Thread: School me on the Ruger SR9c.

My other half is wanting a different gun for their glovebox carry gun (they carry it their while working as a hospice nurse who visits patients in their home). The gun currently residing in the glove box during the days is a SA XD40-SC but they do not like the snap of the .40S&W round and much prefer the 9mm to shoot. We went to Sportsman's the other day to get the feel of a few different pistol and their preferred choice seems to be the Ruger SR9c stainless.

I have very little first hand knowledge of this firearm (in spite of the fact I convinced someone else to buy one instead of a Bersa the other day for their duty gun as a bondsman). Anyone have any experience with the new ones?

I'm sure Atypicalparkie will chime in here in no time (Hi buddy!)

He posted an excellent run down in the +/- on the SR9C in Bunny's thread asking what she should buy.

I tried his out and thought it was pretty sweet.

Grip frame was a little short for my wide hands.

Your partner's mileage may vary.

I like mine! Shoots well, fits well, my thumb reaches the safety and mag release perfectly.

Greg

Any reason why you don't just get a XD9Sc or a XD9m Sub-compact?

Seems like it would be easier just sticking with the same platform that he is used to.

Originally Posted by stmcelroy

Any reason why you don't just get a XD9Sc or a XD9m Sub-compact?

Seems like it would be easier just sticking with the same platform that he is used to.

I'm interested in the response to this very same question since I've contemplated the SR9c vs. the XD9SC... but the XDm9 compact has me intrigued as well.

Originally Posted by mattg521

I'm sure Atypicalparkie will chime in here in no time (Hi buddy!)

Hah, asking me to school PBP on any gun is a hoot! So please forgive me if my terminology is not all 100%... But I'm always glad to offer up my impressions. Short answer, I dig it. Would buy one again in a second. I was pretty interested in the small XD 9's as well, but prefer the trigger feel & ease of concealing the SR9C. The comparative sizes are very similar, but the SR has a slight +1 there (which o' course wouldn't matter a whit for the glovebox). For me it mainly came down to trigger feel above all & knowing that Ruger had acted on all the feedback they'd gotten on the previous larger SR... I sold a Kahr CW9 to buy the SR9C, and the SR trigger pull is shorter & somehow just feels lighter & better ergonomically to me. Overall, the SR is admittedly a bit cheaper feeling than the CW was (which makes sense given the price diff), but has been problem free through hundreds of rounds of smorgasbord ammo.

I really like the thumb safety & pop-up 'round chambered' indicator on the SR; 'course we all live the mantra 'assume every gun is loaded' anyway, but I like the extra visual/tactile reminder. I'd been hoping to jump from the Kahr right to an EMP or similar 9mm compact 1911, but yknow how money works! If I was cc'ing a 1911-style I'd be doing it cocked & locked anyway, so flipping the thumb safety is just part of practice for me. Ah, and the safety and magazine release are both ambidextrous, that can come in handy I reckon.

It's more accurate than I am (ha- just ask Mattg or Sandman!), has a rail for a light or laser, and having both 10 & 17rnd magazines is cool. Recoil is no hassle at all, even for parkinsonian me. Sights are adjustable and/or replaceable. It seems to like 115, 124, 147gr, steel, brass, fmj, hollow, whatever you feed it equally well. It's just been completely reliable and tons of fun in a not-too-expensive package.

The things I don't like are all minor; I'm sure they're all due to Ruger aiming to hit this particular price-point: the slide lock does its job but it is pretty difficult to release the slide using it. But racking to release is easy-- which brings up another minor thing: the slide serrations are sharp. Like, razor-edged, at least on mine. They'd come in handy for peelin' spuds! Though nothing that a minute of Dremel smoothing wouldn't fix (derrrrr I keep meaning to do that to mine). You mighta noticed the same when you were checking them out, or maybe Ruger is smoothing 'em off more now(?)

The only other minor negative is the pot-metal takedown pin. Granted, it really doesn't have to resist any torsional stress or anything, so I figure it's just a cost-cutting thing. But all the parts work and work well together, and (again) I think the trigger-feel is aces.

Originally Posted by atypicalparkie

Hah, asking me to school PBP on any gun is a hoot! So please forgive me if my terminology is not all 100%... But I'm always glad to offer up my impressions. Short answer, I dig it. Would buy one again in a second. I was pretty interested in the small XD 9's as well, but prefer the trigger feel & ease of concealing the SR9C. The comparative sizes are very similar, but the SR has a slight +1 there (which o' course wouldn't matter a whit for the glovebox). For me it mainly came down to trigger feel above all & knowing that Ruger had acted on all the feedback they'd gotten on the previous larger SR... I sold a Kahr CW9 to buy the SR9C, and the SR trigger pull is shorter & somehow just feels lighter & better ergonomically to me. Overall, the SR is admittedly a bit cheaper feeling than the CW was (which makes sense given the price diff), but has been problem free through hundreds of rounds of smorgasbord ammo.

I really like the thumb safety & pop-up 'round chambered' indicator on the SR; 'course we all live the mantra 'assume every gun is loaded' anyway, but I like the extra visual/tactile reminder. I'd been hoping to jump from the Kahr right to an EMP or similar 9mm compact 1911, but yknow how money works! If I was cc'ing a 1911-style I'd be doing it cocked & locked anyway, so flipping the thumb safety is just part of practice for me. Ah, and the safety and magazine release are both ambidextrous, that can come in handy I reckon.

It's more accurate than I am (ha- just ask Mattg or Sandman!), has a rail for a light or laser, and having both 10 & 17rnd magazines is cool. Recoil is no hassle at all, even for parkinsonian me. Sights are adjustable and/or replaceable. It seems to like 115, 124, 147gr, steel, brass, fmj, hollow, whatever you feed it equally well. It's just been completely reliable and tons of fun in a not-too-expensive package.

The things I don't like are all minor; I'm sure they're all due to Ruger aiming to hit this particular price-point: the slide lock does its job but it is pretty difficult to release the slide using it. But racking to release is easy-- which brings up another minor thing: the slide serrations are sharp. Like, razor-edged, at least on mine. They'd come in handy for peelin' spuds! Though nothing that a minute of Dremel smoothing wouldn't fix (derrrrr I keep meaning to do that to mine). You mighta noticed the same when you were checking them out, or maybe Ruger is smoothing 'em off more now(?)

The only other minor negative is the pot-metal takedown pin. Granted, it really doesn't have to resist any torsional stress or anything, so I figure it's just a cost-cutting thing. But all the parts work and work well together, and (again) I think the trigger-feel is aces.

Sounds like it is a good gun at a great price. I will have to pick one up next week. What do I have to lose.

Yep, it's been good, the negatives are really minor. Ha, I think before I dremel-smooth the slide serrations I'll make a youtube vid actually using the slide to peel vegetables... mmm delicious Ruger stew!

Originally Posted by atypicalparkie

Yep, it's been good, the negatives are really minor. Ha, I think before I dremel-smooth the slide serrations I'll make a youtube vid actually using the slide to peel vegetables... mmm delicious Ruger stew!

I guess I will have a little work to do as far as refining the slide. I was already considering resurfacing it to see if I could remove some of the big ugly branding on it.

I bought the SR9 and my dad got the SR9c a couple of months ago. My dad shoots at least 10 times more that he used to; he loves the gun! Of course the upgrade from a Tokarev to a Ruger may have caused the greatest increase in his shooting.

We've put about 700-800 rounds each through our SR9's without any problem. Both guns are very accurate and easy to shoot.

i spent some time with an sr9, the full size, not the compact, when they first came out. i found them to be comfortable in the hand, but in all other aspects, bland and unremarkable. the one thing that jumped out at me and has left me disinterested in the sr9 and sr9c is the thumb safety. superfluous on a dao pistol, and poorly executed in its size and placement. holding the gun in a firing grip, the safety sat so far back into the web of my hand that i had niether the leverage nor strength to flick it off.

i despise the safety which i honestly believe could kill someone who believed it was on or off. If ruger redesigned the safety I'd buy a couple sr9's and a sr9c and sell all my other 9mms.

Originally Posted by jakk586

i spent some time with an sr9, the full size, not the compact, when they first came out. i found them to be comfortable in the hand, but in all other aspects, bland and unremarkable. the one thing that jumped out at me and has left me disinterested in the sr9 and sr9c is the thumb safety. superfluous on a dao pistol, and poorly executed in its size and placement. holding the gun in a firing grip, the safety sat so far back into the web of my hand that i had niether the leverage nor strength to flick it off.

Originally Posted by crosse

i despise the safety which i honestly believe could kill someone who believed it was on or off. If ruger redesigned the safety I'd buy a couple sr9's and a sr9c and sell all my other 9mms.

I'm lucky in that the sr9c fits my hands real well for flicking the safety, and I've just got used to flipping the safety on every time a insert a mag & have racked the slide, just to get it ingrained into my brain & muscle memory. Obv. too I flip it off likewise every time I shoot. Just a practice I'm used too. True, you can always leave 'er ready to fire; safety on/one in the chamber is just my way of carrying.

Originally Posted by atypicalparkie

I'm lucky in that the sr9c fits my hands real well for flicking the safety, and I've just got used to flipping the safety on every time a insert a mag & have racked the slide, just to get it ingrained into my brain & muscle memory. Obv. too I flip it off likewise every time I shoot. Just a practice I'm used too. True, you can always leave 'er ready to fire; safety on/one in the chamber is just my way of carrying.

Me too, the gun fits my hand so well and the fact that I actually practice all firing aspects of my weapons leaves me with not issues with the safety.

I actually find the safety to be a good thing on a gun with such a light trigger. I also find it very ergonomic when it comes to disengaging it. It is a bit harder to engage though.

My only beef is that eyesore of a loaded chamber indicator. I am going to see right away if there is anyway to reduce the amount of upward travel it has when the gun is loaded.

Originally Posted by PlayboyPenguin

I actually find the safety to be a good thing on a gun with such a light trigger. I also find it very ergonomic when it comes to disengaging it. It is a bit harder to engage though.

My only beef is that eyesore of a loaded chamber indicator. I am going to see right away if there is anyway to reduce the amount of upward travel it has when the gun is loaded.

That's a gooooood question... hold on I'm grabbin' mine... safety check...dang I like how quick it is to strip... huh, I reckon you could dremel that little pin-edge that sits on top of the round in chamber? maybe a tiny shave of the edge would result in a fair lowering of the indicator? Hah you can try that at the same time as grinding off all the gigantic RUGER branding on it

Hey PBP, are the slide serrations on yours as deadly sharp as on mine?

Originally Posted by PlayboyPenguin

I actually find the safety to be a good thing on a gun with such a light trigger. I also find it very ergonomic when it comes to disengaging it. It is a bit harder to engage though.

My only beef is that eyesore of a loaded chamber indicator. I am going to see right away if there is anyway to reduce the amount of upward travel it has when the gun is loaded.

I have no issues with a thumb safety. I still hold that the 1911 is the safest engineered/designed gun to date.

I just hate the ruger sr9 safety. it compromises my grip on the firearm too much when disengaging and engaging, riding it is difficult since it doesn't have enough of a ledge. engagement isn't positive enough. it pinches my high hand hold on the trigger finger side. Stupid 1911's...make me hate everything except my tolerable pair of soon to be triplets of the HK P2000.

i don't mind a thumb safety either; as long as it's easy to use, properly located, and functional. the sr9s' seems to have been added as an afterthought to comply with some agency or state requirement. by comparison, the safety on the new s&w bg380, even miniscule as it is, is a delight to use.

Originally Posted by jakk586

i don't mind a thumb safety either; as long as it's easy to use, properly located, and functional. the sr9s' seems to have been added as an afterthought to comply with some agency or state requirement. by comparison, the safety on the new s&w bg380, even miniscule as it is, is a delight to use.

That's more of a 'fit' issue I think. My SR9c fits my hand beautifully. My thumb falls easily to the safety and mag release; by comparison, my thumb does not fall easily to the slide or magazine release on a Glock. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the Glock, it's just not a good fit for me. Sounds like the SR9c us the same for you.

Originally Posted by modeler614

That's more of a 'fit' issue I think. My SR9c fits my hand beautifully. My thumb falls easily to the safety and mag release; by comparison, my thumb does not fall easily to the slide or magazine release on a Glock. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the Glock, it's just not a good fit for me. Sounds like the SR9c us the same for you.

can you ride the safety like a 1911? basically I think if a safety is intuitive like on the 1911 or the hk p7, it should be on a carry pistol. If it doesn't it should have a heavy double action.

That being said, I think the sr9 series including the sr9c are wonderfully designed and easy to shoot and carry (if you can find a good holster).

The slimness of the sr9c is great. If you can remove the mag disconnect, you can save your firing pin. Its easy to do as well.

Originally Posted by PlayboyPenguin

My only beef is that eyesore of a loaded chamber indicator. I am going to see right away if there is anyway to reduce the amount of upward travel it has when the gun is loaded.

Yea I do admit that thing is ugly beyond definition.