Confessions and a plug for the Ruger P95
- Thread starter JohnKSa
- Start date
arki newbie
New member
Just cleaned my P89 from a 300 round shoot yesterday I've never had a problem with this gun built like a tank.
One of my most recent Ruger purchases was a NIB P345. My most recent Colt purchase was a NIB Colt Commander. I have had numerous Rugers and Colts over the years, still have some of each. Guess which one has been perfect out of the box and which one went back to the factory after one box of rounds with multiple issues?
I love my Colts, but have to give credit where credit is due, each and every Ruger has been reliable and accurate out of the box. The P345 is a nice change from the traditional "as big as a tank" pistol. Very slim and easy to carry and shoot.
I love my Colts, but have to give credit where credit is due, each and every Ruger has been reliable and accurate out of the box. The P345 is a nice change from the traditional "as big as a tank" pistol. Very slim and easy to carry and shoot.
Double Naught Spy
New member
I believe the problems of caked on residue buildup were likely from he remaining kitty litter in John's tactical kitty litter container he used for concealed carry during the match.
I don't know this for a fact, but kitty litter is known for clumping/sticking together and such...
I don't know this for a fact, but kitty litter is known for clumping/sticking together and such...
Thanks.
I believe Bill Ruger did just what he wanted with the P-series design. Ruger never was overwhelmed with the need to make things so sleek they did not stand up to severe punishment. He always put the higher priority on strength & reliability. Well, I must say my SS speed six is somewhat sleek.....actually very sleek. OK, to be fair, my GP100 is also sleek......that is as sleek as a tank.
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ezenbrowntown
New member
I've got a Ruger P89 I got when I graduated high school. I'm now 29, so the gun is a little over 11 years old. Not near as informed on cleaning, lubrication, stripping as am I now, the gun didn't receive a thorough cleaning until about 3 years ago. It had been shot periodically over that time frame, and several times right up until I gave it a good cleaning. I've never had one malfunction with it, then or now.
leadcounsel
Moderator
Indeed. I had the opportunity to see and hold one of those P95 pistols southern Iraq, in 2008. I was the OIC of a mission at a patrol base there. We were training and working with the Iraqi Army (IA) and I was on friendly terms with their IA Captain, named Wassim. At the end of the day, we had a few moments to BS like guys. We were talking arms, and I pointed to his Ruger P95 on his leg holster. I asked him if he liked it and he said he did, but felt the 9mm was too anemic for combat. He took it out and unloaded it and handed it to me. I examined it; it was a nice pistol. I gave it back to him and we continued to discuss arms (the AK, RPK, M4, etc.). We said our goodbyes and he went on his way and me on mine.
The next morning I got on a Blackhawk to leave the patrol base. At that same time, maybe a few minutes after I left, outside the gate at the patrol base, CPT Wassim was killed by a female suicide bomber with an explosive vest. She had attempted to gain entry to target me, CPT Wassim, and the company commander that was also there; but she was unable to gain access. Instead, the next morning, she requested to the gate guards to get CPT Wassim and bring him to the gate because she wanted to talk to him, and she detonated herself killing him and a few guards. I learned of it shortly thereafter. I'll never forget that moment and conversation with CPT Wassim, and that Ruger P95. Life deals crazy hands sometimes...
leadcounsel, that is a horrible story. Makes me think that there is no solution in that part of the world.
But, you Ruger owners ought to get out more. I read this whole thread thinking that I have heard the exact same stories from S&W owners, Glock owners, Sig owners, XD owners, CZ owners, Taurus owners, Kel-Tec owners, and yes, even 1911 owners. We live in the best of times for shooting autoloading handguns. We have state-of-the-art design and manufacturing. Why should you be surprised that your Ruger works great after being abused? I would be more surprised if your guns had given you trouble.
But, you Ruger owners ought to get out more. I read this whole thread thinking that I have heard the exact same stories from S&W owners, Glock owners, Sig owners, XD owners, CZ owners, Taurus owners, Kel-Tec owners, and yes, even 1911 owners. We live in the best of times for shooting autoloading handguns. We have state-of-the-art design and manufacturing. Why should you be surprised that your Ruger works great after being abused? I would be more surprised if your guns had given you trouble.
I agree that it's not surprising that you can get a good gun these days. As you say, there are a lot out there. But speaking as a Glock owner, Walther owner, CZ owner, Beretta owner, Kel-Tec owner, Kahr owner, etc. what's impressive about the Ruger P95 is that you can get it for much less (sometimes around half as much) as some of the other "respectable" autopistol brands that typically come to mind.
My point is that I don't consider a P95 to be just "a good pistol for the price", I consider it to be a great pistol that just happens to be available at very reasonable prices.
My point is that I don't consider a P95 to be just "a good pistol for the price", I consider it to be a great pistol that just happens to be available at very reasonable prices.
rugerfreak
New member
Own 2 P95's and will be getting a 3rd in the near future---great guns---great price. I have a one is none--2 is one thing going on.
As good as anything out there for twice the price.
As good as anything out there for twice the price.
spacecoast
New member
My P95 was $270 new a couple of months ago and has been perfect through about 500 rounds. I don't think you can find a better deal for a basic defensive pistol that is absolutely reliable and little more than half the price of the equivalent Glock.
Walt Sherrill
New member
There's always been the opinion that the P-series Rugers are kind of big and clunky and look awkward. It's been mentioned in this series of messages. I've said the same myself in other forums.
Interesting beliefs, held by many, but if you start actually comparing measurements -- lengths, width, height, and look at weights -- you'll find that the Rugers are far from the largest or heaviest guns available, and actually smaller than some of the guns nobody complains about.
There's just something about the way the "look" seems to add "size" to what we see... at least for the older models. The new polymer-framed guns seem to be subtly undergoing some sort of visual weight loss program. (The SR-9 -- got one coming in today, purchased form the Classified area on this forum -- actually "looks" small.)
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Interesting beliefs, held by many, but if you start actually comparing measurements -- lengths, width, height, and look at weights -- you'll find that the Rugers are far from the largest or heaviest guns available, and actually smaller than some of the guns nobody complains about.
There's just something about the way the "look" seems to add "size" to what we see... at least for the older models. The new polymer-framed guns seem to be subtly undergoing some sort of visual weight loss program. (The SR-9 -- got one coming in today, purchased form the Classified area on this forum -- actually "looks" small.)
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Ok, first installment on the detail strip instructions.
Removing/reinstalling the magazine latches and magazine latch spring.
Click on photo to view video--it's about 9.5 minutes long.
Still working on getting the lighting right. Some things aren't as visible as I'd like them but I think the procedure is still easy to follow.
Of course, all standard disclaimers apply.
Removing/reinstalling the magazine latches and magazine latch spring.
Click on photo to view video--it's about 9.5 minutes long.
Still working on getting the lighting right. Some things aren't as visible as I'd like them but I think the procedure is still easy to follow.
Of course, all standard disclaimers apply.
I'm always wary of any handgun retailing under $400. Below that price point, something has to give in terms of quality. The P95 is a notable exception.
I don't know how aggressively Ruger has pursued the law-enforcement market, but I have seen them on the hips of a few officers (mostly in rural areas) over the years. They do take abuse and neglect with grace.
In the 1990's, I was given a well-worn KP90 in return for some services. I didn't shoot it much, but it seemed reasonably accurate. Its greatest virtue was that it was the only automatic that fed my reloads (tailored to a revolver at the time). In fact, it fed just about everything.
At this point, to be taken seriously in competition shooting, you had to have a big, shiny .45. Usually, it was a Colt that had been through all Nine Circles of Gunsmithing Hades ("getting the slide tightened to the frame increases accuracy!"). Often, said gun would have a scope and some sort of goofy counterweight mounted on it. If it wasn't a Colt, it was a Randall or an AMT. If the trigger pull wasn't under three pounds, you weren't a real man.
The whole point was that it had to be the Big Expensive Coolest Thing Ever. The KP90 was the antithesis to that whole idea. It had a mushy trigger, it didn't have geegaws stuck to it, and it wasn't a brand gun writers gushed poetic over. Good lord, it was a DOUBLE ACTION! Everybody knows you can't shoot those well!
But it did one thing none of those guns ever could: feed a magazine worth of ammo without jamming. As such, I kept it in my range bag should someone's fancy bushing or custom sear crack, and it ended up being used quite often.
You'll see them among a great many private security officers. One reason is because they're inexpensive. The other is that they're being deployed with people who don't take care of them.
I don't know how aggressively Ruger has pursued the law-enforcement market, but I have seen them on the hips of a few officers (mostly in rural areas) over the years. They do take abuse and neglect with grace.
In the 1990's, I was given a well-worn KP90 in return for some services. I didn't shoot it much, but it seemed reasonably accurate. Its greatest virtue was that it was the only automatic that fed my reloads (tailored to a revolver at the time). In fact, it fed just about everything.
At this point, to be taken seriously in competition shooting, you had to have a big, shiny .45. Usually, it was a Colt that had been through all Nine Circles of Gunsmithing Hades ("getting the slide tightened to the frame increases accuracy!"). Often, said gun would have a scope and some sort of goofy counterweight mounted on it. If it wasn't a Colt, it was a Randall or an AMT. If the trigger pull wasn't under three pounds, you weren't a real man.
The whole point was that it had to be the Big Expensive Coolest Thing Ever. The KP90 was the antithesis to that whole idea. It had a mushy trigger, it didn't have geegaws stuck to it, and it wasn't a brand gun writers gushed poetic over. Good lord, it was a DOUBLE ACTION! Everybody knows you can't shoot those well!
But it did one thing none of those guns ever could: feed a magazine worth of ammo without jamming. As such, I kept it in my range bag should someone's fancy bushing or custom sear crack, and it ended up being used quite often.
Dr. Strangelove
New member
I bought a P89 in 1992 or so, it ate anything I could fit in the barrel for several years until I went crazy, got married, and got out of shooting.
A buddy of mine at the time had some sort of Glock and a US Govt stamped Beretta 92.
We were firing away one day, he had gotten some "cheap" ammo somewhere, and his Glock and Beretta were choking to death on this stuff (Jamming, not firing, etc) but my Ruger just ate it up... a quick inspection proved this ammo to be 9x18! {My P89 is chambered in 9mm} (I'm not advocating firing the wrong ammo from any firearm, just relating a story.)
Anyhow, this P89 sat in it's original plastic box in a closet for nearly 20 years, until it was needed again. My parents were spooked by some home invasions that had happened to a few of their friends and I loaned/gave them the P89. I had been shooting it again after a long, long break and was convinced of it's reliability.
I've got a Ruger Mk II that has Lord only knows how many rounds through it, I clean it once every three or four bricks, and a 10/22 that gets a yearly cleaning, unless I don't feel like it, then it goes two years!
Ruger guns are rock solid performers, not built to win beauty contests, and tend to anger folks who spend many times more money for less reliable firearms.
A buddy of mine at the time had some sort of Glock and a US Govt stamped Beretta 92.
We were firing away one day, he had gotten some "cheap" ammo somewhere, and his Glock and Beretta were choking to death on this stuff (Jamming, not firing, etc) but my Ruger just ate it up... a quick inspection proved this ammo to be 9x18! {My P89 is chambered in 9mm} (I'm not advocating firing the wrong ammo from any firearm, just relating a story.)
Anyhow, this P89 sat in it's original plastic box in a closet for nearly 20 years, until it was needed again. My parents were spooked by some home invasions that had happened to a few of their friends and I loaned/gave them the P89. I had been shooting it again after a long, long break and was convinced of it's reliability.
I've got a Ruger Mk II that has Lord only knows how many rounds through it, I clean it once every three or four bricks, and a 10/22 that gets a yearly cleaning, unless I don't feel like it, then it goes two years!
Ruger guns are rock solid performers, not built to win beauty contests, and tend to anger folks who spend many times more money for less reliable firearms.