Ruger P89DC

[potmetal]

I was in a shop getting a sight put on one gun when I spotted a very nice P89DC in the case. I looked it over, they told me it was a recent trade in, nothing extra, just the gun and mag. The price tag was $199. I couldn't pass it up.
At home I checked it out, it's a 1993 model. I tried to take it down to look inside and the slide did not want to come off. I was afraid I was doing something wrong or there was some defect I couldn't see that was interfering with the slide. After a few more tries, it finally came loose. It was about as bone dry as a gun can be. No oil or lube that I could see anywhere. I greased the rails and put some Rem-oil on moving parts and it's okay now. It doesn't look like it's been shot much. It's pretty clean and scuff free inside.
You gotta love the old school, solid as a rock, build quality of the old Ruger P series.

 

[5-SHOTS]

If I remember well to disassembly the Ruger P Series you have to put the slide in the hold open position and then push down (forward) the ejector. Then the slide can go forward once the hold open is pulled out.
So the ejector is the thing that was interfering with the slide.

 

[JJFitch]

If I remember well to disassembly the Ruger P Series you have to put the slide in the hold open position and then push down (or forward?) the ejector. Then the slide can go forward once the hold open is pulled out.

This!

 

[pairof44sp]

P89 was my first gun. In 1993.

I didn’t know that there was such a thing as cleaning a gun. I just shot it.

I also didn’t know that guns could fail. That p89 never had a failure of any sort.

It wasn’t until fifteen year later, when I went to a range and shot their Coo nans and Deagles, that I learned about failures.

Go to any relevant Youtube comment section to see dozens of people saying exactly the same thing: “It was my first gun. I never cleaned it and it never failed to fire.”

Great deal for $199.

 

[edwardware]

. . . P89DC in the case. . . just the gun and mag. The price tag was $199. I couldn't pass it up.

I sympathize. That's a great price, especially this month.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Good choice!

You can also probably find extra mags at reasonable cost compared to more trendy models.

 

[5-SHOTS]

I'll add that if you have the decocker/safety version and you did the pushing down/forward ejector procedure correctly and the slide still didn't want to go forward then it is because the decocker lever had to be down in the no fire position before starting the whole disassembly process.

 

[MedWheeler]

The P-85 was my first agency-issued autoloader (had a wheeelgun before then.) That thing was duty-beat, yet just shot and shot.

Got a P95 about eight years ago, used. Ditto for that one, too.

For that price, even if it was dirty, you did well (as noted above, especially these days.)

 

[Alex Clayton]

Damn for that price I would have to walk out with it too! When the great Clinton ban was going to go in I bought an 89 just to have one double stack 9. Really did not want one. Pistol seemed butt ugly too me at the time. The "P series trigger" took some getting used to. Long into the ban Midway had a bunch of USA 15 and 20 round mags for sale cheap. I bought a bunch of them after trying them. They were VERY poorly made but damned if they did not all work in the pistol. The 20 round mags were (and still are) hard to get in but they can't make the pistol choke. So as time went on it became the house gun for Wife. It's heavy enough she can shoot it well even with +P ammo and it never stops. So figured it was good if she wakes up and needs a gun. 16 rounds ready to go. In time it no longer looked bad to me as it just worked so damn well. Safe queen these days but still impressive. At that price I would have had to end up with 2

 

[Tallball]

Good pick up at a great price.

I have three Ruger P series that I bought used.

None has ever malfunctioned for me.

 

[Frulk]

That’s a SCREAMING deal you picked it up for! Bought a P89 off a Bexar county deputy in San Antonio back in the mid 90s or so. Gun was nothing if not reliable. Always thought it had a cool industrial look to it with the matte grey-ish finish. Sold it to a good friend about 3 years ago along with approx 1K of 9mm ammo. Was scaling back calibers. Kinda wish I still had it.

 

[dbluefish]

+1 on Ruger P series. I have the P85 MK II and bought it around 1992, still the two original mags, original springs and the pistol eats any 9mm ammo I can find. 16 rounds on call are comforting, lol.

Semper Fi
paul

 

[DaStray]

Had a P89DC too and don`t remember having any failures with it at all. Actually had 2 but one went to an ex-wife so I went out and bought another some months later. Big, heavy and bulky but went Bang! every time I pulled the trigger. Best for a nightstand or "truck gun" IMO. I put some Hogue wood grips on it, I want to say Kingwood but I`m not 100% on that. Really dressed it up and when I was talking to the LGS employee about trading the P89 for an SR9c he didn`t seem too interested but when he saw the grips on it he was all over it

Traded it for the SR9c (plus a little cash) 5-6 years ago which has also been just as reliable. On the plus side for the SR9c, it`s quite concealable which is why I traded the P89 for it.

Kinda wish I`d just sucked it up and bought the SR9c outright and kept the P89 since reading this thread. Oh well...