I did some comparison testing between the Ruger SR9 Compact and the Ruger American Compact, both in 9mm. And somehow a Glock 19 Gen 4 snuck onto the shooting bench also. The ammunition was the same, being 115 grain Federal FMJ rounds, and I was firing from a standing position at a 12-yard range.
The American is a little heavier and a little thicker than the SR9, and noticeably heavier than the Glock. The American has a definite strong hefty feel to it. As some have said, it feels like a weapon even when unloaded, at least for those who think pistol-whipping is a self-defense method. Me, I plan to stay out of nose-biting range.
The American has a slightly longer barrel and slide than the SR9 but it is not enough to make any difference in sight radius or velocity. The Glock is at least a half-inch longer in the slide than the American.
The Rugers have different sights, with only the SR9 having a vertical adjustment on the rear sight. The American has a rear sight looking very much like the Novak sights we have all learned to love on 1911s. And it should, since it is stamped “NOVAK” on it. Both those guns had good, but not great, sights for my old man’s eyes.
The triggers seemed functionally much the same on all three when firing, except for the resets. The resets on the SR9 and the American are just fine, but the Glock has a more obvious reset. When dry firing, those three guns have some differences in the sear release but I just didn’t notice such when shooting for real.
In accuracy, I found all three to be the same within my limitations. The much hyped recoil improvement of the American was maybe just a little bit evident in comparison to the SR9. But the lighter Glock had a recoil slightly milder than the American did. Remember, this is the Gen 4 Glock with the latest and greatest recoil spring design, and just maybe a softer and more flexible frame.
Both the Rugers have thumb safeties on each side. The American has much bigger and easier to use safeties, although the corner of the frame does interfere a little. This is likely something which will vary quite a bit as people’s hands vary.
The frame on the American is the best of the three. It comes with three backstraps which also change the palm-swell. I use the medium size which is one installed on the gun at the factory. Changing is easy with the supplied Torx wrench, which rotates a fastener in the middle of the backstrap. This gun fits me just fine and I am comparing it the memory of the PPQ I once had. That is a standard hard to beat.
The American is much easier to field strip. It has a rotating take-down lever, similar to the Beretta 92 and the SIG designs. The SR9 has a pin to be pushed to the side for removing the slide. Like the SR9, the American does not require the trigger to be pulled for removing the slide.
The SR9 holds 10 rounds in the small magazine and the American holds 12, except that I can fit 13 into the single copy I have so far, and I found that I can lock this overloaded magazine into the gun even with the slide forward. I’m not sure if I am doing harm by overloading it or not. And you all know that the Glock 19 holds 15 rounds, at the expense of a grip slightly longer than the American.
The SR9 Compact feels like a concealed carry pistol, with just barely enough grip for me to get all three fingers around it. I do not have large hands, not like some men who must arm-wrestle a Sasquatch on weekends. The American Compact feels like a Tidy Size Service Pistol (going to be a new Ruger marketing phrase, I’m sure); strong and robust. I can easily get all three fingers onto the grip.
I will sell the SR9 and will keep the American.
Bart Noir
The American is a little heavier and a little thicker than the SR9, and noticeably heavier than the Glock. The American has a definite strong hefty feel to it. As some have said, it feels like a weapon even when unloaded, at least for those who think pistol-whipping is a self-defense method. Me, I plan to stay out of nose-biting range.
The American has a slightly longer barrel and slide than the SR9 but it is not enough to make any difference in sight radius or velocity. The Glock is at least a half-inch longer in the slide than the American.
The Rugers have different sights, with only the SR9 having a vertical adjustment on the rear sight. The American has a rear sight looking very much like the Novak sights we have all learned to love on 1911s. And it should, since it is stamped “NOVAK” on it. Both those guns had good, but not great, sights for my old man’s eyes.
The triggers seemed functionally much the same on all three when firing, except for the resets. The resets on the SR9 and the American are just fine, but the Glock has a more obvious reset. When dry firing, those three guns have some differences in the sear release but I just didn’t notice such when shooting for real.
In accuracy, I found all three to be the same within my limitations. The much hyped recoil improvement of the American was maybe just a little bit evident in comparison to the SR9. But the lighter Glock had a recoil slightly milder than the American did. Remember, this is the Gen 4 Glock with the latest and greatest recoil spring design, and just maybe a softer and more flexible frame.
Both the Rugers have thumb safeties on each side. The American has much bigger and easier to use safeties, although the corner of the frame does interfere a little. This is likely something which will vary quite a bit as people’s hands vary.
The frame on the American is the best of the three. It comes with three backstraps which also change the palm-swell. I use the medium size which is one installed on the gun at the factory. Changing is easy with the supplied Torx wrench, which rotates a fastener in the middle of the backstrap. This gun fits me just fine and I am comparing it the memory of the PPQ I once had. That is a standard hard to beat.
The American is much easier to field strip. It has a rotating take-down lever, similar to the Beretta 92 and the SIG designs. The SR9 has a pin to be pushed to the side for removing the slide. Like the SR9, the American does not require the trigger to be pulled for removing the slide.
The SR9 holds 10 rounds in the small magazine and the American holds 12, except that I can fit 13 into the single copy I have so far, and I found that I can lock this overloaded magazine into the gun even with the slide forward. I’m not sure if I am doing harm by overloading it or not. And you all know that the Glock 19 holds 15 rounds, at the expense of a grip slightly longer than the American.
The SR9 Compact feels like a concealed carry pistol, with just barely enough grip for me to get all three fingers around it. I do not have large hands, not like some men who must arm-wrestle a Sasquatch on weekends. The American Compact feels like a Tidy Size Service Pistol (going to be a new Ruger marketing phrase, I’m sure); strong and robust. I can easily get all three fingers onto the grip.
I will sell the SR9 and will keep the American.
Bart Noir
I'm sure I'd have adjusted and it's a non-issue, but it annoyed the heck out of me at the time.