Ruger Max 9- Online Deal- Trying to Decide-Update First Range Trip=Ammo Issue?

[Mike J]

Okay so I got an E-mail from Palmetto State Armory for their Memorial Day Sale. They have the Ruger Max 9 on sale. You can buy it by itself for $299.99 or get it with a Ruger range bag for $279.99. I've been wanting one of the double stack micro 9mm's for a while. I am really close to this pushing me into buying. I need to consult with my financial advisor (wife). Any opinions on buy or no buy?

Before I forget here is the link. You have to scroll to the bottom for the range bag deal. https://palmettostatearmory.com/ruger-max-9-9mm-pistol-12rd-3-black-3500.html

 

[noahmercy]

I really like mine. Decent trigger, way more accurate than it has any right to be, easy to slap a Holosun MRDS on, and more comfortable to shoot than many other sub-compacts.

 

[Mike J]

I broke. It has been ordered.

 

[Armybrat]

I got one from Grabagun earlier this year for the same price.
Haven't shot it yet, but it seems ok. The slide does have that oft-reported rattle.
If they offer one with a stainless steel slide I'll probably get one of those too if it is priced accordingly.

 

[Mike J]

Okay so PSA was on their game. The range bag was delivered last weekend. I didn't get it until Monday evening because I was out of town. Went to Perdido Key to see my sister. I wouldn't have paid for the bag itself but it is kind of neat. Pretty much a miniature range bag with the red Ruger logo on top.
The pistol was delivered Wednesday. I picked it up from my FFL on Thursday. Cleaned & lubricated, played with it, read the manual, etc.
I got out to shoot it today. I went over to my sister-in-laws & shot it. I put about 140 rounds through it. I shot 50 rounds blazer brass, 50 rounds of Remington UMC, 5 rounds of old Gold Dots I had laying around, 22 rounds of Hornady XTP's & a couple of magazines of Monarch Steel Case just to see if it would eat it. After about 30 rounds I had a stovepipe. I was shooting weak handed then so I attributed it to limp wristing. About another 20 rounds later the slide locked back while there were still rounds in the magazine. I finished shooting that magazine & about 20 rounds later it happened again. When I initially cleaned & lubed I went a little lighter than I usually do because the manual said to lightly lubricate. I didn't have my usual stuff I take with me because I was thinking only taking one gun I didn't need all that stuff/weight. So I pulled the dipstick out of my truck & dripped some oil into the slide to lubricate the rails. It ran fine after that. I came home removed the magazine & racked the slide 200 times by hand & then cleaned it. I am going to try to get out & shoot it again before I start carrying it. I think it is fine but I want to make sure.
I want to do some more dry training on drawing & disengaging the safety before I start carrying it anyway. I have been carrying behind my hip & I plan on carrying this AIWB. It has been a while since I carried a gun that has an external safety. The safety is pretty positive & I doubt it would accidentally get knocked on but I believe if a gun is equipped with a safety one should train to take it off as they draw. Even if I do leave the safety off there is no guarantee it will still be off when I pull it out of the holster.

 

[Mike J]

I just wanted to add that overall I do like it & believe it will make a good carry piece I just want to give it a little more break in. I like the size & capacity. It is very easy to conceal & is easier to shoot than the little CM9 that I already have.

If you have read through both of these long winded posts thank you for your patience.

 

[Mike J]

Shot it again tonight. 66 rounds of Federal Champion. The last 3 magazines of the Federal Champion the slide locked back with rounds still in the magazine. After that I ran 44 rounds of the Monarch steel case stuff. It fed & fired fine. I find myself thinking that the various fmj range fodder I have is not hot enough to consistently overcome the recoil spring. It does not malfunction with quality JHP ammunition or the Monarch steel case which feels hotter than the brass cased fmj. I guess I need to find some hotter range fodder for at least a couple of hundred rounds or until the gun breaks in more. Anyone here have any wisdom/experience with something like this?

 

[Mike J]

Okay, now I feel like a dummy. I had completely forgotten Kevin's thread here.

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

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...

www.rugerforum.com

I have been seeking advice. I am going to make one more range trip with it & flag my thumbs out away from the side of the gun to make sure I am not accidentally pressing the slide stop up. If it runs I will know that is the problem. If I still have issues I will call Ruger & see about getting a shipping label.

 

[Mike J]

Okay, now to tell y'all what I figured out. I was unintentionally pushing the slide stop up with my thumb. The last time I shot I had malfunctions on 2 mags in a row. The next 4 magazines ran fine. The malfunctions happened with a two hand hold. The magazines that ran fine were shot one handed. Sorry for going on but hopefully posting this might help someone else. Not a gun or ammo problem. A fat fingers problem.

 

[Hvymax]

Okay so I got an E-mail from Palmetto State Armory for their Memorial Day Sale. They have the Ruger Max 9 on sale. You can buy it by itself for $299.99 or get it with a Ruger range bag for $279.99. I've been wanting one of the double stack micro 9mm's for a while. I am really close to this pushing me into buying. I need to consult with my financial advisor (wife). Any opinions on buy or no buy?

Before I forget here is the link. You have to scroll to the bottom for the range bag deal. https://palmettostatearmory.com/ruger-max-9-9mm-pistol-12rd-3-black-3500.html

That's $200 less than I paid. Then I spent another $200 for the Crimson Trace Rad Micro Pro.

 

[Mike J]

That's $200 less than I paid. Then I spent another $200 for the Crimson Trace Rad Micro Pro.

I had been eyeballing the double stack micro 9's for a while. Looking at the different options. I didn't want to spend Hellcat or Sig P-365 money. I had seen the Shield Plus on sale under $400 back around Christmas but not recently. The Taurus recall had just been announced. It seemed like a good price on the Ruger & I know Ruger usually does a good job with customer service. I am not disappointed. The pistol functions & other than the difficulties I posted about here I've had no problem.
What I learned to do is when the pistol is coming up on target I swipe the safety off with my thumb knuckle. Then I rest the side of my thumb knuckle against the safety kind of pushing down. It works for me. I still like the looks of the Shield plus. I know that it would be a bit harder to conceal though as it is thicker.

I don't own an optic. I like the idea of putting one on there & seeing how I am with that but I'm really not in a hurry.

 

[beentheredone]

Okay, now to tell y'all what I figured out. I was unintentionally pushing the slide stop up with my thumb. The last time I shot I had malfunctions on 2 mags in a row. The next 4 magazines ran fine. The malfunctions happened with a two hand hold. The magazines that ran fine were shot one handed. Sorry for going on but hopefully posting this might help someone else. Not a gun or ammo problem. A fat fingers problem.

Glad you discovered your problem, and proud of your admitting it! The "I-KNOW-it's-not-ME" club is chock full of folks who would rather badmouth a gun than try to learn its manual of arms...

 

[Mike J]

Glad you discovered your problem, and proud of your admitting it! The "I-KNOW-it's-not-ME" club is chock full of folks who would rather badmouth a gun than try to learn its manual of arms...

I had some help figuring it out. I posted on another firearms forum about my issue. One of the mods there that I think is an old competition shooter suggested pushing up on the slide stop might be my problem. It is good to have help.

 

[Hvymax]

I had been eyeballing the double stack micro 9's for a while. Looking at the different options. I didn't want to spend Hellcat or Sig P-365 money. I had seen the Shield Plus on sale under $400 back around Christmas but not recently. The Taurus recall had just been announced. It seemed like a good price on the Ruger & I know Ruger usually does a good job with customer service. I am not disappointed. The pistol functions & other than the difficulties I posted about here I've had no problem.
What I learned to do is when the pistol is coming up on target I swipe the safety off with my thumb knuckle. Then I rest the side of my thumb knuckle against the safety kind of pushing down. It works for me. I still like the looks of the Shield plus. I know that it would be a bit harder to conceal though as it is thicker.

I don't own an optic. I like the idea of putting one on there & seeing how I am with that but I'm really not in a hurry.

Try an Optic. The Ready Dot is going for well under $100 and it's made for the Max9.