I’ve had some emails, personal messages, and comments from people who follow my YouTube channel requesting me to take a look at the Ruger SR9C, and have asked me how it stacks up against the Glock 19. I hadn’t put many rounds through either, so I decided that meant it was time to hit the range with both compact 9mms. However, I have a little twist on the comparison. Instead of telling you what I think is better, I’m going to show you some footage of how I handle each handgun and leave the decision up to you.
In the spirit of my range reviews, I’m choosing four points on which to focus and compare the Ruger and the Glock.
1) Trigger
How long is the pull? Is it crisp, or does it creep? Is it light or heavy? How smooth is the pull?
2) Sight Picture
What style sights does each firearm have? How easy are they to track while shooting several rounds in quick succession?
3) Perceived Recoil
How strong does the rearward force of recoil feel? How pronounced is the muzzle flip?
4) Grip
How ergonomic is the grip shape? How does that contribute to or detract from the shooting experience?
I’ll shoot five rounds through each gun and compare them on these points.
Trigger
Glocks, in general, are known for their light, crisp trigger pull. The 19 is no exception to their established standard. However, the trigger on the SR9C feels lighter and seems to have a shorter length of pull than that of the Glock 19.
Sight Picture
The Ruger SR9C is equipped with 3 dot sights out of the box, with small-sized rear sight dots and a larger front sight dot. I’ve developed a familiarity with the 3 dot sight picture from my experience shooting my 3 dot sight 1911s. So, I found the Ruger’s sights to be easy to align and track, even when firing shots in rapid succession. On the other hand, I have often struggled with managing the sight picture formed by the Glock 19’s notch and dot. I find I have to practice some with the pistol before I get the idea of where to position the sights to get the rounds where I want them. I especially notice the difficulty in maintaining sight picture between shots. I seem to struggle with finding just how the dot ought to align without an increased degree of concentration.
Perceived Recoil
It was difficult to contrast the perceived recoil with the Ruger SR9C and the Glock 19 because the kick they produce feels similar. Neither has a particularly strong recoil sensation, and both have a bit of muzzle rise between shots. They both have low perceived recoil.
Grip
The general theme I’ve experienced with shooting Glocks is that the grip feels angular and uncomfortable. The Glock 19 is in line with that trend for me. The Ruger SR9C doesn’t share the more awkward “boxy” shape of the Glock grip. The Ruger is compact, with a rounded grip. The SR9C has more comfortable grip ergos compared to the Glock. To be fair, some of that additional “comfort” I have with the Ruger may have something to do with my smaller hand size.
Now that you’ve seen the footage of both firearms and how I handle them, I pose you the question: Which is better – the Ruger SR9C or the Glock 19? Let me know what you think in the comments.
