Ruger SR9 (New Gun Owner)

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Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
4
Hello all
Just bought my first gun and am still learning. Just shot 100 rnds last week and and pretty good at 10 yrds but suck at 50 yrds any recommendations. Also what is the best ammo to shoot at the range and what is the stay away from ammo. Just ordered the veridian green laser, what is the best way to set it up? Thanks for any advice.
 

Cheesewhiz

Hunter
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
2,114
Location
Chicago, IL
revhigh":37mqh58a said:
[email protected]":37mqh58a said:
but suck at 50 yrds any recommendations.

Get a rifle ....

:lol:

raptorace, you went from 10 yds to 50? Most target shooting with a pistol is done at 50' or 25yds, try to find something in between. With a new pistol I recommend using good brand name brass cased ammo, stay away from aluminum case for awhile and I never use steel cased junk. Federal, Winchester, Remington, CCI (Blaser Brass), Seller & Bellot and Fiocchi FMJ are all fine for the range.

BTW raptorace, welcome to the forum. :D
 

coldarkstare

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
29
Location
speedway,indianapolis,in
[email protected]":ro84x7kh said:
Hello all
Just bought my first gun and am still learning. Just shot 100 rnds last week and and pretty good at 10 yrds but suck at 50 yrds any recommendations. Also what is the best ammo to shoot at the range and what is the stay away from ammo. Just ordered the veridian green laser, what is the best way to set it up? Thanks for any advice.
hey let me know what ya think of the lazer bro.im lookn into gettn it also :)
 

tookalisten

Blackhawk
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
651
Location
NC
I've had no issues shooting the PMC Bronze Bulk 115gr FMJ in the SR9 - 300 rounds is about $86 from Cabela's. I recently received a bulk order; so hopefully they have some in stock; but haven't checked lately.

I only practice from 10 to 20 yds; any further than that and I shouldn't be shooting at it with a 9mm.
 

Edirty692

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
65
Location
Dalton, Georgia
Welcome to the Forum. These guys are right, 10 to 20 yds. is plenty far enough. Anything else, your just wasting ammo. Have fun shooting :)
 

kscott

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
473
Location
Southwestern Indiana
Welcome to the forum raptor, I use mostly Winchester White Box 100 rd. boxes simply because they are the cheapest around here ($19.97/box). I am also considering the Veridian laser deal. There is a big long thread about it on this forum that pops up from time to time. Assuming you have your sights adjusted you should be able to adjust your laser to line up with your sites, then go from there.

I agree, normally people will say 7 yards is the "normal" self defense range. I wouldn't go outside of probably 20 yards for practice purposes. Now that's not to say I won't try a long shot every now and then just for fun. :wink:
 

ConradM

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
512
I agree, 7 to 10 yards is a good range to be proficient at for SD. You could practice out to 50 yards... But you would probably go to jail for homicide if you shot someone from that far away. :lol:
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
4
Thanks for all the great information guys. I will let you know about the laser when it comes in.

Just visited the local gun shop yesterday and a guy came in with his Ruger P-series gun. He just bought it last week and the safety stop working, the store told him to call Ruger because they did not do warranty work for Ruger anymore. I bought my gun yesterday and that made me feel uneasy, how reliable is the SR9 and how are repairs usually handled with Ruger?
 

jhearne

Buckeye
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
1,365
Repairs with Ruger are handled by Ruger 99.99% of the time free of charge and shipping cost is on them. Just call them about any problems you have and they can get you a shipping label on the way. However, some problems are simpler than others and can be answered here.

As for your SR9, it's a good gun but some have seen instances where Peening (barrel block deforms a small amount against the slide and can cause issues) occurs or some will have Trigger Reset issues (the gun fails to reset the trigger after some or all subsequent shots).

The Peening issue is, from what I can tell, random. You won't know you have problems with it until after a couple/few hundred rounds and sometimes you won't see or catch it until much later, approaching 1000 rounds. The Barrel Block, as I call it, is the beefy part of the barrel/chamber that's visible in the middle of the slide. When the gun cycles we think the main issue is timing and the two pieces of metal hit every time eventually causing damage/deformity to the weaker chamber (it's not stainless steel like the slide, both are cast metals in this case). There are many threads on this with pictures, but if you ever see a ridge forming on the leading edge of the chamber/barrel block, feel free to start a new thread and please post pictures, it makes it much easier for us to determine what's up. Worst case scenario your gun can lock up if you shoot it too much with the peening issue. Most don't get that far, if you catch it to any degree Ruger will almost always replace the barrel, but quite a few people with this issue won't get it resolved in one trip, but Ruger will do what they can to fix it. This is the main problem with this issue, it's random, and there's no real 100% known reason to what's causing it.

The Trigger Reset issues, aren't anywhere as frequent but it's one of those things that Ruger will have to look at, and sometimes it's not resolved on the first time. There are a few threads on this as well, but this issue is fairly rare given the guns decent popularity/sales.

Despite those 2 issues I described, don't get worried about it, relax and enjoy your SR9. Many of us SR9 owners have put many trouble free rounds down range. I myself have over 1250 flawless rounds but I am nowhere near what some others have through theirs. If you find yourself brave enough to dive into the internal operations of the SR9, check out this link for my How-To thread. Inside you can see detailed instructions on how to do Field Strips, Detail Strips, Magazine Disassembly and also some tips on Polishing contact points to smooth up the trigger, all with hi-resolution pictures.

Welcome to the forum! The laser you bought is a pretty good one from what I hear, I think you'll like it. Setup is basically installing the batteries, slipping it on the accessory rail, then hitting the range and sighting it in. There should be 2 screws perpendicular to eachother to adjust it's elevation and left/right alignment. I don't have one so I can't say whether or not you'll need your own tools but it could be a small Allen screw or small machine (slot) screw.

But like everyone else has said, 50 yards is a bit much for a pistol, let alone a new gun owner, stick with 7-10 yards to practice Self Defense shooting, and then move it back to 15-20 yards. This pistol is more than accurate to protect yourself with, but it's no rifle ;). Stay safe and enjoy your SR9!

Josh
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
4
Thanks for all the info guys. As you guys know loading the rounds into the mags is time consuming. Is it ok to keep the mags loaded for home protection?
 

jhearne

Buckeye
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
1,365
[email protected]":3ep80b96 said:
Thanks for all the info guys. As you guys know loading the rounds into the mags is time consuming. Is it ok to keep the mags loaded for home protection?

Yes it is, and it helps, IMO, make loading them easier.

Josh
 

3leggeddog

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
267
Location
Michigan
jhearne":3nou3fyj said:
[email protected]":3nou3fyj said:
Thanks for all the info guys. As you guys know loading the rounds into the mags is time consuming. Is it ok to keep the mags loaded for home protection?

Yes it is, and it helps, IMO, make loading them easier.

Josh

Try loading one up with , says 12 rounds, leave one mag empy. Every other week switch rds to the unloaded mag. Its not good for the mags to be loaded to the max for months on time, rotate will save the mags spring life. I'd hate for my gun to jam up over a weak mag spring when I realy need it to fire!! You could get a 3rd mag and put a few in there. Do what you think is best for you my friend!
 
A

Anonymous

I'm from Manila, Philippines. Got my SR9 yesterday, 09/03/2009. The envelope on the firing cartridge says 10/14/2008.

Shot 100 rounds. I fieldstripped the gun afterwards to clean it and noticed some slight peening on the barrel. When I checked the undercarriage of the slide, there was some very slight deformation there too, where the slide comes in contact with the barrel.

I noticed that when I retract the slide very very slowly, the barrel does not seem to sink fast enough to avoid the slide. I think this design is what causes the slide to hit against the barrel, causing the peening. Any remedies for this?

I also noticed that retracting the slide takes more effort as compared to other guns I've handled. Worse, there seems to be a lot of metal-on-metal friction going on. More oil perhaps?

Thanks guys.
 

jhearne

Buckeye
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
1,365
I'd keep an eye on the barrel after each trip to the range, if it gets worse (the deformations) your going to have to call Ruger. But like I said before, they really don't have a 100% cure-all for this problem. They'll likely replace your Barrel and maybe the slide. I can't recall offhand what the 'norm' is for repair for this problem....someone who's had it done can maybe correct me.

We tend to think it's a timing problem, but Ruger's never stepped up and told anyone what the problem is.

Josh
 

Dusterman

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
149
Location
Moreno Valley, CA.
If you want a faster and easier way to load your mags get a Uplula mag loader. I bought one about a month ago and once I got the hang of it I can load a mag fairly quickly and easy. The one for your 9MM will also do 10MM, .40 and .45 rounds single or double stack mags. Enjoy your SR9 both my daughter and I have fun shooting mine, dusterman
 

81aggie

Bearcat
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
24
Location
San Antonio, TX
+1 on the Uplula mag loader. I've had one for a couple months and it works great. The loader that came with my SR9 works fine but the Uplula makes things much quicker and easier. It's now the only loader I have in my range bag, works for 9mm and my .45ACP mags as well.
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
4
Viridian Laser Sight Update
Hey guys, just received the laser this week and tried it out today. After adjusting the laser my aim improved a lot. I even hit some bull eyes at 25 yrds. The only prob. I head was the battery door at the back of the unit kept opening up after every shot and the laser would turn off. I called Viridian and they were aware of this problem with the sr9 model and have engineered another door and are sending it to me at no cost.
 

kscott

Single-Sixer
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
473
Location
Southwestern Indiana
Yea, I've heard a lot about that battery door problem. It seems like literally every person that gets it has that problem. I'm surprised they don't just replace all the doors before they ship them out?? I would think that'd be cheaper and better for their reputation?
 
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