lc9s magazine issue

[mysquishy]

i carry my lc9s iwb in a desantis pro 100 holster, im new to ccw, ive noticed the mag will eject while holstered a few times. the mag never just falls out of the gun but its loose.any help would be appreciated from more experienced carriers.

 

[JollyTiger]

You have to slam that mag in there with some force. There seems to be two "clicks" before it is secure. Some where there is a thread on Ruger mags/Italian mags that discusses this problem.

 

[rugerguy211]

Is it a 9 round mag, or the standard 7 rounder?
The 9 round mag auto releases in both my LC9 and LC9s.
At the range, yesterday, I overheard a guy talking about the mag in his pistol dropping every 2nd or 3rd shot.
I asked, and it was an LC9, with a 9 round mag.
The 7 round mags work perfectly in both of mine, as well as the other guys LC9.

 

[Trooper Joe]

I ordered a 9 round mag from Ruger right after I bought my LC9s a couple of months ago. It too dropped free about every other round. Called Ruger, sent a complete description along with photos (at their request) and they sent me another 9 round mag. The second one was worse than the first one.

Called them again and was advised that they were aware of this problem and also aware that the 7 round Italian magazines were usually working perfectly. The service rep I talked to said they were requesting that customers return the gun and they would then modify the magazine release so that it worked with both Italian and US made magazines (the 9 round mags are all made in the USA I think).

Told them I did not want to do that since my 3 Italian 7 round mags were working perfectly and I did not want to modify the mag release. (I have since returned that second 9 round magazine for a complete refund.)

(It should be noted, that my original 7 round US made magazine had a slight drag on the follower with the spring removed. I talked Ruger into exchanging that one for an Italian made magazine. In the mean time, I purchased 2 more Italian made magazines and now have 3. The Italian made magazines seem to click into place with authority where the US made magazine, both 7 and 9 round ones, are sort of mushy when they click into place.)

I could modify one of my Italian made 7 round magazines to accept the spring and base plate assembly and make my own 9 round magazine but, I have decided that I don't want one that bad.

 

[mysquishy]

ive worked the issue out with a little yankee know how, now both my mags stay put while carrying, it seems the mags are not quite a good fit, now im not concerned with the mags popping loose in the holster! i own the sr9 and the lc9s, love rugers, but ill be honest the m&p sheild 9mm is a better made gun than the lc9s, but the lc9s is the perfect size and weight for all day carry.....just my humble opinion.

 

[TotingPacifist]

ive worked the issue out with a little yankee know how, now both my mags stay put while carrying, it seems the mags are not quite a good fit, now im not concerned with the mags popping loose in the holster! i own the sr9 and the lc9s, love rugers, but ill be honest the m&p sheild 9mm is a better made gun than the lc9s, but the lc9s is the perfect size and weight for all day carry.....just my humble opinion.

I've been having the same problem with my LC9s ejecting magazines while holstered in a pocket holster. What did you do to solve the problem?

 

[mysquishy]

the little cut out in the mag that the mag release lever catches, at the top of the cut out use a punch to slightly flair that out, i did that by drilling a small hole opposite the cut out, then put the punch through the hole and tap it with a hammer, you only need to push out the upper lip of the cut out a little, like a 1/16 of an inch, the mag still goes in and out easily, this makes it easier for the mag release lever to grab and hold the mag, be aware the mag metal is some pretty hard stuff, i had to hit it pretty hard to get the metal to flair, after the fix i carried my lc9s two full days, iwb @ 4 oclock and no loose mag issue. im now more confident should i have to pull this pistol, the mag will be in the gun.

 

[TotingPacifist]

Thanks for the response. Yankee know how indeed!

 

[Virginia Boy]

I have a Pachmayr grip sleeve on my LC9s, which keeps the mag. release
button from being pushed in, when being carried in a pants pocket, in a
DeSantis Nemesis holster.
It also makes it more pleasant to shoot, it does make the grip a little thicker
but not excessively so.

 

[TotingPacifist]

I have a Pachmayr grip sleeve on my LC9s, which keeps the mag. release
button from being pushed in, when being carried in a pants pocket, in a
DeSantis Nemesis holster.
It also makes it more pleasant to shoot, it does make the grip a little thicker
but not excessively so.

I hadn't thought of that. I'll give it a try.

 

[mysquishy]

just a little update on the mag issue fix, ive now carried the lc9s for over a week and stiil havnt had the mag eject while carrying iwb at 4 oclock, so this little fix will cure the iisue!

 

[ulflyer]

I called Ruger today about my 9 rounder that drops down after each shot and the
guy that I talked to (didn't get his name) was borderline rude and said "either take it back to where you got it, or send it to us to examine and evaluate". When I commented that it seems a lot of these are troublesome, he just repeated the above litany.

I'm mailing it to them and requesting a 7 rd Italian with pinkie extension in exchange. We'll see what happens.

A friend also has the same situation but he kept the receipt from the LGS and said he's taking it back for his money back.

 

[MountainWalker]

A friend also has the same situation but he kept the receipt from the LGS and said he's taking it back for his money back.

Good Luck with that! Once the gun has been legally transferred the dealer is not responsible to take the gun back. In purchase, the remedy for a problem is to fix the gun or provide a replacement gun. Ruger is pretty good about sending a shipping label, so the LGS or dealer doesn't usually get involved. Good thing the these little Ruger pistols are so inexpensive.

 

[ulflyer]

A friend also has the same situation but he kept the receipt from the LGS and said he's taking it back for his money back.

Good Luck with that! Once the gun has been legally transferred the dealer is not responsible to take the gun back. In purchase, the remedy for a problem is to fix the gun or provide a replacement gun. Ruger is pretty good about sending a shipping label, so the LGS or dealer doesn't usually get involved. Good thing the these little Ruger pistols are so inexpensive.

It was the mag he took back. LGS refunded his money. He's gonna get an Italian one like the one he has now. I'm waiting to hear from Ruger about my
mag.

 

[TotingPacifist]

After reading mysquishy's solution, I knew I didn't have his level of expertise to fix this problem with my LC9s, so I sent it off to Ruger. Completely free (including shipping both ways), they replaced the magazine, magazine latch, magazine latch spring, and the slide stop spring. The paperwork says they fired 28 rounds through it without malfunction. They also included free Ruger polishing cloth when they returned it to me.

So far I've been carrying it around in the same pocket holster and the problem hasn't reappeared. If this is any indication of Ruger's customer service, I'm a customer for life. Color me impressed.

 

[OldePhart]

I know this thread is a bit old but I had a similar issue when I first started carrying the LC9s IWB at 3 or 3:30. In my case, at least, the problem was not so much the gun as it was the build of the owner. The mag release sticks out a bit and I carry IWB with a Whitehat holster and a pretty snug belt so the mag release would end up getting pressed by the holster...usually when I sat down. I trimmed the horsehide of the holster just slightly to clear the mag release (about halfway between the "combat cut" Whitehat offers as an option and the normal holster I have). I also added a rubber grip sleeve. I haven't had a mag release since, where before I was almost guaranteed that the magazine would be released (just sticking out about 1/8") after a couple of hours of carry.

Needless to say, on a gun with a magazine disconnect, any unintended release is REALLY not a warm fuzzy!

 

[jb1911]

I was having the same problem with my White Hat holster so I used a 5/8" forstner bit to make a hole where the magazine release made a mark in the leather. Problem solved.

 

[ulflyer]

I called Ruger today about my 9 rounder that drops down after each shot and the
guy that I talked to (didn't get his name) was borderline rude and said "either take it back to where you got it, or send it to us to examine and evaluate". When I commented that it seems a lot of these are troublesome, he just repeated the above litany.

I'm mailing it to them and requesting a 7 rd Italian with pinkie extension in exchange. We'll see what happens.

A friend also has the same situation but he kept the receipt from the LGS and said he's taking it back for his money back.

Happy to report Ruger replaced the 9 rounder with a 7 like I asked but failed
to include the extension. Have once again sent them a letter asking for the
extension.

 

[MountainWalker]

I called Ruger today about my 9 rounder that drops down after each shot and the
guy that I talked to (didn't get his name) was borderline rude and said "either take it back to where you got it, or send it to us to examine and evaluate". When I commented that it seems a lot of these are troublesome, he just repeated the above litany.

I'm mailing it to them and requesting a 7 rd Italian with pinkie extension in exchange. We'll see what happens.

A friend also has the same situation but he kept the receipt from the LGS and said he's taking it back for his money back.

Happy to report Ruger replaced the 9 rounder with a 7 like I asked but failed
to include the extension. Have once again sent them a letter asking for the
extension.

Some of the magazines were actually packaged and sold without the finger extension. I think that Midway sells the extension separately.

 

[meanbastard]

I may have to contact them, but not sure if my problem can be fixed. My mag pops out sometime when I holster gun. I think the release is just protruding in a way that causes it to get pushed to far...

 

[Even steven]

Just caught this after having issue in past with 7 round, 1st gen. Lc9. The U.S. mag is tight fit and is scored from release notch to top from release catch . Got out flashlight and compared Italian vs. usa mag.....italian is pure stamped steel with what appears true bluing. The U.S. Version looks like it was tumbled in a media which has ' smoothed' the notch, which may assist in unintentional release. Can't determine type of coating, whether maybe a powder coat, or bluing. I think, since I was going to order a couple, that I will seek out Italian mags.

 

[OldePhart]

@Even Steven - I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that after I trimmed the backing on my IWB holster it "solved" this problem for me. This week I noticed the problem was "back". I thought maybe I'd gained a few pounds over the holidays and it was making the IWB holster push harder. But... I have the one USA made mag that came with the gun and 2 Italian ones. I had emptied all my mags this week and marked them so I could put them in rotation for even spring wear and it is #1 - the USA made one - that seems to have the issue. Guess I will use the USA one only as the spare carry (safe enough since it only pops out in the holster, never when in use).

The only time mine pops since I trimmed the holster is when I twist to get out of the car. I actually hear it click, most times.

John

 

[jadek44]

I have a Pachmayr grip sleeve on my LC9s, which keeps the mag. release
button from being pushed in, when being carried in a pants pocket, in a
DeSantis Nemesis holster.
It also makes it more pleasant to shoot, it does make the grip a little thicker
but not excessively so.

Not wanting to hi-jack, Which Pachmayr sleeve? I bought the small Houge and it's a no go. Thanks

 

[OldePhart]

Well...I decided to start shooting with a local IDPA affiliated club so went looking for more magazines. Couldn't remember where I got the Italian made ones that I bought online but nobody seemed to have them now. Went to Cabela's and they had a mix of Italian- and USA-made mags hanging on the display. It broke my widdle heart to pay Cabela's price but at least I was able to sort through and pick up a couple of Italian ones.

John

 

[OldePhart]

@Even Steven - I spent some time comparing magazines today under a strong light and using a 3.5x magnifying hood. It looks like the USA mag may have been stamped with old tooling or something. The Italian ones all look "undercut" on the inside, leaving a thin crisp edge and making the metal actually look thinner even though it isn't. The USA one looks thicker (even though it isn't) and maybe even tapered toward the outside. The shape of the "back" of the notch is also rounded and kind of overcut on the USA mag.

Next I tested Italian mags against the US one to see how far down the mag release had to be pressed before they would release. All mags were full. At first it looked like there was no difference, then suddenly the USA mag released noticeably earlier a couple of times in a row. I finally was able to narrow it down to the USA mag releasing early if one was pushing the release toward the back strap as it was being pressed in. With all four Italian mags it didn't matter how much you "rock" the release side to side or front to back, it still had to be pressed to the point where the top of the serration adjacent to the border between the smooth and textured part of the grip sank even with the grip before the magazine released. The USA made magazine would sometimes release when that serration was visibly higher but seemingly only if it the release was being pressed rearward. When I find my jeweler's files I think I am going to try to straighten up that edge on the notch in the USA mag and test it again.

The "under cut" on the Italian ones is noticeable on other edges, too, not just the notch for the release. The bluing is much, much better on the Italian ones, too. Makes me kind of sad.

John

 

[g29andy]

mysquishy is correct. I did similar fix to my USA mags, although I simply used a screwdriver to pry out the upper lip on the mag, rather than drilling holes from the opposite side. No problems with my modified USA mags.