My new pair of .45s

IdahoG36 · July 20, 2013, 10:36 PM

I was on the market for a new CCW and a full size pistol in .45. After looking at many guns, I decided on the Springfield XDs and the Ruger SR45.
I got the Springfield last weekend, and the SR45 today.

I shot 200 rounds through the XDs, and had 2 light strikes in the first 100 rounds. I was shooting WWB 230 gr fmj through it. The two light strikes looked as if the firing pin did not hit dead center on the primer. I have seen other reports of this online. I also shot 20 rounds of Barnes TacX 185gr +P jhp through it without issue.

I am going to shoot the SR45 sometime next week at the local range, and I will post a range report then. The SR45 felt great in my hand, and the trigger is much better than the earlier SR9 and SR40. I prefered the trigger and overall feel of the SR45 over the full size XD, the Glock 21SF, the Beretta PX4, and the S&W M&P .45s.

915A · July 21, 2013, 12:32 AM

Congrats on the double .45 score! I haven't had the chance to check out either version. I do have an SR9c, and the trigger on the 45 is the same. It only gets better the more you fire it. I would love to see an SR45c!

ritepath · July 21, 2013, 08:17 AM

Picked up an SR yesterday at a funshow....389.xx

Brought it home did a quick 3 q-tip lub and took it out. Just like my SR22 it's a blast to shoot. First 55 rounds of misc stuff (PDX, Corbon, reload HP's & wolf) zero issues. I really like the trigger, and the accuracy is impressive so far. (except with the wolf)

IdahoG36 · July 21, 2013, 04:12 PM

I had the SR9 a few years ago, and I loved everything about it other than the trigger. It just had a crunch to it.

I dry fired the SR45 several times in the gun shop before buying, and the trigger is much improved. No crunch whatsoever. Just a nice even pull.

After pulling the trigger on the SR45, I pulled the trigger on the purchase

57K · July 21, 2013, 05:54 PM

2 excellent choices. Some of you may not know this, but Ruger made a noticeable improvement to their triggers with the introduction of the SR9c. They made changes across the board with all SR's after the release of the SR9c. These pistols also have the "D" shaped mag. release.

Right after the SR9 was introduced I checked one out at the local gunshop. Its trigger was unimpressive to say the least so I dismissed it from further consideration. In March of this year I sent Ruger a used P-89 for repair. They informed me that they no longer service the P-Series and offered me an SR9 at less than wholesale as a replacement so I jumped on it. Previously I had felt that the XDm was the best of all poly-framed pistols. 915A hit the nail on the head because the SR triggers improve considerably during break-in. I estimate that at about 300 rounds fired. I was so pleased with the SR9's design and manufacture that a month after getting it I sold my XDm 4.5 in .45 ACP and bought an SR45. At one point I had even installed a Ghost "Ultimate" trigger reset bar in the SR9, but after about 300 rounds fired, I took it out and reinstalled the factory part and now my SR45 is breaking in much like the SR9 did. Both pistols are very accurate.

These pistols are easily the best that Ruger has ever made. Some of you may have seen me saying that I believe the Rugers are the best poly-frame pistols available today with the best "combat" trigger of all of them once they're broke in. Naturally, that's met with a lot of skepticism, but for me, there are none that I would consider over the SR9/40/45 and that's not even considering what a great value they are. While being built stronger than most, they're the slimmest double-stacks you can buy. I can easily carry the SR9 that's no larger overall than a G19 while being a good deal slimmer with 17 vs. 15 rounds in the mag. My shooting partner who's been carrying concealed for 20 years with pistols like the SIG/Sauer P-228 & 239, the Glock 19 and 26 says the SR9c is the best he's ever carried. He also carries a Dan Wesson CBob at times, so the manual safety on the SR9c is a non issue for him. I'm already shooting the SR45 better than I did the XDm and some of the accuracy reports I've read have been nothing less than stellar, even with generic ammo like the Federal American Eagle and Winchester "Whitebox" loads. Ruger hit it out of the park with these pistols, especially those that have been made after the SR9c was introduced.

IdahoG36 · August 6, 2013, 08:42 PM

I forgot to post my SR45 range report

I took it out for the first time about a week ago, and shot 100 rounds of Herter's Select brass case out of it. First mag went fine. Loaded the second mag, fired the first round, and the mag popped out. I figured I must have inadvertently hit the mag release, so I adjusted my grip and fired again.

This time, the mag fell out onto the ground. I picked it up, reinstalled it, and fired one handed with my left hand under the mag. Sure enough, the mag fell out of the gun again. The range I was at was also where I purchased the Ruger, so they gave me a new mag to try. It worked fine. So they swapped mags with me.

I had several FTE where the spent cartridge was not fully removed from the chamber. The next round in the mag, due to mag spring pressure, would push up on the spent brass that was not ejected and the gun would jam.

So, I went home, thoroughly cleaned and lubed the gun again, and went back out with 200 rounds. 100 rounds of Herter's Select, 100 rounds of Remington. I had several more FTE in the first 6 mags, and then they went away completely.

The next 140 rounds were flawless. When I got home, I disassembled the gun and found that the barrel and feed ramp had burrs on them. I used a jewelers file to remove them. Cleaned and lubed it again and put it in the safe.

I have to say though, besides the early failures, that this is THE most accurate pistol that I have ever shot. That was very surprising to me. It took no effort at all to make one small ragged hole in the target. Hopefully the bugs are worked out, because with the accuracy I can get out of this gun, it's a keeper for sure!

Wreck-n-Crew · August 6, 2013, 09:28 PM

Quote:

In March of this year I sent Ruger a used P-89 for repair.

Just out of curiosity what's wrong with the 89?

Speaking of trigger improvements, the early p series like I have (p89 andkp90)
are great except for the empty space in the take-up. Not recognizable when staging the trigger,

The P series including the newer polymer frames like the 95 are built like a tank!

To OP: Congrats and enjoy! Like to see a range report on the SR40 when you get a few rounds down her.

Axelwik · August 6, 2013, 10:03 PM

Great choices. I have the same two pistols.

I never experienced a light strike with my XDs. They do like a lot of lube, at least while being broken in.

If you want, it's pretty easy to remove the magazine disconnect in the SR... Pull the striker and it drops right out. That was the only thing I didn't like about the SR - problem solved. Glad you figured out the mag drop problem. Mine never had that issue. It's a very accurate pistol.

IdahoG36 · August 6, 2013, 10:31 PM

Yeah, upon examining the defective mag with guys that worked at the gun shop, we found that the slot that the mag release catches on the front of the mag wasn't machined properly. So it wasn't being retained properly, and the force of the recoil was enough to make it pop out.
I have been considering removing the magazine disconnect. I did that with my old SR9.
I posted in another thread about the light strikes with the XDs. After doing some research on the internet, quite a few people were having that issue, and believed it was caused by excessive oil/grease in the firing pin channel. I always take apart and clean every new gun before shooting it, but never remove the striker assembly to clean it. I did that once I found that information, and the whole firing pin channel and striker were packed with grease. I cleaned it thoroughly and then shot 200 rounds through it without issue.

gdvan01 · August 7, 2013, 07:00 AM

Nice pair...

PakWaan · August 7, 2013, 09:31 AM

+1 on the extra lube during break-in on the XD-S. I bought one recently and had a ton of light primer strikes on the first 100 rounds. You'll find a 20 page forum thread about the issue at XD Talk. I called Springfield, and they said it needed a "death grip" and to be very wet during break-in. I already hang on tight to avoid limp wristing on small barrel guns, since they need all the help they can get to cycle correctly - so I took their advice and oiled it every 30 rounds during the next 200 rounds or so, and didn't have a single light primer strike. It's almost broke in.....

tahunua001 · August 7, 2013, 09:40 AM

very good choice of guns. I own the Ruger SR9 compact for my daily carry and the XDM45 compact as a home defense/woods defense gun. the XDS was a little snappier than I like because I would like to be able to practice with more than a dozen rounds before my wrist starts to hurt but that's just me. for my purposes the XDM45 is not difficult to conceal and handles recoil quite well for a compact 45.

be sure to post a range review on them, I've been looking forward to hearing about the SR45.

IdahoG36 · August 7, 2013, 01:05 PM

^^^^^ range reviews above

Erikbal · August 7, 2013, 01:52 PM

Nice purchases! I own the SR9c and love it. Very accurate and the more I shoot it the more I love it. The trigger is great as well! I hope your issues with the SR45 are taken care of!

Pico · August 8, 2013, 09:06 PM

Anyone think an SR45c will be coming?

Pico

Nakanokalronin · August 8, 2013, 09:34 PM

Congrats! I've shot about 1500 rounds through my XDS 45 so far with zero problems. WWB, Remington, Federal, S&B, RWS, anything HP or FMJ. I know the reported light strikes might have been from a burr on the striker towards the front. I'd take it out, make sure the channel and striker are completely free of lube and gunk and check for burrs.

July 20, 2013, 10:36 PM	#1
IdahoG36 Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 2,993	My new pair of .45s I was on the market for a new CCW and a full size pistol in .45. After looking at many guns, I decided on the Springfield XDs and the Ruger SR45. I got the Springfield last weekend, and the SR45 today. I shot 200 rounds through the XDs, and had 2 light strikes in the first 100 rounds. I was shooting WWB 230 gr fmj through it. The two light strikes looked as if the firing pin did not hit dead center on the primer. I have seen other reports of this online. I also shot 20 rounds of Barnes TacX 185gr +P jhp through it without issue. I am going to shoot the SR45 sometime next week at the local range, and I will post a range report then. The SR45 felt great in my hand, and the trigger is much better than the earlier SR9 and SR40. I prefered the trigger and overall feel of the SR45 over the full size XD, the Glock 21SF, the Beretta PX4, and the S&W M&P .45s. Last edited by IdahoG36; July 21, 2013 at 12:03 AM.

July 21, 2013, 12:32 AM	#2
915A Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2012 Location: Colorado Posts: 464	Re: My new pair of .45s Congrats on the double .45 score! I haven't had the chance to check out either version. I do have an SR9c, and the trigger on the 45 is the same. It only gets better the more you fire it. I would love to see an SR45c!

July 21, 2013, 08:17 AM	#3
ritepath Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,419	Picked up an SR yesterday at a funshow....389.xx Brought it home did a quick 3 q-tip lub and took it out. Just like my SR22 it's a blast to shoot. First 55 rounds of misc stuff (PDX, Corbon, reload HP's & wolf) zero issues. I really like the trigger, and the accuracy is impressive so far. (except with the wolf) __________________ There's only one... Last edited by ritepath; July 21, 2013 at 05:40 PM.

August 6, 2013, 10:03 PM	#8
Axelwik Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2012 Location: Land of Enchantment Posts: 436	Great choices. I have the same two pistols. I never experienced a light strike with my XDs. They do like a lot of lube, at least while being broken in. If you want, it's pretty easy to remove the magazine disconnect in the SR... Pull the striker and it drops right out. That was the only thing I didn't like about the SR - problem solved. Glad you figured out the mag drop problem. Mine never had that issue. It's a very accurate pistol. Last edited by Axelwik; August 6, 2013 at 10:16 PM.

August 7, 2013, 07:00 AM	#10
gdvan01 Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2006 Location: Home of the first First Lady Posts: 463	Nice pair... __________________ NRA Endowment Life Member Proud Son of a former Tomb Guard

July 21, 2013, 04:12 PM	#4
IdahoG36 Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 2,993	I had the SR9 a few years ago, and I loved everything about it other than the trigger. It just had a crunch to it. I dry fired the SR45 several times in the gun shop before buying, and the trigger is much improved. No crunch whatsoever. Just a nice even pull. After pulling the trigger on the SR45, I pulled the trigger on the purchase

July 21, 2013, 05:54 PM	#5
57K Junior member Join Date: March 2, 2013 Location: Heart of Texas Posts: 788	2 excellent choices. Some of you may not know this, but Ruger made a noticeable improvement to their triggers with the introduction of the SR9c. They made changes across the board with all SR's after the release of the SR9c. These pistols also have the "D" shaped mag. release. Right after the SR9 was introduced I checked one out at the local gunshop. Its trigger was unimpressive to say the least so I dismissed it from further consideration. In March of this year I sent Ruger a used P-89 for repair. They informed me that they no longer service the P-Series and offered me an SR9 at less than wholesale as a replacement so I jumped on it. Previously I had felt that the XDm was the best of all poly-framed pistols. 915A hit the nail on the head because the SR triggers improve considerably during break-in. I estimate that at about 300 rounds fired. I was so pleased with the SR9's design and manufacture that a month after getting it I sold my XDm 4.5 in .45 ACP and bought an SR45. At one point I had even installed a Ghost "Ultimate" trigger reset bar in the SR9, but after about 300 rounds fired, I took it out and reinstalled the factory part and now my SR45 is breaking in much like the SR9 did. Both pistols are very accurate. These pistols are easily the best that Ruger has ever made. Some of you may have seen me saying that I believe the Rugers are the best poly-frame pistols available today with the best "combat" trigger of all of them once they're broke in. Naturally, that's met with a lot of skepticism, but for me, there are none that I would consider over the SR9/40/45 and that's not even considering what a great value they are. While being built stronger than most, they're the slimmest double-stacks you can buy. I can easily carry the SR9 that's no larger overall than a G19 while being a good deal slimmer with 17 vs. 15 rounds in the mag. My shooting partner who's been carrying concealed for 20 years with pistols like the SIG/Sauer P-228 & 239, the Glock 19 and 26 says the SR9c is the best he's ever carried. He also carries a Dan Wesson CBob at times, so the manual safety on the SR9c is a non issue for him. I'm already shooting the SR45 better than I did the XDm and some of the accuracy reports I've read have been nothing less than stellar, even with generic ammo like the Federal American Eagle and Winchester "Whitebox" loads. Ruger hit it out of the park with these pistols, especially those that have been made after the SR9c was introduced.

August 6, 2013, 08:42 PM	#6
IdahoG36 Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 2,993	I forgot to post my SR45 range report I took it out for the first time about a week ago, and shot 100 rounds of Herter's Select brass case out of it. First mag went fine. Loaded the second mag, fired the first round, and the mag popped out. I figured I must have inadvertently hit the mag release, so I adjusted my grip and fired again. This time, the mag fell out onto the ground. I picked it up, reinstalled it, and fired one handed with my left hand under the mag. Sure enough, the mag fell out of the gun again. The range I was at was also where I purchased the Ruger, so they gave me a new mag to try. It worked fine. So they swapped mags with me. I had several FTE where the spent cartridge was not fully removed from the chamber. The next round in the mag, due to mag spring pressure, would push up on the spent brass that was not ejected and the gun would jam. So, I went home, thoroughly cleaned and lubed the gun again, and went back out with 200 rounds. 100 rounds of Herter's Select, 100 rounds of Remington. I had several more FTE in the first 6 mags, and then they went away completely. The next 140 rounds were flawless. When I got home, I disassembled the gun and found that the barrel and feed ramp had burrs on them. I used a jewelers file to remove them. Cleaned and lubed it again and put it in the safe. I have to say though, besides the early failures, that this is THE most accurate pistol that I have ever shot. That was very surprising to me. It took no effort at all to make one small ragged hole in the target. Hopefully the bugs are worked out, because with the accuracy I can get out of this gun, it's a keeper for sure!

August 6, 2013, 10:31 PM	#9
IdahoG36 Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 2,993	Yeah, upon examining the defective mag with guys that worked at the gun shop, we found that the slot that the mag release catches on the front of the mag wasn't machined properly. So it wasn't being retained properly, and the force of the recoil was enough to make it pop out. I have been considering removing the magazine disconnect. I did that with my old SR9. I posted in another thread about the light strikes with the XDs. After doing some research on the internet, quite a few people were having that issue, and believed it was caused by excessive oil/grease in the firing pin channel. I always take apart and clean every new gun before shooting it, but never remove the striker assembly to clean it. I did that once I found that information, and the whole firing pin channel and striker were packed with grease. I cleaned it thoroughly and then shot 200 rounds through it without issue.

August 7, 2013, 09:31 AM	#11
PakWaan Member Join Date: December 9, 2007 Location: Sunny Florida Posts: 61	+1 on the extra lube during break-in on the XD-S. I bought one recently and had a ton of light primer strikes on the first 100 rounds. You'll find a 20 page forum thread about the issue at XD Talk. I called Springfield, and they said it needed a "death grip" and to be very wet during break-in. I already hang on tight to avoid limp wristing on small barrel guns, since they need all the help they can get to cycle correctly - so I took their advice and oiled it every 30 rounds during the next 200 rounds or so, and didn't have a single light primer strike. It's almost broke in..... __________________ EDCs: HK P2000SK .40, Ed Brown Kobra Carry 1911 BUGs: Sig Sauer P938, Ruger LCP ____ Former LEO and USAF Security Police

August 7, 2013, 09:40 AM	#12
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	very good choice of guns. I own the Ruger SR9 compact for my daily carry and the XDM45 compact as a home defense/woods defense gun. the XDS was a little snappier than I like because I would like to be able to practice with more than a dozen rounds before my wrist starts to hurt but that's just me. for my purposes the XDM45 is not difficult to conceal and handles recoil quite well for a compact 45. be sure to post a range review on them, I've been looking forward to hearing about the SR45. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

August 7, 2013, 01:05 PM	#13
IdahoG36 Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 2,993	^^^^^ range reviews above

August 7, 2013, 01:52 PM	#14
Erikbal Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2012 Location: Olean, NY Posts: 375	Re: My new pair of .45s Nice purchases! I own the SR9c and love it. Very accurate and the more I shoot it the more I love it. The trigger is great as well! I hope your issues with the SR45 are taken care of!

August 8, 2013, 09:06 PM	#15
Pico Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2002 Location: Ga Posts: 515	SR45 Anyone think an SR45c will be coming? Pico

August 8, 2013, 09:34 PM	#16
Nakanokalronin Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2006 Posts: 1,066	Congrats! I've shot about 1500 rounds through my XDS 45 so far with zero problems. WWB, Remington, Federal, S&B, RWS, anything HP or FMJ. I know the reported light strikes might have been from a burr on the striker towards the front. I'd take it out, make sure the channel and striker are completely free of lube and gunk and check for burrs.

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