Ruger P95 - No politics - How's the gun?

[Liko81]

I said it in the thread title and I'll say it again; I am NOT interested in the Ruger letter, Mr. Ruger's politics, or any opinion of how the company trampled the rights of American gun owners. I've heard plenty (Every Ruger thread on every forum I've seen eventually descends into name-calling over it), so take it somewhere else.

I am interested in honest, unbiased opinions of the P95. More specifically, if anyone has the KP95PR15 (stainless manual-safety 15rd model), I'm very interested in hearing your comments on how it performs, carries, maintains, etc.

What I've heard from most people who aren't boycotting Ruger altogether, as well as my own impressions of holding the unloaded weapon (haven't fired one yet) is:

Pros:
* Very reliable (thousands of rounds without a jam)
* Can handle abuse (2000-3000 rounds without cleaning)
* Accurate (2-3inch groupings at 25yds)
* Easy to maintain (field-strips in about 5 seconds)
* Safe (3-action safety withdraws both pin and pin block into the receiver, decocks the gun and disconnects the trigger from the firing mechanism)
* Double/single action for shorter, lighter trigger pulls
* Inexpensive/good value ($350-400 retail depending on model)

Cons:
* Heavy/chunky
* Hogue grips recommended - Grip is too thin for many and gets slippery
* Ruger doesn't offer more than 15rds capacity retail (politics, yes, but 15rounds is still quite a few)
* Trigger can sometimes be sloppy in SA operation, too hard in DA
* No resale value

The trigger stuff is contested; some find it very crisp, clean and light, while others report it plays, feels mushy, or is too hard. This may just be personal preference. I happen to like the styling, but I agree it's a heavy gun compared to other mid-size 9s like the S&Ws and Glocks. To clarify, I'm intending this to be a target-shooting learner pistol, so I'm more interested in how it behaves on the firing range and the cleaning bench than in a holster. If anyone would care to confirm/deny any of the above, I'd appreciate it.

 

[shooter1]

Bought a KP95DC for my wife back in the mid 90s or so. It was the only 9mm pistol she could rack the slide on easily. There were a lot of things about the pistol that weren't to my taste, most of which are listed under "Cons" in your post. My wife decided she liked one of my pistols better, so i relegated the Ruger to the role of IDPA loaner. It has since digested a wheelbarrow load of mixed ammo, mostly my lead reloads. My son currently has the pistol and shoots the crap out of it. To my knowledge, there have been no malfunctions to date. Mine was not as accurate as those you mentioned, but is reasonably accurate, and stone reliable. If you want an inexpensive, reliable pistol, and can live with the ergos and appearance, you can't go wrong with the Ruger!
str1

 

[bakert]

P95 name calling? Have you checked over at Ruger Forum? I've shot one belonging to a friend quite a bit and I think it's a nice pistol. Chunky? Yes, but just a bit compared to some others. Heavy ? Not really. It's heavier that a Glock but not more than many other S/A D/A pistols and Ruger triggers usually just get better with shooting. I will not get into the issue of Bill Rugers statements on magazines. The man is dead but he armed one helluva lot of people during his lifetime. A bit strange strange that many of the people that p--- and moan about Bill Ruger seem to still shoot and love S&Ws. Also some people here are going to badmouth any affordable gun regardless of how it functions. Just My own opinion.

 

[putteral]

I own the KPR15DC. I just bought 2 17 round mec gar mags from cdnn for 19.99. They work great. I love the gun. feeds reliable, I use it as my ccw with a Don Hume inside the pants holster. I would recommend the gun highly.

 

[jakeswensonmt]

I'd agree with your list of pro's and cons except for one con:

No resale value

I've been able to sell used Rugers at about the same used/new price ratio as other brands. (I do not work at a gun store, just a guy who has sold some of his guns, usually to finance another gun.)

 

[Zach S]

Trigger sucks, both DA and SA.

The grip really sucked, especially whith sweaty hands. About as ergonomic as a 2x4.

Otherwise I liked mine. If I had enough money to buy what I wanted at the time, I probably wouldn't have traded my P95DC in, but I didnt like it enough to replace it.

 

[Liko81]

^^^ You'll have to elaborate on that, Zach. I can think of a lot of things that would make a trigger suck. Too hard, too soft, too long, mushy, gritty, too crisp (doesn't give at all, then goes all the way back) too much play, etc?

I know about the grip, and probably the first thing I'll do is add the Hogue slip-on.

 

[mekender]

might want to look at the new ruger SR-9, ive heard good things about em, and man is it light... havent gotten to fire one yet, unfortunately most stores wont let you try before you buy when it comes to new guns :-(

 

[Euclidean]

I just happen to have almost that very gun, except mine is the decocker variant (no safety just a decocking lever). The reason I have one is because I have a P85 with a lot of sentimental attachment to it which I will never get rid of, and I wanted something that could use the same magazines in a pinch. FWIW mine is the older style frame sans rails with the old style trigger guard.

I will say this for it:

- Works just fine, feeds extremely well, reliable as anything else out there.

- Combat accurate, and more accurate than I am.

- Trigger pull is the worst part, don't get a DAO variant no matter what you do. It's a long trigger and "mushy" is the best way I can describe how it breaks.

- I trust my life to it.

Mine's "broken in" so to speak, and it's not so bad really, but it's definitely an economy option. I think of the P95 not as cheap but rather inexpensive. I got mine used for $300 flat but it was a couple or more years ago.

I feel the P95 is the high point of Ruger's classic P series in the 9mm chambering. It does the most to address the problems of the P series.

IMHO however, unless you have some compelling reason to own a Ruger like I did, here's what you should do.

If you don't have a lot of funds and find a used P95 closer to the $300 mark than the $350 mark, that may be your best option at the time. At that price point, there are quite a few barely used Ruger P series guns floating around and for the money that's hard to beat.

If you can swing $350-$375, call CDNN or J&G et al. and ask what they have in stock as far as Glock trade ins. A barely used Glock like an old cop gun is better than a new Ruger.

If you have $400, buy a CZ 75 instead.

It is a good gun but if you're talking about a new Ruger vs. a used product from a better brand, the latter option is better. I say this objectively as someone who thinks the P95 is a perfectly decent product. I still have mine after all and I wouldn't sell it unless it was to someone who needed a good firearm and didn't have a lot of money.

But I also have a Glock 19 that was only $350 used, and I'd take that over a new in box Ruger P95 all day long.

 

[goon]

Mine does 4" or groups at 25 yards and has been utterly reliable with every kind of ammo I have shot through it. I'm planning to sell it soon but only because I will need to fund an AR and I don't need 3 9mm's.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

It's a fine gun and a terrific value. I've shot a number of them and they have all had decent triggers and all have been accurate and nice shooters. I highly recommend the gun for someone shopping for a 9mm on a budget.

 

[Ruffwood]

I have 2. 1 is the early slippery grip model that I put the Rubber grip on problem solved, and the 2nd is the newer rail version with stippled grip, much better. Both are the non safety Decocker version. I have not had any problems with either 1000's of rounds through each. Installed 20lb hammer springs in both to improve DA trigger pull.

 

[cuervo]

I personally prefer the P93, which is the metal-framed 9mm. To me, it has a better feel than the P95.

If you need the rail, go with the P95. And, I don't like the idea of metal-on-plastic that the P95 uses. I think they should have put steel inserts in the frame for the slide rail. I'm sure that the P95 users would notice wear on the plastic slide rails and complain if necessary, but it's just something that I don't like about them.

You'll occasionally see P93s as police trade-ins and have a good price.

All Rugers are built like tanks and you won't go wrong whatever you choose.

 

[schmeky]

I bought a brand new P-95 about a year ago. As much as I try, I cannot warm up to this pistol. I can't shoot it as accurately as my other 9's, the resale on these guns is terrible, and really don't like the tigger in either SA or DA.

Mine is LNIB with 2 hi-cap Ruger mags and is only worth $200.00 on a trade-in. I can't sell it for $300.00 outright, no one is interested.

This is my last Ruger auto.

 

[Blarelli]

I have a p95dc, and just looked up the year the other day. First year production. It now has about 32,000 rounds through it, and it had its first jam on Saturday, a stovepipe. Accuracy is decent, doesn't show any wear on the slide, but the poly-frame is scratched up pretty good. All around a very solid gun. I don't shoot very many, but I'm comfortable shooting +P+ in it. Things I don't like about it, it is chunky so I don't carry it, and I wish it had a lot less take up on the single action side. It takes a little bit to get used to the grip, but I think the newer models feel a lot better than mine.

 

[Trebor]

I don't like the DA trigger on the Ruger centerfire auto's myself. I find it too long and heavy. I also think the guns are clunky and blocky.

That said, they are reliable and durable. I've yet to have a student with a Ruger centerfire who has had a problem with his gun in one of my classes. I can't really say that for any of the other brands I've seen.

 

[-v-]

I had the 95DC stainless as my first gun. The thing was great, built like a tank, accuracy was a heck of a lot better then I could do. I had 1 malfunction with it ever and that was 100% my own fault. Damn things will shoot just about anything you put in the chamber and ask for more. Very solid buy.

But, for me the grip was a little too wide for my hands, so it was not as comfortable as I would have preferred. Beyond that, I would tend to agree with all the con's you cite. Its big, clunky, and very basic. Would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a quality firearm on a budget, though.

As for the comments regarding the heavy DA trigger. It is QUITE heavy, I would guess in the 12-14lb range. Its is also looonngg. Partially for this reason is why I viewed a safety on this gun as unnecessary. If the hammer is down, there's no way its going to shoot unless you make a conceous effort to pull the trigger. Heck I could yank this thing out of a holster by the trigger, with the hammer not moving so much as a millimeter. I would also agree with those who say that the SA trigger pull is gritty. For the most part I noticed it only when pulling the trigger back very slowly, but the grittiness did not bother me that much, so make of it what you will.

 

[stevereno1]

better than the p-85. i'd vouch for that.

 

[evan price]

For what it is, it's good enough. If you like it and can shoot it well, I doubt you will ever break it.

 

[lil ski]

I have the P90DC and use it as my carry gun. All the cons are as you stated but I want to carry a gun that goes bang every time I pull the triger and Ruger does that I have had mine covered in mud from riding dirt bikes and it fired with out any problem (mud not removed). For the money Ruger is tops in my book. Just my 2cents

 

[TimboKhan]

* Hogue grips recommended - Grip is too thin for many and gets slippery

I own a P90, which isn't the same gun your interested in obviously, but I will say that the Hogue grips are pretty much a must. They change the way the gun feels dramatically. I very literally went from wanting to sell my P90 because I was having a hard time hitting anything with it to not ever wanting to sell it because I could hit anything I wanted with it all because of those grips.

 

[jakeswensonmt]

+1 on the Hogue for any Ruger P. Huuuge difference. And as a plus, it looks good.

Buy the Hogue in the store at the same time you get your P, install it before your first shooting session, don't even bother with the stock grips.

 

[Vito_Corleone]

Had one NIB, hated it, sold it.

It felt loose (bad tolerances, I suppose), and I didn't shoot it well.