View Full Version : Ruger SR40 at 5,000 rounds (with no cleaning)
I got a chance to shoot one of the pre-production Ruger SR40 pistols last summer out in AZ. I liked the gun, for the most part, and asked Ruger if they'd be so kind as to send me one of the production guns when they became available.
Well, I've had the gun for about four months now and just reached the 5,000 round mark this morning with no cleaning of the pistol or the mags. There have been no malfunctions of any kind up to this point.
When I first got the gun, I pulled it apart and cleaned and oiled it and then commenced to shooting. Somewhere between 1,750 and 2,000 rounds, I noticed that one of the cam block pins had snapped in two. The gun was still working fine but I asked Ruger for a new pin. While I had the gun disassembled, I did put some oil on the frame rails and on the barrel hood. But that was 3,000 rounds ago and the gun is currently as dry and filthy as a dirt road.
The gun has had a mix of factory and handloads through it to include a couple boxes of WOLF 180gr steel and some 155gr cast LSWC target loads. My initial plan was to get the gun to 5,000 rounds and then pull it apart for a detailed and thorough cleaning. But I think now I'll just keep on shooting it and see if it'll eventually choke.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010617.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010619.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010620.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010624.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010625.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010627.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010628.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010629.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010630.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010631.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010632.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010635.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010637.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010638.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010639.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010640.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Ruger%20SR40/P1010641.jpg
dirty but working...
off topic-but how has glock not sued them? :o
It has a thumb safety and curves.
dieselgeek
02-24-11, 07:07
dirty but working...
off topic-but how has glock not sued them? :o
Ha, that's what I was thinking. Looks very much like a glock inside!
gtmtnbiker98
02-24-11, 08:41
dirty but working...
off topic-but how has glock not sued them? :oFirst time I've seen inside one of the SR pistols, damn. Didn't know they were that close to Glock design. Still not interested in anything produced by Ruger.
ChicagoTex
02-24-11, 08:59
off topic-but how has glock not sued them?
Hard to tell if you're joking or not, if you are I apologize, but in case you're not...
It's because the patent protection ran out in '99. That's why the early 2000s were flooded with new, very glockish guns.
How's the trigger on it after 5k dirty rounds? Two of my friends who have them say "gritty" and fifty different gun rags say "gritty," but they're testing a new-condition pistol.
Also, have you found the mag disconnect to be super annoying?
How's the trigger on it after 5k dirty rounds? Two of my friends who have them say "gritty" and fifty different gun rags say "gritty," but they're testing a new-condition pistol.
Also, have you found the mag disconnect to be super annoying?
The trigger is actually pretty usable. It's got no overtravel and the reset is very crisp and positive. The trigger isn't really "gritty" but it does stack a little right before the striker is released. And it's sort of spongy or mushy like pretty much all striker fired guns.
It's hard to beat a tuned 1911 trigger. :cool:
Gunfighter 9
02-24-11, 12:36
My brother had an SR9 for a while. It wasn't a bad gun, and the trigger was pretty much like a Glock. However, I just don't see why you would buy a Ruger. You don't save much over the cost of a Glock and the Ruger SR series doesn't have the track record of reliability that Glock does. IMO.
NinjaMedic
02-24-11, 12:45
Forgive my ignorance but how does a significant part breakage (cam block pin) in less than 2000 rounds equate to zero malfunction?
NinjaMedic
02-24-11, 12:48
IMO this style of gun rag-esque reporting/advertising on behalf of the manufacturer has no place on this forum.
How is the accuracy compared to a Glock? Is the reset as short as a Glock?
Also, have you found the mag disconnect to be super annoying?
The magazine disconnect is a block in the slide similar to a firing pin block safety. When the mag is inserted, it unlocks the firing pin. The trigger is still active and the striker can still be released with no magazine in the gun.
I really don't have any opinion on the magazine disconnect. I can take it or leave it. But I do like the fact that the Ruger system doesn't interfere with the feel of the trigger or anything like that.
Forgive my ignorance but how does a significant part breakage (cam block pin) in less than 2000 rounds equate to zero malfunction?
The gun was still running fine with the broken pin and may have continued to run indefinitely. As stated, there have been no malfunctions with the pistol up to this point.
How is the accuracy compared to a Glock? Is the reset as short as a Glock?
The trigger's a little heavy in relation to the gun's overall weight so it's easy to push the gun off target with a sloppy trigger press.
Regarding the reset; I haven't shot an unmodified Glock in awhile but it is a more positive reset than on my M&P in .45.
For me, the thin grip profile was not comfortable or conducive to a good strong grip (although that was supposed to be a selling point: it was supposed to be "1911-like" in its grip). Also, I strongly disliked the trigger: its pull weight was too heavy, it was gritty/crunchy-feeling, and it did not seem to reset as quickly or as "positively" as the Glock I used to own. Finally, I did not like the thumb safety. The fact that it's there at all is annoying, but worse yet, they made it too small and for a 1911 shooter, it's not quite in the right position to be able to easily sweep it on/off with your thumb (although I suppose one could adapt to this over time).
Hard to tell if you're joking or not, if you are I apologize, but in case you're not...
It's because the patent protection ran out in '99. That's why the early 2000s were flooded with new, very glockish guns.
I kinda was joking, but that's interesting and makes sense. ah well, intellectual property isn't forever. Gotta keep innovating.
NinjaMedic
02-24-11, 19:31
My comment about the OP's gun magazine style reorting revolves around my perception (perhaps misplaced as I do not know him personally) of his relationship with the manufacturer. He states that not only does he maintain a close enough relationship with the manufacturer and/or its marketing department to be invited to their facility to inspect and fire a pre-production/prototype weapon. Once production models were finalized he requested that the manufacturer send him a weapon apparantly to test and evaluate, the request was granted because of the unspecified special relationship between the OP and the manufacturer and/or marketing team. Typically this process has occurred between the firearms manufacturer's marketing department and a contributor to a firearms magazine. It is well known that this type of review often results in either a less than thorough review or even pure marketing hype and glosses over the shortcommings of a weapon which might be otherwise presented by an unbiassed reviewer.
John_Wayne777
02-24-11, 20:24
Ninjamedic has a point. We certainly welcome firsthand reviews of firearms, but the language in the original post is a potential cause for concern. Gun companies send stuff to people on forums all the time...in fact, some forums out there are really more of a means of generating free gear for the "reviewers" than anything else...and while there's nothing inherently wrong with someone getting a product specifically to do a review about it, that should be stated clearly.
Tokarev: Did you buy the pistol? The ammo?
I thought it was stated clearly in the original post. I had a chance to fire a pre-production sample out at Gunsite last summer and I asked Ruger if they'd send me one of the production guns so I could shoot it. Ruger did send me this pistol at my request and I am free to send it back or buy it but it was not a gift and I am not allowed to keep it without sending Ruger some money. Furthermore, Ruger did not supply any of the ammunition I used to fire this pistol.
I'm not a professional product tester and I am not a paid writer. I, like many others, post my thoughts, experiences and opinions on the Internet and people are free to take them or leave them as they see fit.
To keep anyone from accusing me of being in Ruger's hip pocket, I am reporting that I broke another lower cam block pin somewhere at around 5,500 rounds. As before, the gun still functions with the pin broken but I don't want to push my luck and wind up breaking more than a pin. I contacted my friend at Ruger and he told me to ship the gun back for inspection.
I'm sure they'll quickly identify why this particular pistol is breaking pins and fix any issues with it. I hope my experiences can help them identify any manufacturing or design defects. Really, if more manufacturers solicited consumer feedback, we'd all be better off.
I'd prefer not to have to send the gun back under these circumstances but it is what it is. Anyway, I'm thankful to Ruger for their confidence and faith in my opinions and abilities and I appreciate having had the chance to wring the gun out.
Have a good weekend.
TriumphRat675
02-25-11, 15:07
I thought the original post was clear and appreciate your full disclosure of the circumstances under which you received the pistol. Thanks for the review.
leokartxiv
09-28-11, 22:23
I too thought it was clear, it was a good review. I did have one question about the barrel. I just received brand new one for a customer and noticed that near the muzzel there are some serious tooling marks. i was trying to look at the pics of your barrel but could not tell if it looked the same or not. Did you notice anything like this on pre production and the production models?
Nephrology
09-28-11, 22:52
looks like a gun that will work. I don't see what everyone is up in arms about. It's not as if by reading this post I am going to yell GADZOOKS and run out and trade in all of my glocks for an SR40....
too bad the thumb safety is tiny and useless. Is it removeable?
depends on your hand size I guess. I carried and shot an SR9c for over a year before I upgraded to the M&P series... having what I would consider small-to-medium hands (5'9 170, not what you'd call a hulking man) I found it to be the most ergonomic weapon I handled. I had absolutely no problem manipulating the thumb safety as part of my drawstroke, either... I guess that could be different if your hands were larger.
I did put a ghost rocket in mine which cleaned up the trigger SOME, but nothing like what the apex kit does in an M&P. I had problems with the magazine pivot pin walking out every hundred rounds or so. Decent gun for the money...
I too thought it was clear, it was a good review. I did have one question about the barrel. I just received brand new one for a customer and noticed that near the muzzel there are some serious tooling marks. i was trying to look at the pics of your barrel but could not tell if it looked the same or not. Did you notice anything like this on pre production and the production models?
I didn't notice any machine or tool marks near the muzzle.
too bad the thumb safety is tiny and useless. Is it removeable?
The safety isn't removable.
I assume some of the discomfort I experienced was due to grip. I try to get a very high and aggressive grip when I shoot. People who used the old revolver "crossed thumbs" grip had fewer complaints about the safety.
theblackknight
09-30-11, 16:34
too bad the thumb safety is tiny and useless. Is it removeable?
THIS!!!
Also, that loaded chamber indicator is absolutely juvenile. Why not a neon sign, or maybe a coo coo bird that pops out of a cellar door on the rear sight and yells "squawk, your gun is loaded,squawk!".
facepalm
THIS!!!
Also, that loaded chamber indicator is absolutely juvenile. Why not a neon sign, or maybe a coo coo bird that pops out of a cellar door on the rear sight and yells "squawk, your gun is loaded,squawk!".
facepalm
You might want to get used to seeing loaded chamber indicators on new pistols.
You might want to get used to seeing loaded chamber indicators on new pistols.
glock has one. it's tiny an unobtrusive, but you can immediately tell if the gun is loaded by sweeping your trigger finger over the extractor....
glock has one. it's tiny an unobtrusive, but you can immediately tell if the gun is loaded by sweeping your trigger finger over the extractor....
Yeah, but lets see if it's enough for states that are starting to mandate LCI's.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.