What is wrong with the Ruger SR1911?

[LOLBELL]

I have noticed that when ever someone inquires as to which 1911 they should buy, only a scant few will recommend the Ruger SR1911. Inasmuch as the plunger tube, being integral with frame, is the only non-standard part (in that it is not a traditional 1911 part). Therefore, why not so much love for the Ruger?

Why is the Ruger not so popular? What is wrong with it? Be specific.

I’m not what you would call a 1911 guy. My first love is S/A revolvers but I do own two and have had others in the past. Of the two I now own the SR is the most reliable. While, like others here, I don’t have 10’s of thousands of rounds through mine, the Ruger does have 1500 or so trouble free rounds through it. The other, a pre WWII Colt, does not like anything but ball ammo.

So to answer your question I personally can find no fault in MY SR1911 I’m sure the fact that Ruger is known as a revolver gun maker has a lot to do with their non revolver popularity.

 

[dahermit]

I prefer forged frames...

What is your preference based on? Failure data or a "gut feeling"?

 

[dahermit]

After positioning themselves as a 'budget' brand, it's hard to introduce a premium product; far easier for a 'premium' maker to move into 'budget' products.

I bought an early M77 (and a .44 Carbine years ago). At that time M77's were way cheaper than Remington 700 and Winchester M70. However, I noted that years later Ruger M77 prices had caught-up with Remington 700 and Win. M70. for no apparent reason other than they could get away with charging more. In short, they were no longer such a bargain.

 

[Brownstone322]

I bought an early M77 (and a .44 Carbine years ago). At that time M77's were way cheaper than Remington 700 and Winchester M70. However, I noted that years later Ruger M77 prices had caught-up with Remington 700 and Win. M70. for no apparent reason other than they could get away with charging more. In short, they were no longer such a bargain

There's probably the same thing going on with the SR1911. This past summer I ordered an SR1911 Officer in 9mm, and the MSRP is $979 these days, which I don't exactly think of as a bargain-basement price. I settled at $899, which still doesn't qualify as a cheapie, not to me, but 9mm Officers are hard to come by, so I'm over it.

I still haven't taken delivery, by the way, and I paid in full up front. But Ruger is frank about that on its web site:

The demand for many of [our] products has far outpaced the supply, especially over the past few months. Please know we are producing and ship these high-demand models every day! ...[We are] sure that your retailer will be able to get these high-demand models for you at some point; please be patient. This being said, please beware of placing a non-refundable deposit on any firearm at this time. There is not a retailer in the country that can guarantee you a time frame for delivery until their distributor ships them the firearm.

So, generally speaking, people seem to be buying lotsa Rugers.

 

[kymasabe]

What's wrong with it? It's so darn reliable, it's boring.

 

[DT Guy]

What is your preference based on? Failure data or a "gut feeling"?

My experience dealing with cast, forged and MIM materials. I've had unexpected failures with both cast (porosity issues) and MIM (probably a failure to remove all the binder, but hard to tell-part 'crumbled' into dust) parts, and not one with a forged part.

Is that data, or anecdotal? Anecdotal. But I value my experiences and observations more highly that second, third or whatever opinions I've seen and read.

Larry

 

[dahermit]

My experience dealing with cast, forged and MIM materials. I've had unexpected failures with both cast (porosity issues) and MIM (probably a failure to remove all the binder, but hard to tell-part 'crumbled' into dust) parts, and not one with a forged part.

Is that data, or anecdotal? Anecdotal. But I value my experiences and observations more highly that second, third or whatever opinions I've seen and read.

Larry

Pictures? Picture of the investment cast frame that had " porosity issues"? The Brand and name of part that "crumbled' into dust"? or pictures would be better yet.

 

[Ingramite]

It's been a while since I owned my SR1911CMD so some of my information on Ruger and Pine Tree Castings might be outdated now.

Ruger didn't build a 1911 frame until the SR1911. When they began production it was with Caspian molds and tooling. Some will tell you that Caspian and several other fancy 1911 makers use Pine Tree Casting frames on their builds. Others say that the Pine Tree Casting frames are really Caspian frames made by Pine Tree. Whew, which came first? The cart or the horse?

Either way, I think this just serves to further illuminate the OP's original question. Why no props for the Ruger SR1911. Then amplify that question by asking if it is really true that "top money" 1911 builders use Pine Tree frame castings....but don't breath a word of it.

I can only make it personal and tell you my story.
I got a beautiful SR1911 CMD and it was flawless. It was a used pistol that I picked up for about $600. It was completely reliable and accurate but it had this horrific billboard slide with Huge RUGER lettering and some critter that looked like a road kill chicken. All of that crap was engraved on the slide.

The next thing that was sort of peculiar was the blue metal flake finish on the receiver and slide. The mainspring housing, grip safety, and slide stop were some sort of black metal that resembled plastic. Anyway, this thing looks like a cartoon pistol with that color scheme.

I'm still learning about 1911s. I've probably grown a little wiser and can now appreciate the value they bring to the table. Just leave them alone and shoot the snot out of them.
Don't put $800 of improvements on a $600 pistol and expect to get $700 out of it when you sell it.

I had all of the engraving milled off the slide and had all of the black parts blasted when the frame and slide were also blasted. I was going for a mono chrome look of most stainless steel 1911s on the market. Everything one color and one matching shade of metal. Well, after all of that, it never really did look "right".

What I really wanted was a Colt or even a Sig 1911. Once I spent a pile of dough equal to the price of the 1911 that I really wanted, I traded off the SR1911CMD at a loss.

So here is the kernel of your question....and it really goes to public opinion and what is posted on various gun forums. I admit that I was influenced by high opinions posted by owners of more expensive "fancy" 1911s.

Is a Ruger SR1911 as "good" as a Colt?
Are my firearm "needs" the same as a Navy Seal?
Do guys that have spent the long green on a fancy 1911 have a story to tell or just a reputation to uphold?

In a long and rambling, round about way of saying it?
Your not likely to read positive press on the Ruger SR1911 because most of the ink is being used up by guys justifying expensive purchases of fancy custom 1911s.

I climbed up the ladder of increasingly more expensive 1911s. It's my standard MO, be sure and hit every rung on the ladder and spend twice as much doing it. Now I have Colt's and Dan Wesson 1911s. Are they better than the Ruger?
They darn sure hold their value better at resale time.

 

[zeke]

Generally you hear more about pistols with problems. Like the news, you hear mostly the bad. Not hearing alot about the Rugers may actually be a good thing. They are not real fancy, but have some really desirable features.

Have a lwght commander that is used for cc in cooler seasons. Really like the light weight, integral plunger tube, feed ramp insert, high visibility sights and non-fancy functional finish.

Did change out the barrel as the rifling was rough and hampered accuracy. It now has a 5 in barrel, which gives me the added velocity withouit the weight of a full size. Also changed out the safety for older style with less leverage.

Not real interested in fancy finish/high price for a carry gun.

 

[PatientWolf]

I think when they first came out, they were a real bargain. As they got good reviews, they started increasing their MSRP and the street price followed and now they are essentially the same price as other brands. At $600, which they could be purchased for a few years ago, I’d grab an SR1911. Now at close to $1k, I am in the similar range to Colt, CZ, Springfield, S&W, Sig or several other brands of 1911 and nothing really distinguishes the Ruger over the others.

 

[Brownstone322]

I think when they first came out, they were a real bargain. As they got good reviews, they started increasing their MSRP and the street price followed and now they are essentially the same price as other brands. At $600, which they could be purchased for a few years ago, I’d grab an SR1911. Nw at close to $1k, I am in the similar range to Colt, CZ, Springfield, S&W, Sig or several other brands of 1911 and nothing really distinguished the Ruger over the others.

I think that is exactly correct. They used to be a bargain; not so much anymore.

The only reason I ordered an SR1911 Officer (for too much, in my mind) is because I wanted an Officer, and there aren't that many Officers to choose among. If I had wanted another Government-sized model, I probably would've gotten another Colt.

 

[Jack19]

@dahermit

"...it was better made than a couple of Colt 1911s I've owned." That is a subjective and or ambiguous statement. Can you explain exactly in what way it was "better made" than the Colts you have owned?

Sure, parts didn't fall off the Ruger while I was shooting it. It would eject empty cases, it would lock back on an empty factory mag, and feed hollow points.

ETA: The Ruger also seated mags, securely, every time, and the grip safety always worked.

Best.

 

[DT Guy]

Pictures? Picture of the investment cast frame that had " porosity issues"? The Brand and name of part that "crumbled' into dust"? or pictures would be better yet.

I never said it was a cast frame-it was a thumb safety, and sorry, no photos.

The MIM was a disconnector on a Sig Nightmare Carry, and failed within 1,000 rounds. I do have a picture of that (or what remained of the disco; didn't get the dust that it broke into) and that's attached.

Anything can fail; it's all about odds. I still have guns with cast and MIM parts, but given the choice, prefer forged frames and slides.

Larry

 

[Sanch]

Hi dahermit,

I have absolutely no knowledge of Ruger guns. I own none.

I'm a 1911-A1 aficionado and traditionalist. I love everything about the 1911-A1, especially its history as an offensive battle handgun, which I believe was the first offensive battle handgun. It has an enviable history of Prohibition era law enforcement. G-Men and the 1911-A1 sent bad guys on the hightail. Lots or rural cops relied upon military surplus 1911-A1s. Working off memory alone, the US Army either gave or sold on the extremely cheap surplus 1911-A1s to law enforcement agencies that were on very tight budgets.

My guess is Springfield Armory has captured the largest percentage of 1911-A1 market. It's entry level 1911-A1s are of outstanding quality. All SA 1911-A1s frames and slides are manufactured from forged steel. All SA 1911-A1s are made in Genesco, IL, USA. Not many manufacturers use forged steel due to cost. I swapped out a guide rod for a GI recoil system on a Loaded Model that was sold to me brand new at a price too good to let slide. That handgun is far more accurate than I had anticipated. It's been 100% reliable with all ammo fired through it. Best of all, I didn't have to squander the price of the gun to make it a shooter.

The Springfield Armory TRP .45 is considered my many 1911-A1 aficionados to be the best factory produced 1911-A1 on the market. It's the factory version of Springfield Armory's Custom Shop's legendary FBI Gun, or Professional Model as it's now known. The FBI Gun is crafted by hand. Chris Kyle carried a SA TRP in combat. Again, if you're a 1911-A1 traditionalist, you'll have to swap out a TRP's guide rod for a GI plug.

As an aside, a gun store clerk who shot competitively at tactical handgun matches used a TRP. He told me it was extremely popular 1911-A1 among competitive shooters. I have no clue of the validity of his claim.

I'm sure that Ruger's iteration of the 1911-A1 is an excellent handgun. But since my initial exposure to Springfield Armory's Loaded Model, I've sold all of my other 1911-A1s, including two Colts. I'm exclusively a Springfield Armory 1911-A1 shooter.

A huge whineburger that I hate to see any shooter eat is forking over hard earned money for a substandard gun. When a sportsman pays a grand or more for a handgun, it ought to be flawless from the factory.

BTW, while I know of no one who owns a Ruger 1911, I've never heard anyone complain about one.

 

[zeke]

Am another fan of SA 1911's, owning the first versions of their mil spec, Trophy Match and Range Officer. However had only one catastrophic 1911/pistol failure, and it was with the first version of their 3 in 45. The front of the slide right below the barrel broke off. It was a heavily used pistol, but with standard loads.

 

[dahermit]

I love you man, but that’s not a “high end” 1911. It’s a nice Custom Shop Ruger. It’s competing with Wilson Combat and it’s marketing at half the price. Wilson Combat is “high end.”

We could have a whole chat board about how Wilson is over priced compared to X, Y, and Z young company offerings or how for that price you should save up for the real custom you want... but Wilson doesn’t need to explain anything about their offerings- their 1911 is a 1911 (not close to it), they have a forged frame and top quality parts top to bottom. They have the competition wins and experience to back up their offerings.

Ruger has to explain that it’s “not quite” a 1911. They have to explain their cast carts are as good as forged. They have to explain they don’t spend a lot of money supporting a competition team.

Wilson has to explain their price. Mostly they do that by saying “sorry, do you want on the waiting list?”

Other than the integral safety/slide lock spring tube, how is the SR1911 "not quite" a 1911?

 

[dahermit]

I never said it was a cast frame-it was a thumb safety, and sorry, no photos.

The MIM was a disconnector on a Sig Nightmare Carry, and failed within 1,000 rounds. I do have a picture of that (or what remained of the disco; didn't get the dust that it broke into) and that's attached.

Anything can fail; it's all about odds. I still have guns with cast and MIM parts, but given the choice, prefer forged frames and slides.

Larry

Holy Hell! That machining is as rough as a cob! It looks like they machined it using a fly cutter with a broken bit.
Is that a Ruger?

 

[DT Guy]

Holy Hell! That machining is as rough as a cob! It looks like they machined it using a fly cutter with a broken bit.
Is that a Ruger?

Nope, Sig Nightmare Carry- a $1,200 gun.

After I dropped an EGW ball-end disco in it, it's run like a top, shoots like a laser and has a trigger pull (FPS notwithstanding) to die for.

It just looks like a caveman built it inside, and SIG essentially told me to pound sand when I showed them the disco.

Larry

 

[buddyd157]

my LGS's, just do not have any Ruger 1911's, and i am on all the "wish lists" they all have

 

[Death-Ninja]

Not a thing wrong with them, they are quite decent 1911 pistols, however the prices inflating during the fake pandemic is not helping their reputation. Consider, at $700.00 a Ruger SR1911 is a very good buy, but at $1000.00 not a chance, I can get a Colt or SA gun at that point with forged frames. I also don't see any Ruger guns anywhere, which tells me Ruger isn't producing them currently, that is also why the prices are inflating to levels the SR1911's simply cannot justify qualitatively.