Ruger SR9c Review: Part 5

Ruger SR9c Review
Part 5 - Range Testing
February 27, 2011

In the other parts of this Ruger SR9c review, I have shown about 100 detailed photos and provided commentary on the specifications and features, what's in the box, external features, and disassembly and internal features of the Ruger SR9c pistol, but the most significant results of this review are what happens at the range. A pistol can be made with the best material, have greatest workmanship, and have the most features, but if it is a bad design and not safe, reliable and capable of accuracy, then it should not be considered as a true defense weapon. There are lots of guns that are not reliable or accurate, but yet fall in the category of "fun guns". I have shot many of these "fun guns" over the years and have had fun, but I wouldn't consider them as a real carry weapon. Based on my research prior to this review, I didn't think I would have to worry about these issues with the Ruger SR9c. There are already several good reviews that show range test results and I recommend you reading the full spectrum of reviews so you can be informed as much as possible on a product before you make your purchase.

For my range testing, I had a couple of goals. The first was to put a significant number of rounds through the SR9c so that I could determine the reliability of the gun. I also wanted to get the pistol past a potential break-in period if one may exist (number of rounds is debatable). Next I wanted to see how this pistol operated with a range of ammo. I also wanted to get a feel for the ergonomics of the pistol and the potential accuracy.

The plan was to shoot 300 rounds and have another 100 rounds on hand just in case I had an issue and felt that another 100 rounds was needed to figure it out. Just to cut to the chase, the SR9c pistol functioned flawlessly and I was happy after 300 rounds. The ammo I selected is below.

Wolf 9mm Luger 115gr. FMJ (150 rounds) - I have been shooting Wolf ammo for years because when it comes to value ammo, they are hard to beat. I also feel it is important that a pistol should be able to shoot less expensive ammo to allow the shooter more practice. Therefore, I had to check the Wolf FMJs out.
Master 9mm 115gr. FMJ (50 rounds) and Speer Lawman 9mm 115gr. TMJ (50 rounds) - This was just some really old stuff I had on hand that I needed to clear out to make room for the newer ammo. Maybe it wasn't fair to gamble on shooting this ammo, but that was why I had another 100 rounds for backup.
Federal Premium 147gr. Hydra-Shok JHP (50 rounds) - I would consider this to be a defense round that I am likely to carry in this pistol.

I took my 15 year old son with me to the range and we started off shooting the Wolf ammo first. I dumped a full 17 round magazine into the body of the target below and he dumped the 10 round magazine into the head. Next we switched magazines and points of aim. Although some may not consider these to be great results for 5 yards, a quick glance down the pistol range made us both feel pretty good with our ability and great about the SR9c.

This is another photo showing the Hi Caliber range and our target after shooting the first full magazine. You can also see that the Gun Fun targets are very popular at this range and their high visibility colors really stand out (4 shown in the photo below).

While still shooting the Wolf ammo, I decided to try and shoot some groups shown below. You can see I had a 5 round 5 yard group of 1.35" and a 5 round 10 yard group of 2.25". At this point, I was fairly certain that the SR9c was going to be a keeper. I think the sights are shooting a little to the right and I may make an adjustment once I get some more range time.

We both continued to burn through the ammo and throughout all 300 rounds we never had a single issue with the pistol. The Ruger SR9c was 100% reliable. It fed both the full metal jackets (FMJ) and jacketed hollow points (JHP) without any issues. I examined the primer strike on several spent casings and they appeared to have a solid strike as shown below.

Although I didn't show any groups using the other ammo, I got similar results with accuracy. I wouldn't consider this a competition pistol, but I do plan on getting some match ammo in the future and shooting from a rest to see what I can do.

After 300 rounds, the pistol trigger pulled measured an average of 6.1 pounds which is down from the 7.2 measured out of the box. I think it is fair to say that a little break-in did occur. From an ergonomic perspective, I did not have any issue with the slide stop, safety or magazine release. They all felt comfortable and functioned without any problems. Both the 10 and 17 round magazines functioned without any problems and the grips felt comfortable when shooting. Overall, I'm very pleased with the range test results for the Ruger SR9c pistol.

You can navigate to other parts of this review using the links below.

Ruger SR9c Review: Part 1 - Introduction, Specifications and Summary
Ruger SR9c Review: Part 2 - What's in the Box
Ruger SR9c Review: Part 3 - External Features
Ruger SR9c Review: Part 4 - Disassembly and Internal Features
Ruger SR9c Review: Part 5 - Range Test (this page)

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