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I got my new Ruger LC9 last night. Major shout out to the Academy off the beltway in Pasadena. Those guys were so nice. I had an unfortunate experience at Best Shot Range or I would have bought it there. My first time at Best Shot was pleasant enough but not yesterday. I was still trying to make sure that I wanted the Ruger and asked the kid behind the counter a couple of questions. He just said he didn't know and didn't even bother to look or ask. I finally just left and spent my money at Academy instead. Best Shot lost a customer and that particular Academy gained one even though I have one closer. I told the manager how great the guys were. She was happy to hear it. I also went to The Arms Room today to shoot the Ruger for the first time. I even got an extra magazine for it for $33. I almost bought it from Amazon for $40. It's a great little gun and the recoil isn't too bad. I put about 75 rounds through it. It will definitely make a great EDC. I'm glad that I got it.

I am glad you found a gun you liked.

It never ceases to amaze me the gun shops that fail to comprehend "customer service".

I am very pro for practicing with the smaller pocket carry firearms. So, good job!

It's important you practice and become proficient with any gun you plan to carry.

I am kinda surprised that Academy was able to answer questions that someone behind a real gun store couldn't answer. This being said, I have never been disappointed by either the Arms Room or my local Acadamy.

Actually, I have been positively surprised, twice. Years ago, I became acquainted with a very knowledgeable young man working the sporting goods department of Walmart, of all places. Specifically, the Walmart on Spencer Hwy at East Rd. between Deer Park and Pasadena. The surprising part was that they left him in sporting goods instead of rotating the clerk du jour.

After a couple of years, he went to work for the Academy at Spencer Hwy at BW8 and may still be there. Likewise, Academy had the good sense to use him only in sporting goods.

It does happen.

Mike1951 wrote:Actually, I have been positively surprised, twice. Years ago, I became acquainted with a very knowledgeable young man working the sporting goods department of Walmart, of all places. Specifically, the Walmart on Spencer Hwy at East Rd. between Deer Park and Pasadena. The surprising part was that they left him in sporting goods instead of rotating the clerk du jour.

After a couple of years, he went to work for the Academy at Spencer Hwy at BW8 and may still be there. Likewise, Academy had the good sense to use him only in sporting goods.

It does happen.

Unlikely he still at the Academy at Spencer Hwy at BW8 since that Academy closed. They moved to a location a mile or two south. I recently bought a safe at that store when my local Academy did not have the one I wanted in stock. Went to the Spencer location and found it had been closed. The new store is brand new and very nice.

The guys at that Academy were very knowledgeable. One question that he didn't know, he asked-imagine that. What irked me the most at Best Shot was the attitude and no willingness to help.

I definitely plan to practice with that gun since eventually it will be my EDC. I'm really getting into this as a hobby too. It is expensive but fun. I have to say that my S&W is more fun to shoot. I ned a grip for it though- I thought it was going to rub a hole in my hand.

I'm with you S&Wgrl. Life is too short to spend any of it with a shop clerk that doesn't seem to want or care about your business. You should always be treated with respect since purchasing a firearm will almost certainly be a $$$ endeavor. All that said, I do empathize with gun shops who have to deal with a multitude of customers all the way from never having held a gun before to those that know more about a model than they do. If you find a shop you like, make sure you patronize them so they'll stay around. Glad to hear you're enjoying your LC9.

I used to live close to that Academy on Spencer/Beltway, I bought my jeans there.
I spent a lot at Carters Country on Shaver.
Indoor shooting range/some gun purchases I often went to Pasadena Gun Center, 206 Shaw Ave Pasadena, TX 77506. They order stuff for me if they didn't have it.
Outdoor shooting range, I used to use the Pasadena Police range, but that was years ago.
Couple years ago I visited and saw lots of new Sportsmen warehouse/Sports Authority and other stores. Plenty places from which to choose nowadays there for purchases.

S&Wgrl wrote:The guys at that Academy were very knowledgeable. One question that he didn't know, he asked-imagine that. What irked me the most at Best Shot was the attitude and no willingness to help.

I definitely plan to practice with that gun since eventually it will be my EDC. I'm really getting into this as a hobby too. It is expensive but fun. I have to say that my S&W is more fun to shoot. I ned a grip for it though- I thought it was going to rub a hole in my hand.

Small lightweight pistols are normally no fun to shoot due to the additional recoil as there is nothing to help absorb it from a weight/size standpoint. Additionally, they normally make the grips super rough textured to help hold on to the small bucking bronco in your hand. This can be hard on any shooter, much more so on someone with soft skin and sensitive hands. I never liked shooting the KelTec P3AT or Ruger LCP for those reasons.

The one exception I have found for fun and comfortable to shoot in a small pistol is my Kahr PM9. The extended beaver tail over my my hand between my thumb and forefinger really helps with the perceived recoil and I can shoot 100 - 150 rounds before it starts to affect me.

S&Wgrl wrote:I got my new Ruger LC9 last night. Major shout out to the Academy off the beltway in Pasadena. Those guys were so nice. I had an unfortunate experience at Best Shot Range or I would have bought it there. My first time at Best Shot was pleasant enough but not yesterday. I was still trying to make sure that I wanted the Ruger and asked the kid behind the counter a couple of questions. He just said he didn't know and didn't even bother to look or ask. I finally just left and spent my money at Academy instead. Best Shot lost a customer and that particular Academy gained one even though I have one closer. I told the manager how great the guys were. She was happy to hear it. I also went to The Arms Room today to shoot the Ruger for the first time. I even got an extra magazine for it for $33. I almost bought it from Amazon for $40. It's a great little gun and the recoil isn't too bad. I put about 75 rounds through it. It will definitely make a great EDC. I'm glad that I got it.

I bought my LC9 last August and love it. Not as much kick as you think it should have for a gun that small. I'm not sure if it will help, but I added one of the Hogue grip sleaves to mine. I picked up the small one and had to trim it slightly to get it to fit.

I can agree with you on Best Shot. The guy that owns it is really nice and and will shoot the breeze with you until you finally have to get up and leave. Unfortunately, I think the kids working there are part timers from Clear Brook high school up the street. So I generally don't expect much from them when I go in there. Actually, can a sub 18 year old sell firearms? I really have no idea. If not, they may be part time kids from San Jac.

I'm surprised you had bad luck at Best Shot. I've bought several guns from them and those guys have always been very knowledgeable and they love to "talk shop". The owner is on this board from time to time so maybe you'll be hearing from him by PM if he sees this. I also paid quite a bit less for my LC9 than Academy was selling them for at the time.

BTW, I have no affiliation with Best Shot other than being a long-time customer who has nothing but good things to say about them. Sorry you had a bad experience with them. Try not to let one person sour you too much on them.

Sad you had an issue at Best Shot. I too have no affiliation with Best Shot and no friends or family who have anything to do with Best Shot. I like going to Best Shot, close to home and the facility has been improved by the new owner. The owner will talk to you and is a good wealth of information. A good asset to Best Shot is Andrew. He seems to be knowledgeable person, friendly and has good people skills. If you have any questions, make sure you look up Andrew.