LC9 extractor

[kelbro]

Got a surprise with my EDC yesterday. I was at the range and remembered that it had been a while since I had performed a function check. First shot, bang, jam. Wow, that's never happened. Drop mag, clear empty, replace mag, bang, jam again. Uh-oh.

I dropped the mag and racked the slide again and noticed a little spring there where the extractor should be. Looked all around and could not find the extractor. Not sure when it went missing.

I'm sure that Ruger will take care of this but it does sort of shake my confidence in this pistol. I often leave this one with my wife for SD when I'm away from the house.

Is this a common failure? Did it break and fall out?

Either way, it's a good reminder to function check your pistols often.

 

[hittman]

Send it home for service …..

 

[kelbro]

Just got off the phone with Ruger Customer Service. Did Ruger get purchased by some large group or something?

They told me they only warranty pistols for two years. Mine was too old. For $80, they would send me a shipping label to return it or I could buy the parts (for around $20) and repair it myself.

I own several Ruger pistols. For many years, if anything on a Ruger pistol broke, they made it right. I'm not real impressed with what I heard today.

 

[RoninPA]

Call them back and ask to speak to a supervisor, something just doesn't seem right. I've never had a CS person tell me that Ruger only warrantied something for a set amount of time. I do know that Ruger won't work on guns that have been long out of production (like the Six series revolvers, out of production since 1988), but the LC9, et al haven't been out of production for a long time period (as far as I know).

 

[s4s4u]

Seems an odd response by the CS agent being Ruger has never had a "warranty", per se.

I agree, call again...

 

[hittman]

How old is your LC9?

326-46207	320-00000 2010 320-09186 2011 321-54694 2012 323-21430 2013 325-21858 2014 326-46207 2015

 

[kelbro]

320-xxxx

I purchased it in 2012.

They would accept it for repair but I had to ship it with their label.

I considered escalating to a supervisor but was running short on time at the moment and was caught off guard. Not the response that I was expecting.

 

[Dry154]

Extractor popping out or going missing is a known though not super common issue on some Ruger compacts especially the LCP II, EC9s, and LC9s series. The extractor isn't pinned in place like on bigger guns it's held by spring tension plunger only, so if the fit wears or tension slips, it can eject itself during cycling often after a few hundred rounds or even less in some cases.

Folks describe exactly what you saw sudden FTEs stovepipes, then find the spring dangling with no extractor. It doesn't usually break the part just works loose and falls out. Ruger CS is excellent here they send replacement extractors and often the whole assembly for free under warranty, quick turnaround, no hassle.

Send it in they'll fix it and rebuild your confidence. Once sorted, it's reliable again. Great reminder on function checks, especially for a home defense gun your wife might grab.

 

[kelbro]

That's the problem. I called. They offered to fix it if I bought a shipping label for $80. If I wanted the parts, I had to pay $20 for the parts and $8 for shipping. This company is not the Ruger that I remember dealing with in the past.

 

[Caftman]

You're right—this is the ultimate reminder that a function check (which usually just checks the trigger safety mechanisms) isn't enough. A press-check (visually verifying a round in the chamber) is good, but even that doesn't test the extractor. This failure mode is a great argument for periodic live-fire verification of your carry gear. It's inconvenient and costs money, but it's the only way to know.