The Ruger P90

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The Ruger P90 is a much misunderstood and often overlooked pistol with remarkable virtues. It operates with a similar firing mechanism to the 1911A1, but with a SA/DA slide-mounted safety/decocker. It was initially developed to accommodate the then up-and-coming 10mm round developed for the FBI. Before production began, the 10mm was already losing favour and the team at Sturm Ruger decided keep the basic design, rechambered for the venerable .45acp. The result is a massively over-engineered handgun that is built like a tank, is reliable beyond belief and able to take whatever abuse you can throw at it. And then some. The trigger is smooth and light, even in double action mode, while accuracy is better than most comparable stock .45s.

Though it is feed from a singlestack 8rd magazine, the grip is big and wide and unsuitable for small, delicate hands. Constructed of stainless steel with an alloy frame, it is still a heavy pistol unsuited to concealed carry for most of us mortals. The ambidextrous safety/decocker is big and has a smooth, easy operation and a reassuring positive ‘click’ that lets you know when it is engaged and disengaged.

Now replaced by the ubiquitous line of polymer framed modernist pistols, the old Ruger P90 is often overlooked and under-valued. If you feel the need for a .45 for the home, vehicle or just for fun at the range then this one certainly warents further investigation.
The Drop Bear, Thylarctos plummetus, is a large, arboreal, predatory marsupial related to the Koala.
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Re: The Ruger P90

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The descendant of the P90 is the P345, which is what I have. It's a great 8+1 .45 caliber that is accurate as hell. Used ones run about $350. The other good thing is that 345s will accept the older P90 magazines.
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Re: The Ruger P90

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I've got a Ruger P90 - It's a POS!
And I love it for what it is.

I paid $300 for it with the Hogue grips and a couple mags, popped in some stiff Wolff springs, and voilà, I've made a +P90!
It's my beat-it-to-death gun for shooting Buffalo Bore, Underwood, and similarly ridiculous loads.
Like this 1350fps Glaser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgYe99xV ... ature=plcp

The one point I must disagree with you about is the trigger of the P90, which is by far the worst of any .45 that I've ever fired. Travel, creep, reset distance - they all suck.

Re: The Ruger P90

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I like the P series. I had a P97 and really liked it but wasn't ready to reload so .45ACP ate me out of house and home so I sold it towards a K frame. And really, I like .45 in a wheel gun even more :)

That said, I fully intend to get a P95 as a service semi-auto. It's quite high on my "to get" list by virtue of bang for buck.
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: The Ruger P90

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gaucheGlock wrote:
Fukshot wrote:I think I like the grosbeaks better than the watermelon, but what do I know?
Good for you, Grrl. But what about the green heron fishing? Can you dig my partner talking in the background?
Please tell me that your partner is the adult voice :blink:

BTW, tomorrow is Monday, the day that friends and I like to make eachother's workdays easier by sending cheerful videos and pictures. Tomorrow will be:

Re: The Ruger P90

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My uncle had a P89. I was weened on the 1911 and found the trigger pull to be awful, which led me to the conclusion that Ruger makes a fantastic wheel gun and .22 auto, but should stay out of the big bore auto loader biz. However, my technique has changed massively since then and I have thought that I might ought to give it a second chance. They are nice looking guns, in any case.
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Re: The Ruger P90

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The trigger certainly can't compete with SAO pistols like the 1911, but I find it to be smooth and crisp in SA mode. DA is a long heavy pull, but still reasonable for what it is.
The Drop Bear, Thylarctos plummetus, is a large, arboreal, predatory marsupial related to the Koala.

Re: The Ruger P90

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We have a P345 as a rental. It's not as popular as either the Kimber 1911 or the Glock 21, both also in .45 ACP. However, I can confirm Doc's observations. The Ruger P-series is indeed built like a tank, including the 9mm Para versions. Since I have pretty big hands, it fits me just fine, as does a Glock 21. However, smaller hands do have a little trouble with it in a lot of cases.

The trigger is what I'd call, "OK", but that's compared to the S&W wheelgun triggers that I have the exquisite pleasure of using on a regular basis. Compared to those, anything else falls into the "OK" category, including the Redhawks, which actually have a good trigger pull. So, it's all relative to what you're used to.

Is the P-series's trigger useable? Yep. It works just fine.

Is the pistol reliable? You betcha. I've seen a Ruger pistol stovepipe exactly once, and that was with a severe case of limp-wristing. The woman shooting it tightened up her grip a bit and locked her wrists as we instructed her, and she didn't have any further problems, other than the grip being a bit big for her hands. She tried the Kimber 1911 and it, too, was a bit big, so she ultimately settled on the S&W M&P as a good fit for her.

But if I needed a "Timex" sort of .45 ACP, the Ruger P-series would be a good choice. Heck, so would a Glock 21. Of the two, Rugers are 'Murrican, so I'd probably go that way first, since I like both equally, and they're slightly lower priced than Glocks are.

I am continuously amazed at how remarkably affordable used Ruger big-bore handguns are...for what you pay, you get a heckuva lot of handgun.
"SF Liberal With A Gun + Free Software Advocate"
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Re: The Ruger P90

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Mine has been in the family for 20 years and in the fourth owner. My cousin bought it new when he worked security at the San Antonio Riverwalk.

I sometime think about selling it - I like the idea of having the same controls on all my handguns (frame safety = down to shoot), but when I see the market value of the P90 I just couldn't part with it. I really believe it is 'worth' twice what people are paying for them.
The Drop Bear, Thylarctos plummetus, is a large, arboreal, predatory marsupial related to the Koala.

Re: The Ruger P90

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Used Redhawks are, too. I still sometimes see 'em sold for in the mid-$400's, and they're in good shape. An equivalent S&W, say a Model 29 or 629, would be nearly double that, and don't even get me started on Colt Anacondas. Heck, even Taurus Raging Bulls cost more than a lot of Redhawks I've seen, and the RH is a better, stronger gun.

Example: my Super Redhawk 454 came with a 2x Leupold and rings. Price: $550. With shipping/FFL fees, $600. With Leupold included. Apparently it's the same situation with P-series pistolas.

Go figure.
"SF Liberal With A Gun + Free Software Advocate"
http://www.sanfranciscoliberalwithagun.com/
http://www.liberalsguncorner.com/
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Re: The Ruger P90

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I bought a P345 in 2007. It was very accurate but would choke on my reloads and, after I got a P89 duo tone in late 2007, I traded it off for a P90 duo tone to match. The P345's slide stop started to pop out when I released the slide and once I had the dreaded click-no-bang. I wasn't very accurate with the P89 or P90 and the P90 would choke on my flat point reloads too, although the P89 never malfunctioned ever. I sent the P90 back to Ruger because the rear sight was seized and they refused to fix it. Davidson's made it right by replacing the gun (the duo tone P series were Davidson's exclusives) but I was soured on Ruger pistols and sold both guns and replaced them with Witness Elite Matches. The 45 eats everything and I can carve out the bullseye of my targets now. The 9mm with the new Mec Gar built mags is stone cold reliable too and is laser accurate. They are much better looking pistols too. I love Ruger revolvers and 22 pistols but no more of their centerfire pistols for me.

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