I have 600 bucks to spend max. on a .45 ACP semiauto for home defense. I don't want a used gun. I want a gun that works right out of the box. I went and rented the Glock 21 and the Ruger P90. Both were fine for me. Actually the G21 was a little better (I have long fingers). But I just like the Ruger because it's a little cheaper. What it boils down to is that I want the gun that will be more reliable and able to feed all the various types of ammo reliably. If the glock is more reliable, then that's what I want. After seaching through old posts and asking range officers which gun seems more reliable, it seems that most reports rank these guns very highly in the reliability dept. I was just curios to hear from actual owners of the guns. Thanks in advance.
Glock 21 or Ruger P90
- Thread starter meat
- Start date
lonegunman
New member
I'd go with the Glock.
You know, if I had a choice of a $600 Glock, or a free Ruger, I would still go with the Glock.
You know, if I had a choice of a $600 Glock, or a free Ruger, I would still go with the Glock.
Another Glock 21 owner, I don't have enough experience with the P90's but I love Glocks enough, that this one is my second (foolishly sold my first one). The reason I bought another is because I couldn't shoot any other handgun as accurately, reliability has been a non-issue with this gun, almost boring to shoot.
Blue Duck357
New member
Of course if you buy the Glock are you the type who is going to "have" to get hi-caps for it? Even if you just pick up a couple you just put yourself into a whole new price range...
I've got a Glock 17 and Ruger P-89 which is still applicable to what you're trying to decide. The big difference IMHO is the trigger. The Ruger is a traditional DA and the Glock is in it's own little world. For me, due to medical problems, I have trouble with the first long DA pull so the Glock gets more use than my Ruger. If the strength in my hand wasn't an issue, I'd shoot the Ruger a lot more. Even though most Glock lovers would kill me for saying this, I don't see a reason to spend more on the Glock (or any other handgun) if you like the Ruger. Why pay more for something that has the same function and can't significantly outperform the less expensive choice? The Ruger is as reliable as a semi-auto can be, it's more than accurate enough and easy to shoot. Plus, you can take the left over cash and buy more mags and ammo. Of course, I can't figure out why people would pay $35,000 for the latest and hottest SUV when they'll never go offroad or haul anything. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate?!
I have a mixture of handguns including a Glock 23 and 26. Also have a Ruger P95 and P944 (.40cal). No .45s.
From experience, reliability of the Rugers and Glocks are the same. Had to do a extractor transplant on the Ruger P944, other than that, no failures with either (since transplant) other than shooter induced (occaisionally stick my thumb in the way of the slide during defensive practice transitioning from strong side only to double handed stance for distance). I like them both.
The Rugers, including the P90 are available in double action only. and traditional double action first shot single action follow ups in safety and decocker configurations.
The longer, heavier, first shot trigger pull of the Rugers make them a hair safer in that you must really want to shoot to effective a shot - takes concious effort. The Glock, on the other hand, provides consistency of trigger pull on first and all follow up shots.
Weight and concealability advantage is to the Glock.
Tough choice. Both Rugers and Glocks are terrific firearms. Lots of luck.
From experience, reliability of the Rugers and Glocks are the same. Had to do a extractor transplant on the Ruger P944, other than that, no failures with either (since transplant) other than shooter induced (occaisionally stick my thumb in the way of the slide during defensive practice transitioning from strong side only to double handed stance for distance). I like them both.
The Rugers, including the P90 are available in double action only. and traditional double action first shot single action follow ups in safety and decocker configurations.
The longer, heavier, first shot trigger pull of the Rugers make them a hair safer in that you must really want to shoot to effective a shot - takes concious effort. The Glock, on the other hand, provides consistency of trigger pull on first and all follow up shots.
Weight and concealability advantage is to the Glock.
Tough choice. Both Rugers and Glocks are terrific firearms. Lots of luck.
sundance43.5
New member
I own a P90, my dad owns a Glock 21. You really can't go wrong with either. The Ruger is built like a tank.
Someone mentioned that P90's only have 7 round capacity. Well, Ruger makes factory 8 round magazines for it and the P97. My P90 came with the 8 round mags. So, your capacity is really 9 rounds.
Ruger soaks up recoil as well, since it's so solid. I've shot +p .45's out of it with little noticeable difference.
It basically boils down to price. The Ruger in stainless or 2-tone will be between $325-380. The Glock with no hi-caps is $425-500. Hi-caps for the 21 are at least $85. So, like I said, it's about price, as neither is more reliable than the other.
I love my P90!
Chris
Someone mentioned that P90's only have 7 round capacity. Well, Ruger makes factory 8 round magazines for it and the P97. My P90 came with the 8 round mags. So, your capacity is really 9 rounds.
Ruger soaks up recoil as well, since it's so solid. I've shot +p .45's out of it with little noticeable difference.
It basically boils down to price. The Ruger in stainless or 2-tone will be between $325-380. The Glock with no hi-caps is $425-500. Hi-caps for the 21 are at least $85. So, like I said, it's about price, as neither is more reliable than the other.
I love my P90!
Chris
This isn't an easy one to answer, if only because some poeple are going to forget to look at these 2 pistols as the tools they are ... and get caught up in brand loyalty ...
Nothing wrong with that, but you're asking about owning a single one of them, and you want to minimize your "down time" if there's a problem.
Glocks are fine weapons, but you can hear about a lot of complaints regarding their reliability and functioning ... even among their "loyal" fan club. Recently, over on GlockTalk, there have been a few folks that have been sharing their frustrating experiences with their G30's being less than 100% reliable. A couple have even traded off to something else ... in one instance a G21, as a matter of fact. (Heavier slides have slower slide velocities, and are generally more forgiving of ammunition variance) All I can say is that one morning at our range, I was involved with a small agency qualifying their shooters with some brand new G30's, using Speer 200gr +P ammunition, and I watched 5 out of 6 of them experience malfunctions. Most appeared shooter induced ... Glocks are unforgiving if you use less than a very firm and stable grip, including a locked wrist ... and at least one malfunction was with a personally owned G30 that had "gizmos" attached, including a magazine extension that might've reduced the magazine tension below reliable operating tension with the higher pressure ammunition ... there's that slide velocity thing again, apparently combined with lessened magazine spring tension ...
Here's a link to the S&W forum, of all places, where you can read about what a L/E Glock armorer thinks about the G21's he's maintained for his dept for several years ... he's posted more than a single thread on this subject, but only when asked, as he's primarily interested in discussing his other pistols ... and he's NOT into starting Glock-bashing ... he's merely less than enchanted with the reliability of the G21's he's responsible for maintaining, and will respond when asked. His forum name is SWCQB 45, which will tell you his brand preference, but you might consider reading his 2 posts in this thread, anyway ... This isn't the first time he's expressed a certain amount of frustration with the "tolerance stack" phenomena of Glock parts replacement.
http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000950.html
G21's have reportedly always had a "weak" spot regarding their magazines. I think Glock is on their "4th generation" of magazines for this pistol, and the frame and slide have been redesigned since their first model. The 15 degree angle of the breech face where the extractor is located has apparently helped with ejection issues. Naturally, there have been numerous and ongoing changes to the magazine followers across the board with Glocks to help with reliable feeding. I watched a man that was using a G21 to qualify with for his CCW one evening have continuous feeding malfunctions with 1 of 2 magazines he'd brought ... every magazine load ... and it was a new one, at that.
Now, I've never had a Ruger P90 magazine malfunction with any ammunition. They may be more expensive than folks would like, and hold a couple less rounds ... but I think they'd feed rocks if they were shaped more or less like .45ACP rounds
G21's can be somewhat finicky feeders, depending on the bullet shape, according to many, many owners who post threads. It's baffling to me how some G21 owners can posts threads about problems with certain bullet shapes, and then other people post that theirs even feeds LSWC bullets. Why is there this claimed difference in what a single pistol design will reliably feed?
I fired quite a lot of 185gr Silver Tips through a T&E G21 one time, comparing it to a full size USP45, a couple of S&W's ... 4506, 4566 & 4563 ... and even a couple of 1911's. It functioned fine, but it was dead last when it came to comparing accuracy.
Rugers are "blocky & chunky" in some people's hands ... but if it fits yours, who cares? Ditto for G21's ...
I've owned a P90 since the DC models first came out. I have yet to find something the pistol won't reliably feed, chamber and fire. Even some really grungy 200gr LSWC reloads that were used for our qualifications something like 12-15 years ago. These loads were even roll crimped.
Ruger has a great "warranty", although they seldom refer to it as that ... They take care of their customers.
I've heard conflicting reports of owner satisfaction for their polymer P97 ... and I really, really disliked the one model I test fired one time ... Horrible trigger ...
But you'll have a hard time finding anyone that's dissatisfied with the reliablity and functioning of their P90. They may not like the "feel" of the grips, or the size ... but we can talk about the G21 that way, too ... so it's a "wash", in that respect.
If I had to give a potential new .45 owner any advice at all on making a choice of these 2 pistols ... I'd suggest they do a LOT of forum searching among the GT, S&W, Ruger & TFL forums for owner experiences.
And then buy the Ruger ...
You'll eventually buy at least one more .45 pistol ... but you might just find you'll keep the Ruger for many, many years ... and it'll function boringly reliable for those years ...
Nothing wrong with that, but you're asking about owning a single one of them, and you want to minimize your "down time" if there's a problem.
Glocks are fine weapons, but you can hear about a lot of complaints regarding their reliability and functioning ... even among their "loyal" fan club. Recently, over on GlockTalk, there have been a few folks that have been sharing their frustrating experiences with their G30's being less than 100% reliable. A couple have even traded off to something else ... in one instance a G21, as a matter of fact. (Heavier slides have slower slide velocities, and are generally more forgiving of ammunition variance) All I can say is that one morning at our range, I was involved with a small agency qualifying their shooters with some brand new G30's, using Speer 200gr +P ammunition, and I watched 5 out of 6 of them experience malfunctions. Most appeared shooter induced ... Glocks are unforgiving if you use less than a very firm and stable grip, including a locked wrist ... and at least one malfunction was with a personally owned G30 that had "gizmos" attached, including a magazine extension that might've reduced the magazine tension below reliable operating tension with the higher pressure ammunition ... there's that slide velocity thing again, apparently combined with lessened magazine spring tension ...
Here's a link to the S&W forum, of all places, where you can read about what a L/E Glock armorer thinks about the G21's he's maintained for his dept for several years ... he's posted more than a single thread on this subject, but only when asked, as he's primarily interested in discussing his other pistols ... and he's NOT into starting Glock-bashing ... he's merely less than enchanted with the reliability of the G21's he's responsible for maintaining, and will respond when asked. His forum name is SWCQB 45, which will tell you his brand preference, but you might consider reading his 2 posts in this thread, anyway ... This isn't the first time he's expressed a certain amount of frustration with the "tolerance stack" phenomena of Glock parts replacement.
http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000950.html
G21's have reportedly always had a "weak" spot regarding their magazines. I think Glock is on their "4th generation" of magazines for this pistol, and the frame and slide have been redesigned since their first model. The 15 degree angle of the breech face where the extractor is located has apparently helped with ejection issues. Naturally, there have been numerous and ongoing changes to the magazine followers across the board with Glocks to help with reliable feeding. I watched a man that was using a G21 to qualify with for his CCW one evening have continuous feeding malfunctions with 1 of 2 magazines he'd brought ... every magazine load ... and it was a new one, at that.
Now, I've never had a Ruger P90 magazine malfunction with any ammunition. They may be more expensive than folks would like, and hold a couple less rounds ... but I think they'd feed rocks if they were shaped more or less like .45ACP rounds
G21's can be somewhat finicky feeders, depending on the bullet shape, according to many, many owners who post threads. It's baffling to me how some G21 owners can posts threads about problems with certain bullet shapes, and then other people post that theirs even feeds LSWC bullets. Why is there this claimed difference in what a single pistol design will reliably feed?
I fired quite a lot of 185gr Silver Tips through a T&E G21 one time, comparing it to a full size USP45, a couple of S&W's ... 4506, 4566 & 4563 ... and even a couple of 1911's. It functioned fine, but it was dead last when it came to comparing accuracy.
Rugers are "blocky & chunky" in some people's hands ... but if it fits yours, who cares? Ditto for G21's ...
I've owned a P90 since the DC models first came out. I have yet to find something the pistol won't reliably feed, chamber and fire. Even some really grungy 200gr LSWC reloads that were used for our qualifications something like 12-15 years ago. These loads were even roll crimped.
Ruger has a great "warranty", although they seldom refer to it as that ... They take care of their customers.
I've heard conflicting reports of owner satisfaction for their polymer P97 ... and I really, really disliked the one model I test fired one time ... Horrible trigger ...
But you'll have a hard time finding anyone that's dissatisfied with the reliablity and functioning of their P90. They may not like the "feel" of the grips, or the size ... but we can talk about the G21 that way, too ... so it's a "wash", in that respect.
If I had to give a potential new .45 owner any advice at all on making a choice of these 2 pistols ... I'd suggest they do a LOT of forum searching among the GT, S&W, Ruger & TFL forums for owner experiences.
And then buy the Ruger ...
You'll eventually buy at least one more .45 pistol ... but you might just find you'll keep the Ruger for many, many years ... and it'll function boringly reliable for those years ...
My first gun was a Ruger p89 (same design as the P90). Yes, it was reliable, for how long? I don't know! for I only kept it for 2 months (1000 rds. through it). I just cannot get use to its DA pull no matter how I tried. After I tried the Glock there's no looking back I'm more accurate with it and 0 malfunction to date. Glocks trigger is not hard to learn at all IMHO, especially if you haven't mastered any other trigger system yet (there's nothing on your mind to distract you).
'bout its reliability and durability, the range I used to go to, has a G21 rental gun that the owner claimed to have 50+K rounds through it with 0 malfunction, and It shows (He said it was only cleaned 2X). They are not a stocking dealer for Glock or any manufacturer. They just sell what they have.
I shoot in IPSC competitions and I rarely see a Glock malfunction. When they do (yes, it does happen as with any auto pistol), its usually shooter induced (limp wristing, usually women shooters) or due to bad, out of spec reloaded ammo. But nothing I've seen that renders the gun inoperable. Needless to say, my vote still goes to Glock, but the choice is yours. Good luck on whatever you decide!
'bout its reliability and durability, the range I used to go to, has a G21 rental gun that the owner claimed to have 50+K rounds
through it with 0 malfunction, and It shows (He said it was only cleaned 2X). They are not a stocking dealer for Glock or any manufacturer. They just sell what they have.I shoot in IPSC competitions and I rarely see a Glock malfunction. When they do (yes, it does happen as with any auto pistol), its usually shooter induced (limp wristing, usually women shooters) or due to bad, out of spec reloaded ammo. But nothing I've seen that renders the gun inoperable. Needless to say, my vote still goes to Glock, but the choice is yours. Good luck on whatever you decide!
Another Ruger fan
Certainly, both the Glock 21 and the Ruger P-90 are both excellent handguns for your stated purpose of home defense. Both should be at the top of the reliability list. As stated correctly by an earlier poster; Ruger has been selling the P-90 and P-97 with 8 round mags for a couple years now. If you really like them both I would suggest that you purchase either a Ruger P-90 or P-97 and invest the remainder of you budget on 1) a case of practice ammo 2) a couple extra mags 3) money twards a training class if you don't already have the proper level of training. Please don't just purchase a good handgun and not really learn how to use it properly and legally. A class and PRACTICE is how to achieve those goals. Best of luck and Be Safe.
Certainly, both the Glock 21 and the Ruger P-90 are both excellent handguns for your stated purpose of home defense. Both should be at the top of the reliability list. As stated correctly by an earlier poster; Ruger has been selling the P-90 and P-97 with 8 round mags for a couple years now. If you really like them both I would suggest that you purchase either a Ruger P-90 or P-97 and invest the remainder of you budget on 1) a case of practice ammo 2) a couple extra mags 3) money twards a training class if you don't already have the proper level of training. Please don't just purchase a good handgun and not really learn how to use it properly and legally. A class and PRACTICE is how to achieve those goals. Best of luck and Be Safe.
Ruger with ovewr 75,000 rounds? Sure there are. Rental ranges are reporting Ruger P-Series pistols with over 100,000 rounds thru them. Over at John Farnhams website he has mentioned about one range in particular that states their Rugers are the most trouble free guns, even over Glock. Not bashing the Glock as I own a G19, but don't cast doubt on the Ruger.
Meat,
If you think you shot better with the Glock, by all means get the Glock, and vice versa. Don't let the price difference to be so much of a factor in your decision. Confidence is an important element to winning, be it sports or (God forbid!) a gun fight. So pick the one you're more confident with. If you are still confused on which one to get, don't rush, I suggest you go back and rent them both again and then make your decision.
If you think you shot better with the Glock, by all means get the Glock, and vice versa. Don't let the price difference to be so much of a factor in your decision. Confidence is an important element to winning, be it sports or (God forbid!) a gun fight. So pick the one you're more confident with. If you are still confused on which one to get, don't rush, I suggest you go back and rent them both again and then make your decision.
shooting4fun
New member
G'day Meat and et al.,
While I don't have either of the two that you are interested in. I do have a Glock 30 and Ruger P97. So I'll only speak to those two. Both of them are extremely reliable! Both have over 10k + rounds succesfully launched through them.
Each was good to go out of the box. The G30 is my most accurage [just lucky with this one], the P97 is not far off. Both are far more accurate than my more expensive 1911s [no defamation intended, just relaying my experience with my pistols].
Only mod on the G30 was a connector swap. P97 is just as it was out of the factory. Both are just well loved. Surprising that both have not changed significantly over time and use.
Hope this helps your decicson some. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Cheers!
While I don't have either of the two that you are interested in. I do have a Glock 30 and Ruger P97. So I'll only speak to those two. Both of them are extremely reliable! Both have over 10k + rounds succesfully launched through them.
Each was good to go out of the box. The G30 is my most accurage [just lucky with this one], the P97 is not far off. Both are far more accurate than my more expensive 1911s [no defamation intended, just relaying my experience with my pistols].
Only mod on the G30 was a connector swap. P97 is just as it was out of the factory. Both are just well loved. Surprising that both have not changed significantly over time and use.
Hope this helps your decicson some. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Cheers!