question about the P94

[bradford]

I have a P94 I bought new in 1995 according to the SN. The slide is marked P94 and if you look up that model its supposed to be a 9mm. My P94 is a .40 cal. shouldn't it be marked P944 on the slide? The barrel is marked .40 cal. Mine is the manual safety model.

 

[timjo1955a]

The same for my KP944 made in 2002. Must save Ruger a few dollars.

 

[Mike J]

Coffeepot could answer this question best I think they made some .40 caliber P-94's in the beginning then when they had problems with the gun they changed from a browning link system to a camblock for the P-944. My P-944 that if I recall correctly was made in 2000 has the P-94 on the slide also.
Edited to add hopefully someone more knowledgable than me can come along & explain it better or add what I left out.

 

[greenjeans]

My .40 caliber also just says P-94 on the slide. Decock/safety version.

 

[bradford]

This is copied from the instruction manual page 8:
The RUGER® P89, P90TM, P94TM & P944 pistols are centerfire, double
action, magazine-fed, autoloading, recoil-operated pistols. The P89 is chambered
for the caliber 9mm Parabellum (9mm x19) cartridge, and the P90TM is
chambered for the 45 Auto cartridge. The P94TM has a full length "streamlined"
slide configuration and is chambered for the 9mm Parabellum (9mm x 19) cartridge.
The P944 is chambered for the 40 S&W cartridge. The cartridge for
which the pistol is chambered is clearly marked on the barrel. They comply with
the requirements of the National Institute of Justice Standard - 0112.00. They
include the following features with which users should be thoroughly familiar:

 

[ncvikingfan]

Earlier in Ruger production, P94's could be purchased in both 9MM and .40 cal. I have one of each. If I recall correctly, the switch from the Bronwing swinging link system to the camblock is correct for the P944 nomenclature.

 

[P94/GP100]

P94 and P944 are catalog differentiations for the same gun in different caliber chamberings-the P94 for the 9mm varients, P944 is the designation for .40 varients. All are rollmarked "P94" on the slide.

While the .40 varients of the P94 were first produced with a swinging link, and subsequently with the camblock system, both are catalogued as "944s" with no cataloging designation differentiations that I'm aware of; Ruger simply made the shift at some point in the late 1990s as I recall with little fanfair, probably for reasons of manufacturing standardization/efficiencies more than anything else-I'm unaware of any inherent weakness attributed to the swinging link system in the P94 series (which Ruger continued to use in the concurrently produced P89 and P90 series).

Similarly, in Ruger's catalog system, the letter "K" preceeds a stainless steel varient; i.e., KP944 would be a stainless steel .40 P94-but you'll never see a slide rollmarked "KP94" or "KP944"-all are just rollmarked "P94".

Unfortunately, author Patrick Sweeney has unknowledgeably (and inaccurately) perpetuated the confusion on this issue in his otherwise quite good recent book, "The Gun Digest Book of Ruger Pistols."

Best, Jon