Ruger American Pistol

Bowdog · December 7, 2016, 04:30 PM

Thinking of picking up a Ruger American Pistol in 9MM. Anyone out there shooting one? I would use as an IDPA and home defense. Carry when I need to. But most times I carry a Kimber Ultra Carry 3 inch 1911 in .45.
Just would like to know how you like the gun.

MandolinMan · December 8, 2016, 08:26 AM

I don't have any firsthand experience with it, but there's a couple excellent reviews on Youtube that you may want to check out. Here's the one I watched:

https://youtu.be/DxqL9L-0sN8

Military Arms Channel, Ruger American Pistol.

Bart Noir · December 9, 2016, 08:07 PM

A few weeks back I started a thread on comparing the American Compact to the SR9 Compact.

My SR9 Compact is now in a shop for sale. That tells you I like the American.

Bart Noir

cslinger · December 10, 2016, 12:42 AM

Can only speak to the .45. I liked it very much. Take the labels off it and you'd be hard pressed to guess it was made by Ruger.

I didn't have any issues with the squared off rear frame hurting me but some folks apparently do.

Bill Siegle · December 10, 2016, 06:36 AM

I really like mine! I ended up with the small size grip on it and it runs like a champ! I have about 500 rounds through mine and have not had one issue with it running. The large grip did cause some hand impact on my thumb but a simple grip change sorted that out

OhioGuy · December 10, 2016, 10:15 AM

I got to shoot a whopping 5 free rounds of out both the full-size and the compact last week at a Ruger Range Day.

I liked the compact better than the full size--I found it easier to get a good grip on it. Both were "pro" models without external safeties, so I can't say whether the safety-bearing model is any different. I'm indifferent to external safeties, but often find that their locations make it hard to get a good grip without accidentally knocking the safety on when firing or drawing. I'd probably forego it.

Ergonomics were good on both, and I thought the trigger seemed pretty crisp without a whole lot of extra travel. I can't see that one could go wrong by having one. The compact looked small enough to conceal pretty easily.

Was it better or worse than the other 10 million striker guns out there?

Can't say for sure!

JDBerg · December 10, 2016, 02:22 PM

IMHO the Ruger American is an improvement over the SR, seems to be reliable & accurate, the American has the best out of the box sights of any other striker fired service pistol, but a thumb safety on a striker pistol is a big solution to a very small problem, nice if you need or want it, but I don't need or want it.

December 7, 2016, 04:30 PM	#1
Bowdog Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2010 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 112	Ruger American Pistol Thinking of picking up a Ruger American Pistol in 9MM. Anyone out there shooting one? I would use as an IDPA and home defense. Carry when I need to. But most times I carry a Kimber Ultra Carry 3 inch 1911 in .45. Just would like to know how you like the gun.

December 9, 2016, 08:07 PM	#3
Bart Noir Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2000 Location: Puget Sound, USA Posts: 2,215	A few weeks back I started a thread on comparing the American Compact to the SR9 Compact. My SR9 Compact is now in a shop for sale. That tells you I like the American. Bart Noir __________________ Be of good cheer and mindful of your gun muzzle!

December 10, 2016, 12:42 AM	#4
cslinger Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 2,045	Can only speak to the .45. I liked it very much. Take the labels off it and you'd be hard pressed to guess it was made by Ruger. I didn't have any issues with the squared off rear frame hurting me but some folks apparently do. __________________ "Is there anyway I can write my local gun store off on my taxes as dependents?"

December 10, 2016, 02:22 PM	#7
JDBerg Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2015 Location: PA Posts: 1,835	IMHO the Ruger American is an improvement over the SR, seems to be reliable & accurate, the American has the best out of the box sights of any other striker fired service pistol, but a thumb safety on a striker pistol is a big solution to a very small problem, nice if you need or want it, but I don't need or want it. __________________ Words to Live By: Before You Pray - Believe; Before You Speak - Listen; Before You Spend - Earn; Before You Write - Think; Before You Quit - Try; Before You Die - Live

December 8, 2016, 08:26 AM	#2
MandolinMan Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2013 Posts: 339	I don't have any firsthand experience with it, but there's a couple excellent reviews on Youtube that you may want to check out. Here's the one I watched: https://youtu.be/DxqL9L-0sN8 Military Arms Channel, Ruger American Pistol.

December 10, 2016, 06:36 AM	#5
Bill Siegle Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2001 Location: Oregon Posts: 227	I really like mine! I ended up with the small size grip on it and it runs like a champ! I have about 500 rounds through mine and have not had one issue with it running. The large grip did cause some hand impact on my thumb but a simple grip change sorted that out

December 10, 2016, 10:15 AM	#6
OhioGuy Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2016 Posts: 1,089	I got to shoot a whopping 5 free rounds of out both the full-size and the compact last week at a Ruger Range Day. I liked the compact better than the full size--I found it easier to get a good grip on it. Both were "pro" models without external safeties, so I can't say whether the safety-bearing model is any different. I'm indifferent to external safeties, but often find that their locations make it hard to get a good grip without accidentally knocking the safety on when firing or drawing. I'd probably forego it. Ergonomics were good on both, and I thought the trigger seemed pretty crisp without a whole lot of extra travel. I can't see that one could go wrong by having one. The compact looked small enough to conceal pretty easily. Was it better or worse than the other 10 million striker guns out there? Can't say for sure!