Max 9 back from Ruger...update after 10 months.

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Hello. Last summer, 2021 that is. I bought a Max 9. I took it to the range that summer on two occasions and cleaned it in between. Each magazine, of each trip had issues. Either the slide would lock open on a loaded magazine, or the slide would not lock open on an empty magazine. Sometimes the "sling shot method" of releasing the slide would work, and other times it wouldn't and I would have to use the slide lock button on the side of the gun. FYI: I'm pretty sure Ruger recommends the sling shot method for this pistol. Then the accuracy was just terrible. Which might have been me also, considering the issues involved.

Anyway, I called Ruger and talked with them at great lengths about the workings of this pistol. Finally they agreed for me to send it in. I started a thread last summer about this. Might have been last Fall.

Fast forward to today. I finally get this pistol back to the range. Ruger returned the gun very fast. They had it for less than a week. It was probably gone for only 9 days at most.

But I just finally got it to the range today. It was hot and humid, but I managed to put 50 rounds of ammo down range. How wonderful! Not a problem at all. Multiple magazines and no issues whatsoever.

I know Ruger replaced a spring, I'm not sure if they did any other work on it or not. They might have adjusted it somehow. But I'm very pleased with this little gun. On a cold barrel it shot exceptionally well and accurate. Then as everything heated up, the accuracy did go downhill a little. But still no issues with any magazine.

Sorry for the delayed follow up. But I'm happy to report my Max 9 is off to a great start, finally! As the weather starts to cool off, I'll take it back to the range more and see how it does after several hundred rounds.
 
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I still believe it is a very comfortable pistol. I really love the trigger. It's one continuous arc, very smooth. But the grip frame is large enough for me to be comfortable. I remember this was my first impressions of the gun last year. It's still the same. Great trigger and comfortable grip.
 
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They did. When I bought the Max 9 I debated between that and a Glock 19. I do now have both.

The Glock 19 is definitely bigger, but also very comfortable to hold with a nice trigger.

I guess I sort of like the mushy feel of a striker fired pistol's trigger. It's more of a squeeze than a pull, and there doesn't seem to be a defined "edge." Definitely no "glass rod" feel to them. :) But still you don't feel how heavy they are. Nothing like say a double action revolver, which can have quite a heavy trigger.
 
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I know it's a Ruger site but if I was only allowed one autoloader it would be a Glock 19. I've got a old beat up 17 that I bought used that might have belonged to a carpenter, or at least somebody that needed a hammer once and a while. A 36 single stack .45 that's basically my carry gun, either it
or depending on mood the LCP. Also have a nice 19 that my wife has sorta claimed. The 17 and 19 are the least finicky autoloaders I've ever had.
 

USCG721

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Rugers customer support is outstanding. I am quickly falling in love with my Max 9. You cannot beat all the features you get with a Max 9 right out of the box for the price.
 

Mike J

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I've never owned a Glock. I do have an inexpensive 3rd generation G-19 clone made by PSA. It will accept most Glock parts. I do know the locking block & the pins are different. I've been carrying a M&P 2.0 .40 Compact the past few years. I like striker fired pistols for carry guns. It took me a while to find what works for me & I may still change it up before it is over with.
 
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Rugers customer support is outstanding. I am quickly falling in love with my Max 9. You cannot beat all the features you get with a Max 9 right out of the box for the price.
Yes, you are right about the features, like cutout on the slide for a red dot.

I do like the larger capacity magazine. It has that little extra space for my pinky finger. Otherwise, it's much smaller than the Glock 19. About an inch in each direction. And thinner too. So for concealability (sp) it's better.

I'm not going to fully trust my Max 9 until I put several hundred or more rounds through it though. This is where the Glock beats the Max 9. I can fully trust the Glock 19 in less time. I'm not sure why, but I can.
 
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I had to send mine in a few months ago. Slide would lock open after each shot with rounds in magazine. Ruger sent me a label, and I had it back in 8 days. They replaced frame and other parts.

I have over 200 rounds thru it since getting it back with no issues. I still use it as my EDC without worries.
Yep, I believe you. They didn't replace the frame on mine though, just some internal parts.

If they did replace the frame, was it a new serial number?
 

noahmercy

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Glad to hear they got you sorted out. Thankfully, my MAX-9 was trouble-free from day one, and accuracy far exceeds my expectations. I have a Holosun red dot onboard, and at 7 yards, it puts five rounds of 124 grain +P Gold Dot handloads into one ragged hole. Even inexpensive Aguila range ammo does better than an inch at that distance.
 
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Took it to the range again and so, so nice. Only 5 or so magazines through the gun, but all just as smooth and accurate as anything.

By comparison, the Glock 19 I bought…something is wrong with it. It had a jam, which I though was weird.

Then, the next magazine 3 jams.

Then a good magazine,

Then a jam on the last round of the last magazine.

Hmmm….something's wrong.

BUT! The Max 9 is chugging right along.
 

Mike J

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Were you using the same magazine every time in the Glock or different magazines?
 
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I did get new sights put on the Glock. I took it apart when I got home to see if the front sight was rubbing on the barrel. There is the smallest of tolerance between the front sight screw and where the barrel would be.

I took it to a trusted gunsmith and waited while they put them on. He did a five shot test fire to make sure it functioned.

I don't think it's touching the barrel but do you think I should take a dremel and smooth down the screw head some? To give it more space?
 

Mike J

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Glock OEM mags should be good to go but I would have tried a different magazine just to see if that might be the issue.

I'm sorry I should have asked if it was an issue with feeding or ejecting first. If it is a feed issue it could be the magazine. If it were me I would take them apart & clean them, make sure everything is assembled properly. I would not put any kind of lubricant on them.

Magazine problems can cause feed issues.

I don't know whether that screw could cause an issue or not. If it were hitting or rubbing the barrel, it seems like there would be a ding mark or scratch on the barrel

I was just trying to think of something easy to check. The 19 is a mature platform I'm sure you will be able to get it taken care of.

I know how aggravating it can be. A S&W .380 EZ I bought my wife had issues & sending it back to S&W didn't help. I finally just replaced the stock magazine springs with stronger springs & it runs good. The magazines aren't EZ to load anymore though. Not all of the .380's had the issue but it was a known issue. S&W changed their magazine design before they did the 9mm EZ so there weren't problems with them.
 
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Kevin, DON'T do anything to the front sight screw UNLESS you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is causing a problem. I've worked on a lot of Glocks, and replaced a lot of Glock sights and I've never had any problems with either the front or rear sights (of any mfg).

Since the problem is only with one magazine, compare it to other Glock mags (around the top/feed lips) to see if you see any differences, and they can be small but still cause problems.
 

hittman

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I would argue that Glock service is every bit as good as Ruger's. But …. They don't seem to be as "needed" as Ruger's. I only know of 2 or 3 people who have had to send a gun back to Glock. All had stellar results.

One friend double charged a reload 45ACP and blew his apart. Glock replaced everything but the slide and barrel, function tested it and returned it with a new magazine too …. All for $120.00.
 
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