Scruz91

So I think I'm posting this in the right section seeing as how it has to do with a gun designed to be a CCW. But anyways, hopefully someone can shed some light on this.

So, I own an SR9c and I love the thing. Ive had it for around 2-3 months and it has about 1000 rounds through it with very little or no wear on any internals. I plan on carrying but I have to work in time for the class. In the mean time, I go the range at least every other week and would like to continue using my sr9c at the range as my primary.

I guess my question is, for guns designed for concealed carry, can they really take the abuse of thousands of rounds? I mean I've heard of glocks and m9's that go for tens of thousands of rounds without a major failure but those are combat/duty pistols.

For something like an sr9c or any CCW, is it capable of taking a beating like that and still being reliable to carry? I know galloway precision offers things like steel guide rods so I guess that could help? Any input anyone?

tglazie

As long as you replace your mag and recoil springs at regular intervals and keep an eye on your guide rod and replace it as necessary it is unlikely you will wear out any quality semi-auto, and certainly not a Ruger, small frame or not. This is assuming you are not firing some unusually hot ammo and that you are cleaning the gun regularly of course.

My carry gun is a Bersa Model 83 from the 80's and it sees heavy range work along with my primary HD gun (P89) and other range guns.

If you look at it another way, your primary carry gun should be seeing more work than your other guns, not less. If you ever really need it you will appreciate the extra range time.

This is just my 2 cents. I am not a gunsmith.

ExArmy11b

The SR9c should be able to take as many rounds as it's full size counterpart........same with the "baby Glocks", etc.

But, the same is not true for many of the "micro" pistols.......I have heard a lot of the new micro 9mm's and .380's are "carry lots shoot little" guns. Don't quote me but a couple people I have talked to have said the Kel-Tec 9mm's don't have much of a life span, as far as round count.

Lots of people shoot 1,000's of rounds through their LCP's, LCR's and LC9's. The same goes for the S&W Airweights, lots of people have 1,000's of rounds through them.

If you buy any quality "micro" pistol it should have a decent service life. Even stuff like the NAA Guardian .32 and .380 pistols, a lot of people use them as regular shooters and they are designed solely as carry guns.

Most of the bad rep of small pistols that can't take a lot of shooting comes from the cheap crap guns like Raven Arms .25's, Phoenix, Jimenez, etc. One word describes these guns, JUNK! They are the modern versions of the Suicide Special. Those are the ones that you pick up at a gun show for $70, shoot a mag through and stick in the sock drawer........and I'm sure there are a whole lot of them in the bottoms of sewers and rivers too.

handgunner2000

This is a very good question. I have the sr9c also and have lost count of the rounds fired, as i have a range in my back yard. Every time i clean my gun i inspect all parts for wear and anystuff not right. Never replaced any thing, bit now i will. Looking to read more about this!

Marine Division Two

Some guns will take the continuous shooting on a regular basis,The ones that dont will let you know very soon,this goes for all MFGs !

Scruz91

Thanks for the replies guys. As for as hot ammo, I only use factory ammo. I dont reload nor do I know anyone that does. Most of it is blazer brass, lawman, and independence. I shot a box of monarch through it when I first bought the sr9c but Ruger advised against it since its not american made, or made to our standards? Idk. Long story short, i dont use it anymore.

But yeah, I could see the cheap micro's not being meant for a lot of range time. I guess im just paranoid that i'll wear my gun out and have a major failure the ONE time I will actually need it. I already plan on buying the steel guiderod, something THAT crucial to the function of the gun shouldnt flex like it does. Plastic...

Stirfry

i have never seen a polymer guide-rod break...
i guess i can happen, but i would not lose sleep over it.
getting a steel guide-rod is fixing something that ain't broke...

on one hand, sure, steel is stronger. on the other hand, you are adding/changing something that was designed by some pretty smart people to run with way it was designed. just sayin.

Nick0410

I think your gun will take a lot of use and abuse.

moakes58

I had a plastic guide rod in my Glock 17 & after 20+ years & 20,000 rounds, out of guilt I replaced the recoil spring only. Now my son has it & he is as happy as I was with it & the "plastic guide rod" A truly great gun, but my SR9c is so good it prompted me to get rid of the Glock & get something different. I do not regret it at all!

bearcatter

The "compact" versions of guns that also come in full size only have a shorter barrel and grip. It is still the same action and design, so they should be equally strong and durable.

Some of the more "micro" guns, like the NAA Guardian and even the Ruger LCP, I wouldn't feel as sure. They have a much smaller structure, and smaller action parts than a similar gun in full size, of the same caliber. They likely have a long service life of tens of thousands of rounds, but personally I wouldn't expect them to last as long as a full sized counterpart, without more major parts replacement over time.

ExArmy11b

Ruger doesn't make guns that don't last. People even report high round counts with the LCP's and train with them regularly.

All your SR9c will need is a new recoil spring every 2-3,000 rounds. I don't like to go longer than that and it's not worth beating the gun up instead of replacing a $10 spring. If the gun starts throwing brass a lot farther than it normally does, it's time for a new spring. I have a CZ82 that would launch brass into the next county, and that meant the spring was weak.

Scruz91

Ok ok. You've all convinced me. :P

Glad to know that I can continue using my sr9c as much as possible. I seriously can't stress enough how much I enjoy this gun.

But on a side note, Exarmy11b, when changing the recoil spring, i've read some people switch their recoil spring for a 14 lb spring to make the slide easier to operate. My thought on this is that the gun would in fact beat itself to death a lot faster.
So if you were to change to an 18 lb spring instead... what are the benefits of a stronger than factory spring?

jlh820

+1

IMO, a steel guide rod's only use is to tame a little muzzel flip by adding weight to the front end. The guide rod's only purpose is to make sure the spring doesn't bind up and there's little force applied to it. Beretta 92's used to have steel guide rods but switched to Polymer because of our troops in the sandbox. They found that if sand got into the gun, it could cause the steel guide rod to bind and result in a catastrophic failure. If something binds the poly, they just bend and return to shape... or at least don't take the gun or your hand with it.

Scruz91

Ok well points go to jlh820 for bringing a safety issue to light. I like my hands. How am I supposed to go shooting with no hand?!?

MarkC366

I have an SR9C with over 4000 rounds and would not hesitate to carry it daily. I once asjed Ruger if I should think about replacing the recoil spring and this was their response:

No, this should not be a concern. Ruger firearms have a very good reputation for service life; we have not experienced a common breakage of any particular component. With proper handling and care, you should receive many years of service from our products. We refrain from putting a round count on any of our pistols because there are so many variables that can affect the life of a pistol. We have no control over these variables, such as, type of ammo used, overall care and cleaning, abuse etc. If the pistol is cared for and only ammunition manufactured in accordance with NATO, U.S., SAAMI, or CIP standards is used, you will receive many years of service from your firearm.