I just bought my first handgun, less than two weeks after I turned 21! I haven't heard much about the p-89. I would be much obliged if some one could give a personal review or any general comment about it. Also where can I get a factory high cap for it.
FOr all you MD members I bought it at Atlantic Guns in Rockville.

I have one and have had it for 10 years.

The grips are so slippery you cannot shoot it when sweating or in rain. I replaced with the hogue rubber sides.

The trigger is bad DA, fair SA.

The sights suck, but can be replaced with no problems at all by a drunken smith with a punch in 5 minutes.

The gun feels bad when it shoots, like it is a loose collection of parts waiting to fall in a rain of metal to the ground.

It is very easy to forget to flip down the stamped metal when taking it apart.

The gun runs 100%. It always works, no matter what. No jams ever.

After a trip to the factory, it is very very accurate.

Happyshooters reply sounds like a AK47 reveiw.I've never seen any problems w/89's.They do "feel"=no slip,.. better w/hogues.As long as its not all shot out=all loose and stuff when its not 'cycling/running' your probally ok.If it breaks send it back to RUGER.They'll rebuild it for FREE!.The RUGER hi-caps(15)are out there @30-35ea.try AArms.

As far as pistols go, the P-89 is a fine boat anchor. For the money and what your spending on hicaps you should have got a used Glock.

First of all, people rag on rugers because of political issues. Good issues but still just political issues.

Secondly:

Pros:
Reliable as hell
Shoots well
Cheap Hi-cap mags
Easy to strip
Good support
Inexpensive

Cons
Top heavy
Big
A bit loose (tiny bit)

Unfortunately, a lot of people rag on the P series cause it isn't quite as good as some other gun that they own. It is however a damn good gun and very good bargain.

And when it runs out of ammo you still have a deadly weapon. Just hit someone across the head with it and you'll love your purchase then.

Don't be tempted to buy a Glock. They are damn good guns but the hi-cap mags will break you bigtime. Get a HS-2000. Its like a glock but better. And you can use other gun's hi-cap mags in it. Don't get me wrong, I love my glock but I gave it to my exgirlfriend when I got my HS-2000.

Enemy,

I think you made a good choice.  Guys get off his back this is his first gun and I'm sure he will move on up the food chain of handguns! [:)]

The brother in law bought a p89 when they first came out.....loves it....used to argue with me about how it was as good as the more expensive types.....his p89 is a lot less finniky than my 659smith...one of the more expensive types!.....[stick]

Someone just told me about a shop in Rockville, was it a nice shop enemy?  Where do you shoot?


Nuckles.   [smash]

Actually, some of the Ruger .40 mags will serve nicely as hicap 9mm mags in the P89 and cost a lot less.

The P89 is a great gun.  As has been said, they never jam, they are accurate, and they are heavy and overbuilt, which I think is good.  Definitely get the Hogues, I have them on all my Rugers and my Sigs.  Also, get night sights.  

For some, the Rugers aren't expensive enough.  It's called snobbery.

Is this from experience, or just what you've heard from others.

Ruger .40 mags will serve nicely as hicap 9mm mags in the P89 and cost a lot less.

I tried this once since The range guy had a mag and wanted to know if it would. It didnt work for me! The .40 Ruger mag (a real one) seemed to be too long and wouldnt lock up. If you are going to try this I suggest you take your gun along and try before you buy. I dont like the P89 because the bore axis is too high. It just doesnt snuggle down in my hand like some others do. Here is one thing you can take to the bank though, when you pull the trigger it will ALWAYS go boom! Dirty, wet, crap ammo it just doesnt care! And thats what its all about anyway. Enjoy your gun!

Alrigt guys, thank you for the replys. When I went shopping for the handgun I looked at a few different types.I have a number of guns and am definitly not a babe in the woods when it comes to guns. Due to time constraints however I was not able to really look around. I almost bought a glock for $499 but it didn't feel good in my hand; like the muzzle was pointing high. I really like the way the P-89 felt. The price was real good too. Nuckles, I go shooting at the Izak Walton League in Darnstown or Poolesville.They have a very nice range. If you are looking for a good price Atlantic guns is not the way to go. They are a little high. But the selection is decent. They have a lot of western style shooting firearms, and acceseries. Here is where I put a plug in for my favorite gunstore. Its in Lewisburg Pennsylvania. Mertz rod and GUN #570-473-9560.I know the propieater personally and he is an outstanding guy. You can do a transfer through him for 20$. That means new bushmaster's for 640$, 600$ for the A1 sights. And MD residents can purchase them there.
He usually has CZ's for $300-350. But will order aything for you.

EOS- The P89 was my first handgun as well, bought with the high caps.  You can actually find the high caps for relatively cheap on the web.  It is an OK pistol, but sturdy as hell.  I shoot +P+ out of it without a hiccup, nice fireball though. [;)]

FYI:  The .40 magazines from the P91 will fit and function fine in your gun, and will accept more than ten rounds of 9mm.  Make sure you don't accidentally purchase one of these mags and fill it with 9mm to use.  That would be illegal.  Oops, just saw this was already posted.

I've had a P-89-DC for years. It has never FTF. It is reasonably accurate, rugged, dependable.
I love to shoot it.
When it comes to Glocks....Not me. I'll stick with Rugers.
Jim

I started out shooting the P90. I will agree that it doesn't have a lot of problems. It is reasonably accurate, and fairly reliable. But I then started shooting a lot. As I became more competitive, I began to realize that this is not a gun I want to spend the rest of my life with. I started shooting other peoples 1911's and Paras and Berettas and so forth...the Ruger feels pretty crude, by all those standards. None of the guys who were shooting state and national shot the Ruger, I noticed, and I wanted to shoot at that level. It was a fine gun to begin with, but you'll want something else eventually.(who doesn't) I have been there with the Ruger and know it's not up to the task when you want to get serious.BTW all this time later and I haven't made a national yet.It's not snobbery, it's common sense.[:D]

Yes, my first handgun was also a Ruger P-89.  I bought it while I was in college because it was cheap.  Now 8 years and thousands of rounds latter it is still my primary shooting handgun.  It's not as pretty or slick looking as a Glock, Sig, Beretta, or H&K, but it gets the job done.  I've also shot competitively with it.  I haven't won any trophies with it, but I've done a lot better than some good shooters with much more expensive handguns.  Interestingly enough, I also shoot no better when shooting with a Beretta, Glock, 1911, etc.  As long as a gun goes bang when you pull the trigger and is of decent quality it is the person behind the gun that determines the accuracy.

P.S. Get the Hogue grips!

Well...since we're on the web.  I've got like a half dozen or so new P89 mags (by Promag I think) that I've been sitting on for a couple of years.  I never took the time to actually sell them. If you're a needin' feel free to make me an offer.

Thanks enemy, thats the place, lots of western stuff.  The guy that told me is into western stuff and thats what he said too.  Thanks for the tip on the range, I will check into that.


Nuckles.   [smash]

Hello all, Hi enemy I love my hammer also...
www.cheaperthandirt.com has 15 and 30 round mags, But I woudl like to recieve an e-mail from Robbie and see what he's got.
30 rd mag are 16.97 at cheaperthandirt

Well P-89'ers my first was a P-85 and she's still kicking. Like mentioned before Hogue grips, and Trijicon night sights on my baby. I've never had a FTF! Dirty loads, +P, +P+, reloads you name it she'll shoot it. My P-85 is like a Chevy truck. 'Like a Rock' I think she's related to my AK or something :)

Enjoy

....and the P89DC is at least as good looking as those butt ugly Glocks.
Jim

Well, the first gun I bought was a used P89, and since I got it I've prolly put close to 1.5k rounds through it, everything from dirt-cheap Wolf to Hydra Shoks, all without a glitch.

It's definately on the large side, but I have fairly large hands so for me it's quite comfortable, however, I'd reccommend getting the Hogue grips.
Accuracy wise, it's pretty good, when *I'm* shooting well. [;)]

Would I buy it again? Yup.
Would I trust it as a self-defense weapon? Most definately.

AR

Have you considered the P90 in .45?  I got mine brand new from a local dealer for less than $300.  I had a Ruger P95DC that I sold a few years back.  I just like shooting .45's.  Bad guys fear them.

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