Got my Ruger P89

[Dameon]

My first gun, feels good to have gotten to fire it today. I was almost giddy with happiness with the first pop and tearing sound as a round pierced the target.

Nice piece of work. Got a fullcap and castrated cap mag with it, total o 25 shots per loading sequence, which works well with 50 round boxes. 175 rounds through it today and no jams. Ammo was that wonderful high quality Blazer ammo , but it handled it just fine. No misfeeds or anything.

The rangemaster gave me some pointers on my stance and it appears that I'm doing some things wrong. Anyone good in the Austin, TX area to instruct on really shooting well? Have to compensate for eyesight that is downright pathetic. (20/60 after correction in one eye.)

 

[Ratters]

That was my first handgun as well.

Congrats. The first time I shot the thing I couldn't hit the side of a barn. Now I'm almost good enough to hit the barn door. You might want to look into getting the more ergonomic grips with the finger grooves. Helps a lot.

You also might want to look into getting a .22 pistol to help with practicing. You can fing Rugers and Buckmarks for a little over two hundred. Will pay for themselves as you save on ammo costs.

There are lots of references on shooting. Most promote the Weaver stance where you push out with your trigger hand and pull in with your weak hand to create isometric tension to reduce muzzle flip. Most of the ISPC shooters use the isoceles (sp?) stance where you extend both arms and use the upper body to absorb recoil. Pick your poison. Most ranges have classes or clubs to join and they will help you out. As far as eyesight is concerned, focus on the front sight and put it in the middle of the blur.

Here is how the army thinks it should be done: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Dreyer_infonet/amu-pmtg.htm

Buy ammo from ammoman.com. He is a good guy, one of us, and he has the best prices.

Too, remember guns can be very addictive, can't stop at just one. Don't go into debt to purchase them. Buy only the ones you really want or they will just stay in the safe. (btw, get a safe) Get an ar type rifle and one of the cheap aks as soon as you can afford them.

Rugers are rugged as all hell and you can run +p and +p+ loads through them no problem. Congrats and enjoy your new purchase.

 

[Tom B]

Congrats and enjoy. The Ruger P89 is a fine handgun. I own a P95 myself. Check ammoman.com for your ammo needs. Free shipping if you buy enough. I am not associated other than as a purchaser. I use their American Eagle 124gr FMJ as range ammo for all of my 9mms.

 

[KP95DAO]

One thing about your Ruger, the company stands behind their product 100%. My eldest and I own three kp95s and we use them as our carry pieces. He took first place and I took third place at the IDPA nationals this year using them (marksman-ssp). He used the kp95d and did better so I recently got one because of the faster shot to shot times. We'll see. The agency I work for uses the KP89dao and most do well with it; but, it is not anywhere near as ergonomic as the kp95. If you buy more hicap mags try to get the Pro Mag with the plastic bases. The metal base ones didn't work for me. The USA hicap are functional. If you are not now subscribing to it, try combat hanguns and see if someone has back issues you can read. Good material there. If you plan to carry concealed I recommend the Don Hume PCCH if your pants are loose enough for an inside the waistband holster.

 

[444]

If you want more standard capacity magazines (15 rounds) you can get them for $13.97/each from http://www.guideoutdoors.com. I have 12 of these and had a problem with one not feeding the last round. That isn't bad and very inexpensive. I second the recomendation of the Hogue grip. It makes the gun feel 100 times better and it also is quite inexpensive. I also think you should buy a .22, but not for ammo savings, buy one just because you want another gun. Reloading is the way to save money on ammo. I figured out that I am loading 50 rounds of 9mm ammo for $2.50. That isn't much more expensive than a .22. Buying loaded ammo is stepping over a dime to pick up a nickel. If you aren't convinced to start reloading, at least pick up your brass. If you stick around shooting for long, you will be reloading and will need all the brass you can lay hands on.

 

[Lance]

Ammo for Ruger P-89

Congrats on your new gun! I got my p-89 as a Anniversary present last April, and was told by a passer-buy at the gun show that they will "eat anything"
I have been shooting Wolf brand, and I am very happy with it.
I have close to 1000 rounds through it now, and it has never jammed, you can get Wolf if you shop around, for $100.00 per case of 1000 rounds, and since I have shot 22's since age 11, (38 yrs old) I like the change to 9mm, ever if it costs more;-)
Have fun, Lance

 

[poperszky]

The P89 was my first gun, my wife bought it for my birthday last February, I was shooting a couple of hundred rounds a month until I discovered IPSC and Steel Challange. During the summre I am up to well over a 1000+ a month. My p89 has had close to 8,000 rounds thourgh it since February and the only time that I had a problem was when I put the slide spring in backwards, it jammed twice in the middle of a match. I have made the following modifications: Hogue grips, HiViz sights and a 14lb wolf slide spring. Each one made the gun a step better, with the slide spring making the most noticable difference.

 

[444]

poperszky: What are you using for sights ?

 

[poperszky]

SIghts

I am using a HiViz front sight, picked it up out of the Dillon catalog. It is ok, but I haven't really been that impressed, it really needs quite a bit of sunlight to be effective and it is only the front sight. I have run across another company that makes a similar product but I haven't had a chance to try them out yet.


http://www.williamsgunsight.com/pistol.htm

 

[444]

The Williams sights look interesting. I was vaguely thinking about getting adjustable sights for mine and I didn't know what was out there. My fixed sights seem to shoot dead on with 147 grain bullets and low with anything lighter. I of course only want to buy something that is going to be high quality, rugged, and set + forget. Anybody else know of other upgrades to the P89 ? I was hoping for something like a Bar-Sto barrel, but I don't think they make one.

 

[Redleg]

Ruger P-Series

Dameon,
You could not have picked a better gun to start with. That is of course, unless you had gone with the P-90 as I did! Ruger makes outstanding firearms at a very competetive price. I have had countless hours of fun shooting my P-90 with no serious problems and only regular cleaning. I second what KP95DAO (nice name) said. Ruger is a class act! I bought a used Super Blackhawk several years ago and discovered one of the cylinders was out of round. Not only did they replace the cylinder but it had been hand fitted! They never even asked if I was the original owner or not. Enjoy the new toy with the assurance that Ruger will back you up!

 

[Chad Young]

I second the notion of putting the Hogue grip on. My groups got much tighter when I did that. My P89 has never, and I mean never, had a malfunction of any kind with factory-loaded ammunition.

 

[10CFR]

You made a goodchoice for a handgun. I have a P89DC with which I will not part. Mine is the stainless version and I added some Uncle Mike's slip-on grips which makes it a real handful. The Rugers are good, solid, reliable guns for a reasonable price. Learn as much as you can about firearms and self-defense law, the care and operation of your firearm, shooting skills, the ammunition you use, and always discipline yourself to the development of safe habits. Do these things, and you & your P89 will be an asset to those around you.

Best wishes!
-10CFR

 

[hollow point]

These must be the handguns to cut teeth on! The first handgun I purchased was a P-85 MKII NIB about 10 years ago, and I never regretted it. I qualified for my CCW class with it in '95 and then used it again to qualify for my instructors course in '98. It's not the most expensive, gracefull or accurate gun I own, but I feel the most comfortable with it out of everything I have. I have over 5000 rounds through it and it has never done anything out of the ordinary - not once. The best thing about these firearms is that you can still buy pre-ban mags for them and not go Chapter 11. Is that not amazing?

Oh, and I second the Hogue grip comment. That is the only mod I have made to mine.

They are wonderful pistols and it will be there for you when you need it. Good choice. -JHP

 

[aerod1]

You have chosen a very fine firearm in the P89 Ruger. I know, because I have owned one for about 5yrs. Not once has it FTF. How many rounds do I have thru it? Geez, I hate to guess. Jim Hall