Ruger P85 or P89?
- Thread starter Rosie65
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PAVTXER
Single-Sixer
P85 was the first of the series, with the 89 being the better of the two.
Here is some interesting info for the first time P Nut.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_P_series
Here is some interesting info for the first time P Nut.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_P_series
P94/GP100
Single-Sixer
The P89 was basically a combination of being a product-improved version of the P85 MKII and a commercial version of Ruger's XM10 submission for the second round of the DoD pistol trials of the 1980s.
The P89 standardized the improved firing pin safety system, an grub screw secured rear sight and had an improved (thicker) barrel link, and improved accuracy due to a modifications to the barrel/slide component interrelationship. During its production cycle, numerous other improvements were applied/incorporated into the P89; probably the most major (and the most physically visible) was an additional modification to the barrel and slide positioning relationship, which resulted in the breach end of the barrel rising above the slide plane when in battery; I believe that this modification was introduced around the 305- serial range. P89 magazines were modified to sit slightly higher in the receiver, apparently easing the travel of the cartridge from magazine to chambering; I believe that this modification occurred around the 307- serial range (going on the Ruger magazine portion of their website specifies the serial range concerned). Magazines also changed in mateerial and construction, from a blued tune with a flat sheet metal baseplate to stainless steel with a polymer (and thicker/slightly more protrusive) baseplate. I believe that the recoil spring guide also was modified during the P89 years, both in finish and from a "nub" end to a flat end.
Safety levers also changed in configuration during production, both in the shelf length and physical position, making the safety manipulations far easier and more instinctive. The original military-oriented lanyard loop mainspring cap was replaced with a flush-fitting (non-lanyard loop) mainspring cap as well.
Needless to say, there were numerous other incrimental modifications made during the P89's production history, most unannounced outside of Ruger.
Having owned a P85 and 2 P89s, in my empirical experience, while the P85 was (and is) certainly an acceptable gun, the P89 is likely a far better one. My current on, a very late production 315- serial gun, produced in the 3rd quarter of 2007 as a recipient of a major Ruger product and processes improvement program shortly before the P89 production was terminated is an absolute tackdriver, and a joy to shoot.
Best, Jon
The P89 standardized the improved firing pin safety system, an grub screw secured rear sight and had an improved (thicker) barrel link, and improved accuracy due to a modifications to the barrel/slide component interrelationship. During its production cycle, numerous other improvements were applied/incorporated into the P89; probably the most major (and the most physically visible) was an additional modification to the barrel and slide positioning relationship, which resulted in the breach end of the barrel rising above the slide plane when in battery; I believe that this modification was introduced around the 305- serial range. P89 magazines were modified to sit slightly higher in the receiver, apparently easing the travel of the cartridge from magazine to chambering; I believe that this modification occurred around the 307- serial range (going on the Ruger magazine portion of their website specifies the serial range concerned). Magazines also changed in mateerial and construction, from a blued tune with a flat sheet metal baseplate to stainless steel with a polymer (and thicker/slightly more protrusive) baseplate. I believe that the recoil spring guide also was modified during the P89 years, both in finish and from a "nub" end to a flat end.
Safety levers also changed in configuration during production, both in the shelf length and physical position, making the safety manipulations far easier and more instinctive. The original military-oriented lanyard loop mainspring cap was replaced with a flush-fitting (non-lanyard loop) mainspring cap as well.
Needless to say, there were numerous other incrimental modifications made during the P89's production history, most unannounced outside of Ruger.
Having owned a P85 and 2 P89s, in my empirical experience, while the P85 was (and is) certainly an acceptable gun, the P89 is likely a far better one. My current on, a very late production 315- serial gun, produced in the 3rd quarter of 2007 as a recipient of a major Ruger product and processes improvement program shortly before the P89 production was terminated is an absolute tackdriver, and a joy to shoot.
Best, Jon
