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. I’ve been told several times that it was “probably a pre-production” model, but I never confirmed this with Ruger.
What shots I DID fire through the pistol felt Great! But, as the story goes; I traded the pistol out for another 9mm.
The Ruger SR9:
I’ll give it to Ruger that the SR9 IS a great looking pistol – sleek and slim! I really did have high hopes for the one I purchased though because I REALLY liked the way it felt.
Don’t get me wrong; I still very much like the Ruger brand. I also on a Ruger P345 too and wouldn’t trade it for nothing! The wife now has that particular pistol.
Now, if I purchased a 2nd SR9 and the same thing happened with that one; THEN I would probably start having a problem and never purchase another one. I still think Ruger produces a fine line of pistols and revolvers! There will be “bad ones” in every bunch!
Pistols And More 
Wow… bad luck on your picking up one of the best pistols I’ve ever shot. I was a victim of the media blitz, and picked up a new SR-9 and 500 rounds at a gun show shortly after. It’s a great little shooter, and pumps out a lot of fire power if you have a pocket full of clips.
The gun’s slim enough that it’s also easily concealed, so if you’re looking for more than a 7 or 8 shot carry piece, this thing’s the deal of a lifetime. I shoot every weekend if possible, and I can’t keep enough ammo around to shoot this 9mm as much as I want. As an ex LEO, I like the light feel of the gun and the rate you can put rounds downrange.
While gunfights are usually quickly over, the extended ones go to the guy with the most ammo… and you can keep a box on your hip with a couple of spare clips. 18 in the gun and 34 on your hip is a lot of firepower for concealed carry… especially when it’s as accurate as the SR-9. You truly were let down by getting one of the ones that hadn’t had the bugs worked out it yet, but they’re still selling them, and I would suggest giving this particular gun another chance.
I usually shoot Smith’s, both revolvers and pistols, but I wouldn’t take the same money I paid for the SR-9 to sell it off. My only complaint is that I don’t get to shoot it enough… I keep running out of ammo.
I’m waiting for the gunshop I use to get a few in stock before I go looking for another SR9.
I may have screwed up by trading the SR9 for a Glock because now; Glocks are about the only thing I look at now! :)) :))
I’ll probably end up getting another SR9 in the near future though. Just kind of waiting it out for a few months..
I really enjoy shooting and carrying my Ruger SR9. It is easy to shoot accurately out to 25 yards (even with the 6 pound “street” trigger). The slim grip and light weight make it easy to carry. Back to back testing proved to me that I shoot the Ruger SR9 about as well as my trick Para Light Double Action pistol. I enjoy the light kicking 9mm Ruger more than the harder kicking .45 ACP Para. Gripes? That tiny safety is about the size of a gun banner’s brain and the rear sight opening is too narrow. Plus, this pistol requires a firm firing platform to be reliable. (It works fine for me, but some new shooters who fired it had failures where the slide didn’t close fully on a chambered round.)
My girlfriend picked one up just to see how it feels. It went home with her. She has really small hands and this pistol was a perfect fit. We had some early misfeeds but after about 300 rds you cant make this pistol stop. She is more accurate with it than with her xd9. Just waiting for the recall to get to her before she takes it on the road as her car gun.
I went back to my local gunshop and picked up another SR9 (again). I didn’t leave the shop until I went into the shooting lanes and finished off two boxes of rounds. 🙂
I now have “another” Ruger SR9 in my gun cabinet..
The problem comes when I take this pistol out to the range. I have a “reservation” for this pistol.
It’s going to take a while before I trust this pistol enough to have it be the ONLY weapon I have on me while I’m out.
I’m sure it’ll take awhile before I trust this pistol like I should.
[…] SR9 Disappointment 24 02 2008 10/19/2008 See my comments on the newer article on the SR9. […]
I have just disposed of my SR-9; it was returned from Ruger following the recall with then newly redesigned double leaf trigger. This trigger assembly is awful and has a gritty pull.
The magazine release is stiff and does not always drop the magazine completely. I put about 500 rounds through this gun and suffered at least 5% jams using various brands of ammunition. This is not due to limp wristed shooting. This is a poorly designed, poorly fabricated gun. I would not want to depend upon an SR9 in a life threatening emergency. I traded it in on a Sig 226 which is a quality handgun. If you want a polymer pistol buy a Glock. Ruger is suffering a breakdown in its design and fabrication; it newest offering the LCP is now also undergoing recall for faulty design. Ruger has become the Yugo of the gun world
That’s a shame too. I own and have owned other Ruger firearms and they’ve always have been very reliable without fault. The SR9 was my first experience with a bad pistol from Ruger.
I have another SR9 and it works great (now), but like I said before, it’ll be a WHILE before I trust it in any kind of emergency situation.
The Ruger P345 I have is a fantastic pistol and I wouldn’t hesitate depending on this pistol in any situation.
Oh well, I hope Ruger get’s things worked out soon. I would hate to see the company take a huge turn downward due to a couple of bad designs.
After a long wait for a California approved sr9 I finally got one a couple of days after Christmas…what a disappointment, this one was updated version w/ glock style trigger…mag release almost impossible to work w/o both thumbs, mags very difficult to load even w/ tool…these are the 10 rounders…and the jams…failure to feed, stovepiping and failure to go fully into battery,this thing had at least a 50% failure rate per ten round mag.. I can’t believe ruger produced a gun this bad. I am a former IDPA shooter and have a couple of 1911’s and a older glock 21 in the safe…never a jam with them…so not a limp wrest problem, I have owned 3 “P” series pistols and don’t remember a single jam w/ any. Fortunatly my dealer is willing to take back for full refund when I get it back from ruger…they have had it back in Prescott for four weeks now and not a word from them. Willing be exchanging it and a little cash for a M&P 9c, I love all the rest of the rugers I own, I hope this is not a sign of things to come now that Bill Ruger has passed…will I buy a ruger again…I don’t know but this whole thing has kind of soured me on them for now.
I have owned my post recall SR9 for about a month and have put over 400 rounds through it with not a single problem. It is a great pistol to shoot and to carry. I am sorry to hear that some people are not having such a good experience.
i just busted out 500 rounds in my sr9 last week not one jam american eagle 124gr fmj awesome gun always been a ruger fan and always will be if you have problems loading the clip use the tool it works great. from 25 yards it is on the money didnt have to adjust anything ruger quality american quality no problems releasing the clip and i have small hands the release button is tight but i like it that way it will losen up with use plus american eagle ammo is CLEAN but my carry ammo is federal 124 gr jhp awesome ammo and awesome gun 5 stars in my book
I am very dissatisfied with my SR9. I had various jamming, stovepiping and failure to go into full battery out of the box. I returned it to Ruger and after two months they returned it . Now I am still having problems with the pistol. I would not trust it in a self-defense situation. In addition the tech that I talked to after the second round of problems was very rude to me and hung up on me
I picked up my sr9 after searching the lower half of indiana. I love it! This gun has an awesome feel, reliable shooting and the more shells I put through it, the better it gets. My 10 year old son has put more rounds through it than i have. I previously had a p89, this gun has the same reliability but a lighter and better feel. I am trying to talk my wife into getting one.
I have happily owned and used a P345 for several years now, but I waited and waited until the “kinks” were worked out (I hoped) before I finally bought a “post recall” SR9 in spring ’09. First 10 magazines, a stovepipe or jam every 15 – 20 shots (I was using cheap hardball). I was about to say to hell with it and return it for an XD9 (a friend and my baby brother have never had their XD’s NOT shoot) when the SR9 seemed to “break in”. I’ve only had two jams last 500 rounds; I love the way it feels, balances, and points (not all that fond of those P345 and SR9 sights, though) and the gritty, creepy trigger seems to be smoothing out. Guess I’ll hang on to it a little longer . . .
I’m really looking forward to getting an sr9 in the next month or so. I took my bosses out to the range and like others at 25 yards was turning 2in targets into swiss cheese. Just a shame I have to get rid of my walther pp 32acp to get the sr9.
My SR9has not jammed once with over 1000 rounds. I will put a box through it ever time I take my toys out. at 25 yards I will pierce your ears if you can stand still. It is slim and light, perfect for concealment. i have had glocks, H&k,
sigs, S&W, desert eagle, walther. this ruger is fine and if you put good ammo through it you might not have problems. but when it comes down to the fight you have the firepower. and your defensive rounds should be a +p or +p+. and that I promise you will not cause a problem for this gun. kinda of like sticking unleaded in a premium unleaded car, it wont work well.
this pistol not only looks good it performs better. with it many safety features it very safe to carry.
I highly Recommend this pistol…………………..safe shooting boys
I just bought my 2nd. Ruger on monday the 12th. of October.
( I already have a Ruger Black Hawk .44 )
I bought the sweet little : SR9 , for $389.00
Sure is a nice piece of fire power.
It’s my Carry gun*
Mine jammed 3 times the first time I shot it. So I stripped, cleaned, ground, and oiled it. Then I jerked by hand the action back and forth for about Id say… 4 hours altogether at different points. My wrist hurt the next day but the gun hasn’t jammed in the last 400 rounds since then.
The only disagreement I have with the pistol is the trigger pull. I unlike I have heard others had a very smooth trigger. It’s not gritty what so ever, but then again I ground and tweaked it a bit.
Its just to long and heavy though, so when Ghostmaker comes out with the sr9 trigger bar tomorrow I am just going to order it and change this baby up. Assuming the trigger change goes well, this gun is replacing my glock as regular carry. I like the ergonomics so much better.
Oh and I removed the magazine disconnect because that is a stupid saftey.
I get a sense from the many negative comments that the SR9 is a bad gun. I own one and have not had a single problem with it. Sometimes it seems that people will make up something negative to say just to be obtuse. If some of you are telling “stories” maybe you shouldn’t own, carry or shoot guns. Maybe you actually don’t!
My SR9 has had 150+ rounds through It and it’s performance and accuracy are excellent. I very lightly polished the sear and pawl, greased the striker (will polish later) and with this little bit of work, the trigger is greatly improved. It is smoother, lighter and the release is more “crisp”. Happiness and joy!
A little more about the trigger: It looks like the majority of drag and gritty feel is coming from the striker and the striker housing in the slide. Both have a rough finish and polishing them should help a lot to smooth out the trigger pull. I am not recommending this. I am only saying that all areas of the trigger movement and striker can be polished out a little for better performance. It is totally up to you, what you want to do to your gun.