View Full Version : On Ruger handguns...
As a general rule, Rugers seem to rank below Glock, S&W, Beretta, HK, etc. on the desirability scale. Never having owned, fired, or even handled one - why is that? Presumably they're lacking in one or more of the important areas of durability, accuracy, reliability, or ergonomics.
Thoughts/opinions?
I think their semi autos are weak in the ergonomics department, especially the larger guns. Something LCP or LC9 sized I expect to trade form for function.
That being said, their revolvers are very common and desirable for being overbuilt and reliable.
Plus you have the 10/22 which doesn't need an explanation.
Their customer service is supposed to be fantastic.
Their revolvers have always served me well. And as was mentioned their 10/22 is pretty much the benchmark for a .22lr semi auto. I mean when it is so common you can build one without a single factory part it is impressive. The MkII and III series of .22lr handguns are well regarded as well. So there is that. And they probably are a bit more refined than a keltec in regards to a pocket .380 or 9mm. At least in my opinion.
That said, the rest of their full size handgun line, specifically semi auto, is well, less than amazing. While I only have a fleeting experience with their polymer striker guns, I do a good deal of time behind of their p89s and well, ergos are well, pretty crappy. It is slick and pretty much demanded the hogue grip panels I put on it to make it even reasonably controllable. Also, if you think a Beretta M9 is shit in regards to where the safety is you really must try the Ruger P89 or 85 because it will make you run to the pizza blazer and hug it in appreciation of how ergonomic that slide mounted safety is. It is also brick heavy. The slide is massive and it is the only gun I have ever heard described as shooting a sling shot because the amount of mass coming back and then going forward does kind of feel like that. Oh, and the triggers suck pretty bad too, gritty, long, heavy-ish. That said, the one I have, has been very reliable and it has eaten everything. Knew a guy who was running drunken reloads(Stuff reloaded while drinking. Heavily.) And the gun kept chugging along, even when they were feeding it stuff that was probably in the +P+ range if not hotter since it was reliably splitting cases.
The Ruger P series I look at as kind of a budget M9 or Sig P226 series of DA/SA autos. The ones I have had and shot work, but they lack a great deal of refinement, and are big, bulky, and just lack attention to detail. The polymer guns I feel are similar in regards to lacking the attention to detail, at least the details that make other guns more desirable.
Now, would I but a Ruger Polymer stirker fired handgun? Probably not. Too invested in Glocks and would only likely go to H&K if I go to soemthing other polymer striker fired wonder gun. Would I buy another P series ruger? Actually yes. For the right price I might consider as a back up truck gun if it works and shoots as accurately as the other one I have. But then again for the right price I may be convinced to buy almost anything.
I have only good things to say about the lcp .380acp, which works whereas the KelTec usually dos not. Mention was made of the P89. I think it's listed on R's web site as one that they no longer repair. My opinion of their center fire pistols(not their 1911s)is that Ruger was never able to get the clunker aspect out of the design.
Inkslinger
09-05-16, 18:23
I have only good things to say about the lcp .380acp, which works whereas the KelTec usually dos not. Mention was made of the P89. I think it's listed on R's web site as one that they no longer repair. My opinion of their center fire pistols(not their 1911s)is that Ruger was never able to get the clunker aspect out of the design.
I have a LCP. The extractor claw broke off after maybe 12 rounds fired. Ruger took care of it and I haven't had any trouble since.
The American is a large step toward resolving those apprehensions. Along with being designed to compete for the military's modular sidearm contract award (If they go ahead with it), it also just plain looks good. The design and aesthetics are light years ahead of the SR series of pistols and, while both are striker fired polymer framed sidearms, the American has the things that tactical shooters want, ie; rail for mounting a light and ambidextrous controls for easier off-hand shooting. This is a watershed moment for Ruger in the tactical sidearms market, just like the SR-556 was in the AR market. It shows buyers Ruger is serious about gaining some market share and is willing to put in the development time to get there. Lastly, it shoots very nice. The trigger has the normal amount of take up to a predictable break with a short reset and recoil is very tolerable. I took the plunge in February when they first came out and have just over 1,000 rounds through my 9 mm American Pistol and not a single hiccup with standard JHP ammo. I like it and carry it at the range a lot. It's been a great pistol ever since the first shot and it's not going anywhere!
Not sure about foreign militaries, but as far as I'm aware, Ruger has never managed to break into the US military market.
I have a LC9S Pro(quite a mouthful) and it's a good gun. It was my summer time carry until my wife got her carry permit and jacked it. The pro model doesn't have the safety on the slide or the magazine disconnect feature. The trigger is really good, the sights are good, and for me the the ergonomics are good. I have eight hundred rounds through it and it has given me no problems. I had a LCP and that was a great little gun to carry, just not shoot. The sights were hard to pick up and that long DAO trigger was no fun at all. It did work every time though. I would and have recommended the LC9S Pro to several people and will continue to do so.
I've carried an LC9 for 5yrs now and love it. It's not everyone's 'cup of tea' because it has a safety, same with the full-size SR9.
Some feel that in a high-stress situation the safety will throw them off. Manipulating the safety is part of my practice drills and I'm comfortable with it.
SomeOtherGuy
09-05-16, 21:09
Not sure about foreign militaries, but as far as I'm aware, Ruger has never managed to break into the US military market.
Back around 2004/05 or so they got a decent size US gov contract for P95 pistols to equip some allied military - I think Iraqi. I'm not aware of any Rugers being purchased for use by the US military. If the P85 (their first semiauto 9mm) had been around c. 1983 it probably would have had a good chance at the US Army pistol contract. But it wasn't.
As a general rule, Rugers seem to rank below Glock, S&W, Beretta, HK, etc. on the desirability scale. Never having owned, fired, or even handled one - why is that? Presumably they're lacking in one or more of the important areas of durability, accuracy, reliability, or ergonomics.
Thoughts/opinions?
I guess they just don't seem "foreign or exotic". But they are generally well made guns that work right. Generally. I don't recall having one that didn't work like it was supposed to.
I have a LC9S Pro(quite a mouthful) and it's a good gun. It was my summer time carry until my wife got her carry permit and jacked it. The pro model doesn't have the safety on the slide or the magazine disconnect feature. The trigger is really good, the sights are good, and for me the the ergonomics are good. I have eight hundred rounds through it and it has given me no problems. I had a LCP and that was a great little gun to carry, just not shoot. The sights were hard to pick up and that long DAO trigger was no fun at all. It did work every time though. I would and have recommended the LC9S Pro to several people and will continue to do so.
I also have an LC9S Pro that I carry every day that I don't carry my G26. Mine has been shot maybe 2X as much as yours, I've even let a couple students use it for CCW classes. Mine like yours has been trouble free. It's snappy with full power loads compared to larger and heavier pistols but it also fits in places a lot better. And it's as accurate at CCW distances as my G26, I just can't run it as fast. For the $300+- that they cost I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything any better.
Over the years, I have owned more Rugers than anything else.
The revolvers are solidly built and easy to tweak with after market spring packs from Wolf. I had a gp100 stainless for years and sold it in a series of regrettable gun deals that resulted in a GLOCK 17.
Vaqueros and are popular in SASS.
RedHawks and Blackhawks are an alternative to S&W big bores.
Semi autos have had a rough time due to ergonomics, never function.
Anything that says Ruger on the side will work. If you manage to break it, Customer service is top notch.
Revolvers, good. 10/22, good. Full size auto loaders? Reliable, strong, and acceptable accuracy. However, they are big and heavy. I'd sooner carry a mare's leg, and get my Steve McQueen on...
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My experience with ruger handguns, but semi and revolvers is that they work perfectly fine, but they're not nearly as refined as their counterparts from other companies. They're always "off" in some respect compared the competition, a little bigger, a little heavier, a little rougher, etc etc.
My wife's car gun is a GP100 357. Goes bang every time and is a tack driver. It's heavier and not nearly as smooth as an equivalent S&W though. Cheaper than a S&W so that's expected.
Close college friend had a Ruger P89 that we shot god only knows how many rounds through. In the 5 years I spent in school with us shooting every other weekend, I don't recall it ever having a failure. It was a big heavy brick though. Figure you can always throw it at a perp after you're out of ammo, give em a nice concussion....
Not sure about foreign militaries, but as far as I'm aware, Ruger has never managed to break into the US military market.
The Service Six was adopted by the U.S.A.F as the M108 for air crews and MP's. And there was a South American (I forget which one) country that used the Mini-14 as their service rifle years ago. But yeah, they weren't at the tip of the spear.
SomeOtherGuy
09-06-16, 14:50
The Service Six was adopted by the U.S.A.F as the M108 for air crews and MP's. And there was a South American (I forget which one) country that used the Mini-14 as their service rifle years ago. But yeah, they weren't at the tip of the spear.
Not sure about a South American country, but the Bermuda Regiment - the one and only military in Bermuda (which is a UK dependency, but has a degree of sovereignty) - used some form of the Mini-14 (possibly the ACR-556 selective fire version) as their service rifle for many decades, which ended only in the last 5 years or so if I remember correctly.
There is also a French police rifle which is a licensed derivative of the Mini-14. France apparently wanted a less-EBR looking rifle for police use, but with capability beyond the limits of the older manually operated designs.
Some PD used their P series. I look at Ruger like Buick. They kinda stayed in the 80s. Seems like Ruger decided to keep their semi autos with the lower end of the civilian market. The new American looks promising but I think it's a little late for that. The market is flooded with good modern and proven guns in the $500 range
My first handgun was a P95.
In December 2004, Ruger was awarded a contract for 5,000 KP95D pistols by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois
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As stated above, Rugers 10/22, there revolver lines( da/sa and sa lines) 22 MkII & MkIII rimfire pistols and Id like to add there AR SR556/762 MSR line as good, solid buys that can always be helped by a little tweaking here and there. I tried (and owned) with a P90, P95, P944,SR 9 pistols but they were an ergonomic nightmare. Too big where they didnt have to be, sharp edges, etc. Plus almost zero aftermarket support. There were reliable but accuracy wasnt there claim to fame. If thats the only gun I could get, then Id run with it but there are far better choices. Hell Im even looking for All American pistol so I havent turned myback on Ruger by any means.
Adrenaline_6
09-06-16, 21:06
Don't forget the SR22 pistol. Its eaten everything so far and is hella fun to shoot.
Don't forget the SR22 pistol. Its eaten everything so far and is hella fun to shoot.
+1. Those are good guns.
Two best pistols which Ruger produced were the Ruger P90 in .45 ACP and the Mark II .22 pistol.
bulldozer3
09-07-16, 02:38
Don't forget the SR22 pistol. Its eaten everything so far and is hella fun to shoot.
Agreed, it's the first 22lr semi auto I've seen that is actually pretty darn reliable. I've feed all sorts of ammo through mine and it chugs it all. Great pistol to teach new shooters on and then give them a hammer fired da/sa 9mm.
(talking regular da/SA, not SA target guns)
Owned a ruger mk1 or mk2 22 pistol since the early 80s. I'd love to have a SW 41, but from a reliability and simplicity perspective the mk2 is hard to beat.
I competed in silhouette with mine, and pretty much never had a malf. In fact, the only malf I recall over decades was when the bolt was so gummed up after thousands of rounds that it would not close with spring pressure. Even then, a quick spray with lube put it back in business.
I've also come to an appreciation for Blackhawks late in life
Hearesy here, but I had a GB stainless mini that was a truck, just simple and worked. Just use ruger factory mags. It was my filthy 14 for decades before AR became so available and reliable
Certain #1 and 77 compact hunting rifles are classics.
seribralcrow
09-13-16, 09:10
I had a P345r for a few years as my first pistol (money was tight). The ergonomics were terrible for my hand. The pistol didn't balance well when firing.
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I have had Ruger MK II's since the early 90's. They have always been accurate and reliable. I still have three, a 5.5 inch bull barrel Target model, a 4 inch bull barrel 22/45 Target, and a Standard Model 50th Anniversary model. All great shooters.
tacticaldesire
09-14-16, 23:45
Their revolver line is solid and one of the best on the market. Their .22lr pistols are great and their LCR, LCP, LC9 coverings are decent too for what they offer. But then it comes to their other semi auto handguns such as the SR9, P series, and yes even the American, I can not think of a single good reason to recommend one to anybody aside from maybe price. In a world of $500 P320s, PPQs, Glock 19s, I just don't see a good reason to choose a Ruger over other offerings. Ruger tried with the American and it's a solid gun, but like their other semi auto handguns, it just doesn't quite reach. If they were to release a REV2 of the American I think they'd be there. I don't know if the brand has completely gotten rid of their "fudd" label yet either.
They're headed in the right direction but they don't quite have the appeal of a Glock, Sig, M&P etc. to most. Aside from their pocket guns, I haven't seen anyone show up to qualifications, training, classes etc. with a Ruger.
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