Ruger 9E 2,000 round test thread

[Sean O]

It is time for round 2 of budget gun durability test! The previous test gun (SD9VE) did surprisingly well, so it is time to see how the Ruger stacks up. First few things that I feel need to be mentioned before we start-

1) I understand this is a sample of one and is in no way a scientific test. Take from it (if anything) what you will.
2) This test is completely out of my own pocket, there are no sponsors. The plus side is that this means I can be 100% objective since I have no bridges to burn. That being said since I am picking up the bill please understand that is why you will not see 196 types of ammo shot through the pistol, or a test that extends tens-of-thousands of rounds.
3) There is a thread with a video by a much better shooter here (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?17424-Ruger-9E-Out-of-the-Box-to-Match-review). It is worth a watch, and in my opinion worth subscribing to his youtube. Thanks for taking the time, Patrick!
4) There is a short and great review by a actual writer here (http://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2015/2/3/ruger-9e/). Thank you Tam! Do yourself a favor and follow her blog. (http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com)

Be back in a few minutes with the first pictures and some initial thoughts.

[MichaelD]

Looking forward to the play-by-play. Thanks for doing this, Sean!

[JDM]

These are the best.

[Sean O]

Box:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/654/21969548982_4113a659cd_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ztnFvh)

Just in case you were wondering who at Ruger screwed up and only sent one mag, please read the bright red sticker on the inside of the box lid:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5829/21793881378_43863c8878_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zcRkDu)

Total contents:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/21360585563_d5a6c9be4f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yxyzTZ)

Pistol:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/21358967654_5946236f6b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yxqhX1)
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/620/21955548276_e0cb4af383_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zs8VzN)
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5750/21358962854_63ddf5e122_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yxqgwf)

[Sean O]

Time to compare. All comparison photos are L-R: gen 4 G17/9E/M&P

Size is pretty much a match across all 3:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5811/21955546996_dbc2ddbc23_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zs8VcJ)

Frame internals:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5747/21358974794_439e6ef56b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yxqk57)
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5666/21955545296_1f3d8decf3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zs8UGq)

Slide internals:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5805/21794826139_045246b5bf_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zcWbut)
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5644/21955556386_23a3dc4d7e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zs8XZC)

[Sean O]

Barrels and RSAs:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5666/21360589963_b47e07fbba_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yxyBcR)
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/21794823209_82af3dc250_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zcWaBX)

One thing I noticed is that the M&P magazine and 9E magazine (same as SR9) have many similarities. Almost looks like they share the same body, with the cuts and top of the mag being obviously different .
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/21955544396_f240a39dc9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zs8UqU)
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/665/21955543416_3f5e6fe297_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zs8U91)

[Sean O]

Initial impressions with just dry fire are good. The pistol feels pretty good in the hand, the controls are all within reach a decently sized. The trigger is not bad, much better than the SD9 that I tested last year. The average trigger pull weight on my sample was 5 lbs 13.5 ozs (measured with Lyman digital gauge, average of 10 pulls).

The thumb safety is not too bad to take off, but it does require quite a bit of force against the frame with the strong hand thumb to engage it. The angle of the safety along with the slot molded into the frame makes it easy for your thumb to simply slip over the lever when trying to place the pistol on safe. Also of note is that the thumb safety does lock the slide like a 1911. No press checks or loading/unloading can be done with the safety on. Also, sorry to compare this pistol in any way to a 1911. I feel bad.;)

The slide release/lock lever is nice. It is fairly low profile but super easy to use. I think reloads will be very smooth with this thing if I do my part. Unfortunately for you lefties, it is the only non-ambi control on the pistol.

Some weird things I have noticed early on-

The striker indicator on the back of the slide sticks out a fair amount when the trigger is pressed. While not anywhere as positive as a external hammer or Gadget, it is possible to stop trigger movement by blocking the indicator.

To re-assemble the pistol after field stripping, the trigger has to be in the forward position, ejector down and the safety off. If you buy one of these and the slide will not slide onto the frame, check your trigger position and the safety. It mentions the trigger and ejector in the manual, but not the safety. Although if you can't figure that out....

The reversible back strap seems a little gimmicky to me. I understood when people complained about Glock's gen 4 'afterthought' for a interchangeable back strap system. With the 9E, I just don't notice a huge difference between the two. To each their own.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5742/21969536932_66519ae128_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ztnBVw)
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5798/21794821799_7a5d40eb74_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zcWacD)

[Sean O]

The only problem is before I start the test I have to call Ruger and get this fixed......

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5791/21793607550_d44976875a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zcPWfj)

Yup. It almost falls out. Not a great start for a durability test, but as stated before it is a sample of one. Some dry fire tonight, call Ruger in the morning. Part of me debated of getting this fixed before the test, since the Taurus Curve has taught us that we do not need sights. But then I came to my senses and realized the Ruger doesn't have a laser, so it will be getting fixed.

[Tamara]

Very interested. Tagging to follow. :)

[Sean O]

Will you be putting this gun up for auction at the of your test like you did with the SD9VE?

Yes I will. Whatever it sells for, the money will be donated to charity like last time. Life is too short to not give to others. Thankfully many people on this forum understand that, and continue to inspire me and (hopefully) others to do the same.:cool:

[Maple Syrup Actual]

I'd also like to thank you for doing this. I've been curious about the abilities of the SR9 for ages. I am guessing it'll do pretty well.

I think I voted for a Ruger the first time you talked about doing this, but I'm not sure if that's real or the memories they implanted at the institute. Anyway, although I'm not really a fan of Ruger, I think this series has potential.

[fixer]

Great thread. Glad to see the 9E tested. The SR9 I had years ago was reliable and durable but the trigger felt like it was made of peanut butter.

[LittleLebowski]

Yes I will. Whatever it sells for, the money will be donated to charity like last time. Life is too short to not give to others. Thankfully many people on this forum understand that, and continue to inspire me and (hopefully) others to do the same.:cool:

Good man.

[LittleLebowski]

I'm not sure if that's real or the memories they implanted at the institute.

You're not my supervisor.

[Maple Syrup Actual]

You're not my supervisor.

I have that as my ringtone for when my boss calls. I enjoy it every time. It's impressively shrill and frantic.

[JonInWA]

Not to drift the thread too far off its rails, but it would be interesting to see how the 9E compares to another lower-price-point (but pretty well regarded by members of the forum here) polymer frame pistol, the Sig 2022 (and yeah, I know the 9E's a striker-fired, and the 2022 is a hammer-fired DA/SA, but still....)

Best, Jon

[P.E. Kelley]

I am looking forward to your accuracy data.

If possible (you can mail it to me and I would happily do it) could you do a chamber cast your 9E's barrel for comparison to mine?

[Sean O]

I am looking forward to your accuracy data.

If possible (you can mail it to me and I would happily do it) could you do a chamber cast your 9E's barrel for comparison to mine?

Would love to. PM sent.

[Sean O]

Ruger was quick on the repair and made the process painless. I sent the pistol out on October 7th and it came in October 13th - not bad at all.

Today was just a quick 150 rounds of Freedom Munitions 115gr through the pistol. I did have one stoppage but it was obviously a bad round (I thought it was a squib for sure), so I can't blame the gun. I put this out there to see what the forum says. After I checked to ensure the barrel was clear the gun ran fine for another 131 rounds. So for now the totals are anticlimactic-

Total range time: .5 hours
Total round count: 150
Pistol Stoppages: 0
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0

Hopefully I will get to 500 rounds or so downrange by the end of the weekend, and maybe get some accuracy testing done as well. Will report back soon!

[Sean O]

Well, so far this test is definitely not going as well as the SD9 test. Again, it is a sample of one and there is a chance I received a lemon. Maybe that loose front sight was a hint….

10/15/15 30 minutes 150 rounds of Freedom 115

Mostly a very simple range session, and boring until the last 50 rounds. Twice within those last 50 rounds the magazine fell out while I was shooting. Initially I assumed it was my grip inadvertently hitting the button, and the last full mag of the day functioned fine.

Total range time: 1 hours
Total round count: 300
Pistol Stoppages: 2
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0


10/17/15 20 minutes 14 rounds Winchester White box 115/40 rounds American Eagle 115

The round count for today is not a typo. Today’s session did not go well at all. First, the 9E apparently hates WWB. I experienced two light primer strikes in 14 rounds (as well as one failure to feed/ one failure to fire but I am not blaming the ammo. More on that later). At this point I decided to switch ammo to see how the AE would run in the budget pistol. Shortly after I switched ammo the magazine problem resurfaced. Both magazines would fall out of the gun while firing no matter what I did with my grip. I was with another good shooter and the same thing happened to him. After watching him try a few shots, I concluded the failure to feed and failure to eject from the WWB was likely from the magazine partially coming out of the pistol and not the ammo. It is obvious that there is mechanically something wrong, and the gun will be going back to Ruger……again. The break down is:

Round:
304-Light primer strike
306-Light primer strike
312- Failure to feed (empty chamber)
314- Failure to eject (slide caught brass on empty mag)
315- Mag fell out
324- Failure to feed due to mag partially out
325- Mag fell out
334- Mag fell out for guest shooter
343- Failure to feed due to mag partially out
345- Mag fell out
353- Mag fell out
354- Mag fell out

So at this point I called it for the day. I probably should have stopped a little sooner with the consistency of the problem, but I wanted to test both magazines with different grips on the gun to see if it would help anything. What are the plans for the test now? Once I get it back from Ruger, I will give the 9E another go. If more problems persist I may cancel the test. Part of the joy of the test is shooting, and at this rate I wont get much of that in.

Total range time: 1.3 hours
Total round count: 300
Pistol Stoppages: 2
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/745/22244872132_235fcc623f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zTGMu9)
Light strike

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/726/22268159931_f579323aee_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zVL98V)
Caught brass on the empty (and partially ejected) mag

[167]

Unfortunate. Interested to hear what the cause is when Ruger has a chance to look it over.

[ReverendMeat]

Regarding the light primer strikes, have you pulled the striker assembly out for cleaning yet? Had an SR9c once, light strikes were an issue. From the factory the striker and striker channel were both full of goop (technical term, sorry). Light strikes were more infrequent after cleaning the gunk out.

[5pins]

Judging from the position of the primer strike, off center, I have to wonder if the round was fully chambered. Do the fired rounds have centered strikes?

[Sean O]

Thank you both for the advice, I will take it down and snap some pics of the internals if there is anything to note. I'm headed to the range today, and might put a couple rounds through to check those primer strikes (after cleaning the striker channel). Great catch 5pins, I don't know why I didn't pay attention to that!

[LockedBreech]

Not promising but very interesting. Thanks for keeping it going.

[Whirlwind06]

I know that this supposed to be an box stock test but you may want to remove true mag safety. It's seems pretty common for it to be part of light sitke problem.

[Sean O]

There is no mag safety on the 9E, part of the cost savings I believe.

[ReverendMeat]

There is no mag safety on the 9E, part of the cost savings I believe.

There is no loaded chamber indicator but I believe the magazine disconnect is still there.

[Tamara]

There is no loaded chamber indicator but I believe the magazine disconnect is still there.

I've slept since my test, but I believe the 9E and the SR9 are the same gun from the frame rails down.

[ReverendMeat]

That's accurate AFAIK. The magazine disconnect safety is housed in the slide, though.

[Sean O]

Thanks Reverend, you're dead on. It does still have the disconnect in the slide, which apparently is why Ruger tells you to not dry fire with the mag removed. I don't think I'll remove it though, since I am more curious how the gun does out of the box. Thanks again guys!

[Tamara]

I get that Ruger prefers to make 50-state guns whenever possible, but mag safeties are just the bane of my existence. Not from any "tactical" standpoint, I'm pretty agnostic on them there, but they add mechanical complexity and unnecessary steps to so many gun-handling chores.

[Beat Trash]

I get that Ruger prefers to make 50-state guns whenever possible, but mag safeties are just the bane of my existence. Not from any "tactical" standpoint, I'm pretty agnostic on them there, but they add mechanical complexity and unnecessary steps to so many gun-handling chores.

I couldn't agree more about the magazine safety. I've been dealing with them on issued S&W's for the last 23 years.

[LSP972]

which apparently is why Ruger tells you to not dry fire with the mag removed.


IIRC, this pistol has the same trigger spring arrangement (running down the left side of the mag well) that the P345 did. If so, THAT's why they tell you to keep the magazine in place. Without it, that spring can become dislodged; and is a cast-iron bitch to get hooked back up properly.

.

[LSP972]

I couldn't agree more about the magazine safety. I've been dealing with them on issued S&W's for the last 23 years.

Yeah, but they're easy to kill on the Gen3 and earlier pistols. Dunno about the M&P; don't think I've ever run across one of those, or a Stigma, with a mag disconnect.

Magazine disconnectors are a communist plot; especially when some 'tard detective or patrol cop bags up an evidence pistol sans its magazine (which he put in a different evidence bag, which goes to DNA or Latents and we generally never see in Physical Evidence/Firearms).

LSP972's Corollary to Murphy's Law states that the odds of a magazine fed evidence firearm arriving without its magazine/s is inversely proportional to the LSP Crime Lab NOT having that specific magazine in its reference collection.

Some pistols with that devil's spawn device are easy to work around… like Hi-Points. Others are unpossible.

.

[Sean O]

Sorry for the delay in updates. I started a new job and it has slowed me down in getting to the range. Anyways....

Ruger CS was quick again. Sent the pistol off and it was back within a week. They stated that they replaced the mag catch and "Fixed the barrel". I do not know what that means (or why they did it) and didn't see anything obvious as far as changes go, but maybe when I send the barrel to Pat he will notice something.

The mag release is giving me issues still. The difference now being that it is shooter induced (so far). In the last 400 rounds since I have had it back the mag has fallen 5 times. What seems to be happening is that (with my gorilla paws) the middle knuckle of my middle finger bumps against the ambi release when I achieve what I consider a proper grip. The last 86 rounds I purposefully griped the pistol just a tad lower and had no problems, while the last time the mag fell I grabbed the gun the way I shoot my Glock, causing it to fall as soon as I fired. Frustrating. I believe someone with smaller (normal) hands would not see this problem. Hopefully I will be able to let a few other people shoot it and see what happens. I believe some where having this problem with the FNS as well?

I actually find the gun enjoyable to shoot. The safety has broken in and is very easy to use. While I wish the trigger had a stronger reset it is pretty decent, especially for a $330 pistol. I will try to update sometime this weekend with pictures and a few more rounds through it. The problem I'm having is I am struggling with how to continue the test. I am hesitant to keep going if I can't actually practice with this pistol (as far as grip goes).

As usual, please share your thoughts and ideas. I am struggling with how to continue at this point

Total range time: 2.3 hours
Total round count: 754
Pistol Stoppages: 19
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0

[Clobbersaurus]

Shave the ambi mag release and let her rip.

[Sean O]

I considered that, but am not sure I want to mess with it since I'm going to try to sell it off. I think shaving it may bring the potential bid price of the gun down, you know from $26 to $14.:p

[Clobbersaurus]

Maybe Ruger would send you an extra mag release? Explain your problem and see if they would send you one to experiment with.

[Sean O]

Another 200 rounds down range with about 75 of those shot by two other shooters today. There were no problems with the mags dropping unintentionally, but I did experience one failure to feed. The gun has performed well enough that I feel encouraged to finish the test so I talked to Tony at JM Custom Kydex and he has agreed to donate a holster like he did for the SD9 test (THANKS TONY!).

I really want this pistol to shake out and hopefully it will continue to work after this last trip to Ruger.

Total range time: 2.8 hours
Total round count: 954
Pistol Stoppages: 20
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0

[hufnagel]

would you mind detailing the ammo brand and type when you have any kind of issue?

[HighSpeedBail]

Enjoying your updates, appreciate the testing.

[Sean O]

I was able to get to the range last Friday and today, putting a total of 500 rounds through the 9E. In that time I only had one stoppage which was the mag falling out again (round 1,237). This occurred when I picked the 9E up off the table quickly, which caused me to establish my natural high grip and the mag to fall out after the first round was fired. Since then no other problems to report and I am really enjoying shooting this budget pistol.

Today I was able to go back and forth between the 9E and my normal G19. I alternated between which pistol went first in the test, and feel I can safely say that for me they are pretty equal in performance. I might be a little more accurate with the Glock, but I attribute that to the better sights (Warrens) at these distances. I still have not tried groups at 25 yards though so time will tell.

The top pistol is the pistol I shot first on each drill. I also started each drill from the compressed ready since I do not have a holster for the 9E. Performance went as follows-

The Test (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?5184-Larry-Vickers-quot-The-Test-quot):
9E- Score: 97 Time: 8.23
19- Score: 99 Time: 8.79

5x5 (http://pistol-training.com/drills/5x5-skill-test):
19- Time: 14.25 No penalties
9E- Time: 14.02 No penalties

Bill Drill (x2) (http://pistol-training.com/drills/bill-drill):
9E- Times: 1.76, 1.78 Best split: .16 Average split: .18
19- Times: 1.72, 1.73 Best split: .14 Average split: .17

1R1 7 yd (mag concealed/x3/reload times only):
19- Times: 1.7, 1.74, 1.65
9E- Times: 1.67, 1.57, 1.75

1 shot to 1” square at 5 yd, low ready (x10):
9E- Average Time: .9, 6 hits
19- Average Time: .8, 8 hits

Whichever pistol was shot second on a drill edged out the first pistol, which to me means the Ruger was not holding me back on the basic stuff. The new totals are-


Total range time: 4.8 hours
Total round count: 1,454
Pistol Stoppages: 21
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0

[Sean O]

As I previously mentioned, since receiving the 9E back from Ruger after the last magazine-dropping debacle the only times I have had problems I can attribute to my grip. A few other shooters have taken the pistol for a spin and all thought it was enjoyable to shoot and were surprised at the price tag when I told them afterwards. No one else has had any issues with the magazines falling free, so I am confident in saying it is a shooter problem and not the gun.

Mag falls out-
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5822/23201798786_ced1c56c0a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Bmghry)

Mag stays in-
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/618/23227930015_bc558732bb_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BozdkZ)

[167]

Is the Ruger still rolling or did it bite the dust?

[Sean O]

I will skip the excuses and just apologize for my absence the last couple months. The Ruger has been perfect for the last 400+ rounds (once I modified my grip). I will try to test its accuracy with some 124gr +p Gold Dot tomorrow night and report back. Hope to have a more thoroughly written conclusion by the end of this week.

[Sean O]

Okay so the 9E broke the 2k mark last week without any additional failures. Since I have changed how I grip the pistol I have not had any more problems.

Current totals:

Total range time:7.5 hours
Total round count: 2,024
Pistol Stoppages: 21
Malfunctions: 0
Breakages: 0

Obligatory dirty pictures:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1707/25539613984_0e2d281d10_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/EURcs9)

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1581/26051906162_245c5a8fb9_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FG7Q4U)

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1444/25871514560_60665bc81f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FqbgVS)

[Sean O]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1672/26144376485_0ba08d3ab3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FQhLgP)

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1587/26078035661_51a9459201_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FJqKsv)

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1576/26051899602_6d64f6d2b3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FG7N7N)

[Sean O]

I had a chance to put 20 rounds of 124gr +p Gold Dot through the pistol, and this was the best I could do offhand. The lowest round I called but the rest of the group is,well, ehh.....


https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1663/25541742253_a14a8d7924_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/EV377r)

Compared to the group I was able to get out of the SD9

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3946/15616764801_a405462f63_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/pN116x)

Now in all fairness this was just one type of ammo and maybe the pistol didn't like it, but knowing Pat Kelley had trouble getting this model to group well at 25 makes me think it isn't just the ammo.

[Sean O]

Quick overview of the SD9 vs 9E:

1- SD9 has 2 mags out of the box compared to the 9E's 1.
2- SD9 just a little better for carry, just a tiny bit smaller footprint. A little more flexible at the cost of 1 round of capacity.
3- Ruger trigger is much nicer out of the box, although the SD9 has aftermarket options where the Ruger does not (that I know of).
4- Safety is a personal preference, love it or hate it. I personally don't count it for or against the gun.
5- SD9 uses M&P sights so options are endless, there are no aftermarket sights for the 9E that I know of. Huge win for the Smith in my opinion.
6- I actually prefer the 9E’s serrations to the SD9 since they're not too sharp and are more comfortable to use.
7- The Ruger should have a + for the ambi mag release, but since it caused me trouble I personally can't get behind it. YMMV.


Of course the elephant in the room is the fact the 9E had to be sent in multiple times to get it running right where as the SD9 ran out of the box with no problems. Sample of one, I know, but there are enough people running the SD9 where I still feel comfortable recommending it to people who are looking for a defensive pistol on a budget. That being said, Ruger took good care of me and did get it fixed. It would still be higher on my list than many of the other budget pistols around the same price.