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Old October 5, 2012, 07:23 PM   #1
915A
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SR9c: First Range Report

So I just picked up my Ruger SR9C on Tuesday of this, and because of work and family obligations the first rounds down range had to wait until today. I did a very thorough cleaning before hitting the range today, to my surprise there was not a ton of gunk anywhere while cleaning. Especially in the Striker channel, that seemed to be the big problem area from several reviews read. I worked the slide quite a few times, dry fired about the same.

I picked up 4 different boxes of ammo;

Armscor 124 FMJ's
Independence 115 FMJ's
PMC Bronze 115 JHP's
Magtech 115 FMJ's

First Impressions: Pre Range;

Pros:
-Very comfortable in my hand both with the compact and full size magazine
-9mm, cheap for ammo and I was familiar with it(But the FS 9 and .40 FS and C were the same price)
-I knew with it being compact it would work well for the Mrs.
-Loved the way the trigger felt
-The myriad of safety features
-Price tag was better than some of my other considerations: M&P 9/40 FS and C, FNH FNS 9/40, SA XDM 9/40

Cons:
-The only one that I really could find was that the guide rod end is plastic and didnt always return to flush (not a major concern though)

At the Range and Post Range:

Pros:
-Very easy shooting, the only recoil was self-created with poor technique at first. Once the wife and I corrected for that it fired very smoothly
-Sights were easy to acquire and allowed for quick follow-up shots
-Trigger was amazing and got better with more rounds fired. And the reset was very noticeable and felt good to me.
-The wife loved it, she said it was very comfortable to shoot and she could feel confident with it the more we practice (HUGE BONUS for me!)
-Flawless through 200 rounds, not one issue period! I used 4 different brands from 124gr to 115gr FMJ’s and JHP’s. Not sure if I am crazy or not, but the JHP’s had a different feel when firing them.

Cons:
-I honestly can’t find one this early in the stage. But again this is my first personally owned firearm, so other than Military experience I have no comparisons.
-The wife said her only con would be the slide was a bit tough for her at first (Not sure if it will smooth out over time) and the mags were tough to load by hand.( I am sure a speed loader will help, so we are getting one) I bring these up so if you are looking for something for you and the wife to share together. But as the day went on it got better on both issues for her.

We definitely need more practice, as our accuracy was not all that great( we did hit the target alot, but could be much better). Now I am sure with the Ruger being new, it might need more break in time, or the sights could be off. But I am sure most of it was us. Either way it was a joy to shoot, and we are officially hooked. So I am quite certain I will be picking up the 40c or the FS 9 or 40. Or, just trying another brand all together. I can honestly say up to this point I would highly recommend the Ruger SR9c to anyone looking for a first. Even though it is the compact version it was pure fun to shoot. And if you are already considering the 9c, BUY IT!!!

I want to thank TFL members for the advice and help leading up to this purchase!
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Old October 5, 2012, 11:18 PM   #2
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Reading this made me smile! Thank you for the RR!

Not sure how you're racking the slide, but I use an overhand grip in front of the chamber with the SR9c. That allows me to get solid purchase on the slide, without murdering my off hand with the safety when I rack it. This may sound unnecessary, but try having your wife actively press forward with her strong hand while she pulls with her off hand. When my girlfriend was having trouble racking my pistols, I realized that she was letting her strong hand move with the racking motion, rather than using push/pull. She has no problem now.

Have fun!
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Old October 5, 2012, 11:31 PM   #3
915A
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Rbid, your report was very beneficial in my decision to go with the SR9c. I will definitely pass the advice on to the wife. We are gonna try to go out again Sunday. I am quite certain, we will be picking up something else soon. Time to do my homework all over again!
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Old October 5, 2012, 11:42 PM   #4
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Thanks for the great review. My daughter is getting ready to get her first gun and had an opportunity to shoot the SR9c this past week. A friend of hers has one. She absolutely loved it. I told her I would either take her shopping for it at Christmas or, she could go ahead and get it, and I would reimburse her for it. She is excited.

My bet is that she won't be able to wait until Christmas!

Joe
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Old October 6, 2012, 08:37 AM   #5
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Glad you got to try it out and like it. It really is a neat gun.

I guess I'm one of those who used to look down their nose at Ruger because of the prices. If it cost less than SIGs, Smiths and Beretta and so forth, then they couldn't be as good. And by some measures it may not be as good as some other pistols, but so far, I see absolutely nothing wrong with this gun. Mine has functioned flawlessly. I've got other guns that feel better in the hand and that I might be more accurate with, but the SR9c has the right combination of weight, size and capacity for a carry gun, in my opinion. Living in Maryland I can't carry often, but when I do, it's the SR9c. That's what I bought it for.
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Old October 6, 2012, 11:18 AM   #6
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Quote:
I guess I'm one of those who used to look down their nose at Ruger because of the prices. If it cost less than SIGs, Smiths and Beretta and so forth, then they couldn't be as good.
You've learned a valuable lesson then. I see many new gun owners come into the store who almost look entirely at the price tag. If it costs half as much as a SIG it must be half as good. Now is it as good, I would probably say not. But only half as good? No I think it's much better than that. On the other end there are those that think their SIG is twice as good as the Ruger and that the Ruger must be junk. A good friend of mine went looking at firearms recently with his girlfriend. She loved the SR9c, but he won't hear anything of it because of the price and because a friend of his had some bad luck with an Ruger 10/22, a rifle for Pete's sake.

I hold that most guns available off the shelf today will be more than adequate for the typical gun owner.
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Old October 6, 2012, 01:44 PM   #7
RBid
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As a general rule, if you aren't subjecting your sidearm to extreme abuse and filth, you don't need the extra that a Sig or H&K provides. If you are testing them to that extent, you probably aren't paying out of your own pocket.

Want is a whole different conversation, of course.

My SR9c runs dry, and it runs without frequent cleaning. It runs wet. There is nothing that I will subject it to that it can't run through. The tolerances and fit are very tight, but it cycles smoothly. For a concealed carry weapon, there is literally no other weapon that I would rather carry.

...and for the price of an H&K 45, I got my SR9c and a Walther PPQ.
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Old October 6, 2012, 02:34 PM   #8
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Thanks for the report!
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