Thoughts on the SR-9 Magazines

[Ruger_rules]

Hi All,

Just got my SR-9 with the 331-x serial number and D-shaped mag release and saw the posts re hard handloading of the magazines.

Now I'm a pretty big guy, but I can't believe how hard it was to load even a couple of cartridges by hand into the magazine. My first thought was I might accidentally and forcibly jam a cartridge primer into one of the magazine corners and POOF, there goes something. Anybody think that's possible? The second thought was, WOW, how can anybody under stress (combat, time,...) be expected to load one of these by hand. One can't always have a magazine loader handy. Loading my out of the box KP-89 or Colt Commander magazines was a breeze compared to these. Finally, I noticed the magazine says "Made in Italy." Well, there goes Ruger's claim of "Made in the USA." :-( I would have thought there would be enough US mag manufacturers that Ruger could have gone to.

Cheers. Waiting for an un-rainy day to make it to the range.

 

[Al James]

The magazines are made by Mecgar of Italy and they are top notch as far as quality goes. They have been making mags for Ruger for years across many different models. They supply many other gun companies with their OEM mags as well. They will loosen up with use and practice loading them. Many have reported them as difficult to load when new so your not alone. If you were able to set off a round while loading it into the mag you have bigger problems than stiff mags. I doubt that will happen. Good luck!

 

[crispy]

Two words...

UpLula...

Okay maybe that's one word. Or one made up word...

 

[WAYNO]

Three words...

There was some discussion here, regarding SR9 mags and how stiff the spring is. I've got pretty strong hands, but when my SR9 was new, I absolutely had to use the mag loader. Folks here told me the spring would quickly soften up. They were right. I no longer need or use the loader.

WAYNO.

 

[crispy]

I've got some of the old shiny mags that are still screwy. I don't think its just a tight spring. There's a noticeable hitch with I get to the fifth or sixth round. Without the loader, I wouldn't get past that.

 

[alphaSR9]

+1 on the UpLula but mine also came with a loader in the box.

 

[Grendel]

I've never had a problem loading any of my SR9 mags to full (17 round) capacity by hand, and I have four, including one of the first generation mags before the redesign. I've only ever used the reloading thingie once, and that was because I'd never used one before and was curious. It's actually easier for me to load with my fingers.

-JT

 

[Gunsby_Blazen]

after loading them and shooting them for a while the springs got easier
i lost my loader that came with it and just use my thumb now...

the only thing that comes to mind when i hear SR9 mags is: EXPENSIVE!
that is my only complaint

(and one of mine does not keep the slide locked back on the last shot....)

 

[distortion]

The springs are definitely stiff when they first come out of the box. I was only able to get 14 or 15 rounds into them by hand before I had to use the loader. Over time however, the springs have loosened up some, and I can load completely by hand now, and it's not very difficult at all. I'd rather have a hard spring in the beginning, than one that wears out too quickly.

 

[steveodtw]

+1 UpLULA. You'll thank us.

 

[Simms65]

I use my Uplula as well. Great product!

 

[jhearne]

There's a special technique for loading the mags of the SR9 to full capacity using the supplied factory loader.

Works best when you get past 5 rounds**

Load as you normally would with any loader, press down, insert round, slide up loader tool, fully seat round in mag....repeat. BUT when you press down, push down the tip of the top bullet in time with the loading tool. I found this technique to work well with the supplied loading tool and the UpLula loader Ruger sent to me and a few others who complained about the mags.

Doubt Ruger is giving these away anymore though, they've modified the Mag design to incorporate a rectangular catch window rather the "U" shaped one on my 2 factory mags. The U would catch the bullet noses and would shave metal off the jacket. When it would catch it would apply more force against the loading procedure making it more difficult. Pushing the top round down in time with the tool made things easier.

The UpLula is different, but I find it easier to load (after I got used to it) the mags with the factory tool.

Josh

 

[NixieTube]

Now that I've had a little practice, I get 10 rounds into my MA-retarded SR9 magazines in about 45 seconds by hand, maybe a little longer if I'm not watching closely.

Not exactly apples-apples but it probably isn't a difference in spring pressure. Can't imagine Ruger would make the spring force less stout. There may be a little less friction (10 vs 17) though when I get close to full than people with actual non-retarded magazines deal with.

When the mags. were new, they were a little stiffer. Like the slide rack, I was a bit surprised at the effort. But a big part of it is technique and practice, and applying force at the right time to get the bullet in there and sliding inside the feed lips.

Again, like the slide-rack on the SR9, sometimes the slower you try to go, the worse it is. You want to push down and slide the bullet back with a quick, even, deliberate motion.

It does take a little practice, though, and at first it seems more difficult than it really is. You might lose a little skin at first. Like so many other things in life, it's not precisely "second nature" it takes a little practice and concentration to do well.

My mag. catch windows are rectangular. I use the Ruger tool about 50/50 when I'm not feeling like paying much attention. Now I realize, people will say: "Well, what happens if you're trapped in the combat zone and you forgot your Ruger loader?" At that point I would hope you have spare ammo., too, in a box you can open up and sit there with for a while but I digress: it gets easier by hand with a little practice.

With the Ruger tool, which is nice and simple and I like using (and was free), I load the 10-rounder in about 25-30 seconds versus 45-50 or so by hand. Again, not really rushing just moving along at a good pace. The UpLula guys can be real fast, in their videos they do about a round every 1.5 seconds but those are trained operators under controlled conditions.

 

[NixieTube]

Quick update: I neglected to mention something. On both of my magazines, I find that Round #3 & 4 are the most difficult when using the loader. It's probably because the bullets are starting to stack side to side at that point, and the loader pushes on the case about 60% down from the tip of the bullet, which can cause it to skew slightly and make loading the next round a little harder. After that everything is very uniform up until Round #10.

Oddly enough, when I handload the magazines I don't have the same (or as much) difficulty with those two bullets. It's because I'm pushing in a different place with my fingers.

Just to test myself I did it again, trying to *really* hurry it up this time. So I set the clock and laid the bullets out on the table about 1" apart and raced myself...ready...set...GO:

I handloaded 10 rounds into my 10 rounder in 32 seconds (!)
I used the Ruger tool and did it in 20 seconds (!)

If I was really "in the Zone" and pushing hard I could probably get the 20 seconds down to 15-18 or 1.5 to 1.8 seconds per round. This is all just taking the bullets off the desk in front of me and using both hands, no tricks.

I'll have to make a video of this now that I proved it to myself.

The UpLula may be a little nicer to use. It's also more versatile. But basically, the free Ruger tool is PDG and handloading after some practice isn't bad either, particularly when you know what to look for. Expect a little extra hiccup on round 3 and 4 using the loading tool in my experience.

PS - Absolutely no skin lost in either test. Bare hands, no gloves, and I have medium-sized hands and relatively stubby thumbs, not cookie monster sized paws with profoundly double-jointed thumbs like Hickock45. Practice.

 

[Anonymous]

ANYBODY WHO HASN'T ALREADY BOUGHT THE uPlULA i HAVE A SUGGESTION- sorry, didn't know capslock was on. HKS makes a loader-assist, can get it for $10. It just says "Fits most 9mm.." and it fits fine. I have a Baby UpLula for a 22 and I actually prefer the HKS, and it's about $20 cheaper. In fact, if anybody wants a Baby UpLula let me know. Might get a bargain- I bought it for a Taurus PT22 and the first 5 rounds- FF 3 rounds- on the 7th shot the slide blew off on to the floor. So I will have no PT22 shortly, and won't need the Baby.

 

[Nevada]

My P345 mags were out of spec when I bought the gun new. They are Ruger mags, not mecgar. Even with the mag loader I had to stand on the mag to get it to move past 5 -6 rounds. Ruger replaced them and loading eight by hand is easy now. The last couple of rounds in my CZ97 mags is tough, but doable. They are mecgar ten rounders. My 15 round 9mm mags are all pretty easy regardless of make. Some 32 acp mags will make a person lose religion. Wilson mags are like butter. They don't need all the force the Rugers do, up or down. Must be engineered better.

 

[Bapple]

I like my SR9 mags and the springs have been considerably easier to load with the 14th round and up. My 90 two mags are "17" rounders but that's crap because the springs are way to stiff after 15.

But, my mags that came with my 90 two are much easier on the hands when reloading. The front portion of the mag where the follower sits when empty is completely open (probably because it's also designed to hold .40 S&W ammo). The SR9 mags have a small tab in front of the open space in the mag. All this tab does is get in the way and I've actually considered using my Dremel to remove it because it seems completely unnecessary.

If you look at the opening of the mag in front of the follower, you can see a large gap there. This makes loading much easier because you can just push and slide them back, rather than having to dodge a tab.

Look on the front portion of this magazine and you can see that tab.

Does anyone think cutting that tab off will affect the functioning of the pistol? I made sure mine had no wear on it from rounds sliding by and it seems to be spotless. It really seems as if the tab would get in the way of the feed ramp.

Comments?

 

[crispy]

My P345 mags were out of spec when I bought the gun new. They are Ruger mags, not mecgar. Even with the mag loader I had to stand on the mag to get it to move past 5 -6 rounds. Ruger replaced them and loading eight by hand is easy now. The last couple of rounds in my CZ97 mags is tough, but doable. They are mecgar ten rounders. My 15 round 9mm mags are all pretty easy regardless of make. Some 32 acp mags will make a person lose religion. Wilson mags are like butter. They don't need all the force the Rugers do, up or down. Must be engineered better.

WHAT is causing that hang-up at the 5/6 round mark? Is it the spring? Doubtful. Is that the location where they've got to go side by side?

I have a couple new, but older, SR9 mags that do this and it bothers me. I called Ruger and they will take a look at them if I send them in.

 

[kjk200]

ANYBODY WHO HASN'T ALREADY BOUGHT THE uPlULA i HAVE A SUGGESTION- sorry, didn't know capslock was on. HKS makes a loader-assist, can get it for $10. It just says "Fits most 9mm.." and it fits fine. I have a Baby UpLula for a 22 and I actually prefer the HKS, and it's about $20 cheaper. In fact, if anybody wants a Baby UpLula let me know. Might get a bargain- I bought it for a Taurus PT22 and the first 5 rounds- FF 3 rounds- on the 7th shot the slide blew off on to the floor. So I will have no PT22 shortly, and won't need the Baby.

Which model would it be? I can't find one that says SR9, and I know that some or the Universal 9mm Loaders are too small for the SR9 Mag.

 

[pevadijk]

I've loaded the mags to full capacity and let them full for 2 days and after that the springs where not as stiff anymore and very usable.