School me on the Ruger P89
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RecoilRob
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I had a pair of P-85's (samo-samo) and found the only thing that bothered me was the excessive trigger over-travel. Ended up gluing a small piece of brass filed to fit tightly in the hollow trigger back to act as a stop, and once it was fitted properly the guns had a great trigger that everyone loved!
Only have the one gun now because one friend wouldn't let me take the other one home after playing with it at the range.
He loved the gun and shot it well and still has it as his bedside drawer gun. There are cheap 30 round mags that work OK...and they'll fit the PC9 Carbine which makes for a pretty tough pair.
Only have the one gun now because one friend wouldn't let me take the other one home after playing with it at the range.
He loved the gun and shot it well and still has it as his bedside drawer gun. There are cheap 30 round mags that work OK...and they'll fit the PC9 Carbine which makes for a pretty tough pair.DaisyCutter
Member
A P89 was my first handgun. I quickly wore out the safety, and rusted the slide finish from sweating on it CCWing without a holster.
It didn't like to feed a lot of the JHP ammo from the 1990s.
It was a decent cheap handgun to learn these lessons on.
It didn't like to feed a lot of the JHP ammo from the 1990s.
It was a decent cheap handgun to learn these lessons on.
I enjoyed shooting the SP101 way more then the LCR and my Sp101 was also my first handgun purchase. Plus it's the perfect gun for my woods walking with the 3" barrel and exposed hammer. I just didn't get any enjoyment out of the LCR.
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That makes a lot of sense for a woods gun. Though I do find the LCR a pain to shoot my sp101 was shorter and felt far too heavy for a 5 shot belly gun. At one time I dreamed of carrying a custom 3" sp101 for ccw but found my way to the single stack 9mm camp instead.
7mmb
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I used to own a P89. It was absolutely reliable. Boringly reliable. Fed everything and went bang every time. If Ruger had brought it out a few years earlier in time for the Army trials it would be the M9.
chaim
Member
Wow, that was fast. Are you looking for another P89 or do you want to try something else?
As for the original question, my first auto was a P89 (actually, the stainless KP89). A good friend had a P90 in .45 and it was a fun gun to shoot, 100% reliable, and quite accurate. I looked at several other guns, but the memory of many shooting sessions with his P90 biased me and I ended up with the KP89. I kept it for about a year (maybe a month or two longer or shorter). The KP89 was every bit as reliable as the P90, but unfortunately, mine was not accurate. I could shoot a different gun for the first time and would consistently be more accurate with the unfamiliar gun, and friends shooting my P89 would find it equally inaccurate. I know not all P89s are like that, but that was my experience.
Due to my personal experience, I do not personally want another P89. I have no interest in it. However, if I come across a good deal on a P95 (the polymer version) or a P90 (the .45 version) I'll jump all over it. I did buy a KP345 a few years later hoping to re-ignite the magic of the P90, but unfortunately I was unlucky again (my KP345 was accurate, it just wasn't reliable), but if I see a good deal some time I'll likely give the P345 another chance.
All that is to say, most of the P-series pistols are tanks. They are durable and reliable. Some are also accurate (though not my P89). Sure, they were a bit large and blocky, but they really were good values when new, and it is a shame they were discontinued (I am a fan of hammer fired guns). When you get a good one, they are usually even better values today.
bannockburn
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SVTOhio
Well that was quick! Honeymoon over so soon? So what are you "off to try another one" of? Another P89 or maybe a P93 or possibly a P95?
Well that was quick! Honeymoon over so soon? So what are you "off to try another one" of? Another P89 or maybe a P93 or possibly a P95?
I will not be looking for another one, I could not shoot it accurately either. The trigger was smooth but like a sponge and I could not for the life of me determine when it was going to break. Not sure what I will be looking for next.
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stchman
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I recently bought a P89DC in stainless from a guy off Armslist. That gun was near flawless and it shoots fantastic. It's a 1966 model and still had the original 10 round AWB mags. Great thing about the gun is it uses all my P95 mags so I have a lot of mags for it.
I love the P series.
I love the P series.
Vincent1966
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The first semi auto gun I shot was a P89. It was owned by a man with big hands. Loved it. I bought my first semi auto gun, which was a P89. I have big hands. Love it. Only problem was, I got it during the Clinton gun ban, so it only came with a 10 round magazine, where the other guy had 15 round mags. When my brother got his Ruger 9mm, can't remember which one, we were at the range and I found out I could swap mags with him. When the next gun show came around, I bought 2 15 round mags. Love the P89 even more now.
chaim
Member
SVTOhio said:
If you generally liked the P89 other than the trigger/accuracy, there are some that seem to have better accuracy than the P89 (though the trigger seems to be a pretty consistent complaint). I always heard good things about the P95 (9mm, polymer) and I can't recall any accuracy complaints from anyone. The .45s are generally considered to be very accurate, though if you go with the P345 be careful of the earlier guns since some (like mine) were unreliable (unusual for a Ruger). I can definitely see a P95, P90, P93, P94 or possibly another P345 coming home with me someday.
SVTOhio said:
I have a CZ 75B, made in 1996 (bought somewhere around 2000-2002) which has been an incredible gun. I don't remember exactly how many (or what) failures it has had, but it was definitely 10 or fewer (and I think it might have been less than 5). I stopped counting the number of rounds through it after 10K, and if it is in the 15-20K range now that wouldn't surprise me. While, I have far more guns now than I did when I put most of the first 10K through it, and there are some range trips it doesn't go at all, it comes on most of my range trips and gets at least 50-100 rounds through it. It is accurate, reliable, fun, and it fits my hand just about perfectly.
I used to also have a CZ 40B which was almost as good. I stupidly sold it just over 10 years ago and within a year I wished I didn't.
I just bought another CZ, a CZ P01 (which is based on the 75), that I hope to be every bit as good. I see a RAMI and maybe a P06 in my near future as well.
It is hard to go wrong with a CZ, if you get one I think you'll like it. They aren't the underpriced bargains they were 10-15 years ago, but you still get a lot of gun for the money.
ThePunisher'sArmory
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I have 2 P95s and they are large and clunkey but they eat ALL types of ammo and never a problem.
RecoilRob
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Just for the record, the problems with P345 reliability were pretty much all tied to the magazine disconnector from what I've seen. Mine came out pronto and nary a bobble since, plus the mags drop free better now. I just don't like the mag safeties on any guns...one more thing to malfunction so automatically you are more reliable without one, and the execution on many is so fussy that just a tiny bit of damage or wear to either the safety or mag itself and the gun becomes unreliable. P345 is good as was the P89/P85 series...built like rock.
David Blane
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The P95 has been nothing less than flawless after hundreds of rounds. One of my favorite carry guns too!
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