I am thinking about re-buying a Ruger P89

[MelvinWalker]

I know..."heavy as a brick", 'ugly", etc...I had one a long time ago, and recently I have been buying back a few things that I traded off years ago.

What do you think a nice stainless version in box would go for nowadays? I figured in the $300-350 range.

 

[Steve_Revo_]

I'm in the same boat but I'm looking for a P90. I see the P-series guns going anywhere from $250 - $400 but I think you are pretty much in the ball park.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Big, strong, ugly, heavy.
‘They remind me of me!’ (Duke misquote)
A while back, almost traded for one.
He said, if it don’t sell soon, I’ll trade.
He did sell it!
That’s the closest I ever came to owning one.

 

[petepeterson]

I "bought back" a S&W 915, which was the first pistol I purchased for myself.
It predictably sits in a safe, begging for sunlight.

 

[MelvinWalker]

Big, strong, ugly, heavy.
‘They remind me of me!’ (Duke misquote)
A while back, almost traded for one.
He said, if it don’t sell soon, I’ll trade.
He did sell it!
That’s the closest I ever came to owning one.

I mean, my P89 was a really good gun, but that was before every automatic had to be a polymer frame...Don't get me wrong, I like and own Glocks and their kin, but I remember that Ruger as being an accurate and substantial gun for the money at the time with an actual non-plastic frame.

 

[Drm50]

Ruger P series most underrated of all pistols. Ugly and heavy but very dependable and accurate. The most value for the buck. $200-$400 is average here, and not very many bringing the top dollar. I never bought one new but have had several used and they were all like new. * There is a Law Enforcement model DA only that I wouldn’t want unless they were giving them away.

 

[ColbyBruce]

A good number of the discontinued Ruger model’s parts supplies have been depleted and the factory no longer services them. Check the Ruger website for confirmation on this.

 

[MelvinWalker]

A good number of the discontinued Ruger model’s parts supplies have been depleted and the factory no longer services them. Check the Ruger website for confirmation on this.

Probably true, but I would just buy a demilled complete parts kit if I needed anything,

 

[Rule3]

I always called them ROBO guns (Robo Cop)If you want one, buy one.

 

[alwslate]

I have a blue P89DC that I bought new shortly after they came out. Big, ugly, a bit heavy and clunky. I keep it in my vehicle now as a truck gun. Never had a single jam or misfire. Probably not worth more than about $275 but it's worth more than that to me just to keep it.

 

[huthike]

Stainless P89DC was my first gun - bought it brand new. Never has failed me. One of my house guns now.

 

[Doriangray6]

I know..."heavy as a brick", 'ugly", etc...I had one a long time ago, and recently I have been buying back a few things that I traded off years ago.

What do you think a nice stainless version in box would go for nowadays? I figured in the $300-350 range.

I had a 9mm Ruger P89DC. If I remember right I paid around $350 for it with a holster, three 15 round factory mags, and a 20 round MagTek mag.
Though it was big and chunky it was lighter than my 45acp Colt 1917 service revolver and built like a tank plus it would cycle any ammo I ran through it.
Out of curiosity I even ran a mag of empty brass through it once and it chambered and ejected it all with no problems.
The son in law stopped by one day on his way back to Washington state and was complaining about how uncomfortable his little micro 9 was to shoot so I had him try the P89 out.
He loved it so I gave it to him along with the holster, the mags, and a couple 100 rounds of my reloads.
Unfortunately a week after he got home Washington passed their idiot 10 round mag capacity law.
He takes it out to range fairly often and has had one of the range officers there and some of his friends try it out and they were amazed that though it looks like it weighs a ton with the alloy frame it's actually relatively light, nicely balanced, and shoots great.
If I run across another P89 I'd be real tempted to buy it.

 

[Ameshawki]

Picked up a really clean blued one within the last year. Box, mags, papers. $400. A total nostalgia buy. Found a set of Uncle Mike's grips for it on ebay (those should have been the standard). Been on the hunt for a P90 as well, those aren't as easy to find.

 

[jimmyj]

I havea Ruger P-89 9mm, P-90 .45acp, and a P-94 .40. Heavy, ugly and very depenable. Magazines was a bit pricey and difficult to find. All three now occupys a shelf as I have went on another tangent (dan smiths).
IIRC (?) I paid in the neighborhood of $500.00 each ? My latest medical issue is my left hand and arm are partly paralyzed but I still can still fire the P-90 with my left hand.

 

[Buford57]

I was on the evaluation team when my department decided to authorize private purchase semi-autos for uniformed officers. Our test guns were the Beretta 92, the third generation S&W autos and the Ruger P85 we shot the stuffings out of all three. I was carrying a 39-2 at the time (the 59 series never fit my hand) but when the dust settled I bought a Ruger in the event I ever went back in uniform (I didn't). IIRC about half the uniform division went with the Ruger. When they delisted the earlier S&Ws for detectives instead of buying a 3906 I reverted to a revolver.

 

[cda322]

They are absolute tanks. I had a KP90 early on in my gun-buying days and I regret selling it. It was a great gun. However, when I think about picking up one for old-time’s sake, I come to the conclusion that it’s just $500 I could put towards another 1911, or a Sig P220, which I also regret selling.

 

[CH4]

As a guy who values form and function equally, the hideous aesthetics of the Ruger P series autos failed to interest me in the least, especially the P85. I don't care how good she can cook; she needs to be good looking too.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

My first "high capacity" pistol was a Ruger P-89. Long story made short, even though I scored 246 out of 250 on the Texas CHL test, I transitioned to a S&W 5903 and a Beretta M-9. A friend at work in the early 90s bought that P-89 for $300.

I still like the metal frames better and have only owned one polymer 9mm, a Walther CCP which I admit to carrying quite often - but it is not "normal capacity", obviously.

 

[6string]

Good thinking, guys! Nice to see folks cutting through industry hype and recognizing real world value.

Of course, that’s what happened with the S&W 645 or 745.
For years, you couldn’t sell one for over $400.
Now they are enjoying a renaissance!

 

[Fishinfool]

I have a lot of respect for the Ruger P series, starting with the P-85. I taught for a couple years at the FLETC in GA. Not a lot of people know one of the largest federal LEO agencies is the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and for a long time the Ruger P series, in 9mm, and DA only was standard issue.

I shot quite a few of them, as well as observed them in action by students. Against my preconceived prejudices, they actually fit my hand well, had good, smooth DA triggers, and were very reliable, as in embarrassing some highly touted SIG's and FN's kind of reliable.

Only problem with them that I remember is the magazines seemed easily damaged when stepped on during combat drills. A VERY under rated weapon. Those guns maintained at the centers armory had a lot of rounds thru them....

Larry