]

let me start by saying I like Ruger pistols my first was a .22 Mkll Govt Slab Side and my second was a SSP89 and the last was an SR 1911 full size.

I had been on a waiting list for an S & W Shield since Oct of last year and paid for it at the end of the year (in anticipation of getting to the top of the list while away) and was just told that S & W has limited sales to LEO's security personnel or other public safety people at the price paid. They do not have a 'civilian' price as S & W will only ship to them if sold under S & W's terms. Nice of S & W to restrain trade - kind of like Glock Blue Label pricing only they do not have civilian pricing for their Shield.

Anyway, I am through with S & W unless it is a used fire arm.

Which Ruger pistol should I acquire first? I know I will have both; it is just a matter of time.

Is the .380 really a 'soft' shooter? I have watched reviews and they say it is a 'Goldielocks' pistol - just right. I do have other .380's or should I go with the heftier SR9c I have the P89 and an RI 1911 9MM

 

[revhigh]

Since you have the pistols you list, I'd get the 9c .... Just because you're used to the feel of a quality, solid gun. The LC whatever's do not have the same feel at all. They feel like a cheap, junky, plastic gun. I know because I have one ... A P3AT ... The gun the LCP was cloned from. It works fine for what it is (carry), but it feels cheap, has a terrible trigger, terrible sights, and will most likely not inspire confidence like the heavier guns that you already own. If its strictly for carry, go with the LC whatever.

Either way .... Don't buy an LC whatever without actually touching and feeling it. You will be amazed at the difference in feel and quality, if you're not aware of it already.

The LC's are what they are ... Very lightweight guns designed to be carried a lot and shot a little. Personally ... For a very small, lightweight gun like the LC's ... I'd get a 380 .... And if its for carry only .... I'd get an LCP, not an LC380 .... It's wonderful to carry, and will do the job for civilian self defense needs. In a little pocket holster ... You don't even know its there, which is the absolute best thing you can say about a carry gun. Don't listen to the mall ninjas who carry big 9's with a 17 round mag and 2 spares ... That's just silly for a civilian.

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[DonD]

Go for the SR9C, soft shooting, accurate and reliable. Don

 

[Kevets]

To carry and hide, look into the LC380. To shoot regularly, get the SR9c. I've carried an LC9 and SR9c and both work as an all-around gun but the LC9 pockets nice and the SR9c shoots like a dream.

 

[22/45 Fan]

The LC380 is "soft" at both ends. The recoil is relatively mild but the ballistics are far below any regular 9 mm. As an added bonus, .380 ammo is significantly more expensive than 9 mm. Since you already have other 9 mm, go for the SR9c.

 

[revhigh]

The LC380 is "soft" at both ends. The recoil is relatively mild but the ballistics are far below any regular 9 mm. As an added bonus, .380 ammo is significantly more expensive than 9 mm. Since you already have other 9 mm, go for the SR9c.

Not completely true .... 380 ballistics are just fine with good ammo. He also has other 380 guns, so it's not adding a caliber.

I don't disagree with your recommending the 9C, just for different reasons.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/2011/05/26/video-380-auto-vs-9mm-for-defense/


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[Rei40c]

If you need to go smaller then a SR9C, I'd really look at other brands besides Ruger. Sorry to say it but the LC9 is by far the worst pistol I've ever fired on several points I'm afraid. The horrendous quality of the trigger can not possibly be understated. I've posted before and will say again its so bad its dangerous in my opinion.

I wish it wasn't so but this is my honest opinion of it.

 

[revhigh]

If you need to go smaller then a SR9C, I'd really look at other brands besides Ruger. Sorry to say it but the LC9 is by far the worst pistol I've ever fired on several points I'm afraid. The horrendous quality of the trigger can not possibly be understated. I've posted before and will say again its so bad its dangerous in my opinion.

I wish it wasn't so but this is my honest opinion of it.

LOL. I agree the trigger is horrendous, but I wouldn't go as far as saying its 'dangerous'. It is what it is ... A cheaply made plastic pocket gun. Like ALL the LC's. you just have to go in knowing that. If you're not a VERY experienced shooter, and if you don't understand the concepts of trigger control and sight picture .... You're likely to shoot everybody EXCEPT the target.

As I said above ... If its STRICTLY for carry .... I'd go with an LC whatever, as long as you practice with it, and become competent with it. If its a range toy .... Then get ANYTHING other than an LC whatever.

If you want a small pistol that feels like a REAL gun, check out the Bersa 380's.


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[seb1899]

Thanks for all the feed back on pistol choice.

I had the opportunity to handle both firearms yesterday and I think the SR9c suits me the best. The LC380 is definately a nice carry gun but I like the 'heft' of the 9c.

I do have a 'mouse gun', a Taurus 732 and with Winchester Silver Tips or Glasser's if I want a pocket carry it will do the job. Yes, I know a .32acp is not the best caliber but it has little recoil and provides good shot placement.

I do think with a good holster the 9c could be carried comfortably especially with the smaller mag.

I think Ruger 'cheaped out' not providing a second mag and hard case for the LC series. The Sr1911 should have had a hard case instead of the cardboard box and the sheap rug also :x

 

[revhigh]

The Ruger of today is DEFINITELY NOT the Ruger of yesteryear. They're far more interested in pumping out hundreds of thousands of cheap plastic guns now. Not a bad business model, especially for their stockholders, but it seems like they are certainly not concentrating much on their metal guns much anymore ... Other than drilling out the tubes differently, or slicing some of the barrel off to make a C version.

Hey .... Everything changes ..... . I got all the Rugers I want right now, and they're ALL revolvers or rifles.


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[groberts]

Until Ruger fixes the LC380 magazine problem you should stay away from it. I certainly would not have purchased mine if I had known about this problem. The last thing you need to worry about with a carry gun is that the rounds will stick in the magazine!

 

[bada61265]

ive owned several da revolvers and a couple da auto`s and theres not a thing wrong with the lc9`s trigger. yea its not a range gun but so what? what was it designed for? Defense and cc, " those who complain" should of pulled the trigger at the store not complain about it later in the forums. IMO i dont think theres a need for a lc380, the recoil in the lc9 is not terrible when compared to compact 9`s like the sr9c or xdmc models. certainly not when you take into account its intended use" not a range toy" id opt for the lcp over the lc380 due to size and weight id certainly not get either for a range toy. so far my lc9 has been 100% reliable. one question begs an answer is what is the intened use for the 2 guns the OP desires? for CC 380`s have a bad rep i do think in a larger gun like the lc380 where a identical lc9 is available i have a hard time seeing the why of it. because its a cc defensive weapon not a range gun why is it so important to have a soft shooter when the 9 is allot more oomph and cheaper to shoot practice rounds threw and is a pussycat compared to any of the other major calibers. like the 40 or 45`s. as far as the sr9 c i like the sr9 so id probubly like the compact version as i like my xdm compact. i do like the features the xdm offers over the ruger, including a lci thats not visable from the space station. grip safety, take down lever no pin to drive out. the glocks are nice, i could not find one when i shopped the xdm so it was xdm for the win by default, lol. the xdm is sensably put together compared to the more convaluted ruger imo. so are the glocks and if i could of found one it would probubly be in the spot where my xdm is, simply for any other reason is that it can be customized to your hearts content and fairly cheap parts compared to others of this type.
one really nice thing about the xd and xdm lines is what does come with the gun, granted there a bit more pricey, but you get a decent hard case, a extra mag, a mag loader, lock, bore brush, paddle holster and a 2 mag holster. that is quite allot extra imo.

 

[22/45 Fan]

Not completely true .... 380 ballistics are just fine with good ammo. He also has other 380 guns, so it's not adding a caliber.

Well, I'll grant that current .380 ballistics and performance are far better than years ago but they still don't approach a 9 mm or above, which are also much improved from previous ammo.

Yes, I do carry a .380 (a Kel-Tec P3AT in fact) but only for it's light weight and very small size and I don't ever think I wouldn't rather have something more powerful. When weather and clothing permit, I always go upscale.

 

[DDubya]

My wife has arthritis in her hands and a compact 9mm (my Taurus PT709) is too much to handle. I bought her an LC380 and she loves it. She can operate the slide and the recoil is easy on her. I had bought her a Taurus TCP .380 but she did not like the recoil. The LC380 handles Hornady Critical Defense ammo very nicely. It's not a .45acp but it's the gun she's comfortable with.

Oh yeah, and I guess I'm a "mall ninja". I carry a Springfield XDm Compact in .40 S&W everyday, usually open carry. I shoot it's big brother XDm 5.25 Competition in IDPA competition and they both feel very similar.

 

[TheJackal]

I've got an LCP and SR9c. LCP is handy for pocket carry. SR9c is suitable for carry and I find that I am far more confident in having the SR9c as my main carry pistol. The SR9c is a great shooter with a good trigger and it fun to shoot at the range. I shoot the LCP at the range to keep my chops up and to make sure it cycles well. It ain't fun to shoot. Go with the SR9c.

 

[blume357]

Unless you are specifically looking for a pistol that you can slip in your pocket... I'd go for the 9c... I think it is much more practical.

99% of the time I carry a Sig 230 which is a 380 caliber pistol... it appears to be almost exactly the same size as the 9c... If I was going to change out that is what I would go with.

 

[Knecht]

I had LC9 before and it was by far the worst gun investment I ever made. One can get used to the extra long, rubbery-felt trigger, what the hell. It's a short range defensive gun, not a competition toy. What you can't get used to is FTFs, all the time on mine (and many others as well). Agreed that the recoil is OK (when it happens to shoot), no need to go for lesser calibers. It did even fit my hand quite well. And I'm really glad I finally managed to sell it, even losing 1/2 of the money. Got G27 lately and don't regret at all.
As for other 380s, my girlfriend got a locally made ZVI Kevin, which you may know as IMI Micro Eagle (licensed clone of Kevin). It looks odd, but it's highly reliable, has the real DAO trigger (which actualy feels shorter than the pre-cocked LC9), is all-metal and withstands much more shooting than LCP (seen some rental LCPs at ranges that cracked and fell apart after couple thousand shots - will yet have to see a broken Kevin). It also has regular grip panels, so you can make custom grips to fit your hand. Highly recommend it!
Also comes in 9 Makarov.

 

[gramps]

I shoot .357 mag, and .44 mags and enjoy. I have a keltec p-11, and p-32. Thought about getting the p3AT, but after shooting my son's I gave up on getting a small .380. My son bought an LCP, and of course he begged me to shoot it. Wow, what a difference in recoil between the KT and Ruger. I now have an LCP. I do shoot it a lot cause it is easier to find ammo than anything else I have at present.
gramps

 

[revhigh]

You were feeling a difference in ammo, not guns, they're pretty much identical.


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[seb1899]

I picked up my new SR9c today Sure feels good in my hand.

I paid $379. plus tax - Good price? It came from the same retailer that sold me my SR1911 for $549.

Unfortunately they did not have any 9mm for sale so I will have to use some of my 'stash' to break it in.