Ruger
Another brand name that everyone is familiar with is Ruger. Now my first hearing of the Ruger name is probably because of the Ruger Blackhawk, yeah, you know, the monstrosity of a revolver that was featured in every old western that ever aired on Saturday afternoon TV when you were a kid… To my delight, Ruger also makes well thought of semi-autos. I recently read an article about the new Ruger SR-9 (more on that later) and that peaked my interest in the brand. Ruger has 3 current model 9mm pistols offered, the SR-9, the P89 and the P95, a quick browsing of gunbroker also shows older P85 series pistols available.
The P85
The P85 was the first design of a 9mm ruger made and was intended to compete for the military contract to replace the 1911 as a service weapon but development didn’t finish in time. Several rounds of improvements later, and the “improved” model the P89 was released. Basically, the P89 is a newer version if the P85 with larger levers, a firing pin block, and better accuracy.
The P95
Released in 1995, the P95 was the first polymer framed pistol that Ruger made. The frame actually has no metal inserts in it, unlike many of the polymer pistols of the time. It also uses a different recoil mechanism than the P8x series resulting in less recoil. It is also smaller and lighter than the P89 series.
The SR-9
Released only a month ago, this is one that I’ve actually held in my hand. It is Ruger’s first striker fired pistol, bringing Ruger up to par with some of the older striker fired designs. Again, I’ve held this one, its light (less than 28Oz.) feels good in my hand, and the action seems very smooth. It has a 17 round magazine making it wonderful for home defense, plus it has a manual safety which I like. And Ruger decided to add in a reversible back strap so that you can tailor the grip to you liking. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it has a stainless slide, which I’m not super crazy about.
I am not super crazy about the P series pistols though with a price tag under $400, they cant be ruled out. The SR9, with its $500 or so price tag, is another contender for my first purchase.
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