10/19/2008
See my comments on the newer article on the SR9.
A few weeks ago, I was looking for a 9mm and came across the new Ruger SR9. I looked at it several times before making the purchase. The place I purchased the SR9 from did not have any to rent for test shooting, but I have always liked Ruger and decided to make the purchase anyway.
I took the SR9 straight from the place of purchase to the shooting range. I couldn’t way to put a few down range from this pistol! It had a fantastic feel and felt like a really good pistol. I loaded up both of the magazines that came with it with Luger 9mm’s and stepped out on the range. This is when the disappointment started for me. Out of 4 magazines I shot that day, the SR9 probably jammed 10 times. The pistol was jamming in 2 places – at the barrel ramp AND in the slide. I thought, “Ok, I’ll take it home, field strip it, clean and polish all the parts and it’ll be fine…..
I did just that, took the SR9 home, clean and polished the parts and took it back to the range again the next day.
This time, instead of jamming 10 times out of 4 magazines, it was jamming every 2nd or 3rd shot!!
Now a Really Bad feeling is setting in – I purchased a lemon of a pistol! I even tried firing other ammo instead of Luger and that didn’t help either. Now the disappointment is really setting in with a good measure of depression to go with it!
I took the pistol to my local gunshop and had them look at it. As soon as they racked the slide back, they found something was really wrong. It was sticking on something under the slide and PLUS, there was wear signs on the back of the frame where the slide moves over it. Something that really should not be there since it’s been fired less that 60 times. A couple more people looked at the pistol before someone told me I MAY have purchased a pre-production model of the SR9 – before all the tolerances and parts have been “honed” in….
Then someone said that Ruger is supposed to have one of the best customer services in the industry… That still didn’t make me feel any better because now, I have to pay to ship my pistol back to Ruger either by FedEX or UPS since you cannot send firearms through USPS… I could see dollar signs racking up in now time doing something like this.
2 days later, I returned the SR9 back to the place I purchased it and “horse-traded” it back to them for a Glock 17.
After getting the Glock, I took it straight to the range also. The Glock 17 shot fantastic! I shot probably a 4-5 inch group straight out of the box – and it DIDN’T jam Any!
It doesn’t stop here. After the range, I took a trip back to the gunshop when I got back into town and had them put a set of Trijicon night sights on the Glock and I also looked at a 9mm I was originally looking at before I decided to buy the Ruger SR9.
The Smith and Wesson M&P 9.
All it took was for me to hold this pistol in my hand one more time. The Smith and Wesson MP 9mm went home with me that evening also.
Lessons Learned:
No matter what pistol manufacturer you trust to make a quality pistol, more than not, there WILL be a few lemons out there.
Will I ever have another Ruger? Yes, of course. I own a Ruger P345 .45 caliber and love it – wouldn’t give it up for anything. While it’s not a striker fire pistol – it’s a hammer fire, I Still love this Ruger.
Will I ever own another Ruger SR9? Probably, but I will most likely not purchase it NIB (New In Box).
Out of the few shots I was able to fire through the Ruger SR9, I was very happy with.
[...] SR9 Revisited 7 03 2008 I may have given a wrong impression in my article about the Ruger SR9. The Ruger SR9 IS a good pistol, the problem was the particular one I got was the problem. [...]
Could have been the ammo chosen also. I have noticed better grouping depending on the type of ammo through the SR9. No jams on my SR9. I have had jams in other firearms due to type/brand of ammo loaded.
I purchased a new Ruger SR-9 on 03-29-08. I shot it the next day with factory loaded Remington ammo. I was clearing one jam after the next. I’m very disappointed.
I field stripped the gun and wiped it down after 30 rounds. It was very clean.
I shot two more 10 round clips. I had 10 jams in 20 rounds. Several times the action did not stay open after the last shot was fired. I’m calling Ruger today to see what gives.
I shot 100 rounds and had about 30 plus jams of every possible type.
Chris: I was using my friends SR9 for the weekend. The safety feature that indacates there is a bullet in the chamber was not working, and while putting it back in the holster it went off and hit my foot.
Josh: I acutally own a SR9 and have been very pleased with it. I have put several hundred rounds through it and has not jammed once on me. All of my friends have gone with me and shot it and has been equally impressed with the gun.
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(both of us use 67-41-228-71.slkc.qwest.net / 67.41.228.71) We’re “Life Partners“
Josh Fischer and Chris Dumalot seem to be the same person since both comments came from the exact same IP address – 67.41.228.71 / 67-41-228-71.slkc.qwest.net
I guess Fischer is phishing to get on the blog so he can spam it.
Chris: You do know that the “loaded” indicator is a manual mechanism, right??
Meaning; the bullet in the chamber pushes the indicator up..
Purchased a SR9 last month, the dealer had sent it back for the recall before selling it. Great pistol and my main conceal carry piece. Never a jam or malfunction. Recommended buy in my opinion.
I own a Ruger SR-9 mine has been a great firearm, it only failed to feed once with some remington UMC ammo. I quit using the ammo and I haven’t had a problem with it since. However; I just got it back from Ruger after recall it has been fitted with a safety trigger, I haven’t fired it yet after recall but I’m sure it will be fine. Ruger has always been my wepon of choice. It’s is American made, I’m not of fan of many things that are not American like Glock.
I have owed the SR9 for nearly a year shot over 1000 rounds of Winchester Luger targets and I can honestly say not one jam.
I have no doubt that these models are good; it’s just the one I purchased was Really bad..
When I got my SR9, I had the same problems I took it home and cleaned it until there was nothing left to clean. Went back to the range and had the same problem more jams then before. When I took it back to the store I brought it from. The guy there test fired it in the back and didn’t have a single jam. I went back out to the range and tried it one more time before I sent it back to Ruger (FYI…. If you do have a problem with a weapon from Ruger and call them. They will pay for the shipping to and from, all you have to do is drop it off at a UPS store), but after I went to the range and put 300 rounds through it, I started to notice that I had far fewer jams then before. I had maybe 10 jams out of the 300 vs every other shot in the beginning. I think that the SR9 just needs to be broken it more so then others. But I will be going back out this weekend and knockoff another 300 rounds and go from there.
I recently read these comments just after I bought an SR-9. I was sick, my gun jammed also and the slide would not fully close on several occasions. I called the factory and they readily said to send it back for repair. Before I sent it back I fired the gun several times using different ammunition. The first ammo I used was PMC and the new was Remington. Night and day! The Remington was noticeably smaller then the PMC. The gun operated perfectly. I called the factory again and a technician told me that the two issues he dealt with most on the SR-9 was brand of ammo and after market clips. The Ruger factory personnel were outstanding during all my calls. This is a great gun for the price ($380 at a gun show) and I would highly recommend it to others.
It wasn’t the ammo on mine. It was the pistol. I’ve since shot another one and between that pistol and the one I had purchased was like night and day. There wasn’t any binding in the breach at all.
Before I got rid of mine, I found the problem. It’s shown in the image.
There was also a LOT of wear in the slide/breach for being brand new.
I traced it back from there.
It is really interesting to read all of the comments on the SR9. There is a mixture of positive and negative. So, I will just add one more. I purchased mine in November of 2008 and have fired no less than 300 rounds (both steel and brass) and so far not a single jam or mis-feed. I am fine with the trigger pull ( which has been reported in some reviews to be too heavy) and at normal shooting distances can get a good pattern. So far I am totally satisfied. I have other 9mm pistols and this is my favorite to shoot.
i am the least satisfied with my purchase of the ruger sr9. i bought two six weeks ago. first one no misfires decent trigger only it takes 2 men and a boy to pull the slide back, called ruger after 7 calls over two weeks the guy i spoke with told me it would get better with use, not true its worse.
second gun checked the slide b 4 i bought much better, did not check anything else. 2nd sr9 going to give it a try cleaned it then noticed mag relese did not work only slides from side to side, loaded chamber indicator stays up with with empty chamber. called ruger left message did not return my call again did not return my call, called new england factory ask is they could help , was told they would try no calls, after being put on hold for as much as 27 min for about a dozen times and never haveing a call returned. i got lucky and got to speak to a real prick this time said he would send me a return authoration it never came. i own 11 rugers i will never buy another
even thoug they have the worst service i would still like to get these fixed if they can be fixed so i can get rid of them. if one of you that got the great servece from ruger would email me with your contac i woule be very grateful
or if you want a good price on a unfired sr9 and a sr9 with a stiff slide please let me know.
The stiff slide works fine from my understanding except it’s extra stiff, the other one multiple problems. I was curious of what your price was for them or the stiff slide or would look to barter for other things you might need.
Steve
Nope… Not looking to get rid of any of my pistols..
Just bought a Ruger SR9 yesterday, took it to my desert range, and first shot the slide jammed. 2nd 3rd and 4th shots-similar story. bought Hornady JHP ammunition, thinking maybe that was an issue? just field stripped it and gave it the business, hoping tomorrow will have better results….
Today, 4/29/09 I brought my new SR9 to the range. It is the post recall version with the trigger safety like the Glock. I fired approx. 80 rounds or 10 mags worth and it performed flawlessly. I am almost totally satisfied with it. I personally do not like the trigger safety. I have a Glock 23 and don’t like it in that either. Other than that, it fits nicely in my hand, has a better trigger pull than the M&P 9 (which is why I bought it), handles the recoil smoothly, and I shot fairly well at 50′. It is slim enough for a CCW and looks great too. I am happy I didn’t get a lemon. I like this pistol
I recently bought a Ruger SR9 and while at first a little tentative, am now quite pleased with it. Since buying it, it has not jammed once on me shooting about 200 rounds Winchester white box 115 grain and Independence 115 and 124 grain FMJ. At first, I could not hit the broad side of a barn at 20 to 25 yards, which bugged me, then I realized the stiffness of the trigger was causing me to shoot very low. I compensated by cranking the rear site down to shoot higher and aiming a little high. Now I am shooting in the middle of the target. The trigger is predictable, but takes getting used to. Its simple to clean. Its got one more pin to undo, which is a tad more complicated than taking down a Glock, but I don’t care and like the feel of the gun way more than the Glock 19 and 17 I shot. It sits more comfortably in my hand. Its very reliable in my experiences so far. I like it overall.
The only warning I have is that you have to make sure you seat the magazine vigorously. The trick is making sure you hear two clicks and not one. If you hear one, the mag will be seated, but will sit two low to strip off a round and will not shoot.
i just got my sr9 today and went straight to the range, i like it alot, fits my hand well, i shot 100 rounds with my brother and father, me and my dad shot great. when my brother fired it it would not always eject the spent cartrige and sometimes did not fully slide forward when taking in the new round, interesting how this would only happen with my brother but not with me and my dad, this leads me to believe that a full and complete pull of the trier might have something to do with it.
Today I purchased an SR9. The first 6 times I shot it, it jammed each time. This was terribly frustrating. However, my father shot it and it did not jam on him at all. He suggested that I might not have been gripping the gun hard enough. So, I tightened my grip (employed the “push-pull” method), and the gun ceased jamming. I emptied full mag after full mag with no problem. I also shot more accurately.
I have a problem with having to “hold/grip” a pistol a certain way before it will fire as it should.
Ever pistol I’ve purchased, I’ve always taken it to a range and fired it in every possible way with the intent to make it jam if possible.
If I can make it jam with consistancy with a certain grip, I won’t purchase the pistol.
Just bought my first hand gun (Ruger SR9) took it the range and fired about 70 rounds off works great.
Hello, I wanted to share my experience with my new pistol. I put my SR9 on layaway about three months ago. Picked up this weekend, and was more than impressed. (I have the OD green model) I am 6′4, so my hands are sorta big and I was wondering how it would feel while firing, it felt good but I put a Houge grip on and it felt even better.
Great balance, I ran 250 rounds thru, I had two stove pipes with my second mag, but I think that was me feeling out the weapon. BTW, I’m in Cali, so I hafta use 10 rd. mags. So I ran 25 mags, and those were the only two problems I had all day. WOW!!!
The trigger pull felt fine, IT DID NOT FEEL GRITTY, nice-n-smooth, I was putting everything right where I wanted it, I tried out 5 different kinds of ammo and all ran thru the weapon great.
Mag springs were really stiff, but they provide a mag feeder, and the springs are already breaking in.
I’m no weapons expert, FAR from it, but I am prior USMC and leo, and have a fair amount of trigger time. THIS IS A GREAT WEAPON.
I know some people had had issues, but there will always be a few bad ones on any production line, with any product, but for the $$$ you can not do better.
BTW… Veridian is also offering 1/2 price on their green laser and a Blackhawk holster for free with P.O.P. … the info in in the gun case when you p/u your pistol.
This weapon stacks up with others that cost 600-900$$$ or more.
won’t say better, because that’s subjective. I’m getting one for my GF.
Don you had problems with your 2 sr9s you said your looking to get rid of them. What’s your get rid of price or bartering for something you might need.
Nope.. not looking to get rid of any of my pistols…
It it’s one thing I am, it’s a pack-rat when it comes to my firearms..
Yesterday, I took out a SR-9 on to the pistol range and I thought wow this is a pistol. I’ve owned CZ, STI’s, Glock’s, Para’s, Star’s, Norinco’s, Walther’s and this pistol could stand up with the best of them. It held nice, it feed everything imaginable; it even held tight groups. The only thing I don’t like about it is the safe, but I knew up thinking that my brain and index finger was my best safety. In fact I’m probably buying one tomorrow as I needed to sleep on the purchase before making the leap. I carried a CZ75 for three years in Haiti while living there in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I love my CZ. I trusted it, I used it, and I think that the SR-9 (in its current configuration) could be that same level of pistol.
I bought an sr9 a few weeks back somewhere around the 4th of july. It is a late model build with the recalled trigger. The first time out I shot 50 rds of Magtec 115fmj through it, only to find almost every other shot was a jam. On my third clip of magtec’s I shot 15 of 17 with no issues, so i assumed maybe the gun needed a break in period.
The other day I shot 100 rds of Federal’s through it, with not one single problem. In fact, I switched back to the magtecs a bit later in the session and it was jamming again. Im gonna say this gun is very intolerant of alot of ammo. you might just find what works and stick with it.
i bought the sr9 last week. i took it out and fired 200 rounds through it before buying it (the shop owner is a close friend). the gun was brand new out of the box. i didnt have any trouble. the gun operated superb. no jams, or miss-fires. i enjoy the features such as the blade safety and the reversible back-strap. the sr9 also shot better than the factory specs, as i was shooting 4″ groups at 50 yrds. the recoil was very exceptable. i recommend this gun for any pistol enthusiast.
A disappointed SR9 owner.
I only have 100 rounds through it but 9 jams and 1 stovepipe using PMC ammo.
Absolutely love the feel of the gun and best target results I’ve ever had.
In addition to the jams, there were two cases of having to finish pushing the slide forward.
I’ll reserve judgment until after trying another ammo.
Bob