Review – Ruger SR9

Ruger SR9

Ruger SR9 Review

So a little bit of set up before my review , I have always appreciated firearms for their mechanical intricacies , their powerful imagery , and their ability to level the playing field for the strong or weak , young or old , male or female .  but until I committed to getting my PAL and RPAL , I did not have an educated opinion just a superficial interest , makes , model , type of action, caliber (except for the good ol’.357 or .44mag) meant very little to me.

So when my government approval was granted , the research began , and being fairly cost conscious , the online reviews and comparisons became a regular pastime for me .

Now non-restricted firearms were on the radar but I wanted a hand gun, and for many of my other hobbies old classic designs usually got my attention. Not this time , I wanted a Striker Fired semiauto.

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This was nomenclature that was completely new to me , I understood revolver , pump , bolt actions etc, but only in the most basic sense , after many hours of reading , learning about different manufactures , knock offs that were 1/3 the price but seemed to be 75-85% as good as the original and scouring picture after picture , pricing out the costs of various calibers of ammo , extra mags , and taking into account my thrifty side , I had a couple final contenders but as much of the online community stated , you have to go touch, feel, handle and if at all possible shoot the guns you are interested in before purchasing.

So in my head the Berretta 92a was top of my list along with a couple of different Sig’s (or likely their Norinco knock off versions) and on paper the 92a was the one , but when I got to the gun store and was finally able to handle the Berretta and couple of Sig’s , none felt right not that I knew what was Right , but hey I was at a gun store and the firearm personnel were there to help me make a informed decision. And luckily enough I was not in any panic to buy something that very moment.  So I asked for what he would recommend that would be comparable to the first couple choices I had . so he did bring a few others , many of which I don’t remember specifically but what I did find out was that some did feel better in my hand , which to me is a comfort thing and a natural point ability  (which I did not really know at that time) and that led me to more research and more gun stores and more firearms fondling until I found what felt good in the hand and what felt good in the wallet. Also while frequenting gun stores and talking with staff and customers (and finding out that the one you want is never in stock) I was turned onto a popular firearms site with a classified section….. oh the slippery slope into oblivion 😉

I had made a decision that the Ruger SR9 would fit the bill at a cost I could live with, that felt right in MY Hands and came with a fair amount of Safety Features , which as a new shooter I was more than happy to have.  I made and online purchase of a used firearm and went through the Transfer Process , the seller was AWESOME , he put up with my newby questions and my uncertainty….. and after a couple grueling weeks of waiting for the transfer to be completed and for the shipping time,,,,, finally I had my First Hand Gun , now I just had to wait some more  for my registration papers to arrive and the to the range for some more education…… and do you know what I learned , one is never enough

Ruger SR9 Brushed Stainless

My Ruger SR9

So the Ruger SR9 is not the newest polymer pistol , its not a glock and it will never be and it is not a Sig or HK , but it is a quality firearm at a reasonable price from a company that has an outstanding reputation.

If you read my preamble to the purchase of this firearm you will remember that I was new to the sport and was very cost conscious as well. Just to reiterate, what ever you purchase should feel right and be easy for YOU to handle, operate and shoot.

So after my transfer was complete , I , of course, had to go to the range to try it out , I do try to keep range logs , mostly just noting any failures or issues with the firearm or ammo and sadly also to tally up the amount of ammo used($$ L $$).

The SR9 has a slim grip which is comfortable and textured nicely but I received a universal Hogue grip when I purchased it used ( along with an extra mag and a soft holster ) and I felt it fit my palm better with the add on grip sleeve. Now, I was no marksman on day one but I was able to keep most projectiles on the medium sized targets supplied at the range. After several 50 rd boxes  no issues feeding or firing , being a 9mm recoil was more than manageable (I am an average size guy slim and fit but not big or beefy J) that trip was good and there was many more to follow . I don’t keep track of every round fired , I do log what was good or bad at the range and keep a close estimate of rounds fired , but half boxes and loose rounds can make the numbers a little fuzzy . But I can say that I have put around a 1000 rds or more thru it and it was a lightly used pistol so I will be optimistic and say it only had 500 or so rds thru it before I got it.

I have tried many flavors of ammo , at least as far as what is available in my neck of the woods. American Eagle , PMC , various Remington stuff , Blazer Brass and Aluminum , and bulk reloads (store bought) in 115gr , 124gr , 147gr and maybe a couple other oddball weights. The only ones to give me grief were the reloads in 115gr , a couple Failure To Feed and or Eject. Otherwise never missed a beat with any factory ammo. (the reloads have run fine in other firearms I have tried)

The SR9 was my first pistol  and there are many things I liked and wanted as a new shooter , first and foremost (most of the die hards will disagree I am sure) I was impressed with the safety mechanisms , I like the tactile/visual loaded chamber indicator it allowed me to get acquainted with the way a self loading  firearm readies the next round immediately , for those who are unfamiliar there is a small tab that pops up when there is a round in the chamber , you can see it when it is up and you can feel that it is up even in low or no light situations. It also shares the Glock type blade trigger (two part trigger with the little blade in the middle) and the thumb safety that is in a similar location to a 1911. As well there is an opening on the back of the slide that you can see when the striker is set.

Now that I have a little more experience, these features are not as necessary but don’t bother me and allows me to introduce new shooters to the sport.

There are many other things to make note of about this Ruger , many of which have been said many times before , it has a full time ambidextrous mag release , reversible backstrap for the grip , 3 dot drift adjustable sights , on mine the rear one is also click adjustable for height , it has and accessory rail , and has a nice contoured / rounded profile . mine has the  Black Nitride finish which is durable and looks good too.

This is a DOA striker fired pistol that is reasonably priced , I almost sold it to my brother to get him into Restricted Firearms , while he was thinking about it I went out and shot it a bunch….and found out I like it too much to sell , now I will just have to help him find his own SR9 .

About the author: KenMan

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