Which Ruger auto?

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Rugers do nothing well except feed reliably. Everything else about them is kind of mediocre as autos go. People on here may live with that but after 2 Rugers I couldn't, so I moved on to other autos.

Sure they're reliable, but I needed more than that. I mean, lots of guns are reliable, even some cheap ones. And most have better triggers, better accuracy, better ergonomics, better looks, and better conealability.

My advice - spend a little more money to get a LOT better gun. Most Ruger owners like them but grow beyond their potential and buy other guns. My gun dealer buddy says that a guy who'll buy a Ruger will be trading it shortly.

Look at the used police pistol market - Beretta, Glock, Smith and Wesson autos of any stripe are available at insanely low prices. I've had 6 Smith surplus autos (and a couple revolvers) and can tell you they are much better 'cheap' guns in every way.
 
I have a p-90 and i like it i carry it or my Hk so it decocks when safty is engaged i carry it decocked safty off same as my HK it no less safe than a revolver which is double action with no safty :)
 
I carry a KP95DC -- daily. I initially bought a blued one, but when carrying in deep cover (SmartCarry), blued steel WILL RUST!!

I now have the stainless and love it.


Is it too big? Naw.


As for those who say Rugers aren't accurate, ask Masaad Ayoob which gun he used to win a national shooting title. Answer: An unmodified Ruger P-series in .45!

Everyone here has their own biases, obviously, but for my money you won't find a more reliable, affordable pistol.

(That said, I would love a cute little Kahr as an alternate carry gun, but 16 rounds is more than seven no matter how many times I count.)
 
I guess that I will jump in, also.

I have a P89 manual safety in SS that was my first auto.
Totally reliable, and 15 roung mags are easy to acquire.
I have had this guy for quite a few years.

I also have a P90 decocker in SS. Again, drop-dead reliable.
I prefer a manual safety myself, but I got such a good deal on the decocker model that I bought it anyhow.
The mag release button on my P90 is better that the P89.

I replaced the stock grip panels with, I believe, Hogue rubber, which made a fantastic improvement in handling.

Overall, I prefer my SW1911, but I will NEVER sell the Rugers.
They are strong as hell, a little chunky, but they always run like champs.

I would like to try a P97 due to slightly reduced weight and bulk, but I am in no hurry.

The trigger pulls are acceptable, but I recognize the fact that these Rugers are not match guns.
I am willing to trade off a perfect trigger for absolute reliability.

I would recommend either Ruger, but what you purchase is dependent upon your individual needs.

YMMV....

Jamie
 
Rugers do nothing well except feed reliably. Everything else about them is kind of mediocre as autos go.

I'd have to disagree, although my experience with Rugers is limited to my own P89. It was more accurate than I was, and I have seen far worse triggers, and so far the Ruger has been what my wife has shot the best with.
 
i have tried the p89,91 and 90 models.they all were reliable and easy to clean but i hated that rattle when they were in a holster-alot of slop in the fit which is probably why they work so well.of the 3..the p90 in 45 was the most accurate.the 91 in 40 the worst...and the 9mm 89 acceptable.im not totally convinced on plastic frames yet...have not tried any so i cant comment.just my .02 cents
 
I like Ruger

even though I had massive problems with a P97. I recommend the p95 for a couple of reasons.

1. cheap ammo = lots of practice.

2. lots of practice = becoming a good shooter

3. high cap mags are everywhere and relatively cheap.

4. reliable even if combat accurate.

5. If you break it or it gets stolen, dropped or screwed up...your not out 600 clams. And damned if Ruger won't fix it.

6. almost impossible to break...their big...cluncky and unrefined but thats only because they are modeled after a tank.
 
It chaps my buns when folks ask a perfectly good question here, and then forumites have to chime in with totally off topic responses. The man asked, "which Ruger auto?" (should be semi-auto). He didn't ask, "Should I buy a Ruger or something else?"

I'll put in a vote for the P95DC. I've shot a number of Rugers, and the P95 has been the best bang for the buck. 9mm Para offers a host of ammo options and, as many have noted, cheap practice ammo.

At an advanced pistol class, we ran a drill where each person in the class (six of us I think) placed his or her pistol into some type of condition where it would not shoot. Then, a student would go down the line of pistols and clear each one (Tap, Rack, Ready) before firing two shots to COM.

After the drill, one lady came up and asked about my P95, claiming it was the smoothest shooting of the bunch. I had to laugh when the instructor told her she'd be better off with a Glock because Rugers have too many bells and whistles. I thought my pistol shot better than the Glocks and SIGs in the class too.
 
All the Ruger centerfire autopistols are built like tanks, they all function well, and they're all ugly as sin and more portly than Rosie on a Krispy Kreme diet.

I'm not a fan of their centerfire autos at all, although I'll readily concede that they do the job. I could probably live with one as a defensive piece if I had no other choice.

If someone gave me a Ruger autochucker for free, I'd pick a slabsided Mark II in stainless and bypass the centerfires altogether.
 
I suppose that much is in the eye of the beholder and the definition of "big" but I believe that if most folks compared a P95 side by side with any number of comparable autoloaders from Sig, Beretta, CZ, and Glock they might be very surprised. P95s are a bit thick right amidships of the frame but they are definitely comparable to many other autoloaders that do not have the "portly" reputation. It always sounds as if they are being described as obese rather than chubby, when a little chubby is lot more accurate a term. Robust is even better. Of course, I also don't find them to be ugly. I'm looking at a blued P95D right now and frankly find it to be a rather attractive pistol in design, form, and execution. Oh yeah, I am still looking for the bells and whistles on my portly Ruger. It all depends on personal taste.
 
UGLY?

I don't consider a 2 tone poly Ruger ugly at all. I kind of think they're neat. Do they look like a stainless Sig 220? no....but they don't look half bad either. I still vote for the P95.....BUT.....if you want a .45 the old school P90 is still the king of the hill. Has anyone else ever had problems with the P97? In mine the friggin slide lock would keep popping out during shooting, which would lock the pistol up tighter than a drum. I sent it back to Ruger twice before they just put a whole new frame on it. That seemed to do the trick but I lost so much confidence in the thing I couldn't bring myself to carry it anymore. I kind of wish I had kept it.
 
I purchased a P-98 in 1994 and have never had a single issue with it. It is accurate and very reliable. I would recommend it to anyone!
 
Why (besides political reasons) shouldn't one choose Ruger?

Aren't political reasons good enough? :confused:

I love to hear everyone bash on Ruger. People always like to rip on who is on top.

<stifled laughter> Uh, yeah, that's it. </stifled laughter> :rolleyes:

I decided that if I own so many of their guns I should support them by buying some of thier stock.

It's just too bad that Ruger won't support the natural rights of those that support them. Seriously, that's what turns me completely from Ruger. I'd sure like to try out a GP-100 or (I can't believe I'm saying it) a P-89, but I can't get past how we've been sold down the river.

Wes
 
I am going off topic (just like others are). If we do not support firearms manufacturers that build their weapons in the USA one day you may not be able to purchase one. Norinco was recently banned to further importation of firearms (or anything else) by the stoke of a pen from Washington.

If you havent looked lately a lot of the manufacturers are building them off shore. We need each other. If Ruger has shortcomings so does some of the other manufacturers I will not name.

What good would it do to have a second amendment that cannot be exercised via no gun manufacturers?
 
yeah norinco is a good example. you know why they were banned? it is not cause they just make guns. besides some of the parts are probably made in force labor camps and personally I dont like to support such stuff to begin with cause I dont want to see that crap getting over here. is it truely bad we dont buy a chinese good and lesson the deficit? I dont want to support a communist general or the PLA army. btw 2,000 chinese military owned companies in the United States trying to steal anything they can here. they will steal anything from a company in theyre own country its one way they got USA rocket technology. Clinton admin held no one accountable for that incident.

now ruger and smith both have done wrong but they can change and smith has changed some but if you want more change well start writing them and telling them what consumers want.
 
Which Ruger?

I have a KP90DC 45 ACP SS Decocker...I've had pistols costing twice as much, but I find my Ruger more trustworthy it goes BOOM everytime. It's certainly not a competition target pistol, but its plenty accurate in a gun fight should one arise.
 

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I have a P85, owned a P95, and have a P90. It's my personal opinion that, by a long shot, the best P gun Ruger ever made was the KP90DC. However, if you want 9x19, my pick would be the P95. Lighter, small enough for IWB. Handles well. The P85 is just as good, but a might heavier if you're going to carry. Even when I had the P95, though, I preferred to carry the P90. Not just the .45 Caliber, the 9 makes up for that with capacity, but the P90 has a far superior trigger and the accuracy is target quality. The 9x shoot about 3" at 25 yards off the bench, the P90 gets 1.5" and points and shoots better off hand for me, for some reason. I just have more confidence in it. The transition from DA to SA on the P90 is very good, the P95 not so much.

That's just the ones I owned, don't mean they're all like that I reckon. I never fired the SR9, but don't like the Glock style trigger. I like a decocker like the DC models have. I understand Ruger isn't offering the decock only models anymore, though. Don't tell me it's not a competition pistol, either. I've won enough money with it at local shoots to buy a couple of more. I shot IDPA with it for a while. Only thing I don't like about it for that is the difficulty with reloads. Not easy to bevel that mag well and the single stack mag hangs on the mag well a lot.

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I realize this is a very old thread, but I hope it worked out for the OP. There was a bunch of bad information passed out and nobody called the folks on it.

I don't have the 9mm, but in its brother .45 P97 the decocker only model is my choice, since the safety model doesn't allow "cocked and locked" access(it automatically decocks once the safety is engaged).
Is he indicating he is somehow carrying his decocker P97 "cocked and locked"?

The Ruger P89 (AL frame) or P89 (polymer frame) are solid, reliable-as-heck semiautos for a good price.
I hope he didn't look too long for the polymer framed P89.

I purchased a P-98 in 1994 and have never had a single issue with it.
If there was a P98, it wouldn't have been available in 1994.

Most likely they are either typos, or just misunderstood, but if the OP really didn't know what he was looking for from Ruger, some of these posts would have made the search harder. I'm a pretty new member and must compliment the folks that the current posters are giving much better information.
 
I had only Ruger autos for twenty years. First a P89, then a P95. Last year, sold the P95 to fund a Glock deal. A few weeks later, sold the P89 to fund another Glock. The rest is history.

The Rugers were too big and heavy for a 9MM pistol, even the relatively smaller P95. Built like a tank, drop-dead reliable, but I never could hit a thing with 'em.

The only Ruger auto I have now is the LCP.

If you can find a Ruger for cheap (around $250) used, it's not a bad gun if you don't mind bulky and clunky. Be advised, the P-series mags are not as plentiful as they used to be and usually run about $30.
 
Another vote for P-95. It was not my first 9mm, or polymer for that matter but I would have been just as happy if it was. Its a great little gun, very accurate, I find my follow up shots to be a little faster with this gun than with some of my others.

Like you said about knocking it around and dinging it up with newbie mistakes. For the price you will never feel your heart sink if something happens to it.

And magazines can be had for 26 dollars at Buds, or maybe some of the Mecgar ones could be cheaper I don't know.
 
I don't think the P95 is that chunky....especially when you compare it to some other pistols....

Ruger P95
Length = 7.25"
Width = 1.20"
Weight, empty = 27 oz.

Glock 17
Length = 7.32"
Width = 1.18"
Weight, empty = 22.04 oz.

Beretta Storm
Length = 7.60"
Width = 1.40"
Weight, empty = 27.7 oz.

Beretta 92FS/M9A1
Length = 8.50"
Width = 1.50"
weight = 33.3 oz.

Sig P226
Length = 7.70"
width = 1.50"
Weight, empty = 34 oz.

Sig P229
Length = 7.10"
Width = 1.50"
Weight, empty = 32 oz.

Sig P250 Compact
Length = 7.20"
Width = 1.30"
Weight, empty = 25.1 oz.

Sig 1911 Stainless
Length = 8.70"
Width = 1.40"
Weight, empty = 41.6 oz.

CZ 75B Compact
Length = 7.20"
Width = 1.40"
Weight, empty = 38.4 oz.

CZ P01
Length = 7.20"
Width = 1.40"
Weight, empty = 28.8 oz.

CZ P07 Duty
length = 7.30"
Width = 1.50"
weight, empty = 27.2 oz.

HK P30
Length = 6.99"
Width = 1.37"
Weight, empty = 26.08 oz.

HK P2000
Length = 7.00"
Width = 1.34"
Weight, empty = 24 oz.

FN FNP-9
Length = 7.40"
Width = 1.50"
Weight = 24.37 oz.

S&W M&P9
Length = 7.50"
Width = 1.20"
Weight, empty = 24 oz.

Kimber Pro Carry II 9mm
Length = 7.70"
Width = 1.28"
Weight, empty = 28 oz.

Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II 9mm
Length = 6.80"
Width = 1.28"
Weight, empty = 25 oz.


Appearances can be deceiving, but the tale of the tape doesn't lie.



Easy
 
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