The shooting community has really embraced the realm of the micro-compact 9mm in the past decade, and today we’re looking at the budget-minded Ruger EC9s. Their popularity makes perfect sense. People want to carry a pistol, but they don’t want to have it be so cumbersome they don’t enjoy it.  
 

The Lineage of the EC9s

Ruger introduced the LC9 in 2011. While it wasn’t a fan-favorite with its double-action-only trigger, it laid the foundation that the company continued to improve upon as it listened to customers. They had a quick turnaround to introduce the LC9s, which swapped out the hammer-fired action for a striker system. Fast forward another four years, and out came the EC9s in 2018, which was a lower-priced alternative to the LC9S to offer more value to consumers.

The pistol is still worthy of the Ruger name and checks quite a few boxes for a gun you could quickly throw in your pocket for a hop to the store. It has a seven-round magazine, very thin profile, doesn’t break the scale on weight, and is almost small enough to fit into the coin pocket on jeans – almost.

Unboxing the EC9s

Opening the branded cardboard box (no plastic case here), I was presented with something I don’t think I’ve come across with any other pistol: a dummy magazine. From all the resources and online commentary I looked through, it’s simply for use when field stripping the firearm to ensure no rounds are accidentally inserted.  

Additionally, Ruger includes one functional magazine and a security lock. Since the magazine capacity is seven-rounds, I would recommend picking up a couple more to make range trips less about reloading and more about shooting. Fortunately, the EC9s shares magazines with the LC9 and LC9s, so they should be readily available and even allow you to increase your capacity to a nine-round version.

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Going Hot on the Range

I took the EC9s out to the range and, as I tend to do with a new pistol, the first shot out of the gate was a single, slow solid hit in the A-zone at 10 yards. I noted that while fairly light, the travel on the trigger was definitely noticeable, but not enough to make me see it as a detrimental flaw.

One characteristic that the EC9s shares with many of the micro compact 9mm pistols on the market is the recoil impulse being concentrated on a significantly narrower portion of your hand. On more than one occasion when shooting with friends, the groupthink afterwards is that they don’t want to put too many mags through the gun in the same day.
 

I ran the EC9s through some drills drawing from concealment with a Sticky Holster that allowed me to try running it both in my pocket and inside the waistband. At a 7-yard distance and a moderate cadence, I found the EC9s put rounds on target, but not necessarily in the tightest groups. I did not have any additional rubberized grip on the gun, so it also didn’t fill my palm quite as much as I would like.
 

For Your Consideration

In the world of micro-compact pistols, the EC9s might lead the pack on price, but it loses that ground again when it comes to the magazine capacity. Top sellers today boast 15-round magazines and supply two or three with the gun.  

The pistol’s controls are a small source of contention for me. They are very low profile, which is great when trying to produce the pistol from a pocket as it reduces snagging opportunities. The flip side of that coin is that it makes them much more difficult to manipulate when attempting to use them.

Another value move from Ruger was to integrate the sights into the slide. So, if you want the ability to swap them out for night sights or something taller, you would want to upgrade to the LC9s. The slide also houses a 3.12-inch barrel and a surprisingly stiff recoil spring.
 

Conclusion

I think it is important to moderate expectations with a firearm. I don’t think a $300 pocket pistol should be compared to a $2,000 1911 in how pleasant it is to shoot or the performance you can achieve. With that in mind, I think the EC9s does a great job for the role it holds. If you’re looking for a solid-performing pocket gun that doesn’t break the bank, pick up a Ruger EC9s.