What do You Think About Ruger P Series Pistols?

[vitesse9]

I've got a P89. I like it well enough for what I paid for it. It's quite accurate, fills the hand and has hi cap mags.

Just curious as what others think about the Ruger P Series. Some say that Glocks are the Honda Civics of autoloaders. I guess that would make sigs and Berettas the Honda Accords, and high end 1911s the Lexis of semi-autos. Where does Ruger fit in? As good as the other pistols without the hi end sticker price?

[esldude]

Know people with several. A little blocky compared to some models. But they work reliably and accurately enough. What more should you ask of a pistol?

I generally tell people wanting a semi-auto self defense pistol for cheap to get a Ruger. They work reliably. Anything cheaper likely borders on junk and will not be something you should carry for SD. If that isn't cheap enough then you need to look for second hand 38 revolver.

[Sir William]

I have owned Ruger P-series. P-95 and P-97. They were unreliable, stovepiped, decockers broke and fell off and I could not trust one for defending my life. The two I had were not accurate either. The only good point about the P-95 was that it would ignite rounds that my older P-89 wouldn't. I got rid of all my Ruger P-series. I don't miss them.

[rdebert]

Never had the slightest problem out of any Ruger P series I have ever had. Still have a stainless P97 45 on 1 nightstand and a stainless P94 9mm on the other nightstand (so I can't get out of the wrong side of the bed). Never seen anyone have any problem with any Ruger P series (doesn't mean that it doesn't happen though). I shoot the P94 9mm as accurately as I do my Beretta 92FS. I do think the Beretta by itself is a little more accurate but the grip on the Ruger fits me better making up the difference.

I have a fair number of hand guns, have traded in and out of many more, and can afford what I want when I want (so price is not an issue)....based on my experiences...I will always have at least 1 good Ruger P series in the collection.

[vitesse9]

rdebert,

I echo your impression of P series. I too have other "better" guns. My nightstand gun is a Smith 686P. I've also traded many others for some reason or another (glocks, Colt M70 1911 two name a few). I can't say that I shoot any better with my smith or with the 1911. My feeling is that people don't like the Rugers because they're ugly. I'm sure some people have had genuine problems with Rugers and would class thems as POS guns. And, they do feel a little rough and some of the cast parts feel cheaper than the forged guns I own. But all and all, for a $300 gun it always goes bang when I pull the trigger, it eats anything I feed it (more than I can say for my Glock) and it has never stove-piped, FTF or jamed.

I haven't had mine for long, so we'll see how durable she is. But, while she won't win any beauty contests, and she certainly doesn't invoke that "ohhh" feeling when you handle her (like, say, a Colt Python would), she's a working gun and does he job well.

To keep up the car analogy, I'd say she's grandpa's ugly old truck that, for some reason, just keeps on going despite the fact that grandpa doesn't take care of her like he used to.

[Baker Boy]

I had a P-95 for a long time. Summary? It was a lot like a hammer. It hit things hard, never broke, didn't cost much, and was really ugly. I never had a single jam or malfunction of any kind in the 3000 or more rounds I put through it. My "high dollar" pistol, a Kimber custom combat .45, jammed constantly until the break-in period was over. My Ruger had no break in period and cost $295. The Kimber? $700.

Good, blocky, and ugly. It was my favorite pistol.

[gudel]

I had a P-95 for a long time. Summary? It was a lot like a hammer. It hit things hard, never broke, didn't cost much, and was really ugly. I never had a single jam or malfunction of any kind

I second what he said. Unfortunately I cannot shoot the P95 accurately. But then again I'm not accurate on a Sig P226 either. Must be the 9mm thing as I do better with 45ACP and 40S&W.

[LBTRS]

I was at a gun shop Friday picking up a new gun that just arrived and there was a guy at the counter inquiring about a new semi auto handgun. Asking all kinds of questions about what kind to get, what's better Glock, Sig, HK, etc.? The guy behind the counter pipes up with "those are all junk, the best semi auto handguns made are Rugers" He also said "Rugers are the only handgun I'd trust my life to and said they are so popular he can't keep them in the store". The guy immediately started asking "how long would it take you to get me one?"

I own several of each in Glocks, Sigs, HK's, Brownings, S&W's, and one each of many other manufactures. The one Ruger and one Taurus I ever owned I sold very quickly as I didn't like them at all. Not that they were bad guns they just didn't feel like "quality" weapons to me.

I got a laugh out of the gun shop workers comments and your question brought it back to my mind.

[Bytor94]

Ruger P series are the farm truck of the gun world. Not the best looking, fastest or svelte. But they work, day in and day out. For anyone that wants an inexpensive firearm the P series will work.

Not exactly the best for concealed carry though...

[g56k]

I own a P89. I bought it used for $200.00. Good gun.very reliable.

[Marko Kloos]

Ruger P-series guns are bulky, clunky, and homely-looking, but they are built like tanks and very reliable.

[vitesse9]

I agree with Bytor94. P series are good only if you carry something smaller, or don't carry at all. Mine's relegated to "truck gun" duty. That is, it stays in the truck almost all the time. I have a carry gun that wouldn't be accessable very quickly while sitting in the truck. I also have a revolver for home defense that I wouldn't leave in my truck because I would be heartbroken if it got stolen. Enter the Ruger: its reliable enough to trust with my life, but not so expensive that if it got stolen out of my truck, I would be beside myself. Perfect gun for the job. And Hicap mags (as long a loaded up with good +p ammo) makes me feel better driving on the streets of St. Petersburg. St. Pete has the dubious distinction of a recent race riot. The MO of these clowns it to start raising cain, target some random motorists, pull them out of their cars and beat them silly. Well, the Ruger P89 gives me 16 Corbon +ps before I have to reload. Perfect for crowds of idoits who would try to pull me out of my truck and beat me simply because I have the wrong color skin!

As for the farm truck analogy, Bytor94 hit it right on the head. These guns are ugly but they work. Bravo!

[Drakejake]

The Ruger autos are extremely well known. Ruger is the leading US gunmaker and the only which makes autos, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. I agree with what has been said of the autos (I have four, two in .45, two in 9mm). The triggers are not very good and therefore the pistols are harder than some others to shoot accurately. But they are good values. They are boring because they almost always work every time and do not break. You pull the trigger and they shoot. You do not have to polish anything, replace parts, or fuss and fret. They fill a large niche for well-made, reliable, and inexpensive firearms. Some people will want to move on to 1911 style pistols which cost twice as much but have better triggers.

Drakejake

[papamerlin]

ive said this once, and ill say it again...very new to the whole shooting scene, but i picked up a new p95 after i had a great time with it at the range after trying a few different guns out...seems like ruger has one of the best reputations for reliability and customer service...also they are the some of the best values in terms of price, as i picked up mine for 269 nib...and for my purposes, it is way more accurate than i am so it seemed a perfect match...as far as looks, i think it looks fine, besides i bought it to shoot, not to sit in a case, they all shoot the same bullets, and it's not like the bullets care what it looks like...besides if all this fails to prove the point of why ruger pistols are so underrated, you could buy two for the same price as some sigs, hks, kimbers, etc, now you tell me what's more scary looking down the barrel of, one nice, pretty, very shiny sig or two big ugly ruger pistols(not that i have anything against sig, or any other brand, just making a point)...anyways just my $.02, probably more like $1, about the topic, again

[scc]

I also have a ruger p89 (stainless), my first gun purchase, paid $350.00 used a month ago. I've taken it to the range,very reliable so far, it's in my nightstand. It ain't pretty, but it'll do.

[neal bloom]

My Ruger P95DC has been absolutely reliable. It is as accurate as my other semi-auto pistols. Cost a whole lot less than any of the other pistols. To me it is more reliable than my Kimber because it has always eaten everything I have fed it. Can't say that for the vaunted Kimber, it seems to be very picky about ammo. For home defense I have the P95 handy at all times.

While the P95 has its fans it also has its detractors. Some of my friends bought one because they saw what mine could do. Two of them kept theirs and the other one sold his. He just didn't like it, too blocky, too long a trigger pull, not as sexy as a BHP or 1911, .... Thats fine because you ought to get a gun that fits and meet your expectations.

If you can rent one at a range try it out. The final opinion that matters will be yours.

[Handy]

There is nothing wrong with a Ruger.

Unfortuneately, that's about the most there is to say about them. Their utter lack of distinguishing, interesting features leaves them out in the cold. I think S&W suffers a similar malady with their classic line, but S&W can at least claim nicer materials than Ruger.

The Rugers should be admired for being really nice quality, indestructible American products for really cheap prices. But Ruger achieved that through the use of bulky cast parts. Cheap, reliable and utterly boring, I'd say they are the Dodge Colt of the guns.

One notable exception to the above is their .45 guns. There really aren't many good choices in .45 autos (compared to 9 and .40), and Ruger's are some of the best DA .45s for the dollar.

It's too bad Ruger was late for the XM9 trials, I would have enjoyed seeing this distinctly American product in soldier's holsters. They would have likely suffered fewer controversial problems then the Berettas, and cost the taxpayers less.

BUT, Bill Ruger's support of the Assault Weapon ban leaves me so cold, I try not to even bring up Rugers in conversation.

[Pecos21]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I just don't understand where all the talk about Ruger handguns being "ugly" comes from.
Maybe I havent searched hard enough, but I can't find anything on the internet about Bill Ruger, or anyone related to Sturm Ruger Firearms, supporting or writing the assault weapons ban. Can anyone provide any references to this or is it just internet gossip? I am just curious, I strongly stand behind all my Ruger products either way. As with the whole Smith & Wesson thing, I find it ironic to refuse to buy guns based on political reasons. Isn't that what the anti-gun campaign wants?

[Drakejake]

The 89 and 90 are rather attractive to my eyes with the Hogue replacement grips installed--military and brawny . The polymer Rugers suffer from unappealing grips that cannot be replaced, only covered over. But the 95 is a very practical handgun, especially with the 17 round Mec Gar mags which have recently become so cheap.

Drakejake

[9x19]

I have had at least one Ruger P-Series in my collection for the past 15 years, and have never had a single problem with any of them. I have long recommended them to friends and acquaitenances looking for a good home-defense handgun without a huge outlay of cash.

All three of my son's started out with a Ruger KP-95 as their first centerfire handgun and they all performed very well, thru 200 rounds/week, total of 7,000+ rounds in two years without any parts breakages.

IMO, the P95 and P97 are the two best values in the handgun market... American made, with a solid company behind them, and the local shop has, in 9 years, had only one come back... a blued P85, sold used, whose extractor tension needed adjustment (easier than adjusting a 1911's).

[caz223]

My 345 isn't ugly at all.
It Feels good in the hand, too.
But it isn't as accurate as the rest of my .45 caliber guns.
Most of them cost more, but because they shoot better, I don't shoot the 345 much at all...

[gunsmith1]

In several test I have read Rugers come out as one of the most accurate of designs. Massad Ayoob (gun writer) Concluded that to get a .45 (1911 design)that shoots more accurately than a Ruger P-90 you would have to spend well over $1000 dollars. When I bought the first P-89 that I ever saw in 9mm my brother and I spent the afternoon shooting birds in roadside ditches. When we didn't see any birds we started shooting the heads off dandilions. Later on we heard the first P-89s were "innaccurate". We had a good laugh over that. I have yet to shoot a Ruger P-series that wouldn't shoot the center out of a paper target if you do your part. I notice Ruger has the largest part of the handgun case at most of the big sporting goods sellers in Montana and North Dakota where I live.

[Handy]

Maybe I havent searched hard enough, but I can't find anything on the internet about Bill Ruger, or anyone related to Sturm Ruger Firearms, supporting or writing the assault weapons ban. Can anyone provide any references to this or is it just internet gossip?

Here's a decent synopsis:
http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/papabill.html

[Pecos21]

Thanks Handy.
Well, I don't know what to say. I still stand behind my Ruger products though.

[Mattio67]

I love my p97 it was my first semiauto. I like the looks it feels great to me I added a grip sleve. I'm still at the paper plate stage if I can keep em all on the plate i'm doing well. I know it will shoot a heck of alot better than I can.
I did have a p89 for a bit I wasnt really interested in 9mm but I got a good deal and a bunch of ammo. I shot up all the ammo then sold it. Current owner loves it. just my .02$ Matt