In praise of the Ruger SR40c

[Rogervzv]

Took my Ruger SR40c to the range with an old Army buddy this Sunday. He was amazed at how accurate and mannerly the SR40c was. In no way did the snappiness of the 40 cal. round interfere with accuracy, because the SR40c handles recoil very well. Once I got warmed up I was getting a ragged hole in the bull's eye at 30 feet. For me that is pretty good. It goes without saying that through 150 rounds there was not a single FTF or other issue. The gun was as reliable as one could ask.

Ruger did an excellent job with this pistol.

[RBid]

Equally big fan of the SR9c. They really hit a home run. Very nice trigger, and the recoil springs in the compacts are works of art. Virtually zero muzzle rise.

[WiscBuckmaster]

I'm with you on this one rbid. My sr9c has been a dream to shoot so far. Its eaten all the cheap range ammo I've fed it without a single hiccup. It's a natural pointer and cycles like butter. I like it alot better than my aunt and uncles' m&p 9c and 40c. I picked mine up for $429 at gander mountain a little over a month ago and don't regret it in the slightest.

[CWKahrFan]

My SR40c fits my hand perfectly... We are in perfect ergonomic tune. NO pistol has ever felt better to me and that makes it a joy to shoot.

[LockedBreech]

The SR-series pistols are excellent. I think they're nigh-unbeatable at the price point, with the only real competition being the Sig SP2022 as pitted against the full-size SR9 or SR40.

In the compact form factor, I can't think of anything else that good, that small, and that shootable at that price.

[915A]

Love my SR9c, just short of the 1000rd mark and not a single issue. I want the 40c BAD! But the FNH is releasing the FNS in a compact with similar numbers to the Ruger. So it has me conflicted lol!

[Hitthespot]

Over 1200 rounds on my SR9c and 200 on my SR40c without any issue what so ever. Unfortunately I had to sell the SR40c to fund my Kahr CM9. I wanted a pocket pistol with a little more punch than my 380 so I had to sell it. In my opinion the SR series pistols from Ruger are Superb!

[Rogervzv]

I have now put over 1000 rounds through each of my SR40c pistols without a single issue. Both guns function perfectly, always locking back after the last round, no light strikes, ejection issues, or failures to fire. These are very reliable firearms.

[915A]

Damn, always high praise for the SRs(well mostly all the time) I may have to buy both the SR40c and FNSc!

[MercyfulFate]

I've only held the SR9 full size, but man...it does fit my hand perfectly too.

Since I got the Beretta 92fs, I might get the SR40 (don't need two of each caliber yet...I'll save that for down the right) at least in a year when I'm allowed to buy another gun. I've bought three in my first year...so I need to start saving money.

[beckett1911]

I bought mine about 3 weeks ago but haven't shot it yet

[fallingrock71]

I've only been able to make one trip to the range with my SR9c. I too am duly impressed! Accuracy, controllability , reliability, capacity, size, ergonomics, price etc. I have yet to find a downside beyond the lawyer bits but even those are easily remedied. My only possible regret is that I didn't get the SR40c. I am so impressed with this SR9c that I am seriously considering the 40 as well.

That is saying a lot for me. I've just never really liked the way the .40 shot in my hands. In the approximately 200 rounds I put thru the SR9c two loadings were Underwood Ammo's hottest +p+ offerings in both 124gr and 147gr. I was expecting that 124gr listed at 1300fps to be somewhat of a handful. Well, as much as 9mm can be anyways. I must say that there was not a significant difference between either of the +p+ rounds and the UMC and Herters 115gr plain jane vanilla FMJs. VERY impressive.

I'm seriously considering adding the SR40c to my collection. I don't want to jack this thread, but I would like hear a little comparison of these two fine pistols from those who have both.

Well done Ruger, VERY well done!

[Pops 1]

Love my SR9c and thiking about the SR40c. Best of all they are made in America.

[CWKahrFan]

Here's my SR40c in it's Nate Squared Tactical (n82tactical.com) IWB holster:

[BusterValentine]

My dad has the sr40c and I've shot it quite a bit. It's super reliable and accurate but i'm gonna have to disagree about it handling recoil well or being particularly ergonomic. I honestly can't stand the grip, I have to re-adjust every few shots. IMO if you like the grip of a glock you'll like the sr40c.

[Meditator]

I have the same positive experience w/ my SR40C- can't say enough how much I like this little pistol in 40cal!

[treg]

My SR40c is just shy of the 1K round mark with not one hiccup. It's never seen a factory round and eats my LSWC handloads like a fat kid on a bag of candy.

I find it very ergonomic in my medium size paws.

[USA SHARK]

I love my SR40 and the accuracy is equally as good as the OP claims on the SR40c.

I have read so many posts on the .40 caliber not being a good round due it being so "snappy", and that most go for the 9mm or .45. My wife has a SA XDm 9mm, and she loves my SR40. She says she really doesn't notice much difference in the recoil, maybe slightly more but not to the point of distraction.

I have to wonder if all of the "snappy" talk is real or if it is just blown out of proportion. I personally don't see it and am considering a .40 in a carry size in hopes that Illinois will soon have a concealed carry law (last state in the US). Maybe the SR40c.

[uradaisyifudo]

Took mine with me on a little cc ski with some buddies on the palouse range, we did some plinking, the first wow was nailing targets at 15 yards, with the full size mags in, the second wow was "how many rounds does it hold." Sweet shooter, impressive capacity with a thin grip, no issues. Good to hear some similar positive experiences.

[Mosin44az]

Owned one for awhile last year and agree with the comments on the accuracy and mild recoil.

I also note that the safety, which I used to think was a mistake (too small and too far back), is actually a clever design. You have to turn the gun in your hand and deliberately push up on the lever to put the safety on, but it's easy to sweep off in a firing grip. And it's impossible to inadvertently flick on while firing, unlike, say, with a 1911....Nice work by Ruger's designers.

My SR40c, however, came from the factory with a number of problems, and even after its prompt return from service by Ruger, would not function quite right, so I ditched it on a buddy with lower standards.

I had numerous failures to feed, and a number of failures to fire, and it wouldn't work with Aguila FMJ at all, a brand that has always worked in everything else. After I got it back I still had feed failures, this time with Magtech (another historically reliable brand for me) and I gave up.

Ruger's manual states that it needs U.S.-spec. ammo to run, so this could be a factor, but particularly these days, a gun that is finicky about ammo is a royal pain. The failures to fire were also particularly scary, there is an issue with the striker I have seen mentioned on Ruger forums. After awhile the construction seemed a little cheap to me as well, a feeling probably brought on by the numerous malfunctions I experienced. A Glock this is not.

Another reason to deal my SR40c was that I discovered a much nicer competitor. Rented a Springfield XDm 3.8c in .40, and it was much nicer to shoot and obviously a higher quality gun, albeit at 200 dollars more. I hope to find one of those soon at a price I can stomach.

My view is that the newer Ruger designs are not quite as sturdy and have not been tested as thoroughly as the stodgy old ones were, before being released into the market, and that Ruger quality control has suffered from its constantly cranking out new guns to meet the fantastic demand. Ruger marketing has gotten very clever, it's QC has suffered a bit. I also had an LCR break its trigger on me last year, for example.

The service experience was still great, however, as Ruger sent a shipping label on request and promptly returned my gun. Having confidence in the company despite its recent lapses has me still in the Ruger camp, and so do the relatively modest prices of its offerings.

[jfost]

I had an sr40c. I have a glock 27 and have had an xd sub 40 as well. I got rid of the sr40c because the glock was lighter and fit my pockets better; the ruger stuck out a little and the xd was heavy. The recoil in the ruger was definitely a lot better than the xd of glock in 40. I got what I wanted in the glock and can handle it in 40, but I pay for it in recoil. The fully adjustable sights with the price make it an unbelievable deal.