Played Around with my old P-series Today.

[Mike J]

So I've had a P944 (40 caliber P94) for years. It bothered me because it was hard to hang onto so I had put Hogue finger groove grips on it. I never really liked them as they always felt too bit to me but I lived with it because I could shoot better with them on. Last weekend I met up with a couple of friends to go to a car show. We wound up missing the car show & shooting up one of their backyards instead. I got to shoot an old S&W steel framed DA/SA pistol. It had grip tape on it. That got me to thinking. I was stuck at the courthouse all day (jury duty this week) but when I left I went by tractor supply & picked up some tread tape. It was a bit of a pain trying to make a pattern. It is not perfect but it feels much better.

 

[arfmel]

nice job !
Does it wrap around the front, or are there two separate sections?

 

[Mike J]

nice job !
Does it wrap around the front, or are there two separate sections?

I did each grip, then put a piece on the front & back strap. It is much grippier now. Not perfect but I doubt your going to find premade grip tape for an old P-series like Talon does for some guns.

 

[Mike J]

Here are pictures of the rest of it. Not perfect aesthetically but it should work.

 

[the_leper_colony]

Looks very good - you obviously put some time & effort into getting a good result!

 

[Mike J]

The small areas on the grip panels that are not 100% like they should be were my fault. I was putting the tape on & the corners there were trying to peel up. I guess I should have got something to smooth them down better with. I just trimmed off the small corner that was peeling up. I tried a few different ways to make a pattern. I finally wound up just inking the grips heavily on the edge of where I wanted the grip tape to end. Then pushed some parchment paper of my wife's I swiped from the kitchen down on the inked grip panel. I cut on the edges of the ink. Then traced it on the backing of the grip tape.

Dang, not long now I have to head back to the courthouse. I'm on day 2 of jury duty & still haven't done anything but sit & wait. They released us for lunch at 11:00 a.m. & we have to be back at 1:15 p.m.

 

[the_leper_colony]

...Dang, not long now I have to head back to the courthouse. I'm on day 2 of jury duty & still haven't done anything but sit & wait. They released us for lunch at 11:00 a.m. & we have to be back at 1:15 p.m.

Jury duty can be a blessing! Many years ago, I was on a longer than usual lunch break, so I visited a gunshop near the courthouse - and found a S&W Model 27 for (IIRC) $250! Made the 6+ week trial worth the effort!

 

[WendyZXZ]

Looking great to me!

 

[gunman42782]

You did a great job on it.

 

[black1970]

Like the P's. Only have 8.

 

[the_leper_colony]

Like the P's. Only have 8.

I sold most of my P-series guns to an FFL a couple of years ago (during the Wuhanic Plague), but still really appreciate what Ruger did with them, over the years. Maybe other folks do, too - anybody else ever notice that the Beretta PX4 has the same basic profile as the P94 (and the Beretta 8000 Cougar isn't far off, either)? I'm not saying Beretta copied Ruger (the Cougar & P94 appeared about the same time), but it's kind of a compliment, and maybe worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a holster!

 

[ncvikingfan]

I still have all of the P-Series pistols that I purchased over the years. I won't wear any of them out and my son won't either long after I am gone. Never did locate a P97, P91, or P345 when I had gun money.

 

[the_leper_colony]

I still have all of the P-Series pistols that I purchased over the years. I won't wear any of them out and my son won't either long after I am gone. Never did locate a P97, P91, or P345 when I had gun money.

I might still buy a P90, if I can put together the "gun money" and find one in nice shape - I've got an aftermarket P90 .400 Cor-Bon barrel in the closet that would be fun to try out!

 

[Rat76]

I had 3, P85, P90 & P91DC. I downsized a few years back & traded the P91 & the PC4 to a friend for a Single Six with a 9-inch barrel in 32 HR. I also sold the P90 to another friend.

I never warmed up to the P91. Didn't like the trigger & couldn't hit a thing with it. The P90 was a completely different kettle of fish. Best trigger of any of them & a real joy to shoot. I could pick off clays on the 100-yard berm shooting off hand.

I kept the P85 & PC9, they will be the last semiautos I'll part with.

L to R, .40, .45 & 9mm

 

[Stantheman1986]

Both my P94 and P944 have the rubber Hogues and I'd never put the plastics back on

I have numerous P series guns and they're the best pure combat pistols ever made IMO

The P85 should have won the military trials in 1985 but we know how that works

 

[Mike J]

I made it out to shoot it the first time since changing the grips Thursday. I didn't shoot as well as I would have liked but the grips feel much better. I just don't get as much range time as I would like. We did have a good time shooting though. I need to get myself back into a dry fire regimen to help keep myself tuned up. I know it isn't the same as live fire but it does help.

 

[welder]

Good work. Love my P guns and have the grit tape on a few. Your work looks as good as the factory I have on mine.

 

[Mike J]

Good work. Love my P guns and have the grit tape on a few. Your work looks as good as the factory I have on mine.

Thanks Welder. My artistic daughter helped/hung out with me while I did it. She is the one who suggested inking the grips then pressing the parchment paper on them to make a pattern. The frontstrap & backstrap were easy. A very simple layout.

 

[Fox Mike]

I certainly hope that what you have is better than the P95 I have. Every round is a stovepipe. Fire, clear, fire, clear. Been back to the factory once and was no better when I got it back than it was when I sent it. I have had others fire it and tried different ammo. Fire, clear, fire, clear. I am beginning to think it will make a better paper weight than pistol

 

[Mike J]

I certainly hope that what you have is better than the P95 I have. Every round is a stovepipe. Fire, clear, fire, clear. Been back to the factory once and was no better when I got it back than it was when I sent it. I have had others fire it and tried different ammo. Fire, clear, fire, clear. I am beginning to think it will make a better paper weight than pistol

Some days I shoot it better than others. I have never had reliability issues with this pistol though I only have about 3000 rounds through it. I shot it a lot for about a year and a half then I kind of moved on to other carry pistols. I used it to try to learn to shoot a handgun decently. It would be nice if I got to shoot as much now as I did then.