Ruger Max 9 Issue-Gun or Ammo?

[Mike J]

So PSA had the Ruger Max 9 with a miniature range bag for $279.99 (the pistol was $299.99 without the bag) in their Memorial Day sale. I have been wanting a double stack micro 9 so I bought. PSA did fine on shipping, etc. I picked the gun up last Thursday & cleaned & lubed it. Took it out Sunday evening. I had one stovepipe about the third magazine. I thought I might be limpwristing as I was shooting weak hand only. a few magazines later the slide locked back with a couple of rounds left in the magazine. I pushed it forward & finished the mag. It happened again about 30 rounds later then it settled down & ran fine the rest of the range session. I ran 140 rounds through it that day. 50 rounds Rem UMC 115 grain fmj, 50 rounds Blazer Brass 115 grain fmj, 22 rounds Hornady XTP 124 grain, 5 rounds of Gold Dot JHP I had laying around & a couple of magazines of Monarch steel cased I had around just to see if it would feed & fire.
I came home that evening & racked the slide 200 times & cleaned & lubricated. Today I went back to try again. I shot about 66 rounds of Federal Champion 115 grain fmj. The slide locked back with rounds still in the magazine on the last 3 magazines. Out of curiosity I fed it 44 rounds of the Monarch steel case alternating between shooting strong hand only & weak hand only. It fed & fired fine for all 4 magazines. I find myself thinking the miscellaneous 115 grain fmj range fodder I have is just too weak to overcome the recoil spring. The steel cased which feels hotter than the brass cased & the Hornady XTP JHP ammunition feed & fire fine without a glitch. Opinions? Anyone that has experienced something similar & can tell me if they think I am right or wrong?

 

[film495]

I have not seen it, and the slide locking back with rounds still in the magazine, points to something wrong with the arm that locks the slide back, commonly driven by a tab or foot that is lifted by the mag follower when no rounds are left. I just don't see a weak slide spring being associated to the slide locking back with rounds still in the mag. I don't own one of those, but on an old firearm I own, the pin that holds that arm that gets raised by the mag follower, for a while it would loosen up, and eventually I just peened it, and bent it in half a little, so - when I used a punch to set it back in, it didn't work loose now again for more than a few years, but - I forget exactly what the behavior was either the slide could not be racked, or it would not go forward again, but it was not good.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I find myself thinking the miscellaneous 115 grain fmj range fodder I have is just too weak to overcome the recoil spring

Weaker ammo won't cause the slide to lock back prematurely...it would cause the slide to fail to lock back

Whenever I've seen that happen, the most likely culprit is usually the shooter's thumb/grip.
Does it happen equally when shooting either strong or support hand?

The next likely culprit to look at is the magazine.
Does this occur with all your magazines?
Do you have more than one magazine to test it with?

 

[Mike J]

Weaker ammo won't cause the slide to lock back prematurely...it would cause the slide to fail to lock back

Whenever I've seen that happen, the most likely culprit is usually the shooter's thumb/grip.
Does it happen equally when shooting either strong or support hand?

The next likely culprit to look at is the magazine.
Does this occur with all your magazines?
Do you have more than one magazine to test it with?

It happens with both the 10 & 12 round magazine the pistol came with. The first malfunction I had was shooting left hand only. Stovepipe. I tightened my grip after that. The rest I was shooting 2 hand grip. It is a small gun. You think I might be bumping the slide stop somehow?

 

[Buzznrose]

It happens with both the 10 & 12 round magazine the pistol came with. The first malfunction I had was shooting last hand only. Stovepipe. I tightened my grip after that. The rest I was shooting 2 hand grip. It is a small gun. You think I might be bumping the slide stop somehow?

Happens a lot…check your grip, especially after a few shots and you likely adjusted it.

 

[TarDevil]

I read several forums/articles early in the Max 9 production about slide issues; IIRC, mostly with the slide going forward while inserting mags and a couple references to locking back prematurely.
After you eliminate the above suggestions, call Ruger.

 

[Tallball]

My hands are very large and I have caught myself barely grazing a slide stop or mag release on small pistols. It will causes an occasional malfunction. With me it's normally cured by being extremely careful about keeping my dominant thumb in the exact right spot and never moving it as I shoot. My smallest 9mm pistol requires extremely careful thumb placement if I don't want the mag disconnecting or the slide locking open.

 

[243winxb]

Spray all, mag & gun with WD40. Drain on paper towel, wipe dry. Shoot.

 

[Hartkopf]

I had this problem with a Glock 43. I installed a grip sleave and fixed the problem.

 

[Mike J]

I had this problem with a Glock 43. I installed a grip sleave and fixed the problem.

I have already been thinking about adding some tread tape to thicken up the grip.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I thought I might be limpwristing as I was shooting weak hand only...

I tightened my grip after that. The rest I was shooting 2 hand grip. It is a small gun. You think I might be bumping the slide stop somehow?

Limp wristing, if it was actually an issue with this platform, would not cause the slide to lock back pre-maturely...it would cause short stroking (reduced slide travel) and might result in a stove pipe jam.

Tightening your grip would be only make your issue more pronounced.

Try shooting with both your thumbs "flagged"...the first two sections not in contact with the frame of the gun...in the air off the gun

 

[Mike J]

Limp wristing, if it was actually an issue with this platform, would not cause the slide to lock back pre-maturely...it would cause short stroking (reduced slide travel) and might result in a stove pipe jam.

Tightening your grip would be only make your issue more pronounced.

Try shooting with both your thumbs "flagged"...the first two sections not in contact with the frame of the gun...in the air off the gun

The first malfunction I experienced when I was shooting with my weak hand was a stovepipe. Tightening my grip solved that. It was about 20 rounds later I started experiencing the slide lock engaging prematurely.

I don't understand how tightening my grip would cause the slide locking back prematurely to be worse. Are you saying it would make it more likely for me to have contact with the slide stop.

I am going to go back & try it again with my thumbs flagged.

 

[Styx]

Ruger has one of the worst quality control in the industry out of all the major players. It might have been your grip as in your finger is pushing the slide lock up, or, more likely in Ruger’s case, the issue could be with the magazine or gun itself. I'd shoot it again and GUARANTEE that it's not you hitting the slide lock before becoming yet another gun owner with first hand experience of Ruger's "great customer service."

As an aside, I have had issues with the slide not locking back at all on the last round a while back. It didn't even dawn on me at the time that I might have been the issue, and when someone else mentioned that it could have been my grip, I just knew for a fact that I wasn't hitting the slide stop. Sure enough the next time I went to the range and paid close attention, I didn't have an issue anymore. With that said, who knows if it's you or the gun when it comes to Ruger semiauto handguns.

 

[Mike J]

Ruger has one of the worst quality control in the industry out of all the major players. It might have been your grip as in your finger is pushing the slide lock up, or, more likely in Ruger’s case, the issue could be with the magazine or gun itself. I'd shoot it again and GUARANTEE that it's not you hitting the slide lock before becoming yet another gun owner with first hand experience of Ruger's "great customer service."

I have used their service once before for a minor finish issue. It was very fast. I am going to shoot it one more time. If it doesn't act right I will call them.

 

[Styx]

I have used their service once before for a minor finish issue. It was very fast. I am going to shoot it one more time. If it doesn't act right I will call them.

I only purchased 3 Ruger pistols in my entire life, and two of them had major issues out the box. Those are the only two firearms out of the over hundred I've owned in my lifetime that had to go back keeping in mind I've also owned several Tauruses. Others have had simular problems with their Ruger semiautos, but I agree they have best in class customer service. You should have your pistol back in about 2 to 3 weeks from the day you shipped it back.

I am going to go back & try it again with my thumbs flagged.

That's your best bet. If it's not your finger inadvertently pushing the magazine release upwards, there's an issue with the gun itself IMHO.

 

[Mike J]

I only purchased 3 Ruger pistols in my entire life, and two of them had major issues out the box. Those are the only two firearms out of the over hundred I've owned in my lifetime that had to go back keeping in mind I've also owned several Tauruses. Others have had simular problems with their Ruger semiautos, but I agree they have best in class customer service. You should have your pistol back in about 2 to 3 weeks from the day you shipped it back.

That's your best bet. If it's not your finger inadvertently pushing the magazine release upwards, there's an issue with the gun itself IMHO.

The sad truth is there is an issue with the slide locking back while rounds remain in the magazine with some of the Max 9's. I had forgotten seeing a thread about it at the rugerforum last December. I ran across the thread while doing a search today. They did make it right for that person. This is my fourth Ruger pistol. The only issue I have had in the past was rust under the grips on my SR 1911. I sent it in & had it back in a week.
I did have to use S&W's customer service once. The pistol came back with the same issue I sent it in with. I figured out a way to resolve it. I may buy another S&W one day but that annoyed me. I can get past having an issue as long as it gets resolved.

 

[Mike J]

Okay, first I want to thank all of you that participated in this thread. I thought about this last night & 9mm Epiphany is right I was bumping the slide lock.I had this malfunction two magazines in a row. Then I shot 4 magazines with no problem. I was using a 2 hand grip when I had the malfunctions two magazines in a row. I shot 1 handed & placed my thumb a little lower when I shot the last 4 magazines that did not malfunction. I asked a question about the gun or ammunition. I should not have ruled out the loose nut behind the trigger.

 

[Styx]

Okay, first I want to thank all of you that participated in this thread. I thought about this last night & 9mm Epiphany is right I was bumping the slide lock.I had this malfunction two magazines in a row. Then I shot 4 magazines with no problem. I was using a 2 hand grip when I had the malfunctions two magazines in a row. I shot 1 handed & placed my thumb a little lower when I shot the last 4 magazines that did not malfunction. I asked a question about the gun or ammunition. I should not have ruled out the loose nut behind the trigger.

Glad you figured it out lol. Like I said earlier, I've had the opposite problem, e.i., pushing the pushing the slide release down.