Ruger p89... should I?

[DurdyBert45]

Just wondering if anybody has anything good or bad to say about these. I want to trade away an old mossberg rifle that I don't really need for an inexpensive range/durable 9mm just so I can round out my caliber collection. If the defacation hits the oscillating machinery I would like to have a choice in caliber so adding a good full size battle 9mm would make me feel better. Dont want to spend any money so I'm not looking for the usual "save your money and buy something else" comments. Just would like some opinions on the ruger and if its worth the time or effort to trade a mossberg 800B for. Thanks in advance guys.

 

[OFT II]

I had one a few years ago. It was a good gun, reliable and fairly accurate. My biggest gripe was that the mags were so hard to load.

 

[gm272gs]

They work great. I think they feel like you're holding a fence pole in your hand, though.

 

[OilTrader]

I have a P90DC, and its not too bad. Very ugly and accurate, eats everything I've fed it. If it were to ever fail at the wrong time, it could easily double as a club. I'm not too sure if I would rather be hit by the .45 slug, or beat over the head with the pistol itself.

 

[Arik]

My first gun. It was ok. The best I can say is it was reliable. I was shooting one day near a bunch of strangers who happened to be off duty cops. They were busting my chops about the P89, calling it a blue light special. It was all in good fun and nothing personal. One guy let me try his Glock 26 and even though it's too small for my hands and I was switching from a DA/SA to a striker fired gun for the first time, my groups shrank by half.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[b_san]

My first handgun that I purchased myself, the biggest P.O.S. I've ever owned and the only gun I've ever sold. I celebrated the day I finally sold it.

 

[DurdyBert45]

My first handgun that I purchased myself, the biggest P.O.S. I've ever owned and the only gun I've ever sold. I celebrated the day I finally sold it.

What did you hate so much about it?

 

[b_san]

Heavy gun, terrible trigger, bad ergonomics. I had numerous ejection issues as well, randomly clean or dirty with different ammo. I was a poor college student way back then so it was my only handgun for awhile. Got a job and bought a Glock and sold the P89DC. It was a happy day.

 

[xray97]

I was issued a P89 when the dept. I worked for made the transition from S&W m66 to semi-auto. My impression was that is was a reliable no-frills gun. I had no problems with it's performance and it was as accurate as anything else I've shot.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I bought this one, a LE evidence gun, in the summer of 2009 for $135.00. It was in pieces in a box, I built five guns out of that box. While this Ruger worked, it was eat up with ugly and every piece in it groaned, moaned, or clanked when it was fired. I couldn't sell it fast enough. I would suggest you hold off on acquiring one of these.

 

[lrmnut]

I have a P89 I call it the club but that being said I bought it new it's not as heavy as it looks its very reliable and accurate its no different then any full size double stack my 9mm holds 15 rds I think that you woulgn't have any regrets. IMHO

 

[W.E.G.]

There is a certain anti-hero panache in the P-85 and p-89.

The sort of gun that knows exactly what it is, and what would knock you down the stairs if you get smarty about it. The ideal companion to a rusty El Camino, and a torn ball-cap advertising an off-brand chewing tobacco.

I have a couple P-95's. While the 95's work much like the 85 and 89, they seem to have identity issues associated with their plastic bottoms. Sort of like going to see "Brokeback Mountain" --- but only for the farm scenes.

 

[2152hq]

I only ever had one P89 apart. A friends very used and somewhat abused pistol that I took and stripped completely & cleaned for him.
It was giving a few fail to feed problems but after a cleaning worked fine. That was some years ago and probably hasn't been cleaned again since if he still has it. The hi-cap mag is a no-no here anyway since the SAFE Act.

I kidded him about the pistol being made for Ruger at a small factory in the Balkans. Kind of has that look and feel both inside and out.

Not something I'd be interested in, but that particular pistol functioned well with little care. Just needed a good cleaning which it never got. No beauty contest winner but they weren't made with that in mind.

What caliber is the 800 in?

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I never had a P- 89 but have P-95 DC that works just fine. Ugly as a mud fence but digests everything I put thru it. Lousy trigger pull but I got used to it Like most Rugers it was built to last.

 

[OLDFED]

My Thoughts.

Buy a Smith & Wesson.

 

[Ranger514]

I bought a P89 I used as a trainer when my agency decided it would transition from revolvers to DA/SA back in the early 90's. I never had any feed or failure issues. It wasn't as accurate for me as my 686, but then neither is the Sig my agency subsequently issued me. Over all, I'd say it's a decent, reliable handgun, suitable for HD or field carry.

 

[zzzippper]

I had one. Never any problems. Never any love. I sold mine to a gun shop. I later heard it was used in a robbery.

 

[SmokeStack Lightning]

I've got the P-90DC in SS, bought new in 1989.

Shoots evertime, never had a FTF or FTE.

It's as accurate as I am.

It's in my quick access lock box in my bedroom on my nite stand for home defense purposes.

I tried to conceal carry it, but my shoulder got sore from the weight.

Now I carry a Glock G-36+1 and no more sore shoulder.

 

[mtgianni]

I owned a P-89. The best day with it was when I sold it the second best was the day i brought it home. DA trigger pull was in excess of 30 lbs maybe 25. SA pull was over 10. Factory ammo with it's best group was 4" @ 25 yards, best reloads were 6". This was with 5 or 6 different powders and bullet weights from 115-147 gr. Kimber 45 put things into 2" @ 50 so it might not all have been the shooter. I finally shot the trigger enough it had a 6 lb pull with SA and a 15 W DA. Boat anchors weigh less than this did.
OTOH, it had no feed issues or stovepipes just a failure to hit where it was pointed. I would not trade an old H&R single shot 12 gauge for two, let alone one. Look at a BHP, a CZ or Tanfaglio, even an LCP 9mm ruger if you like them.

 

[ralph7]

I think one thing that is lost here is that the OP is wanting to trade away his Mossberg for another marque that is in the same bottom feeder category.
I would do the trade, as I have always had good results with those ugly P series autoloader nines, and never really cared to own a Mossberg anything, longer than it took to flip it.