Tag Archives: P95

P89DC

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I like the Ruger P95DC for its rugged end-of-the-world durability. Rental ranges confirm that these things virtually never break. Then again, no one probably has any interest in shooting them so perhaps thats the reason. But…even more robust in Ruger’s “Ignore ergonomics, just make it a tank” style, we have today’s guest…a Ruger P89DC. An outgrowth of the P85 (and P85II) series, this was a somewhat improved version of the P85 series of military contract wannabes.

I genuinely believe this gun is unkillable. With shipping, this ugly duckling (ca.1993) set me back a hair over two hundred bucks. Whats really fascinating is that someone thought highly enough of this gun to put a set of Crimson Trace laser grips on it. Ruger retired the P89 in 2009, but they turn up in evidence lockers and gun ‘buybacks’ everywhere. I’ve never seen a broken one. I’ve seen them with pitting, rust, gouges, scratches, missing sights, and all sortsa staining…..but I’ve never seen one that didn’t work.

Friend Of The Blog(tm), Tam, did a 2000-rd endurance test and other than the cringe-worthy ergonomics, it chugged along without a hitch. That isn’t necessarily a difficult accomplishment. Tam’s 2000-rd tests prove that any well-made pistol from a major brand shooting quality ammunition will usually give that kind of performance. The pistol Tam used for her test, and which has apparently gone on to be a prop for a book cover, was a very worn, very well used pistol that, when I got it, still had the evidence tag wired to the front of the triggerguard. (You can see the wear from the wire on the front of the triggerguard in her photos.)

The P95DC is a lighter, handier gun…but thats like saying a patio paver is a lighter handier brick than a cinder block – its true, but that doesnt take away the fact its a brick.  Since they both use the same magazine, and the price was right, and you can never have too many ‘disposable’ handguns to stuff under the seat of your truck, the floorboards of your cabin, or into an ammo can buried in a national forest somewhere, it seemed like a good purchase at the time.

Im still fascinated that someone went through the time and expense to slap a laser sight on it.

P95DC Redux^4

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Even though I’ve become rather taken with the Palmetto Daggers for their ability to operate in the Glock environment, I still have a problem resisting when I see a P95DC for less than $200.

It has gotten to the point that I now store them in 5-gun pistol cases. And there are several of those cases. As soon as I get Commander Zero’s Post Nuclear Bunker Of Love And Lingerie Proving Ground built, several of these will be quietly hidden under the floorboards.

Insomnia + Gunbroker + low impulse control =

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What do I do with all these pistols? Well, my original intent was to pack them away for that oft-prophesized Rainy Day. Nowdays, though….it’d be a diluvian-sized bit of precipitation to require as many of these things as I have sitting in storage.

Four pistols and eight magazines fit into a Pelican 1400 case, safe and snug (not that these guns need babying) as they await Der Tag. And..I’ve several of these Pelican cases sitting on the shelf.

You know whats tough, though? Finding quality holsters for these things. Oh sure, you can get an Uncle Mikes nylon POS but I want better than that. They do fit in the UM84-series of holsters, which is nice, but if you want a nice DeSantis, Galco, or Bianchi holster that’s made and molded to fit these things…good luck. I hit eBay for used ones and they almost never turn up…these guns were just never very popular. There’s plenty of off-brand leather and kydex out there but…Im a snob.

Lather, rinse, reload

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Because.

Actually, this time I had a fairly legitimate reason. I have decided that I need the oft-ridiculed “bathroom gun” and I needed something that would be largely impervious to the moisture encountered in a bathroom environment.

Prices on these things are getting a little higher (but, hey, the prices of everything are getting a little higher these days. Thanks Brandon!) but I still managed to nick this one for about $200. And, as I’ve said, for $200 you can’t really do much better unless you find some weird mislabelled Glock or SIG on Gunbroker.

Only drawback to this particular boomtoy is that the vendor shipped it with a .40 magazine instead of a 9mm magazine. Fortunately I have an ammo can full of Ruger 9mm mags so it isn’t a hardship.

These things really are unspoken heroes in terms of utility. Theyre a bit chunky, and they won’t impress your friends at the range, but I have yet to even hear of one breaking, they’ve been utterly reliable, and for the price they are basically disposable. As a truck/cabin/cache gun, these things are hard to beat.

Video – Should I Buy A Used Ruger P95

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An interesting video:

I’ve made no secret that I rather like the P95, but I like it for one very simple reason: for about $200 it’s the best gun you can buy. Thats not to say its the best gun out there, or that its even a ‘very good’ gun. Rather it means that if you have $200 in your pocket, unless you get extraordinarily lucky, the Ruger P95 will be the best gun you can afford.

But…there’s some other things to think about.

On the police trade-in market these days there are tons of Glock and S&W .40 caliber pistols. For about $250 you can have a S&W M&P or a Glock 22/23. And, honestly, both of those guns are better than the P95.

Why don’t I get a stack of those pistols if theyre better than the P95 and only a few bucks more? Well, first off, I already filled my need for some cheap disposable pistols…I already have a dozen of the P-series so there’s really nothing to be gained by picking up the other ones. Additionally, I’m not a .40 guy. I prefer the 9mm.

However, if you’re looking for something that is ‘affordable’ and far better than a HiPoint, Bersa, or Taurus, head over to Kings and check the used pistols. Or, you can cruise Gunbroker and try your luck at scoring some $200 P95’s. They don’t usually go that cheap, but there’s always plenty to bid on and if you bid often enough you’ll get one at that price.

Guns like these are not really my first choice for carrying around everyday (although you could), but rather they are ‘loaners’ or ‘expendable’ handguns. Guns that you don’t mind loaning or giving to a friend who needs a gun, that you can leave in a truck or cabin and not be heartbroken if it gets stolen, or that you can abuse by getting wet and banged up as you rough-n-tumble your way through some disaster. They are like Bic lighters…they work quite reliably but they are basically disposable and cheap enough that you can have several.

I’ve ordered up a few of the police trade-in M&Ps for a friend and I have to say, I really like the gun. We got a .45 ACP version with three magazines for, I believe, $270 which is a smoking deal for a .45 with spare mags. What amazed me was how narrow and comfortable the grip was for that double stack mag. Very impressive.

Anyway, I was perusing YouTube and saw that video and thought I’d pass it along since I’ve mentioned my penchant for cheap, uber-stout handguns more than a few times.

link – Sales of Guns and Ammo. What Could Ever Go Wrong?

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I swear, last one……..

And speaking of gun purchases that may come back to bite you in the buttocks, Claire has a post about something I was reading a few days ago. The article is behind a NYT paywall, but quick fingers with a ctrl+c managed to get me a copy of the article to paste into Word so I could read it. Here’s another outfits take on it.

The gist of the article is that mass shooters, according to the idiot writing the article, woldn’t be able to amass their ‘vast arsenals’ without the use of consumer credit. Therefore, banks should notify ‘the authorities’ when transactions show them buying ‘suspicious’ amounts of guns, ammo, etc.

Never mind that any person with two brain cells to rub together would figure out the easiest way to avoid that would be to buy ‘normal’ stuff on credit, resell it for cash, and then purchase with cash.

But, most importantly, who wants a bank reporting on your purchases to .gov? Cash, baby….thats why theyre trying to push you away from it. Cash makes no enemies. buy your guns without paperwork, for cash, and avoid the whole nonsense.

 

Addiction

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So this happened today…….

I know, I know.

And before some well-meaning person posts it in the comments, No, I wouldn’t offer this to the neighbor girl. DA/SA autos arent really a beginners gun. If I were interested in offering her a boomtoy, which Im not, it’d be a Glock, M&P40, or an XD.. basically, a reliable point-n-shoot. The notion that revolvers are the best choice for the I-just-want-a-gun-to-keep-on-the-nightstand crowds (especially chicks) is just silly. Someone who has no interest in becoming a ‘gun person’ isn’t going to do terribly well with a DA revolver (the classic .38) with its long heavy trigger pull. Good, solid, DA revolver shooting takes practice. A good bit of practice.

And to stem the inevitable “My wife/girlfriend/daughter shoots a Beretta 92 and thats a DA/SA and she shoots it quite well!”, yeah, but Im talking generalizations here.

This is Ruger 9mm pistol number..ah.well…its up there in the double digits. But..$200 including shipping. Came without a magazine but thats not a problem these days.