Don't sell your LC9... Easy fix

[WMSproject]

I really never got around to talking to Ruger. Life happens, things get in the way.

I decided to take some more photos of the firing pin hole on my pistol this morning. It has been a full year since I fixed the problem. To date, no more issues.

Here is a reply I sent to a PM this morning asking for more detail on chamfering the firing pin hole.

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I did fix the reliability issue with my LC9 and I would be hard pressed to get rid of my gun unless I found another that appealed to me more.

Here's my best description of the design flaw and how it negatively affects the function of the pistol. The sharply machined firing pin hole shaves bits of brass off the fired primer when the pistol ejects the spent round. The softer 9mm primers on most ammo tend to bulge outward around the firing pin and into the firing pin hole when fired. The barrel drops down prior to the slide going backward. This tends to want to shave part of the primer off, leaving brass flakes that build up in the firing pin channel. The firing pin channel is machined to tight tolerances so it does not take many brass flakes to stop the firing pin from coming forward. This causes Failures to Fire.

My modification completely stops the brass primer flakes from being created or entering the firing pin channel.

Here's what I did:

I disassembled the pistol, removed the firing pin, etc. Be careful of small parts.
Instructions for dis-assembly can be found on YouTube
Get a NEW drill bit twice to three times the size of the firing pin hole and long enough to stick out the barrel end of the slide.
BY HAND, turn the drill bit without applying too much pressure and start removing metal from the firing pin hole... only slightly. Don't dig too deep.
DO NOT USE A DRILL OR A DREMEL. THIS WILL MOST LIKELY DAMAGE YOUR GUN BEYOND REPAIR.
After removing the metal, use the drill bit with very little friction to smooth out any burrs created by the drill bit.
You can use a bit of sandpaper shaped into a cone if you like to polish the hole a bit when you are done...

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[CardsFan]

Nice - thanks for posting. Can you advise what size drill bit you used, as well as any descrption of the type of bit? I have the same lump in my gut knowing that when the gun gets dirty, it becomes unreliable.

 

[WMSproject]

It was a year ago. I don't remember the exact size drill bit I used but it was about 1/8" or 3/16" something like that. Just a standard bit, not a step bit or anything special. You may have to chock the bit up in a tool of some kind (Like a threading tap holder) so it will reach from the front of the slide to the firing pin hole. Try to keep it centered. Turn by hand and apply very light pressure only. Less is more in this endeavor. Take off only a small bit of metal at a time. Be careful... If you have doubts, let somebody who knows more do it for you.

 

[tbro717]

Good stuff! Thanks.

 

[yellowhammer]

I`m about ready to go back to RELIABLE revolvers.No way you can buy a new semi and trust your life on it.I`ve only bought 4 semis that never malfunctioned,3 Rugers(full size)and a S&W M&P.I have friends who have issues with everything from Kels to Kimbers.I`m waithing on parts right now for a new PF9.It never made it through a whole mag without an extraction problem.