What about the Ruger P85?.....

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The P-85 was my first agency-issued autoloader, in 1990. It was bulky, had a rough finish, rattled when handled, and just shot and shot and shot. Didn't seem too accurate, but I had never been formally trained with the semi-auto pistol (qualified "Revolver Expert" prior, though) and was only required to qualify with it. It was definitely built to last and work.

I've owned a P95 since 2015, and it's just as reliable (and bulky.) ;)
 
They're good guns. I don't have exactly a P-85 but I do have 2 other very similar P-series guns (P-93 and P-95).

They're overbuilt which results in them being a bit clunky and heavy for what they are. Trigger is bad to mediocre and the sights are "meh" at best, but they are typically rather well priced and are incredibly reliable and durable.

IMHO they make a good open carry/duty gun (or a nightstand gun) but for concealment look elsewhere. Boring, but dependable.
 
My p-89 has a trigger like an Arrow T-50 staple gun. Really quite poor in double action but shootable in single. Weird mag release. I kinda like the way it goes ka-chunk ka-chunk- ka-chunk when I shoot it. Accuracy is fine. My P-90 has a significantly better trigger but still goes ka-chunk with every shot! It's a very soft shooting .45. They are beefy guns. The P series makes my Beretta 92 feel like a runway model.
 
At one point or another I've had most versions of the P series from Ruger. They have always gone bang when I pulled the trigger. If I were on a tight budget and found one at a good price you could do a lot worse. But I've moved on to guns I like better.

Ruger quickly threw something together in order to compete in the 1985 military trials, thus the P85 name. It wasn't well thought out. But they weren't available to the general public for a year or so later. Ruger didn't last long in the trials and quickly withdrew before the Beretta was chosen.

The gun's evolved quickly with the P89, P90 in 45ACP, then the P91, P93, P94, and plastic framed P95 and P97. The later guns were a little more refined as Ruger worked the bugs out. The P94 in 9mm or the P345 in 45 are the best of the bunch and the ones I'd seek out if I just had to have a P series Ruger.

I'd be a little concerned about getting spare magazines with any of them though.
 
I shot a Friends quite a bit over a period of time. Very reliable but lacking in the accuracy department. He and I both shot an old Taurus PT92 better. The P90 in .45 was much more accurate.
 
Ive owned many P series. The only one I truly like is the P345.
They’re heavy, clunky, ugly and reliable. IMO the trigger isn’t ‘mediocre’, it’s atrocious. My daughter still has a P89, when she wants to shoot it I tell her “We’ll go tomorrow, start pulling the trigger now”.
“Better trigger” is a tossup between the P89 and my 1895 Nagant
 
twarr1 said:
Ive owned many P series. The only one I truly like is the P345.
They’re heavy, clunky, ugly and reliable. IMO the trigger isn’t ‘mediocre’, it’s atrocious. My daughter still has a P89, when she wants to shoot it I tell her “We’ll go tomorrow, start pulling the trigger now”.
“Better trigger” is a tossup between the P89 and my 1895 Nagant
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EEEWWW! IMG_1082.jpg
 
twarr1 said:
IMO the trigger isn’t ‘mediocre’, it’s atrocious. My daughter still has a P89, when she wants to shoot it I tell her “We’ll go tomorrow, start pulling the trigger now”. “Better trigger” is a tossup between the P89 and my 1895 Nagant
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I guess that my upbringing as a teen with a .38 Enfield and later a Nagant revolver have desensitized my sensitivities to anything short of a staple gun. My P-series triggers seem perfectly serviceable.
 
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The early P85s were recalled due to faulty firing pin blocks. This was a serious design flaw and each gun sold had to be retrofitted.
So much for first impressions…..
Long story short, Gaston Glock eventually put the P’series out of its misery.
 
My understanding is that the P89 was a substantial improvement over the P85.

Maybe I just didn't know any better, but I never had any problem with the trigger.

My first pistol was a P89DC. Still have it.
 
I had a P89DC that I purchased new sometime around 1994? It was reliable and accurate enough, although my buddy's Smith auto could out-group my Ruger. Fast forward many years, and my P89 was stolen in a home burglary. I then purchased a P95DC and was very happy with it.
The police recovered my P89DC a couple years later. When I picked it up, it was pretty beat up. I took it home, cleaned it and took it shooting. I don't know what happened to the gun while it was not in my possession, but I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn door with it. With full disclosure, I sold it for cheap.
Between the P89 and the P95, I preferred the polymer P95. It was lighter, fit my hand better, and I shot well with it.
 
Mark_Mark said:
I hope Ruger re-release the P guns!

correct me if wrong: 85 ment 1985 release date, 89 ment 1989 release date…???
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I would absolutely be down for this: an upgraded P series. I'm fine with the bulk of them, it's necessary given the slide and frames are cast, but what it seems most say that's not positive is the trigger and the accuracy. If Ruger can improve those, keep the cost around $400-450, I'd buy one.
 
TTv2 said:
I would absolutely be down for this: an upgraded P series. I'm fine with the bulk of them, it's necessary given the slide and frames are cast, but what it seems most say that's not positive is the trigger and the accuracy. If Ruger can improve those, keep the cost around $400-450, I'd buy one.
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they need to keep the bulky look and plastic 1980 Ruger grips
 
Mark_Mark said:
they need to keep the bulky look and plastic 1980 Ruger grips
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I've not bid on several P89's and P90's simply because they had the darn Hogue grip with the finger grooves. No, the P series is an 80s classic, it must have the classic factory grips because Ruger somehow knows how to make plastic look good.
 
TTv2 said:
I've not bid on several P89's and P90's simply because they had the darn Hogue grip with the finger grooves. No, the P series is an 80s classic, it must have the classic factory grips because Ruger somehow knows how to make plastic look good.
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LOL … no man, it does not look good, it looks Ruger.

Houge Grip with Finger grooves! Hello 1995
 
TTv2 said:
Your talking to a guy whose dream car is a Geo Metro convertible with the 1.0L engine. Of course I'm gonna like the way the Ruger P series grips look.
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THAT’s your dream car!

my dream car is a 1995 Honda Civic with a Fart Cannon!
 
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