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. 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. Thank you Tam! Do yourself a favor and follow her blog.

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:


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:


Total contents:


Pistol:

[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:


Frame internals:



Slide internals:

[Sean O]

Barrels and RSAs:



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 .

[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.

[Sean O]

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



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.