Giving in to the voice in my head...

[XUSNORDIE]

1987...the P85 advertisement.....remember this? I stared at this for hours. I had to have one. The start of the "Wonder Nine" wars.....I put name on the waiting list for one. Months went by, nothing. I went on deployment. My Ex-Wife and family would send me gun magazines and that advertisement haunted me. I returned from deployment and they still were not out. I took my name off the list, and used the deposit towards the purchase of a Norinco AK47 (and this was California!).

A couple years later I eventually got a P85, but it was the MKII. Same thing, just a safety change. I loved that chunky tank. But lost it to divorce. All the P85s I saw in shops or auctions were beat up, or overpriced. Today I went to a few LGS in the area to price bulk 45, 9 and 5.56....and to see if there were any SRH's or SBH Hunters out there. There were not......but, in the middle of a display case the was a P85 w/MK II stamp on decocker....I swear it was looking at me and smiling. Like a puppy in the pound looking at you with eyes saying "take me home"......I talked to the clerk about it, who wasn't even born when this pistol was made. I gave him a little history, a sentimental story, and showed him and the other young clerks how to break it down....for some reason they were astonished about that captive slide stop. Anyhoo, I walked out and headed home. I wasn't looking for a P85....then it all came back to me about how bad I wanted it and often thought about that pistol advertisement between weapons loads, downloads and recoveries while shooing the bad guys away from our flagged tankers in the Straight of Hormuz. One of the best times of my life. Now all I can do is think about that lonely pistol in that case wondering where it's next home will be.

That LGS opens at 0900......they are quick processing and my background approvals usually are under a couple minutes. So I'm heading there, and bringing that P85 home. We deserve each other. See, I had to sell my truck last night. To me, selling a truck is like putting a dog down. The money is socked away in preperation for forced early retirement.....but, like the last truck I sold a gun purchase made me feel better. So while I was searching for a certain gun......this one reached out to me.....I am still going to buy one more, which needs to be ordered.....simply because of the election outcome and the Patriotic theme of the gun.....more about that later when it comes in. Two guns, both Rugers, for just barely over the price of one new SRH or SBH Hunter.

I will post pics once I get the pup....I mean P85 home...

 

[XUSNORDIE]

I know it's just a P series....but it's a P85, the one that kicked it all off....

Well got it home this morning. Cleaned it up. It's in great shape.
Has the MKIIR stamp so no need to send it back for the recall work.
Something wild.....the mag already had my name etched on it....this was meant to be I guess.

Will fire it tomorrow and pretend it's 1987.....God I wish it was 1987.

 

[blume357]

Your only mistake was leaving the first time and having to go back.

Now your name already etched on the magazine..... I would have had to have a stiff drink after seeing that.

What's the recall modification thing about?

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I remember reading about them in magazines before they came out.
When they came out I bought one.
The one I have was before the MKII was put on them.
They were recalled for some trigger replacement or something.
I never sent mine in.
I have shot more bullets through this gun than a truck could carry, and it still shoots just as good as it did when I bought it.

I am still disgusted that the military picked the Berretta over the Ruger.
You will never convince me the Berretta was a better gun. Maybe prettier , but not better.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Your only mistake was leaving the first time and having to go back.

Now your name already etched on the magazine..... I would have had to have a stiff drink after seeing that.

What's the recall modification thing about?

Yeah. I had my mind set on finding a SRH or SBH Hunter. Trying to not spend more than I set out to...but it bothered me so I went back.

Trust me, I saluted the find with a "smooth" 112 proof pour.

Some of the P85s had issues with the firing pin breaking when the safety/decocker was engaged causing a chambered round to possibly fire especially if dropped.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

I remember reading about them in magazines before they came out.
When they came out I bought one.
The one I have was before the MKII was put on them.
They were recalled for some trigger replacement or something.
I never sent mine in.
I have shot more bullets through this gun than a truck could carry, and it still shoots just as good as it did when I bought it.

I am still disgusted that the military picked the Berretta over the Ruger.
You will never convince me the Berretta was a better gun. Maybe prettier , but not better.

They sure hyped it up. Took awhile for them to actually be distributed.

It wasn't the trigger, it was the safety/decocker malfunctioning when engaged.

As for the testing, theP85 missed the initial trials. The secondary trials it did well, but the M9 won again. The P85 and SIG 226 came in very close together. I own a M9, a SIG 226 and now was able to put them each side by side and compare. I believe the P85 is way over engineered. The internals are way more complicated than the 226 or M9. From my experience as a military armorer and small arms instructor my opinion is that the P85 would have been difficult to maintain and/or repair in combat theatres. The controls on the M9 and 226 are more easily operated, especially with average/less than average size hands and especially with gloves on.

I love the P85 and I'm very happy to have added one to my collection. I have a lot of experience on the 226 and M9.....however, for combat use I'd go with the 226 over the M9 and P85. Of course they are dinosaurs now though.

I have a M18 and G19 also. For simplicity and todays need for modularity you can't beat that M18....but I'd still prefer a 226.

But then again, personally I'd still take the 1911 over them all.....

 

[roylt]

"just a P-series"!! I'm Ofended!

Keep the P-guns alive!!!

 

[roylt]

If you want it to look older....
Get this slide stop. (like the original picture)

Slide Stop, Early Model, Blued

RUGER P85, P85MKII Slide Stop, Early Model, Blued

www.gunpartscorp.com

I added one to mine. A bit pricey but I'm a P-nut. Just checked and the later one is more money? Go figure.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Thanks. I didn't realize there was a difference and certainly never noticed. The one I just picked up is a 1987 production. Which is the first year they were first available to the public I thought? I know the P85 was developed in 1985, and some sample pistols were sent to LE Depts prior to the public release. Are these the "older" models you refer to? Pretty sure the pistols provided for the 1988 military trials had the same slide stop as the one on mine unless they had an older batch they provided?

I'm not a "P-Nut". I just like the "old school futuristic" looks and feel. I'd like to find a P90. That would be about it for me though.

 

[Hankus]

They sure hyped it up. Took awhile for them to actually be distributed.

It wasn't the trigger, it was the safety/decocker malfunctioning when engaged.

As for the testing, theP85 missed the initial trials. The secondary trials it did well, but the M9 won again. The P85 and SIG 226 came in very close together. I own a M9, a SIG 226 and now was able to put them each side by side and compare. I believe the P85 is way over engineered. The internals are way more complicated than the 226 or M9. From my experience as a military armorer and small arms instructor my opinion is that the P85 would have been difficult to maintain and/or repair in combat theatres. The controls on the M9 and 226 are more easily operated, especially with average/less than average size hands and especially with gloves on.

I love the P85 and I'm very happy to have added one to my collection. I have a lot of experience on the 226 and M9.....however, for combat use I'd go with the 226 over the M9 and P85. Of course they are dinosaurs now though.

I have a M18 and G19 also. For simplicity and todays need for modularity you can't beat that M18....but I'd still prefer a 226.

But then again, personally I'd still take the 1911 over them all.....

I, too would take the M1911 over the M9. Gawd, I hated the M9!

 

[roylt]

I'm not sure on the specific timeline but even the Ruger manual shows the original slide stop. I have only ever seen one pistol with it in the wild. Very early serial number. There are others on here that have more background info on Ruger's history.

The slide stop might have also been part of the recall but I'm not sure. The metal is pretty thin on the slide stop.

https://ruger-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/_manuals/p85.pdf

 

[roylt]

Side note. The manual shows the standard slide stop in the drawings and parts exploded view.

 

[blume357]

XUSNORDIE,

I think you and I are on the same page.... my first experience with semi-auto hand gun was a Ruger P95 and I fell in love with them and bought so many it is scary .... then I took some advance classes (several days) on defensive shooting and one day decided to possibly up my game and dropped by a local gun store and there was a Sig P226 sitting there.... I put some money down on it and came back a month later and picked it up... it was either all down hill or up from there.... I know everybody has their opinion just like something else, but I own and have shot both the Ruger P's, a Berretta 92 and the Sig P226 and the Sig wins out in the long run.... In fact lets go down the rabbit hole and throw a Glock in there... I'm sorry but the Sig P226 still wins and if one must be a striker fired fanatic then I'd put the Sig P320 / M18 or what ever they want to call it way above the Glocks. I've been told that Glocks are easier to do a total break down on .... but who the heck does that... as for a simple field strip and lube any Sig will beat a Glock any day... I still have fight just to get the damn slide off of one.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Blume, I think we are as well. From my military experience I'm biased towards the 1911 and 226. So of course had to have some in my collection. I never cared for the M9. I had to have a Beretta 92SF for work once, but sold it when I didn't need it. When my youngest Son became heavily interested in the military I knew he was going to serve. He was interested in MARSOC and NSW. They had switched to the Glock 19, so bought one. When he raised his right hand at MEPs during his senior year of high school, I bought a M9 for him to learn. He was on the Delayed Entry Program for 8 months. While on DEP, the Navy switched from M9 to M18....so I bought a M18 for him to learn on.

I am biased to the 1911. Probably more sentimental than anything I suppose.

Between the DA pistols, the 226 and M9.....it's 226 all the way for me.

Between the striker fired pistols, the M18 and G19, it's the M18 for me.

If I had to pick one from the four (226, M9, M18, G19).....it's the 226 hands down.

Even if the P85 was in the mix, I would still pick the 226.

I still need to get this P85 out to the range. I'm dealing with some mobility issues lately. When I get the time I'd like to bring them all and do a comparison on an old school basic Watch Stander Qualification drill. That would be fun.