Will the LC9 survive the M&P Shield?

[Lloyd Smale]

buddy just got a sheild and its a sweet little gun. I really like it. Probably more so then my glock 26 but not enough to go through the hastle of selling the 26 to buy one. Its a bit trimmer and smaller but the glock has proven itself to me and ill hang on to it.

 

[eveled]

I held one today. It is a nice gun. I like my PPS better. But the shield is priced right. I liked it more than the LC9. To be fair I haven't shot an LC9 or Shield maybe I would change my mind.

 

[davevabch]

After thousands of rounds fired through the LC9, I can attest to the fact that it is one reliable pistol. I for one love the trigger on the LC9. Shoot it enough and you know it wears in very well, and is extremely smooth. Once you master trigger control with proper finger placement, you really appreciate it so much more. And for every day carry I appreciate the fact that it is long. If I had one thing I could change on the LC9 , it would be to scale down the size even more. Why in the world would I want to go to a beefier, heavier, gun like the shield. Go to the Shield and you are getting into SR9C territory and that gun is going to be one gun that is very hard to beat in every category. If a light quick trigger is why you are buying the Shield, then I would really check out the SR9c.

 

[smitty_bs]

I've shot the LC9 but not the Shield. I'm sure the Shield would have the better trigger, as that LC9 trigger is loooonnng, and not to different than my S&W 642 revolver.

However, even though the outside dimensions of the two guns are very similar, the LC9 is very sleek and contoured and does conceal better. I guess it depends on what you want to do with the gun. The Shield may be better shooting, but I don't think it is quite as concealable as the LC9.

It will be interesting to see if the price of the Shield drops in a year or so when all the hype dies down. The LC9 is cheaper now, so we'll see what happens.

 

[DA_TriggR4Ruger]

Funny thing. The lc9 trigger is what has been preventing me from buying one. Tested it at the lgs and didn't care for it

 

[pistol pete]

I have an LC9 and it does have a long trigger pull but it is not hard to pull. It is lighter than any stock revolver. I shoot it better than my 642 revolver, felt recoil is less and the sights are better. I haven't seen the S&W yet, it may be better than the LC9 but I doubt it. S&W cuts too many corners, I've had problems with the last 3 or 4 S&W revolvers that I've bought and revolvers is where they used to really shine. The last 8 Rugers all worked right out of the box.

 

[jdavis]

I prefer to pocket carry and in so doing every mm seems to matter. The S&W is the latest big thing in small 9mm but, it seems a bit larger than I like for pocket use. I also looked at and tried an LC9 as well as a Kahr CM9. The Kahr and the LC9 are close to the same size with the Kahr seeming to disappear in my pocket a bit better. The trigger on the Kahr has a longer pull but is butter smooth and felt better to me than the LC9 and S&W. (your milage may vary)
The Shield is the "hot" item now and is really nice but, the Kahr now resides in my right front pocket and I think it is a dandy of a gun.

 

[Specs]

I went from a 14 oz KT PF9 to the 17 oz LC9. The LC9 is a tad bigger than the PF9, just borderline for pocket carry, but I manage it without issue because it is "melted" . Now comes S&W with a small 9 which is slightly bigger than my LC9 , blocky in shape and almost 3 oz heavier yet.

The extra magazine is really a non issue, I bought 2 spares online for around 25 bux each so I now have 3. If Ruger offered 2 magazines with the LC9 it still would be less cost than the S&W.

 

[davevabch]

I have shot about 2,000 rds through the Lc9 without one failure. One of the most reliable guns, I have ever shot. The long trigger took a short while to get use to it, but once you have shot it enough, it really becomes a "Sweet" smooth operator. This gun once you master it, will shoot 2 inch groups all day long. I thing the shield is nice, but there is no compelling reason for me to go out and get one. In fact if anything I would get a second lc9. I really like the sleek design of the LC9 more so than the shield.

 

[pistol pete]

A friend of mine recently bought a Shield. It is great, better trigger mainly. But, I'm keeping my LC9, it's thinner, smoother, better for pocket carry. Several hundred rounds, no hick ups so far. It's far easier to shoot than my 642 revolver.

 

[J.R. Kennedy]

THE LC9 MAY BE FEELING THE PRESSURE ALREADY. AS OF TODAY GUNBROKER HAS 260 LC9 LISTED , SOME WITH LASERS ,SOME USED MOST NEW. IT APPEARS THAT THE PRICES SEEM TO BE HOLDING, WITH FEW BEING BID ON.

 

[GaryT]

I had an LC9, which I liked for a carry gun. It wasn't small enough for pocket carry, and neither is the Shield. But once I tried the Shield, I was hooked. The trigger is much better than the LC9 and for me, the gun was more comfortable to carry and shoot. I sold the LC9 and bought two Shields. For pocket carry, I still use my LCP, but the Shield fits the niche I bought it for...belt carry in the hot, muggy summer weather under a light shirt...and fits it very well.

 

[Boge]

The engineer at Ruger who designed the moronic FP retention system that needs roll pin removal to clean the FP channel deserves this:

 

[GeorgeP]

One negative I consistently hear about the LC9 is the really long/hard DAO Trigger Pull. That being said, I'd be anxious to try the M&P Shield out being striker fired!

Other than a difference in overall size, striker vs hammer is the only real difference. If you throw in a few guns that are the same size that are striker fired (5 to 7 lbs pull) you can start looking at Taurus Slim 709, Ruger SR9c, GLOCK 26, to name three, and you have several guns "better" than the LC9. How many ran out to buy one? However, if you take in the soft smooth edges, size, safety of a long pull, you still have a great reliable, good shooting pocket carry or holster carry SD gun.

 

[GeorgeP]

The engineer at Ruger who designed the moronic FP retention system that needs roll pin removal to clean the FP channel deserves this:

Don't disagree, but nearly all new generation guns now have a firing pin block. My biggest draw back to the LC9 is the the blocker spring is way way too strong, causing a little roughness at the end of pull and pretty hard to get out during my annual deep cleaning. I've lightened my spring from about 6lbs to around 1.5lbs and now it works smooth and easy but is still completely safe. Plus, I"ve had the sight off so many times it's pretty easy now.

 

[ncvikingfan]

I do not own either one. However, I can't imagine a good Ruger being eliminated by competition.

 

[Gregg1LE]

I went to Cabelas Monday to buy some reloading supplies and went to the gun counter and asked if a Shield was available,and the counter guys laughed and said check again next m0nth when allociations were available.

 

[Geoff Timm]

One negative I consistently hear about the LC9 is the really long/hard DAO Trigger Pull. That being said, I'd be anxious to try the M&P Shield out being striker fired!

Based only on handling a 40 Shield in my LGS the trigger pull was comparable to the SINGLE ACTION PULL on a new Colt 1911!

I think it needs the manual safety it has.

The grip is larger and feels much better than my Kahr 9094N yes it is thicker.

The Ruger trigger pull is not as good as the Kahr.

Geoff
Who is seriously considering buying a 9mm version of the Shield.

 

[bigload]

I think the answer to the original question is "yes". I was fortunate enough to be able to buy one of each of these little pistols in the same week. I brought them home, cleaned them and oiled them properly. Then took them both to the range and proceeded to fire 200 rounds though each pistol with no further cleaning of any type. The ammo was an equal amount of 115gr Hornady critical defense, 124gr Hornady XTP, 124gr Federal Premium defense, 124gr Speer gold dot and 115gr American eagle practice ammo though each pistol. Now I am not trying to be a pro pistol reviewer here, but I just wanted to share my personal experience.

The LC9 worked like a swiss clock with every single pull of the trigger. Not a single hiccup of any kind. Perfect feeding, firing, ejecting and slide lock back after last shot. It would consistently stack shots into a 2 inch pattern at 7 yards. I thought the trigger was just fine. I found it to be smooth, controllable and very predictable. I might even call it perfect for a weapon of this type. I found the LC9 to be slightly trimmer, lighter and a bit easier to conceal with more rounded edges than the Shield. This pistol is a delight to own, carry and shoot.

The Shield is also a fine pistol, but...
I found it to be slightly more chunky with more square edges and a bit more heft making a little harder to conceal, but not a big deal. The pistol did fail to fire twice due to light primer strikes, and the slide failed to lock closed twice when cycling the first shell from a fresh mag. I am confident these little blips are just due to it needing a little break in time. The trigger has a slight amount of free travel and then breaks fairly crisply, but it did have just a bit of creep before breaking. The accuracy was equal to the Ruger also stacking shots into a 2 inch pattern at 7 yards. I thought the pistol did give an impression of higher quality to hold in your hand and the sights were just excellent. The grip fit my hand very well.

I went home thinking both of these were fine firearms and I was proud to own both of them (however, I would want the Shield to be fully broken in before I bet my life on it). So after all of that, and based my initial (and admittedly limited) experience with these two pistols, The Shield went in the safe and the LC9 went into my DeSantis IWB Cozy Partner and goes with me everyplace it is allowed to go. I am looking forward to my next range session with the Smith to see if the little problems have disappeared, which I believe they will.

In the end, I see no reason whatsoever to think the LC9 will get ran out of town by the new Shield.

 

[Al James]

Bigload, your first post was a Bigload....welcome to the RugerForum

Seriously, Thanks for your review! I am in the market for a small pistol in 9mm, so this thread is helping send me figure out what guns to look at. I wish ruger would come out with a 2 tone LC9 though.