Ruger’s announcement of the SR1911 9mm was a pleasant surprise. It is a popular handgun that has earned a reputation for reliability. Accuracy has been middle of the road, but so has price. The first SR1911 was a .45 with a steel frame and 5-inch barrel. Following this Government Model length handgun was a Commander length pistol with a 4.25-inch barrel. Next came a light frame version of the Commander. These stainless steel .45 ACP handguns featured Novak sights, good fit and finish, attractive grips and a good trigger action.

A more recent offering is a lightweight Commander length 9mm with an identity all its own. Offering the SR1911 in 9mm was a good move, as the cartridge is presently enjoying increasing popularity. It is more popular and more widely used now than at any time in its long history. Part of that popularity lies in simple economy. The 9mm is less expensive as a factory cartridge than the .45 ACP, handloading components are affordable, and modern handgunners shoot more than any previous generation. Concealed carry permit classes, personal defense schools and IDPA and IPSC shooting account for millions of cartridges fired each year.

The 9mm is also more comfortable to fire than larger calibers; during long practice sessions, the difference in recoil between the 9mm and .45 is pronounced. Accuracy potential of the 9mm has considerably improved with modern bullets and powder combinations.

The 9mm isn’t a .45, but the attributes of economy, versatility and velocity are provable. The polymer frame pistols are long on reliability but often come up short on accuracy and pride of ownership. The SR1911 is an answer.

The slide is stainless steel with Ruger emblems, and MADE IN USA is laser engraved in the slide flats. The slide lock safety, slide lock, beavertail safety and magazine release are blued. An aluminum alloy frame is anodized gray in contrast to the brightly polished slide. Six angled cocking serrations provide good purchase when racking the slide. The sights are Novak low mount — ideal for personal defense and IDPA shooting. The front sight is solidly dovetailed. The front post is good for accurate shooting to 25 yards and area shooting at 50 yards but will subtend a considerable section of the target at longer range. The rear sight is adjustable for windage by loosening the setscrew and applying a brass punch and hammer. For a lightweight 9mm, the sights are properly regulated for a 6 o’clock hold and 124-grain ammunition. The pistol features a lightweight firing pin coupled with a heavy firing pin spring. The barrel bushing is conventional and while snug, it is only finger tight. The ramped barrel design solves feed problems and seems to offer greater case head support.

The trigger breaks at 5.5 pounds with slight take-up and little definable creep. Its smooth pull plays a part in the pistol’s excellent accuracy potential. There is no full-length guide rod. The standard recoil spring and guide allow easy field stripping and maintenance. The slide lock safety isn’t a "gas pedal" type but is slightly larger than the GI safety. The beavertail safety features a memory groove bump, an aid for those using the "forward thumbs" grip that tends to raise the palm off of the grip safety. The grip safety releases its hold on the trigger about halfway into compression.

The magazine release is slightly extended. It is nice to see the 1911 upgraded with an integral plunger tube that is not staked on. I have seen plunger tubes weaken and come loose, especially when the grips do not support the plunger tube.  I am impressed by the sturdy nine-round magazines. This magazine is well-made to properly handle the 9mm Luger cartridge. During initial firing, I was able to get eight rounds into the magazine, but the ninth was a struggle. After a modest break-in, the magazines became nine-shot magazines.

The first accuracy tests used Missouri Bullets 115-grain LRN over Blue Dot powder fired at silhouette targets at 5, 7 and 10 yards. The Ruger is fast. I keep a bear grip on the .45, and doing the same with the 9mm resulted in the bullets touching on the paper during double taps.  After firing for accuracy with factory loads, handloads were next. There is a huge amount of information on loading the 9mm Luger. Some of the information is the product of a dozen engineers at work, and other information is the result of one man’s experiment. Cast lead bullets offer economy and accuracy. Several powder-coated bullets also gave excellent results. 

With light loads, the Ruger functioned well with loads in the 950 fps range. These are useful practice loads. Reduced pressure loads of this type should add to the pistol’s longevity, given past experience. Next, standard loads were shot that propelled 115- to 124-grain jacketed bullets at 1,050 to 1,150 fps. Then high performance or +P loads were used. These were among the most accurate and most interesting. Hornady 115-grain XTP bullets were primarily used for these loads, but good results were also achieved with the Speer 115-grain Gold Dot. These bullets gave excellent all-around performance in every load. The difference in expansion at 1,200 fps was much different than at 1,100 fps. At 1,300 fps, expansion was substantial.

Some of the handloads gave excellent all-around performance and surprising accuracy. While this was not a long term test program, it is reasonable to suggest the SR1911 is capable of handling a steady diet of such loads. The 9mm is versatile. The light loads listed gave good accuracy and are well suited to introducing a beginning shooter to centerfire pistol shooting, while the heavy loads will handle small game and predators. The Ruger’s good trigger and sights are an aid in this pursuit. As the tables show, accuracy was good to excellent. I was particularly impressed by the heavy loads. The SR1911 9mm just may see more use than I originally intended.

Coated Test Bullets

According to Bayou Bullets its coating was developed by J&M Specialized Products P/L in Australia. The coating uses no toxins and gives off no particles when fired. It may be used in Glock barrels.

According to Missouri Bullets, the Hi-Tek coating uses a catalyst that bonds a polymeric coating to the bullet. The coating is baked onto the bullet’s surface at nearly 400 degrees. This tough coating is applied twice to the lead bullet, which needs no additional lubricant. Bore leading is reduced and lube smoke is practically eliminated. 

Results were excellent with each maker’s bullets, and the results were right on target.     

9mm Brass

Cartridge cases for the 9mm may measure from .735 to .755 inch in length, with the longer lengths generally more accurate. Since most of the factory ammunition I used utilized Starline brass, I was good to go with once-fired brass to handload. I would consider ordering a batch of Starline brass before beginning a 9mm loading project, as it will save a great deal of heartache. Even if the brass is properly sorted, only the longer type will give first-class accuracy, in my experience.  Internal capacity varies as well. In the long run, it is best to use one type of brass for accuracy testing.