Ashland Gun Club

I was just wondering if anyone can give me some reviews, and info on a Ruger P95DC, and also if anyone has ever saw it in competition. Im pretty sure the US Mil. contracted for 5,000 of them in 2004. Also is this a good home defence weapon?

Thanks

It is unlikely that you would see it used in competition but for general plinking and home defense, it would make a fine gun for the price. Last time I checked, magazines were readily available at good prices.

Excellent choice for home defense and competition. Luckily, this is a sport that will allow any equipment to be competitive in your prospective class. Shooting competitively will also make you a much better gun handler.

Remember the old saying, "The guy with only one gun probably knows how to use it." Train and compete with what you will count your life on, and this will definitely breed confidence in your defense system. This is why we encourage police and other professional gun handlers to shoot in their issued gear. Their safety is paramount to the standings in over-all competition.

You will see that in this sport you are only competing against other guys with the same equipment and or skill level. The class system has practically ended the arms race in this sport. If a newbie shows up with the latest and greatest gun but doesn't have a solid understanding of the mechanics of shooting, then an experienced shooter who really has a feel for his equipment, even if it lacking the bells and whistles, still has the advantage.

A Ruger P89DC was the first centerfire handgun that I ever bought. It gave the impression of being somewhat clunky but was VERY reliable. I shot it a fair amount and eventually sold it. I believe it was the gun I used in my very first USPSA match, way back in 1991. You could do a lot worse than pick a Ruger.

The Ruger 9MM P89DAO (Double Action Only) version was the first standard issue automatic pistol approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It replaced the .38 special revolver for standard issue, in 1995.

Around 1998/99 the Ruger P95DAO was added to the contract, supplementing the P89DAO. Smaller handed staff found the grip size of the P95 a better fit then the P89.

In 2002 the Beretta 92G Vertec, in 9MM, Double Action Only, won the contract for standard issue pistols, replacing the Rugers.

This year (2008) the Ruger P95DAO won the contract back for standard issue pistols.

The P95's that I used in service worked very well, feeding hollowpoints without any problems. Accuracy depends on the shooter, but the pistol was capable of perfect 330 scores on the Pistol Qualification Course. Issued with both Hogue grip sleeves (Handalls) and without, it was a comfortable pistol to handle.

Being Double Action Only, the trigger pull was long but revolver like. With no safety's or decockers to use, in many ways the Ruger P95DAO is a high(er) capacity revolver.

The only issue I saw was with the recoil spring system. It was a captive double spring setup, with an outer and inner spring held onto a full length guide rod. A collar held the springs onto the rod, and that collar relied on a C-clip to hold it onto the guide rod.

The C-clip came off or broke fairly easily. If that happened, it did not interfere with the pistol's functioning. But when you field stripped the pistol for cleaning, both springs came off of the guide rod. Re-assembly became a bit more difficult. Not impossible, just harder.

Thanks ducky, I was hoping to see you in this thread.