What causes this?
- Thread starter Ostmen
- Start date
I could be wrong... but I will make a guess... shooting it?
Ever wonder why new folks don't come back?
Doesn’t seem right to have deep groves worn into the barrel like that. None of my other 9mm’s have barrel damage after shooting them. I have six times as many rounds cycled through four other models. This SR9C has been plagued with failure to eject, stove piping and/or no fire issues from day one. This barrel damage just showed up after its last trip to Prescott.
Semi autos can be very violent in their function. Some more than others. Without physically inspecting your pistol, I cannot know what exactly is rubbing. But yes, some wear on components is normal. The gouge your photo shows, that's not so normal.
Looking closely at the photo, I also see the "peening" that the SR9's are known for. Doesn't affect function, but Ruger has in the past replaced the barrels on pistols with obvious peening.
This thing feels like there’s frame vs slide alignment issue to me. We normally take 4-5 guns to the range at a time. The SR9C hasn’t operated through a full magazine without a failure since purchasing it new. During cleaning and reassembly this one has always had some odd resistance reinstalling the slide. Super clean, gun oil or light gun grease doesn’t change anything. In retrospect, none of the other 9mm’s exhibit this resistance. I hate to scrap this Ruger but can’t seem to figure out the actual issue. Ruger gave it a clean bill of health, twice now. I was hoping this new gouging would be a telltale of the issue to an experienced eye. Appreciate your input!
Ruger is very good about issuing a clean bill of health when the gun is not yet correctly repaired. Stick with it. Send it back at their cost, and do not accept it as serviceable until it really is. With any luck, it originally was from Davidson's, and they will replace it.
Oh... dealers get their guns from any number of distributors. Davidson's is one, and they have about the best lifetime warranty in the business. There will be a card of some kind in the original package indicating it came from Davidson's if it did. Your dealer could also provide if it came from Davidson's.
Got it, this one came from Cabela’s. Ruger has agreed to replace it already. I’m deciding which model to go with, leaning towards an RXM. The only hesitation is a major loss in capacity due to state regulations. Sucks because the SR9C has full capacity as it pre dates the high capacity ban therefore it’s grandfathered.
I have owned them all including the RXM. The RXM is a great pistol if that's the type of pistol that suits you.
I apologize for my flippant response... to me the mark on the barrel dd not look that deep....but it does for sure sound like that pistol is a pig for sure and you are getting it replaced with something better is a good move. My mistake was assuming you were someone who just went out and bought a pistol, newbie, and did not like the mark on the pistol's barrel. And again welcome, this happens to be the best gun forum out there.
All good 
I'll get it resolved with Ruger, it just fascinates me that they give it a clean bill of health when it seems to be self destructing. The paperwork indicates a 140 round test without failure. The Mrs and go to the range every other week and average 200-250 rounds a trip. The SR9C hasn't fired a full magazine without a failure since it was new. We sent it in the first time in 2017, clean bill of health with notes to use different ammunition. Right after the 2017 service we tried three different loads, 115, 136 and a 147 and got the same failures. She's been sitting in the back of the gun cabinet ever since. I was a loyal customer up to that point. Roughly 80% of my gear was Ruger. For obvious reasons we moved on to other striker fired brands which have been flawless. What bings this to light was new purchase I have my eye on which happens to be a Ruger. Still not feeling right about the SR9C, I called them and explained this situation. Agreed to take it to the range and video its failures. Sent the video in documenting 6 failures within one 17 round magazine. I clean everything after each trip, that barrel damage wasn't present prior to sending it to Prescott a couple weeks ago. It's clearly a telltale of something not being right which is being ignored. No doubt they fired it, was spotless when sent in and full of powder when it was returned. I don't think it was broke down for inspection after this test. Sure, they are going to replace it which is above and beyond however I'm still bothered by another gaslighting statement of it being an ammunition issue. A 140 rounds is nothing, now there's gouging on the barrel but it passes with flying colors? I'll get to the bottom of it before proceeding forward. I appreciate everyone's input!
I'll get it resolved with Ruger, it just fascinates me that they give it a clean bill of health when it seems to be self destructing. The paperwork indicates a 140 round test without failure. The Mrs and go to the range every other week and average 200-250 rounds a trip. The SR9C hasn't fired a full magazine without a failure since it was new. We sent it in the first time in 2017, clean bill of health with notes to use different ammunition. Right after the 2017 service we tried three different loads, 115, 136 and a 147 and got the same failures. She's been sitting in the back of the gun cabinet ever since. I was a loyal customer up to that point. Roughly 80% of my gear was Ruger. For obvious reasons we moved on to other striker fired brands which have been flawless. What bings this to light was new purchase I have my eye on which happens to be a Ruger. Still not feeling right about the SR9C, I called them and explained this situation. Agreed to take it to the range and video its failures. Sent the video in documenting 6 failures within one 17 round magazine. I clean everything after each trip, that barrel damage wasn't present prior to sending it to Prescott a couple weeks ago. It's clearly a telltale of something not being right which is being ignored. No doubt they fired it, was spotless when sent in and full of powder when it was returned. I don't think it was broke down for inspection after this test. Sure, they are going to replace it which is above and beyond however I'm still bothered by another gaslighting statement of it being an ammunition issue. A 140 rounds is nothing, now there's gouging on the barrel but it passes with flying colors? I'll get to the bottom of it before proceeding forward. I appreciate everyone's input!
Sometimes you have to hold their feet to the fire. I've done pretty well with Rugers. I've had a M&P 2.0 40 Compact for several years that I've always liked. I bought my wife a 2.0 Shield EZ 380. It had an issue with failure to feed. I sent it back to S&W. It came back with the same issue. After research I figured out a stronger magazine spring would solve the issue & took care of it myself. Of course the pistol isn't EZ to load anymore. I still find myself a bit irked with S&W. I'm glad Ruger is taking care of you. Sorry about the capacity loss.
I get it! Your frustration with S&W mirrors my feelings towards Ruger on this gun. I could have traded this SR9C in on many other purchases we've made but it never felt right. Somewhat of a moral choice, I know it's not right even though there's documentation stating nothing is wrong. I know better and would feel horrible if it failed in someone else's hand especially in a defensive situation. My other six Ruger's have been flawless. Funny how negative service interactions with one gun can taint the brand overall. It boils down to trust for me. They are doing the right thing but the repetitive service centers non action isn't helping that trust part.
GasGuzzler
Hawkeye
Looks like it was made that way.
Glad you are getting a replacement. My guess FWIW is that somewhere along the line it got dropped and bent the slide out of alignment a bit.
My father was a machinist for something like 50 years and I think one of the items we lay shooters miss is in manufacturing the various milling machines have to be constantly recalibrated to keep the various parts to specifications... I'd bet some part on that pistol.. slide or such was made right before the machine was needing to be recalibrated. Kind of like not buying a car made on Monday or is it Friday...?
