First Look: Ruger EC9s

In the interests of providing a more-affordable product to consumers, Ruger announced the launch of its affordably priced EC9s handgun, a trimmed-down version of the company's popular striker-fired LC9s personal-defense pistol.

The dimensions and design of the Ruger EC9s mirror those found on the LC9s, featuring a grip frame molded from glass-filled nylon and a barrel and slide machined from alloy steel. The alloy-steel components feature a corrosion-resistant black-oxide finish rather than the blued-steel finish used on the company's LC9s. Dimensionally, the gun uses a 3.12-inch barrel with a 1:10-inch right-hand twist. Overall, the gun measures 6 inches in overall length, 4.5 inches in height and 0.9 inch wide. Weight with an empty magazine is 17.2 ounces.

Where the Ruger EC9s differs from the LC9s is in several respects. For one, the EC9s is only available with a manual thumb safety and integrated trigger safety, while the LC9s is available with a manual thumb safety or the company's Pro Model trigger. Other safety features found in the new EC9s include a non-optional magazine disconnect, as well as a chamber view port that indicates whether or not the gun is loaded with a simple glance. The LC9s Pro Model also features a chamber port, but the magazine disconnect is eliminated on the Pro.

In addition, the higher-priced LC9s is equipped with dovetailed, drift-adjustable iron sights and can be had with high-visibility sight inserts. The EC9s features iron sights that are integrally machined into the profile of the slide and are non-adjustable, though glare-reducing serrations are cut into the rear face of the sights.

The Ruger EC9s still incorporates a short, clean trigger pull and features a textured grip frame for enhanced purchase. The pistol features a seven-round magazine that ships with a floorplate extension that allows owners to get a full grip on the pistol. A single magazine is included with each gun.

While the standard Ruger LC9s retails at a suggested price of $479, the new Ruger EC9s retails at a suggested price of $299, giving consumers a significant savings for a gun that's still well-suited for personal-defense use.