Triggers on Ruger SR9c and S&W M&P9 Shield: Advice Needed

In the circles in which I move I am known as the guy who will take non-shooters to the range, several times if they want to go, and introduce them to gun safety, several different types of firearms, and the art of hitting what one aims at.

My most recent such foray involved a couple who were considering the acquisition of a firearm for home defense, and wanted to know about the desirability of the different kinds. (They were initially enthralled with the idea of a 12 ga. pump, because “the noise will scare them away and we won't have to hurt them.” I explained why it was not a good idea to depend upon that hope.)

I took them to the range and let them shoot four different semi-auto pistols, two revolvers, and two different types of rifle, and talked about and demonstrated the design and operational differences, and the advantages and disadvantages, of the two types of handguns.

Prior to our second trip to the range they notified me that they had “jumped the gun” a bit, so to speak, decided that a 9mm semi-auto would be best for their needs and abilities, and went out and purchased one apiece, a Ruger SR9c and an S&W M&P9 Shield.

We went back to the range and they each put 100 rounds through their respective purchases, and did reasonably well considering their lack of experience and the conditions of the pistols.

And the latter is the problem I’m dealing with. The triggers on both those guns are terrible. The S&W feels like a two-stage trigger, and once the slack is taken up it feels like it’s being pulled through gravel. The Ruger has a long, tough pull that feels like winching an upside-down Edsel across a half-mile of wrecking yard.

I have no prior experience with either of those pistols; my questions are: (1) is this normal for those two guns, and (2)if so, will those triggers “wear in” enough through use to be considered useable in the real world if they’re ever actually needed, or (3) will those triggers need to be replaced before those guns become useable?

I have read about something called the “Apex” trigger. Might that be the best solution for either one or both of those pistols?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Hey – thanks, everyone for the comments. I now have a lot more considerations to think over than I did before I posted.

Let me answer some of the questions: with regard to whether we were dry firing or live firing, it was all live.

I had done some research and had found out about the magazine disconnect in the Ruger ( I really dislike magazine disconnects) and had advised the owner about the possibility and desirability of removing it. He was reluctant to do that, and I felt that his choice should be respected.

And you’re right – though I shoot several different types of rifles and pistols, I mostly shoot the 1911 (though it is a plain jane Springfield, certainly not a match trigger.)

The reason we did not fire a shotgun is this – shotguns have been banned at our range for quite some time (for understandable reasons that are too complex to go into here) but that is just now being changed, and I have not yet gotten a definitive answer on where, when and how they can be used. (We have four different ranges, plus an archery range.) As soon as I get an answer I’ll have them try that as well.

As I always do with new shooters, I took them first to the indoor (rimfire) range, starting them with a scoped, single-shot .22 rifle from a bench (I always want new shooters to start out by actually hitting something, and I bought the single-shot rifle specifically for use by new shooters, for safety’s sake and because I think they’ll have the best chance to hit what they’re aiming at with a .scoped .22 rifle and a rest), then an S&W 22A pistol. We then went to the “short” (pistol) range and fired several autos (.380, 9MM, .45 ACP) and revolvers (.38 and .357), and finally to the rifle range where I offered them both an SKS and a 30-06 hunting rifle. They both shot the SKS (and liked it a lot), but did not fire the 30-06, partly because I am left-handed and so is my rifle.

When we went back for the second session, they fired their new 9MMs, only.

Hope that answers all the questions, and again – thanks very much for all the informative, interesting and provocative responses. I’ll try to remember to put up another post if/when a decision is made about whether or what to do about those triggers, and/or about any changes that result from wearing in, if any.

"Was it them complaining of the horrid triggers or you planting the "seed"?
Seems odd that someone "wet behind the ears" with no prior experience can differentiate good from bad.

Click to expand...

They each commented briefly about the triggers. I tried them and found them (at least to me) as I described. I did not comment to them about my appraisal of the trigger pulls, but did say that they needed to fire them quite a bit, after which they might very well smooth out.

"You don't know how these guns operate and are recommending disabling a safety device without any knowledge of how it will affect how the rest of the gun operates and how it will affect the trigger pull (for better or worse).

Click to expand...

I agree generally with your advice, but I had done a lot of online research, familiarizing myself with the way the two guns operated. I read a lot of reviews and noticed that a lot of persons who had purchased them had removed the mag. disconnect and found that it improved the trigger pull. I then spent a lot of time specifically tracking down reports from persons who had removed the mag. disconnect and who reported on how that affected the trigger pull and general operation. I would never even have mentioned it to them without first informing myself through reports from those who have already done it.