Did Ruger bring back the LC9s?

wild cat mccane · October 24, 2020, 11:11 AM

I've noticed a few new LC9s pop up on gun.deals

Did Ruger bring it back after discontinuing it?

DaleA · October 24, 2020, 02:07 PM

Well, the Ruger LC9s is on their web site today...

https://ruger.com/products/lc9s/models.html

TruthTellers · October 24, 2020, 03:20 PM

If it's on the website and it's not a distributor exclusive, then it's back in production.

Which is good because I had no interest in the EC9s and it's fixed, non removable sights.

wild cat mccane · October 24, 2020, 03:38 PM

$500 for an LC9s...keep dreaming.

Back to $250 and I'll pick it up.

That's not even panic buying. That's just crazy with the P365 staying at $500.

Wow.

Glad it came back though. Yes, the EC9 didn't interest me either. Especially the cheaper finish which rarely gets mentioned.

TruthTellers · October 24, 2020, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild cat mccane

$500 for an LC9s...keep dreaming.

Back to $250 and I'll pick it up.

That's not even panic buying. That's just crazy with the P365 staying at $500.

Wow.

Glad it came back though. Yes, the EC9 didn't interest me either. Especially the cheaper finish which rarely gets mentioned.

MSRP isn't street price and you know that. Online I see they're going for under $400, which is still a lot more than the $260-ish they were selling for a couple years ago.

Blame it on 2020 induced panic inflation.

Forte S+W · October 24, 2020, 07:28 PM

Nice, my brother owns an LC9S, and it's a sweet little gun.

Ruger has been doing this sort of thing a lot lately, they discontinue a product, then for awhile it comes back as a distributor exclusive, then it sells so well as a distributor exclusive that Ruger puts it back into full production. The same exact same thing happened with the SR Series and the Ruger American Pistol series, although the former seems to have since been discontinued yet again.

I honestly think the Ruger just prices their firearms a bit too high at launch so they don't sell, then they discontinue the line and the price is reduced to sell off the stock, but then everyone buys them at the reduced prices and begins singing their praises, which in turn causes demand to increase, so distributors special order more to meet demand, they continue to sell steadily, and Ruger brings them back. If only they'd learn that they just can't get away with selling their new guns for the same prices as Smith & Wesson, let alone Glock, then their pistols would likely be successful right out the gate.

Personally, I didn't mind the EC9S, and for the price, I think I'd sooner get the EC9S just the same. Unless they're offering the LC9S with a Stainless Steel barrel/slide now.
Besides, aren't the sights on the LC9S ridiculously difficult to adjust or replace, or am I mistaken?

Either way, I ultimately ended up getting an LCP because I wanted the absolute smallest, lightest pistol I could carry at the time, and now it serves as my BUG.

TruthTellers · October 24, 2020, 07:48 PM

The SR series was beloved by a lot of people and had been Ruger's main semi auto pistol for 15 years and the successor for it, the American, has not been well received. The SR series is likely to be in a perpetual on/off production cycle and currently it's off because I believe it was brought back as a distributor exclusive and that's likely how it will continue to be produced.

The LC9s is a little different because it got replaced by a model with a cheaper to produce slide, but the EC9s isn't really an improvement or a successor. I was expecting Ruger was going to come out soon with its own version of the P365/Hellcat, but during panics Ruger does not release new models as they're too busy trying to keep up with producing existing orders for existing models.

This is partially why the .327 disappeared for a few years during the 2010s and I'm surprised that the 57 is sticking around, but I figure that Ruger is not going to drop production on a pistol they same year they introduced it.

So, it's interesting, but not unsurprising as Ruger must have been getting a lot of orders from distributors for exclusives and with the gun buying rush they decided to bring the LC9s back for the duration of this gun buying boom that the industry has waited 4 years for.

jmr40 · October 25, 2020, 01:54 PM

Never knew they discontinued it. They did offer both the EC9s and LC9s at the same time last time I looked. The only difference is the EC9s has the front sight as part of the slide vs separate on the LC9s. The EC9s was less than $20 cheaper.

I had the LC9s and liked it, just not enough to keep it along with the Sig 365. If I were buying a replacement Ruger I'd just as soon have the EC9s and save $20.

Forte S+W · October 25, 2020, 03:57 PM

The one thing that always got me about the EC9S is that it is offered in superior finishes compared to the LC9S, which seems counterproductive considering that the EC9S is supposed to be the value-priced alternative.

Seriously, the LC9S is only available with a blued finish whereas the EC9S is available in Cerakote finishes. Cerakote is objectively superior to bluing in every way, it's more durable, more corrosion-resistant, and it's self-lubricating. Some will argue that bluing looks better, and it can most certainly look better than Cerakote, but I've never been particularly impressed by the bluing I've seen on the Ruger LC9S, so in the case of the particular firearm in question, I think Cerakote beats it there too.

wild cat mccane · October 26, 2020, 08:20 AM

No. They are going for $500 on gun.deals.

TruthTellers · October 26, 2020, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wild cat mccane

No. They are going for $500 on gun.deals.

For a couple of sellers, yes, but not all.

https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/736676032358

https://www.tombstonetactical.com/lc...-1in-7rd-black

Hawg · October 27, 2020, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forte S+W

Unless they're offering the LC9S with a Stainless Steel barrel/slide now.

I thought they always did.

wild cat mccane · October 29, 2020, 10:16 AM

Backwards. The ec9 has almost no finish while the lc9s has a better one.

Forte S+W · October 29, 2020, 10:48 AM

@Hawg
Nope, unfortunately only Limited Edition versions of the LC9S were ever offered in Stainless Steel, and some of the Limited Edition LC9S models with silver slides weren't even really Stainless Steel, but rather a Satin Nickel Cerakote finish over Carbon Steel.

Quote:

Backwards. The ec9 has almost no finish while the lc9s has a better one.

I'm afraid you're mistaken, the LC9S was originally offered in a Blued Finish, then later productions used a Black Oxide Finish, whereas the EC9S was offered first in the same Black Oxide Finish as later LC9S models, but quickly received a few Distributor Exclusive EC9S models with Cerakote Finishes.

The LC9S did receive a few Limited Edition models with nicer finishes, but the standard models were all either Blued or Black Oxide.

See for yourself...

https://ruger.com/products/lc9s/models.html
https://ruger.com/products/ec9s/models.html

And for the sake of comparison, here's a list of LC9S models from late 2016:
https://web.archive.org/web/20161219...9s/models.html

As you can see, while Ruger did offer the LC9S in a variety of finishes, most of them were Limited Edition models with Factory Engraving on the slides or only had special finishes on the frame.

hdbiker · October 29, 2020, 11:07 AM

I like my LC9S, not a single malfunction yet with White box Winchester ball ammo. hdbiker

wild cat mccane · October 29, 2020, 12:37 PM

Black oxide is just a black rust. Basically zero real finish on the EC9.

Both were available with cerakote.

These new LC9s are only oxide, so the difference between the EC9 and LC9s have decreased even more.

Sigkid79 · November 8, 2020, 12:39 PM

Bought my LC9s 2yrs ago for $360. To my knowledge, they discontinued them and brought out the EC9s. I guess Ruger re-released them. I found it strange when I saw it at my local gun store recently for $469.

lee n. field · November 8, 2020, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sigkid79

Bought my LC9s 2yrs ago for $360. To my knowledge, they discontinued them and brought out the EC9s. I guess Ruger re-released them. I found it strange when I saw it at my local gun store recently for $469.

That's the insane season we're in right now. A while back one could get, say, a S&W Shield sometimes for under $300. Now, local place here has a couple for, I think, $450-ish.

October 24, 2020, 11:11 AM	#1
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,627	Did Ruger bring back the LC9s? I've noticed a few new LC9s pop up on gun.deals Did Ruger bring it back after discontinuing it?

October 24, 2020, 03:20 PM	#3
TruthTellers Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2016 Posts: 3,888	If it's on the website and it's not a distributor exclusive, then it's back in production. Which is good because I had no interest in the EC9s and it's fixed, non removable sights. __________________ "We always think there's gonna be more time... then it runs out."

October 24, 2020, 07:28 PM	#6
Forte S+W Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2019 Posts: 819	Nice, my brother owns an LC9S, and it's a sweet little gun. Ruger has been doing this sort of thing a lot lately, they discontinue a product, then for awhile it comes back as a distributor exclusive, then it sells so well as a distributor exclusive that Ruger puts it back into full production. The same exact same thing happened with the SR Series and the Ruger American Pistol series, although the former seems to have since been discontinued yet again. I honestly think the Ruger just prices their firearms a bit too high at launch so they don't sell, then they discontinue the line and the price is reduced to sell off the stock, but then everyone buys them at the reduced prices and begins singing their praises, which in turn causes demand to increase, so distributors special order more to meet demand, they continue to sell steadily, and Ruger brings them back. If only they'd learn that they just can't get away with selling their new guns for the same prices as Smith & Wesson, let alone Glock, then their pistols would likely be successful right out the gate. Personally, I didn't mind the EC9S, and for the price, I think I'd sooner get the EC9S just the same. Unless they're offering the LC9S with a Stainless Steel barrel/slide now. Besides, aren't the sights on the LC9S ridiculously difficult to adjust or replace, or am I mistaken? Either way, I ultimately ended up getting an LCP because I wanted the absolute smallest, lightest pistol I could carry at the time, and now it serves as my BUG. __________________ Conspiracy theorists are the greatest political spin-doctors of all time. Only they can make the absolute worst political blunders sound like spectacular feats of ingenuity.

October 24, 2020, 07:48 PM	#7
TruthTellers Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2016 Posts: 3,888	The SR series was beloved by a lot of people and had been Ruger's main semi auto pistol for 15 years and the successor for it, the American, has not been well received. The SR series is likely to be in a perpetual on/off production cycle and currently it's off because I believe it was brought back as a distributor exclusive and that's likely how it will continue to be produced. The LC9s is a little different because it got replaced by a model with a cheaper to produce slide, but the EC9s isn't really an improvement or a successor. I was expecting Ruger was going to come out soon with its own version of the P365/Hellcat, but during panics Ruger does not release new models as they're too busy trying to keep up with producing existing orders for existing models. This is partially why the .327 disappeared for a few years during the 2010s and I'm surprised that the 57 is sticking around, but I figure that Ruger is not going to drop production on a pistol they same year they introduced it. So, it's interesting, but not unsurprising as Ruger must have been getting a lot of orders from distributors for exclusives and with the gun buying rush they decided to bring the LC9s back for the duration of this gun buying boom that the industry has waited 4 years for. __________________ "We always think there's gonna be more time... then it runs out."

October 25, 2020, 01:54 PM	#8
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	Never knew they discontinued it. They did offer both the EC9s and LC9s at the same time last time I looked. The only difference is the EC9s has the front sight as part of the slide vs separate on the LC9s. The EC9s was less than $20 cheaper. I had the LC9s and liked it, just not enough to keep it along with the Sig 365. If I were buying a replacement Ruger I'd just as soon have the EC9s and save $20. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

October 24, 2020, 02:07 PM	#2
DaleA Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 5,313	Well, the Ruger LC9s is on their web site today... https://ruger.com/products/lc9s/models.html

October 24, 2020, 03:38 PM	#4
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,627	$500 for an LC9s...keep dreaming. Back to $250 and I'll pick it up. That's not even panic buying. That's just crazy with the P365 staying at $500. Wow. Glad it came back though. Yes, the EC9 didn't interest me either. Especially the cheaper finish which rarely gets mentioned.

October 25, 2020, 03:57 PM	#9
Forte S+W Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2019 Posts: 819	The one thing that always got me about the EC9S is that it is offered in superior finishes compared to the LC9S, which seems counterproductive considering that the EC9S is supposed to be the value-priced alternative. Seriously, the LC9S is only available with a blued finish whereas the EC9S is available in Cerakote finishes. Cerakote is objectively superior to bluing in every way, it's more durable, more corrosion-resistant, and it's self-lubricating. Some will argue that bluing looks better, and it can most certainly look better than Cerakote, but I've never been particularly impressed by the bluing I've seen on the Ruger LC9S, so in the case of the particular firearm in question, I think Cerakote beats it there too. __________________ Conspiracy theorists are the greatest political spin-doctors of all time. Only they can make the absolute worst political blunders sound like spectacular feats of ingenuity.

October 26, 2020, 08:20 AM	#10
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,627	No. They are going for $500 on gun.deals.

October 29, 2020, 10:16 AM	#13
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,627	Backwards. The ec9 has almost no finish while the lc9s has a better one.

October 29, 2020, 11:07 AM	#15
hdbiker Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2012 Posts: 297	I like my LC9S, not a single malfunction yet with White box Winchester ball ammo. hdbiker

October 29, 2020, 12:37 PM	#16
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,627	Black oxide is just a black rust. Basically zero real finish on the EC9. Both were available with cerakote. These new LC9s are only oxide, so the difference between the EC9 and LC9s have decreased even more. Last edited by wild cat mccane; October 29, 2020 at 12:55 PM.

November 8, 2020, 12:39 PM	#17
Sigkid79 Member Join Date: November 5, 2020 Location: Tampa, fl Posts: 60	Bought my LC9s 2yrs ago for $360. To my knowledge, they discontinued them and brought out the EC9s. I guess Ruger re-released them. I found it strange when I saw it at my local gun store recently for $469.