There are obviously people who have used & do use the various generations of Ruger centerfire pistols in some form of competition over the years.
Nobody says they don't function.
Nobody says they're a bad product.
In the case of the SR9 family, it was very truly a major step forward in Ruger pistol evolution, but there were developmental issues in birthing it, and it is not what I'd call a stellar pistol.
I had an early one here.
My longtime gunsmith thought it was nothing special. Perfectly serviceable, but nothing great.
I sent that one back east to a well-known custom shop to have it "maximized".
It was returned after evaluation, the response was essentially "Nothing we can really do to it, not worth the effort."
Last year I approached another well-known custom shop down in Az, thinking by now maybe processes, mods, aftermarket accessories, and super-tune-ups might have developed to the point where it was worth pursuing again.
Their answer was basically "We can make it look fancier, but that's about all we'd do." As in cosmetics & maybe a light internal buff.
None of which is saying the SR9 is a bad design.
It's affordable, it functions well, it's dependable, and it's backed up very well by Ruger's customer service.
To use the Prius illustration again, the Prius is a product that does its job.
It's inexpensive, it runs fine, it gets people around.
But- there's a reason you don't see custom hotrod shops adding turbo-chargers, beefing up suspensions, installing other performance parts & systems, and throwing $4000 worth of rubber on 'em.
High performance parts are not available, those are not available because the Prius is not & never will be either a street rod or a track racer.
You CAN get a super-snazzy paint job on one, and you CAN put different rubber on it, but inside it'll never be a competition car.
The SR9 family is a gun-world parallel.
Can it compete?
Sure.
Can it win? Depends on the venue & skill of the guy or gal shooting it.
Will it hold up for 50,000 rounds on a competition circuit?
Questionable.
Will it ever be adopted by the top tier competitors?
No.
Does that mean you shouldn't buy one?
No.
Are there better choices for competition?
Yes.
Can you still have fun at competition events with a Ruger SR9?
Sure.
Can the SR9 compete with other brands in a production class event?
Of course. Anything can compete with anything else.
Do we know why Ruger centerfire pistols are not widely seen in matches?
Pretty much.
Should we avoid the SR9 family?
Hell, no.
Will we see the new American showing up more often as time goes by?
We will.
Denis