Ruger SR9. Are they a good choice? Good, Bad, OR Ugly??
- Thread starter Preacher.
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I have an early SR9 and it does not have a gritty trigger either.
VAPOPO
Member
Another happy customer. I bought my SR9C after shooting my dads. So far only 1500 trouble free rounds. It's my warm weather carry gun now. P.S. I hate Glocks and the XD but like the Ruger. Go Figure.
wow6599
Member
A kid I work with just bought a SR9 has his first handgun - against my advise.
Anyway, he picked it up and went to shoot with a few friends..... only to have it not feed about 25% of the time. Nice Christmas burr on the feed ramp. He asked me what to do. I told him I would lend him my Dremel, but he should really send it back to Ruger for a F&B, as most Rugers I have owned needed some additional TLC after purchase. YMMV.
Anyway, he picked it up and went to shoot with a few friends..... only to have it not feed about 25% of the time. Nice Christmas burr on the feed ramp. He asked me what to do. I told him I would lend him my Dremel, but he should really send it back to Ruger for a F&B, as most Rugers I have owned needed some additional TLC after purchase. YMMV.
Walt Sherrill
Member
That has NOT been my experience with Rugers... The ONE TIME I had to send a gun back to Ruger, it was repaired quickly and returned -- and that was an older gun with a lot of rounds through it. (Extractor broke.)
I picked up a used SR9 a while back, and found the trigger a little heavy. I had my gunsmith install the Ghost trigger bar and it really improved it a lot. (It's still just a big heavier than I like, but very crisp and clean.)
I understand that NEW SR9 have the same "improved" trigger later introduced with the SR9c -- so the Ghost enhancement might no longer be appropriate for SR9s. I really like the SR9. It arguably does the "GLOCK" thing better than glock, with a gun that is, for me, more ergonomic.
The only thing Glock does better is build a gun with fewer parts. (I think there's almost as many parts in the Ruger SR9 fire control assembly as there is in the entire Glock 17/19 pistol. All those little parts was the reason I decided to let my gunsmith install the Ghost parts rather than try it myself. Many do it themselves, however. Even with Ghost's great photo-laced instructions on their website, I was intimidated.)
Send the problem gun back to Ruger -- and if it doesn't have the improved trigger, ask if that can be done while it's there.
This is not my experience as My Mileage Did Vary. I can't speak to Ruger's shotguns, but as to their revolvers, rifles and semi auto pistols, my experience (beginning in 1967 with a Ruger Blackhawk 357 Magnum) is they work flawlessly out of the box. At least I don't remember any that had problems that weren't my fault. Such as a P90 recoil spring installed backwards. That's the only time I've had a problem with any Ruger,
As to the SR9, well, wife and I like hers so much just this morning I bought an SR9c. Haven't shot the "c" yet but my expectation is the same flawless functioning I've gotten used to starting 45 or so years ago.
Being a handloader, I know all about certain loadings not working well in certain guns. But that's not a flaw in the gun any more than my gasoline powered truck not running on diesel fuel being a flaw in its engine design.
tahunua001
Member
I own an SR9C and it is my everyday carry piece. among compacts it was the easiest tot transition to from being a mainly full sized pistol shooter. the 10 round magazines are great for concealing and the 17 rounds with the grip extension sleeves are great for target practice. but down to the points that actually concern you...
the SR9 is a great pistol platform that, though it does require a good 200-300 rounds to loosen it up and function smoothly, is a very good gun for home defense, range toy, service piece and just new gun owners that need to work on fundamentals. the larger back strap fits my hands well enough to that I can shoot it accurately and in the last mockup Navy Pistol Qualification Course I shot with mine I tied my best score with the M9 while on active duty. for $400 it is a great gun that is quite durable, tool marks are negligible and most are not plainly visable unless disassembled, and highly reliable, I still haven't reached the 1,000 round mark on mine yet but it has yet to fail me and I do not foresee any reason that it would as long as I do my part and clean it.
now for the bad. it is, essentially a budget line hand gun, the trigger starts off pretty gritty and though it does smooth out with use is still not quite as smooth as a Walther P99 or Springfield XDM. the ammo capacity is nothing to sniff at but there are higher capacity handguns like the Springfield XDM. and finally although the ruger has a reversible backstrap with a flat and arched side to help match the grip size to the shooters, it still does not have the customization options that the XDM, M&P and gen 4 glocks do. however the SR9 does not fit in the same price range as all of those guns and when compared to other guns of the same price bracket like the FN Herstal FNP or Springfield XD, the Ruger beats all competition in all fields listed.
now for the ugly, some shooters report peening issues with the SR9 but from what I've seen of all the detailed pictures and descriptions it is nothing more than small burs forming from a lack of proper lubrication after cleaning. not one of the cases of peening happened with a gun that received proper maintenance.
those are just my .02, I hope your new gun brings you endless joy.
the SR9 is a great pistol platform that, though it does require a good 200-300 rounds to loosen it up and function smoothly, is a very good gun for home defense, range toy, service piece and just new gun owners that need to work on fundamentals. the larger back strap fits my hands well enough to that I can shoot it accurately and in the last mockup Navy Pistol Qualification Course I shot with mine I tied my best score with the M9 while on active duty. for $400 it is a great gun that is quite durable, tool marks are negligible and most are not plainly visable unless disassembled, and highly reliable, I still haven't reached the 1,000 round mark on mine yet but it has yet to fail me and I do not foresee any reason that it would as long as I do my part and clean it.
now for the bad. it is, essentially a budget line hand gun, the trigger starts off pretty gritty and though it does smooth out with use is still not quite as smooth as a Walther P99 or Springfield XDM. the ammo capacity is nothing to sniff at but there are higher capacity handguns like the Springfield XDM. and finally although the ruger has a reversible backstrap with a flat and arched side to help match the grip size to the shooters, it still does not have the customization options that the XDM, M&P and gen 4 glocks do. however the SR9 does not fit in the same price range as all of those guns and when compared to other guns of the same price bracket like the FN Herstal FNP or Springfield XD, the Ruger beats all competition in all fields listed.
now for the ugly, some shooters report peening issues with the SR9 but from what I've seen of all the detailed pictures and descriptions it is nothing more than small burs forming from a lack of proper lubrication after cleaning. not one of the cases of peening happened with a gun that received proper maintenance.
those are just my .02, I hope your new gun brings you endless joy.
stchman
Member
I've had my SR9 for almost 3 years and it works very well.
The only thing is my SR9 does not like Brown Bear ammo. I had gotten a bunch of it in trade and wanted to shoot it up.
Brass cased ammo (all brands) have worked for me.
The only thing is my SR9 does not like Brown Bear ammo. I had gotten a bunch of it in trade and wanted to shoot it up.
Brass cased ammo (all brands) have worked for me.
Substantially.
Also not my experience. Mine has been flawless from the first trigger pull.
EVIL
Member
I have the SR9C, It's an excellent Conceal Carry pistol, it's about perfect for a compromise pistol that is a good EDC and still fun at the range. No issues or malfunctions to report. As a long time GLOCK shooter & carrier, I just ignore the manual safety and carry it with the manual safety "off." I also think it is a little bit nicer looking than my GLOCKs
My only minor quibble is the expensive magazines ... I haven't found them for under $40...
My only minor quibble is the expensive magazines ... I haven't found them for under $40...
Today wife and I went to our gun club with four guns: SR9, SR9c, SR40 (all new) and an old Smith 1006. The Smith is "mine"; the Rugers are "hers". She tried a friend's SR9, picked hers out and she bought them.
Wife put about 200 9mm rounds down range and 75 or so for the 40. She has only two magazines for the 40. But the thing is, she's shot Glocks, Smiths, and Berettas but the SR guns work so well for her I doubt she'll ever want to shoot anything else. Flawless function for all, easy for her to master and accuracy was outstanding. The triggers are very nice and consistent across the three guns. Easily 95% of her shots were center of mass on the silhouette at 21 feet. And after all, that's the goal.
I put about 50 rounds through the 1006 and it's still a dream to shoot. Load was 180 grain Remington Golden Saber over 11.0 grains Bluedot; just shy of 1,300 fps but that's not the real story. The three SR guns are the real story and it can only get better.
Wife is already eyeballing an SR45; who am I to strop her? I do love that woman! For a lot of reasons.
Wife put about 200 9mm rounds down range and 75 or so for the 40. She has only two magazines for the 40. But the thing is, she's shot Glocks, Smiths, and Berettas but the SR guns work so well for her I doubt she'll ever want to shoot anything else. Flawless function for all, easy for her to master and accuracy was outstanding. The triggers are very nice and consistent across the three guns. Easily 95% of her shots were center of mass on the silhouette at 21 feet. And after all, that's the goal.
I put about 50 rounds through the 1006 and it's still a dream to shoot. Load was 180 grain Remington Golden Saber over 11.0 grains Bluedot; just shy of 1,300 fps but that's not the real story. The three SR guns are the real story and it can only get better.
Wife is already eyeballing an SR45; who am I to strop her? I do love that woman! For a lot of reasons.
BSA1
member
I am a cold steel handgunner. In fact I think the last semi-automatic handgun I brought was 20 years ago and I have little interest in plastic, er polymer, frame handguns until recently. A family member brought a SR9C which I have had the opportunity to handled and shoot. I like the compact flat size with the added safety feature of the thumb safety. It is very easy to shoot and groups well especially considering I can only shoot it weak handed do to a shoulder injury. No malfunctions or complaints with the trigger pull from my weaker less cordinated left hand and arm.
Do I like it? Well I am considering making my first purchase in 20 years of a semi-automatic handgun as soon as the banic settles down!
Do I like it? Well I am considering making my first purchase in 20 years of a semi-automatic handgun as soon as the banic settles down!
Byrd666
Member
I've got a bit over a thousand through mine. Ate it all. All weights and types and was/is highly accurate. Used it to qualify for my CHL here in Texas, and still carry it in a rotation. The only two gripes about are as follows.
A pain in the (censored) for a person with one hand to field strip.
The trigger bar is awfully stiff in the beginning, and doesn't really work loose much. I changed mine out to a Ghost trigger bar. Mine is a perfect fit for me and my shooting style. Link on bottom.
Congrats on a great buy.
http://www.ghostinc.com
A pain in the (censored) for a person with one hand to field strip.
The trigger bar is awfully stiff in the beginning, and doesn't really work loose much. I changed mine out to a Ghost trigger bar. Mine is a perfect fit for me and my shooting style. Link on bottom.
Congrats on a great buy.
http://www.ghostinc.com
justice06rr
Member
The only minor downsides are the mag disconnect and small thumb safety. Both are easily solved by removing the disconnect, and not engaging the safety if you choose.
The SR9 is a great pistol and its on my list of future CC pistols. I prefer the SR9c with stainless silver slide.
The SR9 is a great pistol and its on my list of future CC pistols. I prefer the SR9c with stainless silver slide.
Walt Sherrill
Member
There may have been MORE involved in the peening problem than just a lack of lub. Ruger replaced some barrels, and they may have made a change to the barrels, as that problem doesn't seem to be happening any more. If it were just a lub problem, I suspect people would still be making THAT mistake. The peening apparently occurred on some guns and then reached a point and didn't get worse.
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