New to the gun thing !

N

newaddiction9mm

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I am kind of new to the whole gun thing, but loving it a lot. I bought a Baby Desert Eagle 11 9mm semi compact for my first gun a few years ago. It was a great gun but to heavy to carry. I just bought a Ruger SR9 and absolutely love it, so I sold the Baby Eagle and got the SR9c for my concealed carry gun. I have already started on the after market stuff for them, like the stainless steel guide rod for the SR9. Any opinions on the after market parts ?




 
Thanks, it looks like there is a lot of experienced shooters on here. I shouldn't have any problems getting answers to any questions I may have.
 
There doesn't seem to be a lot of aftermarket parts for the sr series. I recently purchased a sr9 myself and like you I am extremely happy with it. Already looking at an sr9c and a second sr9. The ghost triggers have a good reputation but beyond that I haven't seen much I am interested in. That being said the gun doesn't need much else.
 
Ya, I think if nothing else I will at least get the stainless guide rod for my SR9c as well. I like the one that I got for the SR9, don't care for the plastic ones.
 
you can add a grip sleeve, night sights, stainless rod, send it to a smith for a trigger job and get a custom stippling job. all unnecessary things, but people do this stuff out of love, not always function. it looks like it has a functional rail for a light or laser or combination. and don't forget about cerakote. but for all these things, you could just buy another gun and be twice as happy, I recommend a revolver for your next gun, then an AR15 and then a good .308 bolt and then a good mil-surp and then....and then....and then...... it never stops. then you can start reloading and learn how to shoot all this stuff.

but guns are fun, and although it seems expensive, it's a lot cheaper than a motorcycle hobby or a heroin addiction

p.s. the attraction to the stainless rod is you wont ever have to worry about it breaking 50 years from now.
 
A lot of guns, from a variety of premium manufacturers, come with plastic guide rods. Lots of people say they are fine. Handling them, I just feel better with steel. Even if it only achieves peace of mind, this is a fun hobby in addition to something that can save a life. :)

Speaking of, I was looking to put steel guide rods in a couple of my guns. I was talking with some folks about the nifty recoil system in USPs and learned that you can buy similar aftermarket products for most semi-automatics. I don't see one listed for your gun on the Sprinco or DPM sites but this one from Galloway Precision gets good reviews on Amazon. I think the next gun to get upgraded is getting something like this instead of just a steel guide rod.
 
I'd keep them stock, especially if you want the compact to be light for carry. Some aftermarket parts work and are a benefit. A lot of them do nothing but empty your wallet.
 
newaddiction9mm said:
I have already started on the after market stuff for them, like the stainless steel guide rod for the SR9. Any opinions on the after market parts ?
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Unless you're addressing a specific need by buying aftermarket parts, they're usually just a waste of money. And in the case of stainless steel guide rods on polymer frame pistols, they can actually be a downgrade. Take Gen 3 Glocks, for example: The plastic guide rod works just fine; it's designed to flex along with the frame and it lasts for many tens of thousands of rounds. But I've seen stainless steel guide rods cause stoppage issues on Gen 3 Glocks, and when the original guide rod was put back in the problem stopped.

In my opinion any aftermarket parts other than a sights or trigger upgrade in your Ruger is a waste of money at best, and a downgrade at worst.
 
Thanks for all of your opinions and advice, I think that I will do just the trigger jobs and night sights. I already put the stainless steel guide rod on the SR9, but I have the factory one if there are any issues. I think that I just liked the look. I haven't had the chance to shoot sence the new guide rod has been put in.
 
Welcome.
Another vote for keeping the original guide rod, for the reasons Theohazard has pointed out.
Just 'cause I'm a continual nag on the subject, how about spending less money on the gun and more on learning how to use it to defend against an aggressor?
Most concealed carry classes aren't even a beginning.
 
Glad you are here. Nice graphic guns. Have you had much training or practice time??

I would avoid most aftermarket parts. Sometimes mags, sights, grips are ok, but internals worry me. Gun makers have design engineers, test engineers and manufacturing engineers. Aftermarket parts are often the idea of one person of limited knowledge and experience, but with a web page and an EBay store. A few are better than that, but most are not.

Be careful.

Spend your money on ammo and you will be surprised how much better the gun is in your hands.
 
The more I think about it, I will probably go put the factory guide rod back in, and just eat the $32 I spent on the stainless one. Well live and learn. No, I haven't had much practice time but looking forward to doing more shooting this summer. A buddy of mine has a lot of guns and way more experience. Last time we went out I got to shoot his AR-15 and hit all body shots the first time shooting it at 25 yards, and with his 45 S&W 5 out of 6 shots to the body at 25 yards also. It was a good time.
 
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