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Ruger Security 9 mini review

SirBannedAlot

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Picked up my Security 9 the other day and took it to the range at lunch time today. I had a Glock 19 Gen5 prior, and it just never fit my hand right. I can and have shot Glocks a lot over the years but they never "just felt right" to me, regardless of which model I had...

So I sold it and picked up the Ruger Security 9 for $279 plus tax. Yeah, Keltec prices for a Ruger. Figured it gets great reviews, so what the hell...

What was very cool is that it fit my Bianchi leather G19 pancake holster like a glove. Perfect fit, just as good as the Glock.

Second thing I noticed from dry firing it, was that the trigger was nicer than my G19. It has a short pull, and is fairly crisp. The Glocks, well, you know what the stock trigger is like. It's functional, reliable, but it's mushy and then stiff and never what I would call "crisp".

The Ruger, IMHO is better. It's not a 1911 by any means, but if you like the LCP2 trigger, you will love this one.

Next thing is how well it fits. The ergos for me at least, are SPOT ON. It just sinks into your hand and points exactly where you want without looking down the sights. This is subjective of course, but if I take the gun(unloaded of course) and draw it with my eyes closed and point to my intended target, and then open my eyes, it's right on target every time. I never find the gun canted up or down. It's at the perfect angle so if I point my fist at the target, its there.

So I want to the range and accuracy was good. Not awesome, but good. I took along my Sig SP2022 which is known to be a pretty accurate gun. At 7 and then 10 yards, the Sig held a tiny bit tighter group, shooting off hand. I never did put it on a rest to really see what the gun could do without me mucking it up. But both guns had nice tight groups at those ranges.

Where the Ruger pulled ahead of the Sig, was with double taps. Having the gun pointed down, and then drawing it up and squeezing off two rounds, the Ruger was marginally faster, but more accurate due to the shorter crisper trigger. The Sig, being SA/DA had the first shot doing double action and the second shot single action, as that is how most would carry it, it not having a cocked and locked option.

Recoil is minimal with standard 115gr FMJ. One might almost call it pleasant. It had less muzzle flip than the Sig, easily. Can's say if it is more or less than the Glock, as I didn't have one on hand for back to back testing. My gut says it is comparable, maybe a little less recoil. Dunno, will try and get my hands on a G19 next time I hit the range.

Overall, it's a hell of a gun. Fit and finish is solid, better than I was expecting for the price point, but it is a Ruger. Accuracy is everything I need it to be for a daily carry gun. 15+1 is plenty of firepower. New Mags are $26, so the Glock has the advantage with $14 Pmags when it comes to spare mags...

Is the Glock a "better gun" overall? Probably. They have a long proven track record, more holster and mag options, yuuuge aftermarket support...

But to me the Ruger feels a lot better, shots damn near as well, and costs half as much. And you have Ruger standing behind it, which is not a bad thing.

I had the Glock 19 and have had many Glocks, but I enjoyed shooting the Ruger more.

Just ordered 3 spare 15 round Ruger OEM mags from Tombstone Tactical for $88 shipped.

All in all, I am happy that I "downgraded"...

Some other things I liked is that the sights are immediately familiar, being basically Glock sights. If you like that style, you are good to go. The rear though, has a set screw, so you can adjust it for windage without a punch or press tool. Just need an allen wrench, and of course re-lock-tite it when you get it dialed in.

Take down is easy. Not as easy as the Glock, as you do have to pop out and remove the takedown pin, but it's one pin.. and on the plus side, you don't have to dry fire the weapon to remove the slide.

It does have a manual safety, but it's small and doesn't catch on anything and you have to make a conscious decision to swipe it up. Some may not like it, I don't mind it. It's there if I want to use it, or leave it off and don't give it much mind...

The slide has great cocking serrations, the bevels are nice, nothing to snag on... It really is a great pistol.

I will do a longer review next time, with groups shot from a rest, pics of the targets, etc...

But so far, so good. 150 rounds down the pipe, no issues, shoots like a champ.
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Yes, this looks like a great general purpose defensive handgun that is also fun to shoot at the range and could be used in an action pistol match or similar sport.

For business owners, armed security officers (uniform or plainclothes), church security team members, armed teachers, etc. this looks like a winner if it fits your hand.

I have not held a Ruger Security 9 yet, but the SR9-Compact was one that I rented and tested, and I liked it. It fit my hands and fingers well.
 
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