Ruger EC9s

When looking for a decent conceal-carry firearm, do you sometimes feel like there are just too many options? Are you the kind of person that doesn't want to mess around with 20 different brands of firearms - each with five variations of each model? You're not alone. With the interest in personal defense higher than ever before in the U.S., The market has been desperately needing a reliable, albeit AFFORDABLE concealed carry option that gives you everything you need - no more, no less. The Ruger EC9s fills that void.

*All images of the EC9s are directly from Ruger. I will replace with my photos after the gun has had a good cleaning*

The Ruger EC9s takes the reliable and popular LC9s and removes all the features you probably didn't care about in the first place. The sights of the EC9s are machined integrally with the slide. The finish is black oxide versus the traditional blued finish of the LC9s. While the finish may be a little more prone to rust, it will prevent glare in potentially critical situations - plus if you regularly clean and take care of your weapons, this shouldn't be a problem. The EC9s ships with only one 7-round magazine, but a second one won't set you back too much.

Everything that made the LC9s great, like it's exceptional trigger, has been carried over to the EC9s. The best part is that it will only set you back around $240-$300. This is a lot of gun for that kind of money. I know what you're thinking; "How can we know it's as reliable as other Ruger handguns?" You can take my word for it, because I've shot it!

Right off the bat, the EC9s doesn't feel like a subcompact firearm. The grip is thin, but it fits my hand very well and I'm able to control recoil better than other subcompact pistols. Since this is a carry gun, every edge, including the integral sights are smoothed over so drawing this weapon is quick and snag-less. With the EC9s, you realize that adjustable sights for a gun like this really aren't necessary, especially since it's made for engagements within 7 yards. While I wish that the sight posts had some kind of paint on them, I was still able to reacquire my target quickly after every shot. Again, this is a short-range defensive weapon. Our accuracy, with standard 115 grain target ammo, really suffered when we put the target out past 7 yards. Your results may differ.

The trigger is what makes this little gun so amazing. As I stated before, the trigger that Ruger put into the EC9s is the same one that was introduced on the "s" model of the LC9 several years ago. It released to critical acclaim as being one of the best triggers on a subcompact pistol, and after shooting roughly 50 rounds through it, I concur with the critics. It's a short, crisp trigger pull that takes very little practice to master.

At the range, we handed off the EC9s between several shooters. Not once did it fail to empty it's 7-round magazine. While this wasn't a "torture test" by any means, it definitely proved to us that just because a gun is inexpensive, doesn't mean it's unreliable.

There were a couple features of the EC9s that I didn't care for:

• Takedown can be tedious and it requires that you utilize a takedown pen (which is provided).
• It has a magazine disconnect - which is a negative for me, may not be for you.

Other than that, I would absolutely recommend the Ruger EC9s to the budget firearm shopper. It's not often that you will be able to find a firearm that gives you this much value for the money - and Ruger is one of the first large firearm companies to serve this relatively untapped market.