How could anybody not like the Ruger P95?

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I think the blue P95s look ok and the two-tone stainless models look really good. But the bottom line is, the P95 is a superbly reliable handgun for $350 or less new. It offers good people who can't afford to spend $500 to $1000 for a defense gun the opportunity to be reliably armed with a new, hi capacity 9mm. And that's a beautiful thing.
 
It offers good people who can't afford to spend $500 to $1000 for a defense gun the opportunity to be reliably armed with a new, hi capacity 9mm. And that's a beautiful thing.
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Those kind of attributes make even an "ugly" pistol look beautiful.
 
P95's and HighPoints are the two most popular pistols in the hood around here. Because they are cheap and the owners don't know a damn thing about firearms. For a first pistol, it would be a great gun. Most of my firearms have maybe just one thing I don't really care for about them, or I would change on it. Ruger P's have many.
For the most part, you get what you pay for. Pistols that sell for $150-300 all day long just aren't going to compare to a high quality $500-800 pistol. For plinking and beginners without gun knowledge, that acceptable. But for any serious enthusiast and/or anyone depending on that firearm to save their life or those around them... a middle of the road pistol wont cut it.
 
I don't understand people saying that the P95 "won't cut it" as a life-saving defense weapon. 100% reliability and 2" accuracy at 20 yards would certainly "cut it" for me....
 
Trust me, if you tag a home invader with a 115 gr. +P JHP from a P95, he won't know or complain that it didn't come out of a SIG P210 :).
 
bestseller92 said:
I don't understand people saying that the P95 "won't cut it" as a life-saving defense weapon. 100% reliability and 2" accuracy at 20 yards would certainly "cut it" for me....
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Because 100% accuracy and 2" @ 20yrds is most likely as rare from a P95 as a P226 or 92FS NOT performing like that.

Think about it..
Why don't our Military/LE/Feds or anyone else carry P95's? Why doesn't anyone carry a P95 as a duty weapon? Why doesn't anyone carry any Ruger or Taurus auto.. or a Sigma as a duty weapon? Hmm...
 
Actually the U.S. Army Tank and Armaments Command purchased 5000 P95s a few years ago, and the Bureau of Prisons has issued the gun as well. Contrary to uninformed opinion by those who have likely never fired the gun, 100% reliability is the norm with the P95.
 
Also, many police departments have issued Ruger pistols as duty weapons, including Massad Ayoob's department, who issued the Ruger P90 before changing to the P345.

Today's law enforcement market is dominated by Glock, of course, with fully 65% of American police packing the Austrian fantastic plastic....
 
Think about it..
Why don't our Military/LE/Feds or anyone else carry P95's? Why doesn't anyone carry a P95 as a duty weapon? Why doesn't anyone carry any Ruger or Taurus auto.. or a Sigma as a duty weapon? Hmm...
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On that same vein ... why does nobody carry a .44 S&W? Or why does nobody carry a 12 gauge pump, exclusively?
Because we all know that because the PD doesn't use it it can't kill people, right?
 
Contrary to uninformed opinion by those who have likely never fired the gun, 100% reliability is the norm with the P95.
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And that's a fact. Every marque produces a few lemons, but P95's are well known for their reliability by those that run them. They are thick, heavy, and kinda clunky but they do run and run and run.

You can usually tell who's thrown a lot of lead downrange with one and who's regurgitating popular 'net lore and marketing fluff by the comments that they make in this sort of thread.

Also, many police departments have issued Ruger pistols as duty weapons, including Massad Ayoob's department, who issued the Ruger P90 before changing to the P345.
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I seem to recall that the Iraqi army or National Police were re-equipped with modern 9x19 pistols via a US procurement, and the P95 was the chosen platform for that need.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=117304
 
My experience (10 years teaching self defense and CCW certification after 6 years as my department's chief firearms instructor) was that the Ruger 95 was indeed functionally reliable. But to answer the OP, what I don't like about it and any number of other maker's models is the DA/SA firing mechanism. Learning trigger control is probably the hardest and most important thing to learn about shooting a handgun. Having to learn two different trigger pulls, one coming right after the first shot with another, is a major detraction and fault. Sorry but the P95 falls quite short in this regard.

Dave
 
Having to learn two different trigger pulls, one coming right after the first shot with another, is a major detraction and fault.
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I won't argue that a "traditional" da semi-auto might require a little more training time to master (with its two different-da/sa-trigger pulls) than its sa or dao semi-auto counterparts (with their one trigger pull) but its been my experience that way too much has been made of this supposed "fault". Before I retired after thirty years of service in le, and after we transitioned from revolvers to semi-auto pistols, my agency carried and trained with Smith "third generation" da pistols and I have never seen an officer that couldn't "overcome" the alleged deficiency of a da pistol's "two-part" trigger pull with a little training.
Though I certainly appreciate the advantage(s) a sa auto, configured in a cocked and locked mode, might offer some shooters, I personally have no use for dao semi-autos. I much prefer a single action trigger pull for accurate shooting, which is what you get for every subsequent shot after that "terrible" first double-action one with a da/sa pistol. With the dao pistol, of course, you're stuck with the long da pull for every shot.
 
But to answer the OP, what I don't like about it and any number of other maker's models is the DA/SA firing mechanism. Learning trigger control is probably the hardest and most important thing to learn about shooting a handgun. Having to learn two different trigger pulls, one coming right after the first shot with another, is a major detraction and fault. Sorry but the P95 falls quite short in this regard.
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That's a personal preference though. The DA/SA on the P95 works fine, and is also used by the Walther P38, Beretta 92 (and PX4, and Cougar), CZ-75, HK USP, Bersa Thunder, 3rd gen S&W, etc (a very big etc as the list goes on an on). A TON of guns use the DA/SA action regardless of cost, and many people like and prefer that action.
 
I, too, prefer a Glock-style trigger to a DA/SA, and that's why I normally carry a Glock 22 or 26. But I have absolute confidence in my P95 and have carried it and used it as a bedside defense gun many times.
 
Yes, JR47, I'm not really understanding the "ugly" remarks at all. You only have the right to call the P95 ugly if you own Browning Hi-Powers, Beretta 92's or Colt Huntsman's or 1911's (maybe CZ 75's) or a Luger or something. Those are pretty guns. Let's face it, most MODERN semi-autos don't win beauty contests. The criticism is valid against most newer pistols generally, but not one specific innocuous model.
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Its ugly, you don't even need to own a beautiful gun to see that its ugly. I can tell that a SIG P210 is a beautiful gun and the P95 is a ugly gun. Sure it works and its accurate, there are other used guns that look better and work just as good if not better.
 
I really never cared for the ergonomics of the P95, as well as its DA/SA trigger set-up. Basically the grip portion of the frame felt very unwieldy in my hand. Given a choice in the matter, I would choose a Browning Hi-Power as being the most comfortable feeling grip in comparison.
 
That's a personal preference though.
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mgmorden, the OP asked, " How could anybody not like the Ruger P95?" I was giving the reason I don't like them. You don't have to agree with me but you don't get to say I'm wrong either.

SwampWolf, my experience as a firearms instructor for my last 6 years before retiring was different. Every officer I trained who carried a DA/SA pistol would dump the first shot low when pushed hard or fast. I will grant there are some who master it but my experience is they are few and far between.

Dave
 
I guess we can come at it from the perspective of 3 different questions. 1. Do you personally like the P95? (My answer, yes, a lot, with the quailfication that I prefer a Glock-style trigger.) 2. Is the P95 a good gun? (My answer, yes.) 3. Is the P95 a good value? (My answer, yes, absolutely, to the point that I think it's arguably the best dollar value in a new and reliable self-defense handgun on the market today.)
 
PlateStacker said:
For the most part, you get what you pay for. Pistols that sell for $150-300 all day long just aren't going to compare to a high quality $500-800 pistol. For plinking and beginners without gun knowledge, that acceptable. But for any serious enthusiast and/or anyone depending on that firearm to save their life or those around them... a middle of the road pistol wont cut it.
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I can understand your "serious enthusiast" argument because the P-95 is rather bulky and isn't as aesthetically pleasing as many higher priced models.

As for your other argument, I've found that my P95 has been completely reliable and I have no problem relying on it to save my life if need be.
 
GUN FEEL is an important issue to almost everyone. The RUGER 90 series pistols felt clunky, they worked fine, but still did not feel right in my hand.

They are like the GLOCKS, ugly, reliable and affordable, but the clunky feel is just too much for me when I have a BERETTA 92, SIG 225, 226 & 228 and WALTHER P-99 to choose from.
The feel is also the reason I do not shoot my first generation GLOCK 17 much anymore.

Why do you think RUGER spent the money to develop the SR9?

Jim
 
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