SR9c Range report

[griff383]

Got a new SR9c the other day and got it to the range this morning. Brought with some heavy 147 gr FMJ factory loads along with some handloaded 124 gr FMJ with different powders.

At 7 yards this thing is very accurate, first ten rounds were in a 3 - 3.5 inch group just high of the bullseye. The trigger on that is amazing, very clean and crisp and the reset is perfect. A friend had a glock with him and even he was amazed at how well the ruger shot comapred to his glock. Did some quick double taps and all were in the 8 inch target no more than 4 inches apart.

I do however need to adjust my handloads, the 4.4gr of titegroup worked well but the 4.0gr of bullseye werent so good. I had a few stovepipes and the slide wouldnt lock on an empty mag everytime. But easy fix with a shorter OAL (current is 1.125) or MORE POWER!! just kidding, the shorter OAL should fix it fine.

Now, the cons, though not many, are there. I am not a fan of the slide lock, I like a slide release much better, its not a big deal to me but would definitly make the pistol that much better. The safety is another thing too, not a fan on those for a CCW but again doesnt get in my way so not a big deal. And whoever thought of that "loaded indicator" on the top of the slide was on something, just one more thing to snag.

Hopefully my .02 are helpful to those on the fence or are curious about this particular weapon.

 

[harmon rabb]

I heard bad things about the SR9c trigger. Good to hear they may not be true.

 

[Tilos]

Great report, thanks.
Any pinching with the mag with the grip extention?

Oh, you can thank the Ca. and Ma. bureaucrats for that "loaded indicator"...AND the manual safety.

Some Mfg. (Kahr) have seperate "Ca/Ma" approved models that cost more.

 

[Kingofthehill]

I love and i mean LOVE the SR9c Trigger. Its probably the BEST part of the gun. Its a great all arounder but i agree that the Loaded chamber indicator is just ridiculous!... i assume they did that to stay in compliance with some states requirements for being legal for sale in those states. My neighbor removed quite a bit of material on his LCI so it does still do what is intended but it only sticks up 1/4 of the original height. very cool mod i think

I have an earlier SR9 and the trigger on that is nothing like the new SR9c unfortunately... i also really REALLY like the adjustable rear sight!... its so low profile and adjustable. very sleek how they did that.

 

[stickhauler]

Ruger redesigned the trigger for the SR-9 C, that was touted as a selling feature for it. And according to a guy from Ruger that Tom Gresham had on several weeks ago, that trigger will be used on the SR-9's made these days as well.

I questioned the loaded chamber indicator as well, but it's such a sweet shooter I kind of overlook that design flaw.

 

[griff383]

As well as that shoots I can easily overlook the design flaw that is the loaded chamber indicator. My usual CCW is a 239 in .40 and I am seriously considering getting rid of it because I dont think Ill carry it anymore now that I have a SR9c.

Tilos, I didnt experience any pinching at all with the mag extentsion. Next time Im at the range Ill play with it some more to see if I can get it to do so and report if it does. Hope that helps.

 

[harmon rabb]

What's the complaint about the loaded chamber indicator? Is it ridiculously huge or something?

 

[shockwave]

I heard bad things about the SR9c trigger.

That's really weird. The one thing about the SR9c that seems uniformly consistent is that it has an outstanding trigger. The SR9 has critical comments about the trigger , but not the SR9c. Since I'm researching this gun for a CCW, I've read as many reviews as I can find and not one person has said anything negative about the trigger.

 

[harmon rabb]

I must have got it confused with the SR9.

Sorry for my stupidity. Nothing to see here. Move along, folks.

 

[griff383]

The loaded chamber indicator is pretty big and sticks out enough to be very noticable but not so much that it gets in the way, at least so far.

 

[Runningman]

So far I like my SR9c a bunch. Only have about 200 rounds thru it so far. I seem to shoot it surprisingly well for a 3 1/2" barrel. Like the well done adjustable sights. Wished my Glocks and M&P had adjustable sights like the SR9c. Nice to be able to easily adjust POI for different loads. The trigger in mine measured 4 LB 9 OZ - 4 LB 12 OZ right out of the box.

I would have preferred not to have that really ugly loaded chamber indicator and have removed the magazine disconnect on mine.

There have been a few reports of light primer strikes with the SR9c. So far mine is good but will test more before I start carrying it. Hopefully its just a early production glitch.

 

[mesinge2]

Great Review.

One question: Is the loaded indicator larger than the XD version?

 

[griff383]

Much larger, I used to have an XD 40 and that was perfect because it was so small and less obtrusive. Its not that big of a deal, just one of the things I would change if I could.

 

[Tilos]

grif383:
Thanks for the answer about the grip.

"The loaded chamber indicator is pretty big and sticks out enough to be very noticable but not so much that it gets in the way, at least so far."

Is this thing visable in the sight picture??
I could understand seeing it if you tip the barrel up but would be very distracting if it were visable when aligning the sights.

 

[ohwell]

No it sets just under the sight picture. It may look high from the side but I dont notice it at all when shooting.

 

[stickhauler]

I did change out the sights for the XS night sights, I like them better than the stock sighting system. It has become my choice for a carry gun, over a Glock 22 and an XD-9. Using the stock magazines, it's an easily concealed pistol, and it's light to carry. And it's accurate as all get out as long as I do my part.

 

[griff383]

Stickhauler, your right about the accuracy. I went to the range this morning to try some reloads, first shot I threaded the bullseye at 7 yards. Then just to make sure it wasnt a fluke I shot at a circle on the paper the size of a silver dollar and all three were in the circle with two of the holes touching. I cant say enough good things about this pistol, a friend was interested in my 239 .40 since I prob wont carry it anymore and now he wants to shoot the SR9c to make sure he doesnt want one because of all the praise I give it.

Now to report on the reloads. I tried a shorter OAL, went from 1.125 down to 1.115 with the same 4.0 gr of Bullseye, because the slide wouldnt lock to the rear on the last shot as well as one stove pipe. Today was sort of the same, I would load three rounds and about half the time it would lock to the rear. I had one failure to feed, the loaded round stove piped, but a quick pull on the slide and the round slid forward into the chamber. So now I think the remedy is to increase the charge by 0.2 gr and change the OAL back to 1.125. Ill keep everyone informed as I am going to stay on top of this until I get it right.

 

[ohwell]

I use 4.4 grains of titegroup with 124 grain xtp's with an OAL of 1.1 very accurate and never a problem feeding or extracting. 4.4 is a max load though. I have also shot WWB 115's, Remington umc 115 jhp's, Hornady C.D. and Winchester 147 pdx1's all without a hiccup.

 

[Tilos]

For me, brushing my trigger finger over the extractor to check for it being flush is enough "loaded indicator" for me.
I guess that won't work for a left handed shooter though.

griff383: more powder

 

[griff383]

Tilos, thanks for the reassurance, nice to know Im not the only one thinking that.

I just loaded 4.2gr and 4.5gr with OAL's of 1.125 and 1.115 for both charges. Hoping to get to the range tommorow and see if one of these four recipes works.

 

[griff383]

Update

So I finally got to the range today and got to shoot a little variety pack. Overall results were really good with some pleseant results.

All charges and OAL's cycled and fed fine along with fixing the problem I had earlier with the slide not locking back on the last shot. Every last shot locked the slide back as its supposed to so the main problem I had earlier is now solved.

Accuracy was pretty good, but one specific recipe gave some not so great results. The 4.5 gr @1.115 OAL was the least accurate, rounds were kind of all over the place in 4" groups with most being about 3" - 4" above point of aim. The two that were the most accurate were the ones with an OAL of 1.125, they had groups of about 2". All shooting was done at 7 yards and all shots were in a six inch circle. One mag, 3 shots, freehand and one mag, 3 shots, was done while rested on stable surface with no bean bags.

Recap:

-Accuracy was best when OAL was 1.125
-4.2 and 4.5 grains of Bullseye will function properly with slight difference in recoil between the two loads but both very managable
-I only used one bullet for testing, Berry's 124 gr RN DS

 

[atomd]

I noticed you're using Berrys bullets and not the FMJ that you were using in your original post. Generally most people load plated bullets like Berrys to somewhere between cast bullet loads and fmj loads. At 4.5 grains of bullseye behind it you're a tad over the max load that Alliant publishes for a 124 grain gold dot JHP bullet which would mean you're probably running a bit hot for a plated bullet. It's not so hot that it's alarming or anything but it seems odd you can't get it running with a lighter load than that.

 

[griff383]

Sorry if I misinformed anyone but I have been using the same Berrys bullet (124 gr RN DS) since the begining. The 4.0 grains was a start load that shot fine but would not lock the slide to the rear on the last shot consistently. The 4.2 grains was a 5% bump and the 4.5 grains was the max load recomended by numerous resources therefore I felt the need to load both charges for MY testing purposes.

Thank you though for pointing out that the 4.5 grain charge is the MAX load recomended. We dont want anyone getting hurt by misinterpreting information.

 

[Quoheleth]

Concur: the SR9c is one sweet shooting pistol. It fits the hand nicely, especially with the pinkey extension, and soaks up recoil. Trigger is smooth. Accuracy is excellent.

I shoot mine with MBC's Smallball (125gr LRN) over 5.0gr AA#5 seated to 1.07 OAL (I make all 9mms that short to run in my CZ. This way I don't have to worry which box of 9mm I pick up - they'll fit either gun). Spooky accurate.

I need to pick up a holster for this little gem and get it in my rotation.

Q

 

[atomd]

griff, I wasn't trying to nitpick your loads or anything...I was just making a note. Maybe it will take a bit of a lighter load once you get some more rounds through it. Let us know how it works out for you. I think those guns are underrated. A local shop here sells tons and tons of them and they have very little complaints.