Ruger 9mm Good? Bad? Would like input

[PistolNewbie]

I have been thinking about purchasing a P89 Ruger 9mm. I already own a Ruger Mark II Target and a 22 Single Six and have enjoyed shooting both of them with no problems. I am new to this and would appreciate any opinions pro or con.

 

[MinnMooney]

My son has owned the P89 for several years and likes it quite well. It's too large for conceal-carry so he bought a S&W ultralight J-Framed wheel gun for that purpose. After I bought my SpringfieldArmory-XP .45ACP, he really fell in love with it and plans on trading the P89 this spring.
That said, he's never had a problem with the P89 and it's super dependable.

 

[skinnyguy]

Hey there PistolNewbie. First, let me welcome you to THR, I've learned alot here, and hope you can do the same!!!

I just picked up a new P89DC myself. I took it out over the weekend and put my first 100 rounds through it. I found it comfortable to shoot, easily handleable recoil, accurate, NO misfeeds, even with a USA brand 30 round magazine, and FUN!!!

When I got it home, it was easy to breakdown and clean, and easy to reassemble.

I'm very well pleased with it, and I'll be working on getting more accurate with it and just getting used to it.

Some things that I've heard other people mention is the weight, which I like but some people don't, the trigger pull takes some getting used to, double action is a little stiff, and single action has a lot of take-up travel, and when new, may be a little on the hard side, but about 200 firings on a snap-cap smoothed mine out pretty well. My rating on the P89 is TWO thumbs up!!!

Your mileage may vary (ymmv), but I think you'd be happy with it!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[bigdaddyb]

I consider 9mm to be fun for plinking and competition, but won't carry it for self defense.

My cousin was forced to kill an armed robber in his place of business several years back. He put two rounds of 9mm HP, center chest. The guy walked out of the store and died in the parking lot. He won't carry a 9mm any more and neither will I.

For those wondering, he was never arrested. Totally righteous shoot.

My suggestion is a Springfield XD in 40 or 45. For a wheelgun, .357mag or .44Spl. The latter is more expensive to practice with.

Just one man's view.

brianb

 

[Brigrat]

I carried a Ruger P95 when it counted, and would do so again. I loved that pistol, and my brother still uses it. I am large enough that concealing it was not a problem, and it was so incredibly reliable that I would not hesitate to use it when needed again...

 

[shadowalker]

Ruger generally makes fine pistols, I have a P90 45 ACP and a P94 40 S&W, and also shot a P89 pretty often. Before purchasing my Sig I carried a Ruger P90 concealed quite comfortably.

In my experience Ruger's are solid, reliable and fairly accurate, it has yet to have a malfunction and I would trust it to protect my life. I don't like the plastic grip panels but with Hogue grips my P90 feels like a much more expensive gun.

Even with good hits to the heart a person has up to 15 to 30 seconds of willful control of their body, whether they are hit with a 9mm, 40 S&W or 45 ACP. Failure to stop drills exist to train people to deal with center of mass shots not ending a threat.

I'm not a huge fan of the 9mm but the 45 ACP could have just as easily had the same result. The 9mm delivered enough force to cause the bad guy to leave and prevented him from being a further threat. Had the threat continued a head shot with a 9mm is very effective.

 

[waynedm]

Aside from the BS remarks that are trying to start a flame caliber war . . .

I own a P89 and have over 30,000 through it and it has jammed once and that was when it was new and with a hollow point. I have 35 round magazines for it and shoot it in league and can empty out the mags in less than 4 seconds. These guns just don't jam, at least mine doesn't. Little heavy for carry but not all guns are really meant for carry.

 

[tbtrout]

I have a P85 MKII. It is a reliable gun, just not my favorite. I have tried on several occasions to bond with the gun, it just never worked for me. I especially do not like the trigger. For an affordable, reliable and rugged pistol it fits the bill.

 

[ID_shooting]

I have owned many of the Ruger P series guns. The are well built, solid, reliable combat handgungs.

Not the most accurate but accuarate enough. The are at the top for reliability and ruggedness.

Saw one come into the shop with the action stuck about halfway open. Smith took it and inspected it. He had a squib and followed it up with a live round. Bulged the barrel out about an inch from the muzzle. But the gun stayed together and the smith was able to cut the barrel out and put a new one in. Gun still shooting to this day. Had it been anything other than a P89, the gun would have likely blown up and injured the shooter.

For a service/combat handgun where looks, weight, size are unimportant, Ruger P89 is number two to Glock in my world and that is only due to Glock being a touch more accurate.

IMHO of course.

 

[Angio333]

My first gun was a Ruger P89 (9mm) and I loved it. It never malfunctioned, and was very accurate. I seriously regret trading it in.

 

[JRW]

"My cousin was forced to kill an armed robber in his place of business several years back. He put two rounds of 9mm HP, center chest. The guy walked out of the store and died in the parking lot. He won't carry a 9mm any more and neither will I."

So let me get this straight. Your cousin shot an armed robber twice in the chest with a 9mm killing him, but now neither of you trust the caliber? Am I missing something??

 

[JRW]

Oh yeah, as far as the original topic is concerned I also once owned a P89. It was pretty accurate and absolutely reliable but if I were looking to get a Ruger 9mm now I would opt for the P95. Compared to the P89 the P95 is lighter, has the same ammo capacity, is as durable/dependable, has an option for a rail, and best of all is less expensive.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I have a P-90 and would like sometime to get a P-89. Ruger DA autos aren't the prettiest or sleekest pistols, but they are like the Kalashnikov of semiauto pistols. They just work out of the box, and do so for a reasonable price.

One nice thing I really like about the Ruger autos is that they are factory rated for steel cased ammo (sez so right in the owner's manual). So, if you don't reload you can save a ton of money by shooting cheap Wolf ammo in it and not worry about harming the gun or voiding the warranty.

 

[gandog56]

P series. Built like tanks and take whatever cheap ammo or reloads I care to feed it, and puts them where I aims 'em.

Deadly accurate with Crimson Trace Laser Grips, too.

 

[BADUNAME13]

Inexpensive, reliable, and feels terrible!

If you like the way it feels you should be fine.*

*If you might have to shoot someone with a 9mm use QUALITY HP's that you have insured will work in your pistol.
9mm FMJ is an INADEQUATE man stoper.

 

[Bongo45]

I've never read anything but good about the full size Ruger automatics. They haven't changed much in 20 years, but if you have a good design, stick with it.

 

[bakert]

My regular carry gun now is a Ruger P97 but I have an older P85 that's very similar to the P89 that's never jammed or failed to feed once in over 6000 rds. It is not a tack driver but at the 7 to 10 yds a gun like this would be used, the accuracy is more than adequate and the trigger has gotten better with use. And yes It may be a bit chunky but conceals much easier than some would have you believe.

 

[ca-c54]

Buy it,you will never regret it.

 

[rhubarb]

I carry a Ruger P95. I trust it.

No, guns aren't magic death rays.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Ya the 9mm comment is total bovine scat---I've seen a 9mm drop a deer with one shot(no--it wasn't me that shot it)---which is much tougher than any human.

Rugers go bang every time---the .45's seem to be more accurate than the 9mm's though.

 

[Whirlwind06]

I have the P95 had the P89 which I'm buying back from my buddy I sold it to. Solid guns very accurate at self defense ranges.

My cousin was forced to kill an armed robber in his place of business several years back. He put two rounds of 9mm HP, center chest. The guy walked out of the store and died in the parking lot. He won't carry a 9mm any more and neither will I.

Seems to me the 9mm worked just fine. Stopped the threat. Can't ask for much more then that from a pistol round.

 

[foghornl]

I have the KP-90 (.45ACP) and it has never failed to go BANG! on request. The 1911 is slimmer, so yeah, the "Ruger P-Series are kind of big & blocky" comments are true.

But for a solid platform that works as designed at a decent price, Ruger P-series.

 

[Plink]

I'll start off by saying that I have a love/hate relationship with the Ruger semi autos.

I have had outstanding reliability with them. I have an old P-85 that has had over 30,000 rounds through it without a single gun related malfunction of any type. It works just as good today as when it was new. I've got to the point that I rarely even bother to clean it, as it just keeps working regardless. I use it as a loaner to introduce new shooters to handguns and that's how it has so many rounds through it. It isn't even showing any wear to the anodizing on the frame rails! I think this gun will last forever.

My home defense pistol is a Ruger P-97 .45 ACP. It has also been 100% reliable. Though it hasn't had the sheer number of rounds through it that the P-85 has. I have other guns that shoot better, but I use the Ruger because I trust it more than any other gun I own. It simply works, every time.

I also own a P-94, but it doesn't get shot much. It has also been 100% reliable though.

I find the Ruger guns to be absolutely reliable, relatively accurate and quite good values.

As to the hate part of the relationship, the triggers on all of them are attrocious. They're sloppy, imprecise, heavy and have a lot of creep. All the trigger work in the world doesn't improve them much. It's just part of their design. I have decided not to buy anymore of them until they address the trigger issue. I haven't tried the P-345 yet, but I hear it has a very nice trigger...for a Ruger.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

My cousin was forced to kill an armed robber in his place of business several years back. He put two rounds of 9mm HP, center chest. The guy walked out of the store and died in the parking lot. He won't carry a 9mm any more and neither will I.

First let me say Im not a big 9mm fan, I much rather a large, heavy round (like .45acp) for personal defense. With that out of the way, I must say that it sounds like the round did its job. The assailant walked outside and gave up the ghost. If you dont mind sharing, what ammunition was he using?