Review of my Ruger SR9

[buster2209]

I've waited and waited and waited and now I feel I am finally in a position to write a gun review on my Ruger SR9.

Firstly, for all those who don't know my background in firearms, I will briefly summarise. I was in the British army from 00-04 where I shot countless 5.56mm rounds with an SA-80 but not much else. I first shot a pistol about 6/7 months ago. Since that time, I have shot a vast array of weapons including over 20 pistols chambered in 9mm. I wanted to wait until I had some kind of pistol experience before writing this review otherwise I would have very little reference to go by.

History of the SR9

The SR9 came out in October 2007 as Rugers first striker fired polymer framed pistol. It is a clone of the Kimber KDP. Details are thin on the ground, but either Ruger bought the patent to the KDP or they copied it and Kimber never released it. Either way, it's not shown on the Kimber site anymore. This site is the most complete information I can find on the KDP.

In April 2008, Ruger announced a recall of the SR9 as "under certain conditions it can fire if dropped with the manual safety off and a round in the chamber". The guns trigger assembly was completely changed which is a carbon copy of the system that Glock uses. This makes it easy to tell the difference between a post recall and pre recall gun; the triggers are noticeably different. See here for more details about the recall.

Trigger before and after the retrofit

Further on from this, there has been issues with some of the older models with 'barrel peening'. This thread has some good pictures. Please note that this an early model (note the trigger). Ruger will happily fix/change any parts for the lifetime of the gun. Incidentally, EVERY article I have read about Rugers customer service had been positive, however, I have no personal experience of this.

The SR9s that were/are manufactured AFTER the recall don't seem to suffer this barrel peening issue.

My Ruger was manufactured post recall.

What did I want for my first firearm?

1. Chambered in 9mm.
2. Has a magazine capacity of 15+.
3. <$800.

Initially, before I'd even shot a pistol, I went to a small gun shop (Mike's Gun Shop) and explained what it was that I wanted. I got to paw a variety of 9's that I picked out of the cabinet. I know I'll catch flack for saying this, but I wanted a black gun so I didn't even consider the two tone Ruger until the gentleman working there suggested it. As soon as I pawed it, it was the one I wanted. It was so slim compared to all the others I picked up (XD, M&P, etc).

My wife and I headed down to RAF to shoot a couple of 9's. We chose a SR9 (obviously) and a S&W M&P. I hated the M&Ps trigger so that was out for me.

We returned to the shop and bought the Ruger for $480 before tax and other fees.

How has it been?

To date, my SR9 has had about 1500 rounds through it which were a mixture of 115, 124, and 147 grain. The two brands I used were Blazer (aluminium casings, FMJ) and American Eagle (brass casings, FMJ and FMJ flat points).

I've only had two problems with the gun and both were FTFs within the first two magazines that ever went through it. Since then, it has worked flawlessly.

The accuracy is excellent! I would have put up some targets I shot but I don't see the point. I feel it's subjective to do that as we are all at different levels of expertise. Needless to say, wherever I aim the gun, a neat little hole appears within a six inch circle depending on the distance.

What accessories came with it?

It came in a plastic case with the following additional components;

1. 2 magazines.
2. A magazine loader.
3. A lock.
4. Instruction manual.

One nice addition is that there was flyer to get half price of a Viridian green laser which I jumped on. The laser also came with a free Blackhawk holster that accommodates the SR9 with the laser attached. I will not delve into the laser further as I plan on separately reviewing it.

The Trigger

I've heard the trigger on the SR9 described using every adjective under the sun! IMO, compared to other firearms I have fired, I like the trigger. It's heavy and not quite as smooth as my Walther PPS (which was like silk out of the box), but it is no way a bad trigger. I can happily squeeze of multiple shots and get them in a small group. There is also zero (and I mean zero!) return when the trigger is squeezed which gives it a very well built and solid feel.

What would I change about this gun?

1. I think the slide safety is a bit excessive seeing as there is a Glock style trigger safety but this is down to the recall. For whatever reason, they kept the same design on the compact.
2. The chamber loaded indicated sticks out too much for my liking but hasn't created any issues when drawing from my holster.
3. The striker indicator is black. It's impossible to tell what position it's in. My Walther PPS has a similar type indicator but it is red which makes one hell of a difference!
   
   
   
   Walther on left, Ruger on right. Striker in un-cocked and cocked position.
   
   
4. When pressing the mag release button, it rotates slightly. This has been addressed on the compact version by using a 'D' shaped button instead of an 'O'.
5. There's a 1/8 inch lateral play in the magazine. This hasn't effected the feeding of rounds but spoils how well built the rest of the gun feels.

Am I happy with this gun and would I recommend to the other people?

Yes and yes. For the price, this is an outstanding gun! I understand that the older versions had teething problems but the post recall guns (easily identifiable as the whole trigger assembly was changed) appear to work fine. Rugers lifetime guarantee is top notch and the list of changes I would make to the gun are very small. I would happily trust this gun with my life. I would never cc with it (it's too big!) but I'd happily oc with it. 17 + 1 capacity is also PLENTY of rounds for a defensive situation.

To Summarise...

Pros

1. Very slim for a double stack pistol.
2. Nice balance to it.
3. The trigger isn't as nasty as what has been reported. It's a heavy trigger for a striker fired pistol but not excessively heavy.
4. Built like a tank. A real solid construction for a polymer framed pistol.
5. 2 mags, mag loader, and a lock come as standard.
6. Adjustable sights (front for the x-axis, rear for the y-axis).
7. The price!
8. Made in the USA!
9. The Ruger lifetime warranty.

Cons

1. Made in the USA, except the magazines have 'Made in Italy' stamped on them....
2. There's some lateral play (about 1/8 inch) when the magazine is seated in the pistol.
3. Striker indicator is useless without a flash light.
4. Take down is a little peculiar especially compared to a Glock.
5. Magazine safety. Dry firing can cause wear on the striker. I removed it.

External Links

An absolute bible for SR9 owners! --> http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=52057















NOTE: I may tweak with this article over the next few days until I'm happy with it

[Normlizer]

Glad u like your sr9 i love mine.

[TJB63]

Great Review

I really like mine (Which is identical to yours) so much so, That I put it right up there with my Glock 17, Overall though I think the Glock wins out.

The Manual safety was an attempt to appease those that complained about the lack of a external safety on the Glock. I personally can take it or leave and if I remember correctly, the manual even states that it's perfectly safe to carry chamber loaded, manual safety off.

Personally I think the SR9 is one of the best kept secerts in the High capacity 9mm polymer guns.

You made a wise purchase.

TJB

[Straight Shooter]

Good review, thanks.

I've been a fan of the SR9 from the first moment that I handled one. It feels great in my hand. However, all of the reports of "peening" have turned me off to picking one up.

Have you noticed any unusual wear?

Does anyone know if the peening has been addressed with newer models?

[TXDMERC73]

That was an informative review! I was too worried with the "peening issue with my SR9 but so far nothing happened . I have close to 400 rounds thru my gun now and i took out the mag safety cuz i like to dry fire my gun, i wonder if you took your magazine safety off as well?

[buster2209]

Good review, thanks.

I've been a fan of the SR9 from the first moment that I handled one. It feels great in my hand. However, all of the reports of "peening" have turned me off to picking one up.

Have you noticed any unusual wear?

Does anyone know if the peening has been addressed with newer models

To answer your questions;

My Ruger was manufactured post recall.

The SR9s that were/are manufactured AFTER the recall don't seem to suffer this barrel peening issue.

This is probably the best forum on the net about the Ruger SR9. There is a member called Josh (screen name: jhearne) who is particularly knowledgeable.

Even though it's a Ruger forum, they are very critical when the need arises.

Also remember, Ruger has a lifetime guarantee attached to all it's products and has (arguably) the best customer service in the industry.

[Bigrepp61]

yeah i love my sr9.... i have a question for you... what do you find peculiar about the takedown of the gun?

i have about 1000 rounds through it..... havnt had a problem at all.... and i too trust my life with it.

[Straight Shooter]

buster2209,

Thanks for the clarification, I missed that part of your post.

I have been over to rugerforum.com. I saw ongoing discussions about peening but I didn't notice if the guns discussed were post recall or not. But I wasn't specifically looking for that.

I will be more attuned to that point. Thanks for the info.

[buster2209]

yeah i love my sr9.... i have a question for you... what do you find peculiar about the takedown of the gun?

i have about 1000 rounds through it..... havnt had a problem at all.... and i too trust my life with it.

The PSS is field stripped like so (almost identical to a Glock);



(As an FYI, you don't need to remove the back strap.)

When it comes to the SR9, I find placing your finger in the cartridge ejection hole to depress the ejector a little bit of a safety issue.

I know it says to use a pencil, etc, but this is the real world, my finger is always on me, an object to depress the ejector isn't.

I used the word peculiar as I've never seen a system like this before and thought it was peculiar sticking your finger into a place that could possibly break it.

It's not really a bad point, just something I noted.

I was trying to be very critical on the review and not just say 'wow, this gun is awesome! Go buy one NOW!!' like many people do.

One thing I did miss out was how much my friends have enjoyed the gun and have been very surprised at how good it is. One friend noted 'that I got a good one' which seems synonymous with the SR9!

[Bigrepp61]

ahh i completely understhad what you mean.... my comment wanst meant to be negative... i was just wondering cuz out of all of the handguns i own i believe its the 2nd easiest to field strip.... the bersa 380 is by far the easiest... and the taurus millenium you have to pull the trigger to strip it.... im glad you got a good one cuz a bad one can leave a very bad taste in your mouth for a long time to come.... glad your happy with your sr9