In my early days – some 40 years ago, I was selected to be on my home town police department. I had to bring my own personally-owned gun to fit their holster to work on the first night – yes, we worked before going to the academy in those days. I arrived with a Ruger Security Six in the holster. There was some hilarity over that. Most ‘veterans’ wore S&W revolvers – it was an S&W department by tradition. I had the only Ruger in the house.
Starting pay was less than $700 a month and it was little dough for a family. The Security Six was a cost-effective alternative for the pricey police revolver.
I used a few different examples of the Security Six over the years. Quite accurate, it was sturdy and reliable.
That was then. The Security-9 is now.
People had clamored for all manufacturers to match the envelope of what has to be the most popular Glock model so far: the Glock 19. A four-inch barrel, fifteen rounds of capacity, compact enough for concealment but appropriate for a uniform holster, a “just-right” format for self-defense.
Still, many people have been hammered by a slow recovery from a bad fiscal ‘correction,’ with little increase in earning power until very recently.
The Security-9, retailing for $379 but doubtless trading for ca. $300 in retail establishments, moves into a sparse field of “high quality, value-priced” autos primarily occupied by the hammer-fired Walther Creed and the striker-fired S&W SD9VE.
How did Ruger do this? It’s an up-sizing of the LCP II action with some similarity to the LC9 series. The magazine is SR-like, but not an SR9 magazine. It is compatible with the PCC, a gun we’ll discuss in more detail later.
Why did Ruger do it? That seems to be a question posed by many on the internet. I didn’t ask, because it makes sense to me, but I find that a high quality gun at this price point provides competition not just for the pair of high-quality similarly appointed guns but for value-priced imports and some lesser-quality domestic offerings.
My experience with the Security-9 is from an industry thing at Gunsite Academy. We were assigned guns, got holsters and mag pouches from CrossBreed and Blade-Tech, a CrossBreed Belt. After the classroom session, we repaired to the range.
It was set up to be a seminar more geared to ‘competition’ than training and MGM Targets was present to provide innovative steel for us to shoot. Ammunition was Hornady American Gunner 115 grain XTP in their 75-round packs and Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain FTX ammo.
The gun operates by a “not quite single action” hammer-fired mechanism. Taken from the LCP II, the hammer is pre-cocked when a round in chambered. To make the piece fire, pressing the trigger takes the hammer back to the point where it’s released: it doesn’t feel like the double-action of the original LCP or LC9. It’s more like a single-action trigger.
Drop safety on the sub-24 ounce pistol is accomplished with the “blade” in the face of the trigger – it has to be depressed for the trigger to move back. In addition, there’s the “neutrally balanced sear with significant engagement and strong spring tension, and a hammer catch to help prevent the hammer from contacting the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled.”
The chassis is aluminum with full-length rails upon which the slide rides. It’s one-piece and rigid. The frame is glass-filled nylon. If there are concerns about the durability of the aluminum chassis with the steel slide, consider the 1949 Colt Commander.
The gun ships with two steel magazines.
We had a number of products used to facilitate the event at Gunsite Academy. CrossBreed supplied their SnapSlide OWB hybrid holster and their Crossover leather belt. The belt features a slide buckle, meaning the belt needs no (weakening) holes for a conventional buckle. Speaking of holsters, I also tried the Security-9 in the Safariland Model 576 GLS Pro-Fit holster. This holster, in the Compact variant, fits many similar-sized sidearms simply by adjusting the frame block.
If neither appeals, Blade-Tech had holsters and magazine pouches for the new gun at the event. I used Blade-Tech one training day and CrossBreed the next; products from both worked just fine.
A Pachmayr Tactical Grip Glove, sized for Glock Compacts (e.g., 19, 23, etc.), but with a label that indicated it’d fit the new gun, was included with the gear. I’m not much for grip-sleeve implements and have had more trouble with them than they are generally worth. In the case of the Security-9 and the Pachmayr unit – available from ShopRuger.com – I found the Grip Glove a good addition. Made of soft rubber and vented, it enhanced the “feel” of the new pistol.
Helpful for some at the event, the UpLULA 9mm to .45 ACP Universal pistol magazine loader facilitated loading magazines. If you’re doing ‘production shooting,’ as in a class, such a device can be an asset. In addition to ammo, Hornady provided their Soft Pistol Case, #99117. A collaboration with the folks at TUFF Products, the case takes the Security-9 and up to five magazines.
There was a lot of shooting during the event. The guns were part of the first production run. Minor problems with two guns were ironed out, but the remainder functioned, fired and hit without issues. While assisting with a writer attempting to meet a short deadline, I watched him score hit after hit on a fifty-yard Pepper Popper, from standing unsupported.
How will the new gun fare? Time will tell. Like the Security-Six of the old days, it’s an attempt to provide an alternative at an attractive price point. If your tastes are geared to $3-5,000 1911s, traditional double-action guns or striker-fired guns, the Security-9 may not be for you.
I’ve worked in environments where folks struggling to make ends meet still assessed a need for self-protection and a desire for recreational firearms. It looks like the Ruger Security-9 will provide an option for those folks – and for people who just appreciate a good deal.
- - Rich Grassi