P95 Question

Maybe a foolish question but I'm new to the P95. Be that as it may here's my question:

Can a P95 DAO be "converted" to a decock/safety model given one has the proper parts to install. And if so, what would those proper parts be? Thanks.

The Preacher

These are discontinued and it is my understanding that the factory is no longer stocking spare parts. I am guessing that it would require new slide with appropriate decocker/safety. Also there is a transfer bar that run just under the slide which is not likely on your model. These DAO guns were made for the prison service, if I recall correctly. The DAO is not that common and it may develop some collector value in years ahead. Meanwhile the DAO is not to bad a system for a defense pistol. Sounds like you made a nice purchase.

Thanks for the information. Not my P95. I have two decock/safety models and I talked my Brother-in-Law (who's not real gun savy) into getting one. He picked up the first one he found at a good price and only after the fact realized it was DAO. Seemed a bit disappointed but I told him it's no negative and to just practice with it and he'd be good to go for a home defensive pistol. Not sure he bought into it. Sounds like the cost of a conversion is too close to a used P95 on the market so I'll just keep my mouth shut and help him understand what he has; a great, solid, defensive weapon; which is what he wanted in the first place.

The Preacher

These days, Glock is so well established that many shooters only want striker design and think anything else is just awful. You are quite right, through a moderate amount of practice it is possible to adapt to a different shooting system. Your brother in law's DAO P95 will be a good little shooter with some practice. Snap caps might be a good way to practice in addition to live fire.

The double action police revolver(Smith & Wesson and Colt) was very effective for over 100 years enjoyed one of the best safety records during that century plus of service. Safety is number one in my book and I feel that a firearm mishap is a more likely event than actual defense scenario, although both are possible. The DAO system is ultra safe as well as a very viable shooter. Seems like you can congratulate your brother in law for making a shrewd, well-informed purchase. He has a really good, safe and practical service pistol with the P95 DAO.

Tell him no and also that his DAO is more desirable to some folks than the regular P95 and even Glocks to some collectors.

My agency uses Ruger DAO P89, 93's and 95's as well as a couple different Beretta's. The key to shooting them accurate at range (20-25 yrds) is stage the trigger just like they did back in the DA revolver days. They can be shot as fast and well as a Glock it's all in prior programming and if someone wants to learn that particular trigger. Without trying to get myself in trouble here just an observation with 28 years of Governmant sevrice and most of that as an instructor starting out on wheelguns. Most of the shooters starting today are better served by a glock. They don't want to, can't or don't have the attention span to learn the DAO trigger. Glocks and M&P's and the like are great guns and not saying that just there isn't much to learning on them.

The difference between an instructor and a real instructor is your a real instructor if you can teach/instruct a novice and make them a marksman with a DAO. LOL

Meeko said:

My agency uses Ruger DAO P89, 93's and 95's as well as a couple different Beretta's. The key to shooting them accurate at range (20-25 yrds) is stage the trigger just like they did back in the DA revolver days. They can be shot as fast and well as a Glock it's all in prior programming and if someone wants to learn that particular trigger. Without trying to get myself in trouble here just an observation with 28 years of Governmant sevrice and most of that as an instructor starting out on wheelguns. Most of the shooters starting today are better served by a glock. They don't want to, can't or don't have the attention span to learn the DAO trigger. Glocks and M&P's and the like are great guns and not saying that just there isn't much to learning on them.

The difference between an instructor and a real instructor is your a real instructor if you can teach/instruct a novice and make them a marksman with a DAO. LOL

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It is great to hear such words. Your comment about most of today's shooters is spot on. I returned from overseas in the early 1990's to find the Glock was becoming the rage. Soon folks forgot how to even open and load a revolver and were no longer familiar with the concept of staging a trigger. Two excellent designs for CCW, the LC9 and Sig P250 have suffered due to this lack of experience and knowledge.

I always liked the DAO P guns. As noted above they performed well after mastering the trigger. I only sold my "set" after being made nervous by Ruger's parts supply and service for the DAO P guns. 12 O'clock P89 to 11 0'clock P97. I always wondered why they never offered the P90 as DAO?

MountainWalker said:

Meeko said:

My agency uses Ruger DAO P89, 93's and 95's as well as a couple different Beretta's. The key to shooting them accurate at range (20-25 yrds) is stage the trigger just like they did back in the DA revolver days. They can be shot as fast and well as a Glock it's all in prior programming and if someone wants to learn that particular trigger. Without trying to get myself in trouble here just an observation with 28 years of Governmant sevrice and most of that as an instructor starting out on wheelguns. Most of the shooters starting today are better served by a glock. They don't want to, can't or don't have the attention span to learn the DAO trigger. Glocks and M&P's and the like are great guns and not saying that just there isn't much to learning on them.

The difference between an instructor and a real instructor is your a real instructor if you can teach/instruct a novice and make them a marksman with a DAO. LOL

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It is great to hear such words. Your comment about most of today's shooters is spot on. I returned from overseas in the early 1990's to find the Glock was becoming the rage. Soon folks forgot how to even open and load a revolver and were no longer familiar with the concept of staging a trigger. Two excellent designs for CCW, the LC9 and Sig P250 have suffered due to this lack of experience and knowledge.

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I joke but am half serious when I say I am now "that old man down the street"

I didn't know they made a DAO 95. Can a DC version be converted to DAO?

Tears4Fears said:

I didn't know they made a DAO 95. Can a DC version be converted to DAO?

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Don't think the gun is worth that much gunsmith labor even if practical. Mucho cheaper to buy a used DAO in good shape.

Tears4Fears said:

I didn't know they made a DAO 95. Can a DC version be converted to DAO?

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Even if possible The cost would be way to much.The slide is different and all of the other mechanics and labor would rack up the bills. If you really want a DAO Ruger P95 the best advice would keep checking places like J&G sales, CDNN, Guns America etc for used samples. DAO Rugers do appear from time to time but since Ruger quit manufacturing the P95 you might see some that get traded in.

If you are really set on a traditional DAO auto but don't have to have a Ruger there are tons of S&W 5946's and Beretta 92D's police trade ins on the market. As far as current production there is only 1 manufacture that offers current production of a traditional DAO with a hammer and that is SIG. The reason is no one (agency) is buying them like they use to it is (for agency weapons) either Glock, S&W M&P or SIG DA/SA guns for the most part.My agency is going through that right now in looking at adopting a new handgun in the next couple years.

Good Luck

I have not tried this but my gut tells me it would be super easy to mod a DC to DAO. Simply remove the part of the hammer / sear that allows the cocked "stop". The gun would still look like a DC but the hammer would never stay cocked so it would be DAO. You could also mod the hammer spur (remove) and the decock levers could be trimmed down as well.

If you got a hammer, sear, and decock levers some place you could mod and if it didn't come out like you wanted just pop the original parts back on. The P-guns are easy to tinker with.

roylt said:

I have not tried this but my gut tells me it would be super easy to mod a DC to DAO. Simply remove the part of the hammer / sear that allows the cocked "stop". The gun would still look like a DC but the hammer would never stay cocked so it would be DAO. You could also mod the hammer spur (remove) and the decock levers could be trimmed down as well.

If you got a hammer, sear, and decock levers some place you could mod and if it didn't come out like you wanted just pop the original parts back on. The P-guns are easy to tinker with.

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The problem is there are other internals that need replaced as in a firing pin block that will engage after the first shot due to the hammer will follow the slide back forward before you could let the trigger out.

My agency adopted DAO Beretta's for a little bit but are phasing them out due to the fact Beretta has discontinued the DAO line and several parts that set the DAO Beretta apart from the standard DA/SA Beretta's are no longer produced or supported and we have to cannibalize some parts as they break.

Since Ruger isn't even making any P series guns any more that is one reason we are looking for a replacement. Hard to get parts.

So you are saying it would go full auto the way I suggested? I don't think so because of the way the blocker lever works. I could be wrong though.

roylt said:

So you are saying it would go full auto the way I suggested? I don't think so because of the way the blocker lever works. I could be wrong though.

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What I am saying is there is more to it than just a trigger spring. It shouldn't go full auto (disclaimer, because I don't know what any one person would do it "could" go full auto but shouldn't have seen a couple S&W PC guns break and fire a couple rounds at each pull going burst that had to be sent back) but you will/could have issues with it not firing at all after the first shot if it fires at all. The main problem is the standard P series slide has either a safety or de cocker lever in the slide, within that slide that lever when used keeps the firing pin from getting struck with the hammer when de cocking (dropping the hammer without making it go bang) on DAO guns there is more to it with an extra disconnect that keeps the firing pin from going forward when the hammer follows the slide forward as it does on a DAO.

As stated earlier our DAO Beretta's and Rugers are being phased out. The problem with the Beretta's is Beretta quite supporting the D models that are DAO. While a couple parts from a standard DA/SA model of said guns could be used a lot of the internal parts the make the 2 models different and are no longer made (Beretta and Ruger getting harder to get) and thus we depend on parts that are stockpiled. Usually when one breaks with those few parts that we can not get or have trouble getting we have to cannibalize a couple guns (or use the broke ones parts for other guns). Our armorers are trained by the factory's to repair just about everything and if they have issues pretty sure the novice part time gun guy will be in over their head. We will be using them for a few more years but before it becomes a crises a new firearm will be adopted.

So IMHO it would be better to find a used DAO unit (they are out there) at any of the online gun sites than converting unless you have a lot of time and money. Also as a side note and I am not knocking Ruger but we canned the new P95 DAO's they have tried to adopt since around 2007. They have not worked out so we are using the Beretta's that were in inventory until another make/model is adopted.

Good luck

Reminds me of an old car that I bought for $300. After putting another $600 into it, I had a car that held it's value! Yup, I was glad to get $300 for that 1955 Studebaker President when I sold it shortly thereafter.

I tinker on the P-guns and may have to expirement a little. I am not a smith and ALWAYS put safety first. IF I figure anything out I will post it up.

roylt said:

I tinker on the P-guns and may have to expirement a little. I am not a smith and ALWAYS put safety first. IF I figure anything out I will post it up.

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A hobby and worthwhile pursuit in it's own right.