Another value entry is the new Ruger Security-9 Compact. With an MSRP of $379, this 9mm serves up just about every feature found on higher-priced carry pistols. It packs 10+1 rounds inside a package shorter and thinner than the SCCY CPX-3, though it’s about 0.75 inches longer overall.
The Security-9 Compact’s through-hardened alloy steel slide wears a blued finish and is beveled on all sides for a snag-free draw and easy one-handed reholstering. The white-dot front sight and white-outlined rear sight are both drift adjustable and easy to see.
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Despite the gun’s budget price point, the slide has both front and rear cocking serrations to facilitate easy manipulations. Other unexpected features include an integral Picatinny rail and a reversible magazine release for left-handed shooters. The grip texturing, while serviceable, is a bit subtle.
The Security-9 Compact is deceptive in its appearance, as it has some of the hallmarks of a striker-fired pistol, such as the safety dingus on the trigger. However, it uses a same “Secure Action” hammer-fired operating system as the LCP II. Racking the slide partially cocks the hammer, and pulling the trigger completes the action and breaks the sear. In my opinion, this system provides one of the best trigger pulls of any similar pistol on the market.
Terrill acted as though the Security-9 Compact was a long-lost friend when he saw and used the manual safety. It was easy to engage but unobtrusive at the same time, though Terrill did not exactly think the pistol was attractive. I thought the Security-9 Compact was as appealing as any other polymer-framed pistol going, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by the miniature magazine release. It was stiff and poked uncomfortably into my thumb. The slide release was also undersized and difficult to engage.
While the company has trimmed corners to meet price constraints, the Security-9 Compact does offer a bevy of features usually found on higher-priced offerings. Ruger walks the line rather nicely by building an action-packed pistol that is accurate, comfortable to shoot and supremely reliable.
