Ruger PC9 Issues?

Thanks for the replies everyone. I should have specified--by "a little better" I mean it does seat the magazine when the bolt is open.

The LRHO feature is actually more defective than I realized. The bolt will not lock back with an empty magazine in place unless I push up on the magazine. I made another video below to demonstrate this (see the link). I cannot see any contact between the magazine and the bolt as it travels, so it doesn't look like the mag is riding too high in the magwell. The magwell is a bit loose in the gun though, it has some play to it if I try to wiggle it around. I wouldn't say it rattles, but I can move it slightly with my fingers.

Defective magwell perhaps? I think it's time to reach out to Ruger about getting it serviced...

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/47ukS5nEJso
 
Try that LRBHO test again, this time pressing up on the lower edge of the mag well instead of the magazine. That might tell you if it's the loose mag well causing the problem.

If you decide to warranty it and send it back to Ruger, it will be gone for a good while, and you might not like the result. If you can get the store to take care of it, that is the best option.
 
So I totally disassembled and cleaned the gun tonight and tried putting in the Ruger magwell to see if it worked better with Ruger mags. To my surprise it was even worse with the Ruger mag. I can’t seat the stock Ruger mag with 10 rounds in it against a closed bolt at all. Even pushing firmly I can’t get it to click into place. That said, at least the LRBHO works properly with the Ruger mag…

I purchased it from Bullseye North not long ago, but I’m skeptical they will do much for me.

Thanks everyone for the help!
 
I doubt you have 2 out of spec magwel inserts, seems more likely that the problem is with the mag catch. Have you checked to see if the mag catch and button assembly is loose?

I've never taken one apart but the assembly is reversible and has a spring and bolt that holds it together, maybe yours is not seated correctly and this is causing the catch to sit in the wrong spot?

Maybe disassemble and take a look at the parts and how they fit together and line up.
 
BR8MD, I don't know what your level of experience is, so I'm sorry if this is old news to you: All fully loaded magazines are hard to seat on a closed bolt. Some are practically impossible, and require modification of the magazine to work well. Out of spec mag well / mag catch issues are not impossible, but they are much less likely causes in terms of seating on a close bolt.

With a fully loaded magazine, when you press down on the top cartridge, how much room do you have to add another cartridge? If it's less than 1/2 of a cartridge, I'd say your mags are "too tight". This is very common with neutered magazines: Magazine manufacturers err on the side of caution, because the consequences of "too loose" (and allowing the loading of an 11th round) are high.

Also, the last round bolt hold open (LRBHO) feature is relatively problematic with straight blowback firearms (like your Ruger). That's why most PCC designs don't have the feature, and that's why it often doesn't work well on guns that do have the feature. The Ruger PCC is one of those where it doesn't work well for everyone. You can probably tinker with it to get it to work, or just try different types of magazines until you find one type that is reliable. Different combinations of follower shapes and mag body designs mean that the LRBHO contact surface shape and position varies.

Of course you shouldn't have to tinker with a new gun to get it working properly, so it would be reasonable to warranty it. The best retailers would do a straight swap for another unit in their inventory - After testing to make sure the replacement doesn't have the same issues. Otherwise you'll have to go through the Ruger Canadian warranty center, which is a lengthy process and a roll of the dice.
 
alpining said:
BR8MD, I don't know what your level of experience is, so I'm sorry if this is old news to you: All fully loaded magazines are hard to seat on a closed bolt. Some are practically impossible, and require modification of the magazine to work well. Out of spec mag well / mag catch issues are not impossible, but they are much less likely causes in terms of seating on a close bolt.

With a fully loaded magazine, when you press down on the top cartridge, how much room do you have to add another cartridge? If it's less than 1/2 of a cartridge, I'd say your mags are "too tight". This is very common with neutered magazines: Magazine manufacturers err on the side of caution, because the consequences of "too loose" (and allowing the loading of an 11th round) are high.

Also, the last round bolt hold open (LRBHO) feature is relatively problematic with straight blowback firearms (like your Ruger). That's why most PCC designs don't have the feature, and that's why it often doesn't work well on guns that do have the feature. The Ruger PCC is one of those where it doesn't work well for everyone. You can probably tinker with it to get it to work, or just try different types of magazines until you find one type that is reliable. Different combinations of follower shapes and mag body designs mean that the LRBHO contact surface shape and position varies.

Of course you shouldn't have to tinker with a new gun to get it working properly, so it would be reasonable to warranty it. The best retailers would do a straight swap for another unit in their inventory - After testing to make sure the replacement doesn't have the same issues. Otherwise you'll have to go through the Ruger Canadian warranty center, which is a lengthy process and a roll of the dice.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this reply alpining.

The Ruger mag that came with the rifle is so tight I can barely get the last round into it even with my Maglula loader. I went to Bullseye North today and exchanged my pmags for a Gen4 Glock 17 Brand name magazine. The Glock mag works properly with the LRHO feature, and it's tight to insert against the closed bolt but it does click into place. There is maybe 1/3 round of space to push down the 10th round when that mag is loaded.
 
BRBMD said:
Thanks for this reply alpining.

The Ruger mag that came with the rifle is so tight I can barely get the last round into it even with my Maglula loader. I went to Bullseye North today and exchanged my pmags for a Gen4 Glock 17 Brand name magazine. The Glock mag works properly with the LRHO feature, and it's tight to insert against the closed bolt but it does click into place. There is maybe 1/3 round of space to push down the 10th round when that mag is loaded.
Click to expand...

Nice, sounds like you figured it out!
 
Awesome, glad it's working for you. If you leave that Glock mag fully loaded for a while, it should loosen up a bit. Even more so if you leave it inserted in the gun with the bolt closed (subject to legal requirements, or use snap caps).
 
Take the mags apart and take small amount off the block. They are tight and not allowing the follower to move a small amount down while the bolt is seated when empty. All my Pmags needed this but real glock mags are good.
 
BRBMD said:
Thanks for this reply alpining.

The Ruger mag that came with the rifle is so tight I can barely get the last round into it even with my Maglula loader. I went to Bullseye North today and exchanged my pmags for a Gen4 Glock 17 Brand name magazine. The Glock mag works properly with the LRHO feature, and it's tight to insert against the closed bolt but it does click into place. There is maybe 1/3 round of space to push down the 10th round when that mag is loaded.
Click to expand...

put like 8-9 rounds in the mag for a week to stretch the spring

it will fit 10 rounds afterwards
 
is the ejector/magwell suppose to be very tight?

The ejector looks tight to the magwell but there is also a little bit of wiggle room when inserting a ruger mag. The mag is able to push the ejector around 1-2 mm.
 
To op. I to have last round hold issues and it seems to be random as you say 50% of the time. Have Glock and pmag’s doesn't seem to matter. I am still not sure what is the cause. Otherwise the G runs flawless and is so fun to shoot! 1000 rounds so far.
 
XROSS said:
To op. I to have last round hold issues and it seems to be random as you say 50% of the time. Have Glock and pmag’s doesn't seem to matter. I am still not sure what is the cause. ....
Click to expand...

There's a thread around somewhere with instructions on how the front action screw tension can cause this issue. Sometimes it just needs to be adjusted, sometimes a shim as well.
 
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