Ruger SR9 vs. S&W Sigma 9

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rugerman07

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I'm looking to purchase a new 9mm pistol. I've narrowed my choices down to the Ruger SR9 or the S&W Sigma 9mm. I have a couple of questions about these pistols.

1.) Are both of these pistols "striker fired"? What is a striker fired pistol?

2.) can both of these pistols be safely carried holstered, safety on and a round in the chamber?
 
:eek: Even better, buy a Glock. Even a used Glock will be better than either one of those. Or atleast upgrade to the S&W M&P. You will be MUCH happier!

Chris
 
Nothing wrong with a sigma. Trigger pulls arent the best, but thats about it. People dont like them becuase they dont cost more than $400.

The ruger has some issues its trying to work out right now.
 
I love my Sigma. But it has no manual safety. So yes it's perfectly safe to carry it with a round chambered in a holster that protects the trigger. The heavy and long trigger pull also helps reduce the risk that you will fire it unintentionally. You have to really want to pull the trigger on a Sigma.
 
Sigma and Taurus 24/7 have the worst trigger pull of any handgun on the market.

used 9mm Sigs are available for $300, all over the place. imo, this would be a much better choice, considering the SR9 recall and a limited budget.
 
These Sigs are European Police trade-ins that are not made any more and tough to find parts for, but still decent pistols. My Sigma was $200. less than my Glock 17. Both have been 100% reliable and the Sigma feels better than the Glock. The Sigma will serve you well if you don't mind a heavy trigger.
 
The SR9 is no go. They've been recalled and Ruger isn't, to my knowledge, shipping improved guns yet. The Sigmas a were a screamin' deal back when the rebate was $50 and two extra mags. Now, it's $30 or two extra mags. They're still a good buy, but not what they once were.

I do have to agree with previous comments as well. The huge numbers of SIG P6s that are on the market for the same price as the Sigma are a far better buy. The market has also been saturated with police trade in Glocks in the past few months. Used 2nd Generation Glock Model 22 pistols are retailing in the mid $300s. Refurb 3rd Gen Model 22s are going for right around $400.

I'm a die hard S&W fan, but, comparatively, the Sigma isn't the great buy it was now that the above mentioned Glocks & SIGs are readily available at those prices.

These Sigs are European Police trade-ins that are not made any more and tough to find parts for
Click to expand...
Promag has already announced that they'll be offering new mags for the P6. Several P228/P229 parts, such as sights & mainsprings as two examples, are interchangeable with the P6 (P225). I'm sure the importers and parts houses are also working to secure stocks of spares from the German police whom these guns came from. Parts availability certainly won't be what it is with a Glock or current production SIG, but I wouldn't be terribly worried about it.
 
Rugerman:

I flat out suck at descriptive technical writing, but the simplest way to describe a striker fired pistol to a hammer/firing pin fired pistol is to compare a Mauser 98 to a Winchester 94.

When you pull the trigger on a Winchester 94 (or other traditional, exposed hammer levergun), the trigger releases the sear which drops the hammer which strikes the firing pin and drives it forward against spring resistance. Then the firing pin hits the primer and all kinds of magic takes place!

When you pull the trigger on a Mauser 98, the sear releases the spring tension holding the striker back, and the striker is driven forward by the spring. The striker hits the primer and all kinds of magic takes place!

Given not only the current Ruger issues with the SR9, but my general policy on new guns, I would choose the Sigma over the SR9 at this time. (First generation weapons are frequently plagued with issues the engineers and designers didn't encounter. Quite frequently, the second and later generations of such a gun can be absolutely frickin' stellar.

I am a "visionary conservative," or maybe a conservative visionary. All kinds of cool new stuff catches my eye . . . and generally I like to wait for a while and let them work all the bugs out (or, if they can't work the bugs out, quietly disappear from the market).

The Glock has proven itself a reliable and effective design, and so has the Sigma. It's kind of shocking to realize that the Sigma has been on the market for 14 years now. It does have a heavy trigger pull, but mine have always gone bang and put bullets where I was pointing them with boring regularity.

Given the plethora of other 9mms in the price range of the Sigma and SR9, my humble suggestion would be to consider other contenders.

Best of luck,
 
for me the sr9 is still to new! and they just had a recall not to long ago, and i have never been a fan of the sigmas, but if i had to choose between the 2 today then i would take the sigma because they have been around for a long tim and they do work. however if the bugs were worked out of the sr9 then i would take it.

i do know from experience that ruger is a great company with a great cs dept and they will take care of you.
 
SR9

I've had absolutely no problems with my SR9. The safety issue is for carrying it with a shell in the chamber... it discharges if dropped with the safety off.
I've run about 500 rounds through mine without a single misfire or stovepipe... so they are reliable... they just have a design flaw that is being fixed, and can still be fired "on the line" at the range. You just need to be careful... but when do you not when dealing with guns?

The pistol's reliable, feels good in your hand, and shoots every time... I don't know what else you want. I'm waiting in line with the other people to get my new trigger group, but I still think the pistol's a keeper. It sure gets the job done "downrange".

WT
 
I picked up a used Sigma 40 cal “V” for $250 from a local gun dealer. It would shot 6” low at 15 yd. and then the firing pin broke. I sent it back to S&W they replaced the complete barrel and slide assembly free of charge with the latest “VE” model, and after that it just kind of shot all over the place:confused:. I sold it to a dealer at a gun show for $200 and was happy to get it. 30 minutes later I was buying a Glock 26 from another local gun dealer. I carry the Glock every day as a CCW. Sigmas are cheap Glock knock offs. Glock even sewed S&W over the Sigma and won. I’m a huge fan of Glocks and Rugers. Even with the new model bugs I would give the SR9 a try before I would think of getting another Sigma, or if you really like the Sigma get a Glock factory parts are easy to come by(not that you will need them), and you could build 100 Glocks just from after market parts that are available and have no 2 guns alike. Another idea would be the Springfield XD. Just my “horror story” and .02 worth.
 
Given not only the current Ruger issues with the SR9, but my general policy on new guns, I would choose the Sigma over the SR9 at this time.
Click to expand...

Thats a fair statement, with the key phrase being "at this time", which implies that once the bugs are worked out, the SR9 is probably going to be a darn good pistol. They still get pretty good reviews, and the recall issue isn't quite as bad as it's made out to be, although it is an issue. I tend to agree with Kilted Cossack when he says that the second generations of guns can be excellent, and I think that will be the case with the Ruger.

This attitude is somewhat applicable to the Sigma. The first models were somewhat well recieved, but so functionally close to a Glock that S&W had to redesign the gun (in fact, they were often called "Swocks"). The redesign was not well recieved at all, and fairly so. Now we are on the third generation, and I think they are pretty good guns. I personally wouldn't choose one given that there are other guns that I happen to like better that are around the same price (provided I buy used, which I am willing to do), but I wouldn't tell someone not to buy one either. If your not willing to buy a used gun and you don't have a big budget, the Sigma would be on my short list of guns to recommend.
 
Avoid the SR9, DA only pistols...

For now, I would not buy a Ruger SR9 pistol. They have a recall, www.ruger.com . Also, striker fired pistols maybe popular with some shooters but I'd get a well made hammer fired DA only pistol like the new SIG P-250 9mm or the HK P-30/P-2000 LEM line. The SIG P-229/226R series DAK models are good too, ;). These pistols are not cheap but would be far better than a SR9.

A lower cost 9mmNATO pistol with a plastic frame and a lot of good features is the new Taurus 809B. The semi auto is SA/DA but holds 17 rounds.

Rusty S
www.gunsamerica.com
 
Again, I would reiterate... the problem with the SR-9's is a design problem that is currently being fixed. The guns shoot like they were part of your hand. Don't carry the gun with one in the pipe, and you should be fine until the repair parts are installed. They aren't blowing up, they are discharging if dropped with the safety off and one in the chamber. I wonder how many other guns would do the same thing?

WT

PS... checked the Ruger site today, and they are shipping boxes to the owners who listed their guns on a first come first served notice as you registered your "problem" gun with them. They are ramping up their production line to fix 1000 of them a week until they are done... plus, they're giving you a $35 magazine for your trouble.
 
The Sigmas are a good gun, the trigger pull is about 50 pounds though. They are light, have good ergonomics and handle well.

I'd have to second getting a Glock. Trouble free, huge aftermarket, easy to learn (pull the trigger to fire) and have a good resale value.
 
Ruger SR9 has fixed most of their recalls now -peening on the barrel end and the trigger, i have 700 rounds thru my SR9 i bought it in july 2009 not a single misfire nor any signs of peening.

I dont like the sigma its an imitation of the kel-tec .

Ruger has higher resale value then the sigma and close resale value to the glock.
 
It's not even close. The SR9 has a level of smoothness and refinement that the Sigma can't touch. Sigma's a great gun, but just not on the same level. The SR9 is comparable in fit/finish/function to Glocks, XD, M&P, etc... but priced much lower.
 
Again, just reiterating what everyone else said, given the SR9's problems, I'd go with either a SIG P6 (which most owners of them immediately come to love) or a Sigma. Make sure you get a SW9VE (or SW40VE), and not one with a "V" or "F" after the caliber. If you want to pay a couple hundred dollars more for a used Glock with a crappier feel to it, then my all means, go ahead.
 
I dont like the sigma its an imitation of the kel-tec
Click to expand...

its common knowledge S&W were sued by Glock becasue of similiarity to their guns, this is the first I've heard anyone claim that the Sigma was a rip off of the Kel-tec design. Rugar may have ripped off Kel-tec with their LCP, but theres very little similiar between a Kel tec and a Sigma.....
 
Given that choice, I would definitely choose the Sigma over the Ruger.
As some others have already stated, the Ruger is just too new and has a few issues that need to be resolved.
The Sigma has been around long enough for S&W to get it right.
And they picked a great gun to copy....the Glock.


Good luck and happy shooting,
Easy
 
I don't know about the sr9 but I am always amazed when anyone says the Sigma is any good. I got one late last year and it jammed 20% of the time. I returned it to Smith and it came back doing the same thing. I have found that if I load 15 rounds it will normally malfunction in the bottom five. So I load 15 and shoot 10, that way I got through shooting a whole box without jams. I intend to get a Glock later this year, and will not buy any kind of Smith again.
 
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