I purchased a Ruger SR40 a couple of days ago, had it's range debut yesterday. wow! I have a 10/22 from Ruger which is a great little gun, but this is my first
handgun. Not just from Ruger, but period.
I shot a rental SR40 prior to buying, so I had an idea what was going on. Not much kick for a .40 in my opinion. Especially compared to 9mm's I have shot. Shoots 100% true out of the box. No jams, feeding issues, very pleased indeed. I'm a big guy (6', 270) so this is an OK size carry gun for me; I also prefer the single-action over double-actions. I was really interested in going the 1911 route (based on looks and reputation) but I have to say I don't like the double action at all, and unless you want to spend a lot of $$, most of the ones I've handled have a "cheap" feel to them. The other reason I ended up with .40 S&W: 15 shots per clip (vs what, 7-8?). Whatever I may be missing in quality on any given day, I'll make up for with volume
SR40 take-down is extremely easy, as is re-assembly. I can do both in less than a minute combined. This is a no-BS gun, which I prefer. I have always been very hands-on in terms of taking apart rifles and shotguns, so I know how they work, can maintain them myself and in a pinch can fix a problem in the field. This is easy as in cleaning a bolt-action rifle or a Remington 870 is "easy". Like I said, big guy, big hands, no problems handling any of the pieces.
I bought this gun based on excellent reviews and test info but the real kicker for me was how well it shot, fits my hand and at $450, a great new gun for the money. I'll check back in after I put few thousand rounds through it