Ruger P89 owners

[hansolo]

A local Gun Shop is clearing out Ruger Semi's; I could get a 9mm P89 for a tad over $340.00(+tax, DOJ fee). haven't fired one, but it seems pretty nice in my hand, and it has the reputation for utter reliability.

Any present/past P89 owners care to comment? Thanks!

 

[Sean Smith]

Not a past owner, but I got to shoot one quite a bit.

First off, it was a reliable gun. Never had a jam or anything like that. This is the most important thing, obviously.

The sights were pretty bad, gave me a headache but POA = POI, so again you can't knock them too much.

Ergonomics... I thought they were kind of bad. The slide-mounted safety flat-out sucked and was a pain to maniupulate. Overall, the gun had a blocky, awkward feel.

Accuracy was OK. No bullseye gun, but you could hit man-sized targets at 25 yards with it, so it wasn't obviously innacurate either.

The trigger... HORRIBLE. It stank the place up like a skunk cabbage. The DA pull was the worst I've ever encountered... long, heavy and uneven as hell, and the last 1/4" of travel felt like you were pushing a nail into a 2x4 with your small toe. SA was stiff and gritty, but not as bad.

Overall, the P89 struck me as a workable weapon, but rather crude and not that hot of a design overall. Compared to the CZ-75B that I bought for about the same money, it was no contest... the CZ was a vastly superior all-around handgun. Just as reliable, but with better sights (barely), much better trigger, much better ergonomics, much better fit & finish and more accurate.

 

[Al Thompson]

I had a P85 and GF had the P97. No problems with either and did not have bad triggers.

I'd buy another if I needed one.

 

[hansolo]

Thanks for your very different, but valuable experiences...LOL regarding pushing nail into 2X4!!

 

[Bacchus]

I don't have a P89, but I have shot my friend's quite a bit. My overall impression is that the P series are workhorses and they have a reputation for being able to take anything you throw at them, including +P ammo. As someone mentioned earlier, the triggers are very poor. The other nice thing about them is that full capacity mags are readily available and very cheap (less than $20).

Sounds like a good price for a new one, but a little steep for a used model.

 

[JohnKSa]

I used to use my P89 for dryfire practice because the trigger was so bad. I figured if I could get good with it, I could shoot anything.

All the dryfiring fixed the trigger! No stacking and smooth in double action and a nice crisp break in single action...

What am I gonna dryfire now??

 

[JohnKSa]

I used to use my P89 for dryfire practice because the trigger was so bad. I figured if I could get good with it, I could shoot anything.

All the dryfiring fixed the trigger! No stacking and smooth in double action and a nice crisp break in single action...

What am I gonna dryfire now??

 

[Ninj500]

Owned one for going on 10 years now, it was my first semi-auto. Every so often I'm reminded how good of a gun it is. As someone already mentioned the trigger improved with age, it's accurate, reliable and easy to shoot. You can spend a lot more on some "tactical" or "professional" gun, and all you'd get is more respect at the range. Not a better gun. It's as good as my BHP, Glock or CZ. In fact, as guns come and go, the P89 never leaves me.

Gerard

 

[Dorrin79]

Had an '89 DC for about a year now. I've shot about 1500 rounds through it and had precisely 1 Failure to Extract, and that was with cheap reloaded ammo at the local range (my friend had 2-3 failures per magazine with the same ammo in his Beretta 92).

I personally like the way it feels in my hand (but then I have big hands) and it is certainly more accurate than I am. I can get 2-to-3 inch groups at 25 yds using good ammo (Federal +P EFMJ 124 grain, to be exact). I imagine that someone who was actually a good shot could do a lot better.

The trigger is not great. DA is horribly stiff and breaks oddly. SA is acceptable - not as good as some more expensive guns I've tried, but not bad enough to make shooting it unpleasant.

I paid $410 for mine (NIB) from a local gun shop. I know that Academy (at least here in Texas) has them for about $330 NIB (didn't find that out until after I had already bought mine...)

Hope this helps!

 

[RON in PA]

One more member of the chorus singing the praises of the tanklike reliability of Ruger semi-autos. Trigger will improve with use.

 

[honocor]

I haven't had my p89 long enough for the trigger to improve, but it is very livable out of the box. Mine needed to be sighted in the first time I used it, I am not sure if that is normal or not. The only thing I didn't like about it was the grip. That was easily fixed with a Houge replacment. Made it feel like a whole new gun. The safety and mag release were great for me being a lefty, something I always look for in a purchase.

 

[honocor]

I haven't had my p89 long enough for the trigger to improve, but it is very livable out of the box. Mine needed to be sighted in the first time I used it, I am not sure if that is normal or not. The only thing I didn't like about it was the grip. That was easily fixed with a Houge replacment. Made it feel like a whole new gun. The safety and mag release were great for me being a lefty, something I always look for in a purchase.

 

[ojibweindian]

I have a P95. The trigger was at first not great, but dry-fire practice and a few thousand rounds down range has made things much better. In all seriousness, I now prefer the trigger to any other DA semi-auto I've placed in my hands (S&W 5906, Beretta 92, Glock 19, Taurus PT92).

Accuracy with 115gr Winchester USA is good. Not 1/2 an inch a 25 yards, but good, meaning 2 or 3 inches. That's all I wanted.

You won't go wrong with the P89. Ruger makes some pretty good stuff, even if it is a tad bit homely.