Ruger P-series experiances

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I have a P-95, 2 P97s, a P-90 and a P345. I have nothing negative to say about any of them in terms of ruggedness and reliability.
The P-95 has over 10,000 trouble free rounds through it and I just changed the springs for the first time. When I am moving someone up from a .22 to a centerfire pistol, that's the one I use.
The others have fewer rounds down the pipe, but all have been reliable and accurate, not quite up to my Sig P220 standards, but close. They are a little big, but that isn't necessarily a drawback.
Any of these guns are stand out bargains in terms of price. I bought several of these on the used market, and given the strength of them, I don't see how you could afford the ammo to wear one out. I just bought my second P97 for $255 and got a box of Blazer brass cartridges thrown in.
 
-Only problem I've had with a P-series is with the P90 I've had for about twenty years. I started having feed and chambering problems that were caused by an odd grayish grit, like coarse sand, that I'd find in the action. Turned out to be casting compound that had been left in an odd recess in the rear of the frame. I got almost all of it out once I noticed it, but the little that's left is harder than concrete.

At least it no longer dribbles down into the action.
 
I really can't add anything. I've owned a p89 and a p95 and loved them both. My friend has had one forever and so many rounds have been fired thru it the barrels worn out but it still funtions perfect. I wouldn't hesitate getting another.
 
I use to have a Ruger P89 stainless and the gun was great and
never failed. I started shooting competitivly and traded it and
400.00 dollars for a New Kimber series 1.
Rugers P series always go boom and are combat accurate. If somthing did
go wrong they are heavy enough to beat your assailant to death.
 
The Ruger guns are good values for the money.

They are generally quite reliable and some seem to be surprisingly accurate.

They aren't perfect though. The double-action trigger is very long, a bit heavy, and on some guns it feels like you have to pull the trigger a mile before the gun fires. That makes them a bit harder to shoot for some people.

The Ruger autos also tend to run towards the "large and clunky" size.

Still, they can be a good choice, especially at their price point, just understand their pros and cons going in and you are more likely to be happy with gun. (True of any gun, btw, as none are perfect. They just have different strengths and weaknesses)
 
My P89 was a great weapon. I sold it in exchange for some newer and nicer weapons but it will hand with Glocks in terms of reliability. I would say the trigger was pretty terrible but you get used to it and I could shoot it very well.
 
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i had a P345 and loved it. it was very accurate, controllable, comfortable to shoot and carry. I traded it for a 1911 but only because I like the single action trigger so much more than the DA/SA. If i could have a P345 in SAO that I could carry cocked and locked I would buy it in a second.
 
Longtime Ruger P90 owner (about 19 years). Ran 24,000 round through it before I quite counting. Never a failure of any kind with any commercial ammo.

My experience with it is that it's a basic no-frills .45ACP boomstick with a surprisingly smooth DA trigger, though the SA on mine is pretty stiff. Nonetheless, the trigger has a reasonably short reset without too much creep (by comparison, the Springfield XD reset feels much, much longer). Carried it concealed for years, so much, in fact, that I wore some of the finish off of one side of the grip. Seems plenty accurate, but I don't shoot it much these days because I don't reload anymore, and .45 ammo prices are presently beyond my play budget.

The only parts I've replaced are the recoil spring (once) and the magazine latch spring (twice). Replaced the recoil spring when it became too squishy, and replaced the magazine latch spring each time it broke, about once every ten years. The only aftermarket doodads added were a pair of Hogue grips that I've long-since worn all the pebbly texture off of.

All in all not a bad gun, but not one to impress your friends with, either, unless you're a better shooter with it than they are. As a friend once described it, it's a Chevy of a gun, not a Mercedes.

My experience with other P-series pistols is limited to the P89 which, by comparison, has a heavier, not-as-smooth DA trigger pull, though the SA pull is lighter than that of the P90, though not as crisp (seems to possess a tad of squish). Nonetheless, I prefer the P89's lighter SA trigger to that of the P90's.

As others have said, decent and dependable guns capable of producing as much accuracy as the shooter. I'd carry any of them, and still do CC the P90 when the mood strikes.
 
I had a P95 and let my Son have it. Wife has a P345. I have a P90 and two P97's. They all are good Guns. My CCW is one of the P97's. I don't think anyone would go wrong with any of the P-Series. As was mentioned there might be personal preferences. For some reason, the P97 fits my hands better, and I can shoot it better. I have large hands. I have had action jobs on one of my P97's and my P90 by Teddy Jacobson. The action is sure smooth, and trigger pull light compared to the other ones. Here are mine:
April212007012.jpg
RugerP345Side1.jpg
MahanRugerside2edited.jpg
P90StagGrips.jpg
 
BMF500 said:
I had a P-345 in stainless that I traded off. It was a very reliable and accurate shooter.
Click to expand...

And I can vouch for that since I'm that one that picked it up in trade. DA trigger is long, but that's the only negative I can say for this pistol.
 
I had a p85 that jammed on me that I traded for a KP89 that jammed on me. Lots of stove pipes and feed problems. My gunsmith suggested that I might be limp wristing the gun. I traded it in on an XDm9 and never looked back. 2500 rounds and not 1 problem
 
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forgot to mention in my previous post, my buddy had a lcp 380. couldn't get it to feed right, so he sold it.

i also used to have a ruger vaquaro 45 long revolver-the cylinder binded up every time i went to the range with it and had to take out the cylinder to un-bind it.

rugers are hit and miss as far as reliability, like i said my p90 had feed issues too, but a lot of folks have good luck with ruger automatics. i just won't be buying anymore rugers.

especially after one of their REVOLVERS jammed on me! lol
 
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I've had tons of ammo through my P89 that I bought on my 21st Bday. It's my go to woods gun as it isn't a safe queen. It's been rained on, snowed on, had mud on it, you name it. I carry it on a hip holster and ride my ATV all over the place. Kinda bulky, esp for a 9mm, but that makes the recoil next to nothing and it is really a uber reliable gun.

It is hindered by its (relative) low capacity. I've got three ten rounders for it, but if a good factory magazine were to be made nowdays, it would hold considerably more. It might not be pretty, but it's mine and that's all that matters.
 
Osteodoc you can get 15 round Ruger factory magazines for a P-89 Mec Gar makes 17 round ones that I have heard are good. Any of the 9mm P-series magazines are interchangeable.
 
I have an early production KP90DC (Stainless Decock-Only).

I experienced what appeared to be a galling problem between the original slide & hammer. Ruger cheerfully replaced the slide and explained they felt it had been caused by an unexpected tempering issue.

Over the course of many years and an untold number of rounds of all kind of .45 ACP loads I experienced what I felt was excellent service. Decent practical accuracy (less refined sights).

Over the course of that time I eventually replaced some assorted parts and springs due to wear and tear.

Did you know the early P90's shared the same recoil spring with the P85/89's? I think Ruger rated it at 11 lbs, if I recall one of my conversations with the factory. They later went to a heavier spring in the .45 guns. I can't remember if they said it was 12 or 13 lbs. Something about some of their customers apparently were shooting an increasing number of +P .45 loads.

I had a magazine catch snap, but they sent me a new one and it was easy enough to replace.

Had an extractor apparently loose tension once.

A couple of other assorted parts were replaced as they exhibited normal wear and tear.

Good, robust, reliable traditional double action .45 pistol, in my opinion, anyway. I don't often shoot it much anymore, but I'll probably never get rid of it as long as I can shoot.

I never cared for the P97, myself, but that's probably just because I handled and tried one belonging to a fellow one time and it had the nastiest, crunchiest trigger pull I'd ever encountered ... and I wasn't ready to add a plastic .45 to my collection of metal .45's.

Haven't yet tried a P345, and don't really have any reason to since I picked up a M&P 45.

When it comes right down to it, I'd buy another P90 if I was in the market for a alloy-framed traditional double action .45 pistol. Decently robust & reliable gun for a reasonable cost, in my experience, anyway ...
 
MikeJ:

thanks for the heads up on the mags. I got the 3 ten rounders when I bought it back in the day. Just havent felt the need to buy more. I'd rather have more 1911 mags ;)
 
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