Ruger P series differences

[Catpop]

For those in the know, exactly what are the differences between the P 89, 90, 95 (or any others I may have missed)? Was the P89 Ruger's bid for the new service pistol that Beretta unfortunately landed way back when?

 

[Blue Brick]

No P85.

 

[JTQ]

I'm not an expert, but until one comes by...

I think the P85 was the service pistol candidate. It had a barrel link that the slide stop passed through, like the 1911, but had a chamber block (no barrel lugs) like the SIG.

The P89 added a firing pin safety.

The P90 was basically the same as the P89, but in .45Auto.

There are a bunch of P94/P944 etc models, but I don't know much about them. They were available in .40S&W, but I think also 9MM. I think they were generally designed as more compact models than the P89.

The P95 was a 9MM polymer framed gun without the barrel link, but a "cam-block".

The P97 was basically the same as the P95, but in .45Auto.

The last in the P-Series was the P345, a .45 Auto with cam-block, and a magazine disconnect safety (that feature was never a fan favorite) that actually was slim and ergonomic. All three of those models not only were polymer framed, but also had polymer frame rails. I'm not sure, but they may be the only poly pistols that had poly frame rails. While it seems odd considering all the other poly pistols with steel rails, I don't recall ever reading about anybody having problems with them. The SR series grip frame is very similar to the shape pioneered by the P345.

 

[Blue Brick]

by Dick Metcalf
Technical Editor
Shooting Times
Category: Gun Reviews

June, 2000

With Bill Ruger's very first gun being a rimfire autoloading pistol, many people long expected Ruger would be early in line with a centerfire semiautomatic pistol as well. But it was 36 years before the first of the Ruger P-Series autos appeared. It was worth the wait. The double-action P85 9mm, with its investment-cast aluminum frame, was definitely innovative and a market trendsetter. At present the Ruger P-Series pistols overall have become the largest selling autoloader design in the world.
As with Ruger's .22 pistol line, the P-Series centerfire pistols have undergone continuing refinement, redevelopment, and evolution during the years since the introduction of the original version. Much more evolution, in fact, in much less time. So much more that the original P85 has actually evolved out of existence and is no longer made. Instead, the current 25 different individual
P-Series centerfire model variations listed in the Ruger 2000 catalog are separable into six subgroups based on chamberings, size, and fabrication materials. Prices range from $388 to $520.
The P89 group consists of five full-size, large-frame 9mm pistols; they are the direct developmental descendants of the originalP85 and follow-up P85 MK II guns, both of which designations were discontinued upon theP89 introduction three years after theparent. P89s are currently offered in blued or stainless steel with choices of manual-safety, decock-only, or double-action-only (DAO) operating systems.
The P90 group consists of three full-size .45 ACP guns, including a blued manual safety version and manual-safety or decock-only stainless models. The P90 is interesting in that its frame is the same dimension as the 9mm pistols with a beefier slide to accommodate the larger .45-caliber cartridge.
The P93 group comprises three 9mm pistols, all featuring a down-scaled compact design, including a blued decock-only model, a stainless decock-only model, and a stainless DAO model.
The P94 group fits midway in size between the full-size P89/90s and the P93s and includes four 9mm and three .40 S&W models. The P94 9mm guns are available in blued manual-safety configuration or stainless models in either manual-safety, decock-only, or DAO iterations. The three .40-caliber P94s are all stainless with a choice of manual-safety, decock-only, or DAO operation.
The most recent introductions in the Ruger centerfire auto line are in the P95 and P97 groups, currently consisting of four polymer-frame 9mm pistols scaled the same as the compact P93 guns and two .45 ACP Models. All other members of the P-Series family are made with investment-cast aluminum frames, same as the original P85. The P95 guns are offered in choices of decock-only and DAO versions in blued finish or decock-only and DAO versions in stainless. The P97 guns are offered in either decock-only or DAO versions—both in stainless. All in all, it's quite a list.
Current-generation Ruger P-Series pistols include several improvements and refinements that distinguish them from the original versions of the gun. Externally, the most noticeable operating-feature difference between a current "P" gun and the original P85 is the design of the slide stop: The current slide stop sits notably higher on the gun with its thumb-engagement surface well above the top of the frame and angled inward over the frame's beefy top shoulder. The reason for the design change was to streamline the gun's profile and to reduce the amount of the slide stop's outward protrusion, which was found to cause a bit of drag and resistance to a rapid draw with some holster designs. And original P85 barrels were of two-piece construction with the barrel and the square breechblock pressed together and then welded. Current barrels are cast as one piece with broached bores.
Also notably better than the original is current P-Series trigger pull quality, due to internal changes in the sear/trigger engagement linkages and parts configuration. The sear pivot pin has been reduced in size from original models, the trigger bar has been thickened, and the hammer-spring seat pin has been enlarged. The new mechanism also involves a bearing and slave pin to hold the sear blocker lever spring assembly together as a coherent unit. The overall result is a distinct smoothing and lightening of the trigger pull because the bearing considerably reduces friction in the sear assembly's operation without weakening the mechanism or reducing the mass of the working parts. I have done three separate 10,000-round endurance runs with three separate examples of Ruger P-Series centerfire autos, and all were completed without failure, stoppage-free. In my opinion they definitely deserve serious consideration for Ruger's claim of producing the world's most rugged conventional semiautomatic pistols.

 

[Fishbed77]

Here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_P95

 

[Blue Brick]

by Dick Metcalf
Technical Editor, Shooting Times
Shooting Times
Category: Gun Reviews

August 3, 2001

Regardless of chambering and slight configuration differences, all Ruger P-Series centerfire auto pistols have the same basic design. All have double-action mechanisms and operate on the classic Browning short-recoil principle. Metal-frame models are constructed from hard-coated investment cast A356T6 aluminum alloy; the recent compact P95 9mm and P97 .45 have molded polymer frames. All P-Series barrels, whether for blued chrome-moly pistols or stainless-steel pistols, are cast from heat-treated 400-series stainless steel. Many other small parts—such as hammers and triggers—in all P-Series pistols are also made of stainless steel. Standard barrel length for full-size guns, including the P90, is 4.5 inches. The two-piece, grooved black grip panels are made of General Electric 6123 Xenoy resin.