My New Ruger SR1911

General Firearms Handguns - 1911
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Back in December of 2010 I had the privilege of being invited to Gunsite for the introduction of several new Ruger products, among them the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, which I have reviewed previously.

Also present at the gunwriters’ review was Ruger’s then-secret SR1911, which we’ve been keeping quiet since. I personally am not a 1911 aficionado. I like the design and have owned several, but I’m not as familiar with the platform as some. One hundred years after its adoption by the U.S. Government as a military service sidearm, Ruger is now offering their version of John Moses Browning’s classic pistol.

The 1911 type has been produced in many configurations by many manufacturers in numerous countries. Some companies currently producing the 1911 use parts imported from foreign countries, whereas Ruger’s new SR1911 is wholly American-made. Every pin, spring, screw, and part is produced domestically in the United States of America.

The pistol is built on a 1911A1-styled frame, including crescent relief cuts on the frame behind the trigger, though it departs from the -A1 with a flat mainspring housing and a lowered and flared ejection port.

Pistol specs:

Manufacture: Sturm, Ruger & Co
Model: SR1911
Caliber: .45ACP
Capacity: 7 or 8 rounds
Barrel: 5 inches (mfr)
Weight: 36.4 oz (w/o mag)
Trigger pull: 5 lbs 7.0 oz (tested)
Grooves: 6
Twist: 1/16 right hand

We were amply provisioned for testing. Seen here are four .50-caliber cans of preloaded 7-round magazines. Because the only thing better than shooting is having somebody else load the mags.

…we ran out anyway. Ruger brought several more cases of .45ACP but after we burned through the initial lot of preloaded magazines we had to reload our own.

On the range with the SR1911. We shot in two alternating groups.

We also shot in low light…

…and later in full dark with flashlights. This range session yielded no usable pictures.

Later we toured the Ruger factory as Prescott, AZ, where we got to see the manufacturing of the SR1911 and various other pistols. This is the CNC machine used for milling barrels and bushings.

At left, matched barrels and bushings before the machine. At right, after machining.

Two SR1911 frames in the CNC machine.

Slides in CNC machine.

Slides after final cutting.

Ruger’s Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) used to ensure precise tolerances on all major parts.

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Back at Gunsite, Ruger’s Mark Gurney enters the Playhouse with the SR1911.

Engaging a target.

Sheriff Jim Wilson entering the Playhouse.

Sheriff Jim engaging through the door.

The sheriff pie-ing.

The Gunsite instructors and range officers. Left to right: Il Ling New, Ed Head, Chris Weare, LaMonte Kintsel.

Left to right: Michael Bane, myself, and Jeff Quinn.

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Ruger sent me the current production SR1911.

Included is a padded pistol case, a lock, and a bushing wrench.

The SR1911, fresh out of the box.

The pistol features a conventional recoil spring instead of a full-length guide rod. It is of all steel construction with no plastic parts. Frame and slide are stainless steel, as are the barrel and bushing. The frame is cast. Originally the grips were black hard rubber, but since the gunwriters’ review Ruger switched to Diamondwood. My understanding is that this is a laminate impregnated with resin for greater durability with a traditional appearance. The grip pattern is the classic double diamond with the Ruger emblem. Sights are Novak 3-dots dovetailed into the slide.

The SR1911 is built along the lines of the Series 70 1911s, as there is no firing pin safety block. Also of note, this model does NOT feature a magazine disconnect safety.

Included are one 7- and one 8-round magazine.

Over five test pulls the trigger averaged at 5 lbs 7.0 oz with a Lyman electronic gauge. This is a departure from the models tested at Gunsite, which felt considerably lighter.

Bottom of the slide.

Breech face and extractor.

Rear of the slide, showing firing pin and plate.

Barrel hood is stamped .45 AUTO.

Polished throat. The cutout at the rear of the barrel hood is the loaded chamber indicator.

Internal parts after field stripping.

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Right grip panel, showing Ruger’s emblem and Diamondwood grip panels.

Nicely beveled magazine well.

Ruger’s obligatory warning, as present on the dust cover. Not overly obnoxious.

Skeletonized trigger with adjustable overtravel. Also note the pronounced magazine release.

Skeletonized combat hammer and extended safety lever.

Extended beavertail safety with raised memory bump. Also visible, the flat steel (not plastic) mainspring housing with not 20, not 30, but 25 lines per inch. Nicely done, Ruger.

Polished feed ramp.

Note the lack of firing pin safety block.

Demonstration of the loaded chamber indicator. Note brass casing. Simple, but effective.

Ruger’s emblem on the right of the slide. Tastefully done.

Right side view of the SR1911.

Though I have yet to take this pistol to the range and put it through its paces, the model I tested at Gunsite ran flawlessly through countless rounds, and nobody on the firing line reported any malfunction that I am aware. Fit and finish are superb and frame to slide fit is tight with no play. As mentioned above, the trigger is heavier than that of the model tested at Gunsite, though possibly it may improve with shooting. The Novak sights are very user friendly and highly visible, allowing for quick target acquisition. The slide serrations allow for positive slide manipulation and are nicely cut to correspond with the angle of the pistol grip.

The black accents of the smaller structural components nicely compliment the satin stainless steel frame and slide, and the addition of reddish Diamondwood grips adds a touch of class, recalling the design’s origins while embracing a century of refinements

Range report to follow.

5

Great review ! Good photos. The pistol looks good . Too bad I won’t be buying one as it doesn’t have the correct name on the slide but my best to those that do. :wink:

6

I like it. Good job, Ruger!

7

Wow. A Ruger product that doesn’t suck.

I am impressed… I like the loaded chamber indicator.

8

Nice review and photos!

If Michael Bane wants to promote himself as a firearms expert, he should become one. In his video he tries to describe how the grip safety deactivates the firing pin block on a Series 80 pistol.

9

If only you could have seen some of the things he said about the SCAR when it came out.

I remember hearing him saying that the Mk. 16 model had parts interchangeability with AK-105 types, and the Mk. 17 models could use FAL parts, and that it could use a standard AR trigger.

It was awesome, though the video was taken down less than a week after it’s posting.

10

Excellent write-up. Any Ruger I have owned over the years has been a solid firearm. May have to try out their 1911.

11

Looks like Ruger might have gotten this one right. Pinned ejector, GI guide rod, Series 70, integral plunger tube…looks decent so far.

From what I’ve read elsewhere MSRP looks to be around $799, meaning retail may be mid-$600. Looks to be a viable option at that price point for those wanting a range-only 1911 but knowing Ruger’s recent history with semi-autos I’ll wait to see what bugs shake out over the next few months.

12

Looks like a solid pistol but time will tell. Thanks for the pictures.

13

Looks very nice. This will go nicely with my scout and soon to be LCR. I have definitely been on a Ruger kick lately.

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Thanks for the review and very fine photos deadduck357. :cool:

Good looking 1911, I look forward to the range report.

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I am pretty impressed, especially from Ruger. Only negatives I see are the cast frame and the warning on the dustcover. The price point is pretty nice making this a viable contender to consider.

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My theory is Ruger spent a lot of time online finding out what 1911 guys REALLY wanted in a base to slightly customized gun, and then built it. There is no way they could have fucked up this good on their own. I’m really interested to see some guys put some serious miles on these guns.

+10000 on the “safety warning”. If they have to have it visible, thats a real good place to put it.

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They’re supposedly releasing a railed frame model. Here’s hoping they wont slather that warning on the side of the slide…ew.

Anyone know if the small bits and bobs are MIM or forged? Im assuming MIM but it would be nice to be proven wrong.

I have nothing against MIM that is done right i just dont really believe Ruger is the foremost expert on MIM when it comes to firearms parts.

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So you get a great trip to Gunsite, shoot specially prepared Ruger pistols with Ruger ammo, eat Ruger food, maybe drink some Ruger booze in the evening. Did Ruger pay your lodging? Your travel? Then you give their gun a glowing report! Hey, I’d glow too if I got such a sweet deal! You failed to answer one important question. With all the great 1911s out there, why should I buy a Ruger 1911? Why should I buy anything from a company that tells me that a 77-22 that shoots six to eight inches at 50 yards meets Ruger accuracy specifications? In contrast to your fabulous experience I see my experience as more likely to be: Buy a Ruger, it’s inaccurate or unreliable or defective right out of the box or it breaks after some use. That is my experience with Ruger.

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Qouted for an answer to the above…

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Two questions:

  1. Do any other mfgs machine their barrels and bushings at the same time? This seems like a nice process to get a consistent fit.

  2. In one of the press releases for this Ruger mentions an “improved internal extractor”. What is improved? Could you please pull the extractor and compare it to a standard one? It

Guess that was actually three questions.