What are the problems with the P-series ? I don't see any

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tercel89

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jul 22, 2010
Messages
175
I have messed with P-series pistols since I was 21 in 1994 and I have never seen them have any problems. I recently got back into them and it's like having an old friend back. So I have been surfing the internet and I see lots of people "downing" them and saying they are junk and this and that and just lots of negativity. Of course back in the day , we didnt have internet so all I had to go on were magazine reviews and friend's experiences and such.
But for you members out there , what problems if any , do the P-series pistols have ?
 

TRanger

Blackhawk
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Mar 7, 2007
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814
Location
Florida
I have a P95 that has exhibited no problems at all. In all honesty, I don't know anyone personally who owns one who has had any trouble with it.
 

rammerjammer

Blackhawk
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Jan 22, 2010
Messages
734
My KP90DC was my first gun and I still have it. If it ever has had a malfunction I don't remember it.
 

Osage

Bearcat
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Aug 22, 2014
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Tercel89:

Actually, there aren't any problems that I have found other than personal likes and dislikes. For instance, I bought a LNIB P95 several years ago but just never feel in love with the look and feel, so I sold it. Then earlier this year I bought a Special Edition P89T in LNIB condition for $275 and I couldn't be happier. Again its personal choice, but I recently traded the original 10 round mags for a pair of 15's.

Also I must admit I'm still getting used to the long trigger travel and that the front sight must be set slightly above level. Other than that to me the gun is very well designed and unlike some other provides flawless dependability. As is often stated and I agree the old P guns are, Built like a tank".

Osage
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2002
Messages
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Ohio , U.S.A.
I agree, it always more of a personal feeling, look, the grips/frame, were bigger, and the ones we knew of ,worked great, not ever any problem....the ONLY thing I can personally recall, was the first P-90 a local 'LE' had brought to me, at the the shop and upon looking it over, found the trigger return spring ,set up just under the left grip panel came off and out of its 'notch" all too easy, and this put bad thoughts and connotations in his mind, a 'what if" scenario, and he dumped the gun, other than that,I know of nothing, except maybe 'resale"??? always find a great deal on any of them at the gun shows .............
 

Cheesewhiz

Hunter
Joined
Feb 8, 2008
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2,114
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Chicago, IL
From the mid seventies to the mid eighties every gun maker that you ever heard of and some you had never heard of came out with what basically was the same type of pistol. It was as if every one came out with a high performance pony car within a certain time period.
This was driven mostly for the NATO contract for a new service pistol but there was also broad interest in law enforcement (world wide) for a gun with similar features. These guns got the nickname of the "Wonder Nines" and some were based on then current designs with single stack mags being replaced by double stack mags and some other added capabilities, to further features and some were brand new designs from top to bottom, designed and built from scratch.
The concept was to have a pistol with high round capacity, 15 rounds was the norm, that weighed fully loaded about the same as a fully loaded 1911.

These guns ranged from being pretty good to very good in just about every aspect. They were mostly reliable as a stone, some had safety and handling locations that differed from the others. It was a real feeling out process and this was before NATO actually started testing these things.

I won't go through the whole process but we all know the Beretta won the NATO battle and even the late coming Ruger P85 and an improved/reconfigured Sig brought in for a new final bit of testing after the Beretta was named the winner and was already being issued to some NATO countries. That second batch of testing was forced by some arm twisting done by mainly politicians and I was involved in that part of the fun and festivities during this time period. We for an actual reversal to occur the two new guns would have to blow away the Beretta in this new batch of testing, they did not, they were good guns but they didn't trounce the M9 with non-stop end zone dances. There was a reason they had to trounce the Beretta and it's both complicated and heavily involves politics at that time and the direction NATO was talking. It really ended up not so much about the gun but where the gun came from.
None the less, NATO ended up with a fine service pistol, the Beretta and things were sort of beautiful in the world. The police/civilian market made some of the losers a lot less unhappy and everyone for the most part made money selling guns based on this original concept, S&W made some changes that they probably should have done in the early portion of all this but they ended with a nice pistol.
The kicker of it all was just as all the niches had been filled a new gun pops up on the scene, the Glock, that's right, just as all these contracts had been mostly signed and both law enforcement and the civilian market got all thrilled with their lovely "Wonder Nines", the plastic fantastic came into being. It took a good long time for most people to warm up to these invaders from space but it did start the beginning of the end of the wonder nine euphoria.

....and here we sit today.

Now to my answer to the OP, most of the P series guns were fine pistols and a pleasure to own. They really were reliable as a stone, I owned an early model P85, I was in the Army so shelling out cash for a new gun meant I must have liked it plenty. The accuracy aspect became an issue for me as time went by, I could shoot other guns so much better than the P85 after a time, it really was what Rev says, I learned to "outshoot" that gun, it wasn't by a little, it was by a lot and it seemed every week the gap got wider between my newer better shooting pistols and my beloved P85, some years later I gave that gun to my nephew, he still has it. So as far as my only gripe about a P series gun that I actually owned it was that.
I could pick apart some design aspects about the metal framed P series guns but overall I find them a nice gun and they always bring back memories that make me smile.

One example and this is not really a design issue, I don't know how many metal framed P series guns I've picked up to check out just to find that some nitwit thought that rough surface on the frame rails was the reason they can't shoot a gun worth a crap or was the reason for it not working right. So they would take their frame and with some form of tool they should have not been allowed to get within 10 miles of, removed the rail hardening diamond coating that Ruger put on there for a reason with that exact rough profile.
The people that remove this coating from their, or god forbid, their buddy's gun should be beaten with a stick constantly and be forced to get a Jennings J-22 to shoot 2 rounds in a row for the rest of their rotten, stinkin' lives.

I will only say this about any and all plastic framed P series gun, I hate every one of them and always will and you can cry and call me poopie face or head for that matter, put a flippin' one eyed evil hillbilly hex on me but those guns suck, all of them.
 

tercel89

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jul 22, 2010
Messages
175
Oh I love the old school heftyness of the P-series. Now I am a hardcore Glock fan and user all the way but I just love these P-series pistols. I just ordered two different holsters for my P-89 and P-97. Can't wait to start carrying these dudes next week. I got a like new P95 a few months ago and I swear these things breed. Now I got a P97 and P-89. All function-checked like a fine running sewing machine
 

Mike J

Hunter
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Aug 5, 2007
Messages
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Location
GA
My old P series is a P944. It is a good gun. My biggest dislike about it is the slide mounted safety. I wish now I had gotten the decock only model but I didn't even know there was such a thing when I bought it. I took it out for the first time in a long time recently & it shot better than I remembered. I believe they are good reliable guns (even the plastic ones). I ain't gonna put no hex on you though Cheese.
 

welder

Buckeye
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Sep 2, 2007
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I like em. I too am a Glock guy but I am also a Ruger guy. I have a modest collection of Rugers and the P series comprises the bulk of that collection. I am currently carrying the P90 and my vehicle gun is a P89. I never have to worry about reliability and no one can argue about the price. You get a lot of gun for the money and they sell easily.

Down sides:
For a lot of folks it will probably always be the size and weight. And as Cheese said, accuracy, although some seem to be far better than others. Accuracy is not a problem with the P90's though and I still remember my first range trip with my then new stainless one. I am not a fantastic shooter in the first place but the P90 made me pretty proud and hits were easy for me with that gun. Soft shooter too.
There may be other negatives some here could mention specific to themselves but I find very little not to like about the guns.

Snobbery:
Probably a little of that too. Rugers, especially the P's enjoy a reputation as a "working man's" gun and lack the cool factor. A factor many seem to use as a buying consideration. But I am a working man and the gun fits me and my personality. :?

As far as problems, IE: mechanical weaknesses, design flaws etc. I don't know of any. Without exception every one I have had has functioned perfectly and has given me more value than I paid. I would not hesitate to carry one anywhere and I would not feel under gunned in any way.
 

TRanger

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 7, 2007
Messages
814
Location
Florida
Cheesewhiz said:
I will only say this about any and all plastic framed P series gun, I hate every one of them and always will and you can cry and call me poopie face or head for that matter, put a flippin' one eyed evil hillbilly hex on me but those guns suck, all of them.

Don't sugar coat it, Cheese. Tell us how you really feel. :lol:
 
Joined
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Oregon City, Oregon
I know some folks who adore their P-series Rugers. They proclaim them to be flawless in operation.

I always saw them as way too clumsy. A paper weight with no personality.

I tried to like them. Even went so far as to buy a couple. Never even shot them before I sold them.

One of my closest friends, a feller that is extremely knowledgeable of firearms and shooting, and has a pretty extensive collection to choose from, recently acquired a P-90. He loves it and it's now his carry piece.

Proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and proof that firearms tastes are extremely diverse.

Then, enter the plastic guns. I've owned many. They all have worked as designed, but a little at a time I'm nearly rid of them.

Further proof that firearms tastes are very personal, and further proof that folks are not wrong if they happen to like a gun that's not everybody elses choice.

WAYNO.
 

welder

Buckeye
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Exactly.
I tire quickly of the guy who proclaims to know everything then proceeds to bash whatever it is another person has chosen to buy or use. I've also found that almost to a man, as the basher changes guns or whatever, his assessment of what is best changes as well. This is true of wives, girlfriends, guns, cars, cigars, dogs, chain saws, jeans, screwdrivers and much much more.......you get the picture.

I like P guns. Others may not. We're good. When the critic writes the check I may let his preferences figure into my decision on what to buy, but not by much even then.

Beauty and utility is indeed in the eye, or hand of the beholder. I like that. That's why we have blondes, brunettes, red heads and other.

Now let's talk motor oil and when you should change it..............JUST KIDDING! :p
 

22/45 Fan

Hunter
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Pittsburgh, PA, USA
I've had two P-95s and two P-89's over the years and found all of them boringly reliable. What I wasn't crazy about was the ergonomics as none of them felt particularly good in my hand (I don't like Glocks for the same reason) and the trigger pulls were mediocre at best. Also, fact that the safety/decockers worked the "wrong" way was a problem since I'm also a 1911 fan. That said there is nothing inherently wrong with the P-series and those who like them have nothing to apologize for.

I did stick with Ruger when I replaced my P-series as I now have an SR9 and an SR9c and If these guns suck because of the polymer frames, the disadvantages aren't obvious to me. They are lighter, thinner, hold more rounds, the manual safety works the "correct" way and they shoot very well. To each his own.
 

chefrob1

Single-Sixer
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Jun 6, 2011
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az
i've had the same p90 for years and has given me great service and a sense of security in it's reliability. to the functions and controls......those movements are so ingrained in my muscle's memory that it has been quite an adjustment when i carry a recently acquired Walther PPQ....infact i'm in the market for a Walther P99cAS since it will allow me to carry a little more like my P90 as far as chambering and trigger action VS my PPQ. as far as looks......i love the lines of the P90 and i just don't care what others say. there is a line in the cigar world that states "smoke what ya like and like what ya smoke".......the same thing applies with most things in life and it certainly could not be more fitting to our vast and beloved gun world.
 

welder

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I think the P94 is a beautiful gun. Smooth and good lines. I have one and bought it on a whim at a shop years ago because the price was right and I already had a bunch of mags for it. It caught my eye and I am currently looking for a second safety stainless one in 9mm, so as to have a pair of them. One could claim the P89 or P90 is not the prettiest gun in the world and I wouldn't disagree but there's none more reliable and in my opinion they are as good a value as you can get.
 

Al James

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Nov 27, 2007
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Orygun
I enjoy the Ruger P series pistols. They are usually underrated by those that do not own them. Some who HAVE actually owned them say they are too big to fit the hand well, however, they fit my hands perfectly. Some say they are too heavy [27-34 OZs] but they love their 1911's at 45 oz's. Some say they are too bulky due to Rugers use of inferior investment castings which have to be oversized in order to remain durable. The same folks have no problem owning slim and trim .40 caliber glocks that are known to detonate in your hand every now and then. Some say they aren't accurate unless you are a poor shooter that doesn't know what accurate is. We have people here on the RF who constantly bash on them by saying they are 6-8" guns at 25 feet[at best]....I've never seen one of those P guns but I'm tired of pointless arguing over an already beaten down horse. Admittedly, the trigger and sights are not conductive to NRA bullseye type shooting. But that is not what they were designed for. They are plenty accurate for their intended purpose, and more importantly they are very reliable. To me reliability is the most important attribute in a defensive pistol, more so than shooting tiny clusters in paper targets.

Before the AWB/High Capacity mag ban P series guns sold very well. I have read that over 2 million were sold during their production. After 1994 they lost a lot of their appeal. Why would you want a High capacity full size duty pistol that only came with a 10 round mag due to political Jackassery? Also, during the late 80's early 90's Glock was whoring out their pistols to every Law Enforcement agency in the country. Glock won the battle by not only producing an excellent, easy to operate, easy to service law enforcement pistol but by also undercutting S&W, Beretta and Ruger on cost, support, and weapon buyback/upgrade programs. It was also very easy to train ANYONE to operate and qualify well with a Glock pistol. And as it often goes, whatever the military or LE are using, civilian buyers follow. Understandable phenomena. Just look how the early M16's, M16A2's and even today's M4's were regarded by the troops only to become the best selling civilian rifle in America. Also, worth noting that prior to the magazine ban the 1911 pistol was not the cool kid and was thought by many to be an antiquated design that was headed to the scrap heap of firearms history. Once Joe public was limited to 10 rounds they made a huge comeback and now enjoy a cult like following. Markets change, as do peoples opinions on whats optimum/perfect.

But I've never been a trendy person. I like things that work well for me regardless of what the latest fad tells me I should like. I wear blue jeans on my waist, a T-shirt that fits right, I also drive American cars and eat meat, I always have and I always will. I don't smoke or drink and I don't have a single tattoo. I'm about as uncool as you could be in today's America. :oops:

All of this blabber aside....I will always have a place for a Ruger P gun in my humble gun collection. I feel they are an excellent value for a very serviceable weapon. No they are not high end, tacticool, or fashionable. But what they are is what they have always been....reliable, durable, affordable and even classically handsome depending on who you ask. I'm sure in time there will be more people who take a second look at them and wonder....what was I thinking?

Are they the only pistol I will endorse? No way! I own 1911's, Sigs, Glocks, CZ's, etc. One nice thing about being alive in America today is that we have choices. Same as always, just my .02, and YMMV. Rev. :lol:
 

Gizmo42

Single-Sixer
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
284
The only issue I've ever had with my P944 wasnt the guns fault. I bought some reloads during the first ammo shortage and they were crap. The cases werent sized properly and many of them would stick in the chamber. The one small complaint I've had with mine is a slightly gritty trigger. I finally tore it down this weekend and found out where the issue was. The trigger bar was rubbing on the frame, mainly where the trigger connects to it. Some polishing of the bar and the spot on the frame (just smoothed the finish a bit, didnt remove it) and it is MUCH smoother now. My only design complaint about this model is that there is no way to mount a flash light to it. Only became a 'want' after it became my night stand gun.

I really need to get mine to the range again. I forgot just how nice if feels in my hand.

As far as looks, I dont know how some people can love those bricks named Glock and call this ugly
Img_0287e.jpg
 

welder

Buckeye
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Nice! Looks just like my 9mm version. I'd have to wonder about anyone's taste in guns who found the P94 lacking or unappealing.

And Al,
Very good post. I fully agree with all you said and I feel better. Why? Well like you I neither drink or have a tattoo. I don't even have a single ear ring. I do eat meat and drive a couple American pick ups. (save it guys, no foreign or domestic content debate from me). And best of all, I like P series guns from Ruger, especially hose that came to life when Bill was in the front office.
 
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