Ruger P89 - They don't make 'em like this anymore! 

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Got my P89 as my first semi-auto pistol in 1997 and carried it as my primary duty weapon as a deputy sheriff. It now resides in my nightstand as my home defense gun. It has never malfunctioned. I'll never get rid of it.

Built like tank, reliable, comfortable, accurate, easy to load, easy to clean, decocker, AND ambidextrous manual safety and mag release! Awesome.

this is the first semi-auto I ever purchased (1984). Still resides in my night stand for home protection today. Mine is the stainless version. Not a bad pistol for the price back in the day. They are a little on the clunky side by todays standards, but a tank none the less.

I have a P89 for home defense. Absolutely love this gun and it’s durability! Definitely built like a tank

Sharp edges, tiny sights, long trigger and funky controls. I own two (P90 and 91DC) and I love them both.

My first carry gun as a Deputy Sheriff was the P88 then the P89, P94 and finally the P95. We had a running joke if you ran out of ammo you could beat them with it because it was so heavy.. Great shooting gun. Thanks for sharing..

The P series should make a come back.

The Ruger P series were exceptional pistols. I still have my P95 I bought in 96'. Only thing I've had to change out were the magazine springs. It still does home protection 25 years later.

Good to see the old workhorse putting in the work, one of my favorite shooting pistols.

You can’t argue with the results! I’m glad to see you bring some attention to some of the examples from this time period that, while not in vogue right now, are actually fantastic. The fact you can dust off something with “89” in the nomenclature and group so well is telling of the era and type. I recently brought out of storage a minty Swiss Arms P229 .357 Sig that is sweet and sassy! Good stuff 👍

This was so nostalgic, down memory lane. This was my very first firearm, I loved it I had the gun metal gray lower with the stainless slide with a Houge grip. I miss this gun. Thank you for this video!

I bought my P89 brand new, and it has been one of my best friends ever since. Never a misfire, accurate with stock sites, and built like a tank. I've tried other (newer) models for everyday carry, but all of the more modern models chambered in 9MM or .380 feel like toys compared to my faithful Ruger.

This was my uncle’s gun and then got passed to my dad later on. I developed more of an appreciation for these more so than him and I don’t think I’d ever sell this gun. Love it

In '94 I purchased a P90 Ruger, used without evidence of having been fired. All these years later, still less than 150 rounds have been fired. It never occurred to me to sell or trade it. Until seeing a couple of videos on RU-vid, I never saw another P-model Ruger.

What a fantastic video. First of yours I've seen. The Ruger P89 was my very first firearm ever. Bought it (barely) used around 2001 and I still have it and I still love it AND you can still find magazines for it that hold 17 rounds that fit flush. Because of the build quality and the amount of mags I have for it, this is still my SHTF sidearm. You don't see a lot of new videos featuring this gem (I look), so thank you for sharing yours. Subscribed.

I bought mine new in 1992 and to this day my favorite 9mm I own. its a tank and will run any ammo even dirty I mean really dirty and it will still go. most reliable weapon I own for thirty years.

I mowed a lot of lawns and did other chores to get the money to afford this when I was 15. I could only shoot it or handle it, in my dad's presence until I was 18. And at that I could only shoot it when he was close by at our property. I still have it and love it First handgun I ever bought. It doesn't get shot much since my gun interests have evolved and got much more expensive the last 22 years!

I have put thousands of rounds through mine, no work other than regular cleaning and it has never jammed, or misfired on me EVER. It's further proof that the 80s and 90s were the best times to be alive!

Wow, this takes me back a little.Had two p89's one identical to the one you have there and a stainless version also had a p90 which was the.45acp . All where exceptional pistols, wish I still had them. Thanks for the video Justin o 🇺🇸☠️🇺🇸

Mine has been on duty and still working great since the day I purchased it in the Fall of 1994.

Great pistol. I have one, mine is the P89DC variety. Justin's is a pre-AWB model as his has the 15 round mags. Mine was made during the AWB so I have the awesome 10 round mags. Luckily the P89 shares the same mags as the P95 so I have plenty of normal capacity mags. Mecgar also makes 17 round flush fit mags for the P85/89 and P95.

I love mine. It's a used stainless model. It looks brand new. It came with the original box, manual, lock with key and 2 magazines and the metal magazine loader that had no mark's on them. It is built like a tank, had a great double action pull, break is crisp and it has great reset. It shoots great! It's a fantastic retro piece.

I prefer any model of the Ruger P series to anything Glock has ever offered.

I remember when the P85 first came out and so many people crapped on them because they were entirely investment cast. One of the main concerns was that even the barrels were cast (two pieces press fit and welded together on P85, then single piece castings on P89 on up) and people were sure they were going to explode, despite the insane torture tests Ruger put them through. Here we are 30+ years later and there are plenty of P Series pistols with tens of thousands of rounds through them that are still going strong. Many people still look down on castings as inferior to forgings or milled parts, but Ruger has shown they can be insanely strong and durable. I will never part with my P Series guns. 👍

Great video! I’ve had a P89 for 20 years and I’ve always thought it was a very good pistol, and I never thought it was ugly. Excellent shooting by the way!

That thing is a beast! I remember purchasing my first firearm at Kmart! It was a Marlin lever action .22 rifle and just use it yesterday at the range!

My first pistol is a p90. The 45 version. Still own it. Total brick. VERY accurate brick. I love it.

My friend had one of these that he bought bought it new back in 95'. The P-Series were some of the best durable and trustworthy guns that ruger made.

Excellent vid... I own the P90 in .45 ACP.. Gave my mother the P95 in 9mm. My experience, the KP90 (stainless varent, which i bought used) came with an 11 lb. recoil spring!... NOPE. I changed it out for a heavier spring & my gun CRUISES!.. Wish Ruger didn't discontinue this series.... such a functional gun!

I bought my P89 in '00. It's been great, and I didn't buy another one until 2020 (probably because I lived in Commiefornia for most of that time) Hogue made a grip to replace the plastic scales which greatly improves control. The only other change I made was adding a double spring in the slide to reduce recoil. It wasn't typically found on most handguns back then. My Glocks, FNs and S&W all came with double springs. Enjoy your P89, you'll love shooting it.

I had to have a Ruger P89. Ended up finding a mint Stainless one 2 years ago. Just had to have it for the history and I love DA/SA metal frame guns.

Most excellent review as always. I’m yet to watch a video of yours that is boring or not interesting. Everything is precisely as it should be.

I own a lot of expensive pistols .. The p89 is one of my favorites that cost me $289 new in 1993 ..still shoots like a dream. Ruger would make a bundle if they brought back the p89s.. unfortunately their modern polymer guns are crap!! Bring back the p series Ruger ..

The Ruger P Series guns were famous for being able to feed any ammo. If it wouldn’t feed in a P Series gun, then it probably wouldn’t feed in any other brand either. My P Series guns were all reliable feeders and shooters, but they were a little less accurate than other brands; but this wasn’t an issue as for home protection, I wasn’t looking for deadeye accuracy at short ranges. Overall, they’re a great gun; especially for the budget minded.

Ruger P series, 3rd gen Smiths like the 5906, Sig P225/228/230/, Beretta Cougar, etc. So many cool metal pistols from the past that have sadly been abandoned for more and more polymer.

The p95 dc was one of my first pistols and it’s very accurate and reliable as any Glock or sig. get it filthy dirty and it still works fine.

The stainless steel P89 was my very first firearm I purchase as soon as turn the legal age. It was very accurate at long distances. I traded it in on a W. Germany Sig P226.

Loved the comment about buying handguns in department stores. I'm from that era. I remember stopping in Fred Meyer and checking out the P89's in the gun case while I waited to turn 21 so I could buy one.

I bought mine new back in the day from Gander MT & still have it to this day, very sturdy

Excellent video. I have the P85, P85 MKII, P94, P95, & P97. All instructions are the same. Just remember to flip that ejector back up after reassembly. Thanks!

As a P85 owner, all I can say is... How far away was that target? Not the easiest weapon to shoot. The double action pull on one of these is brutal. Nice shootin' !

I had a P89 mkII as my first handgun, absolutely a tank of a pistol. Ended up trading it for a new in box M&P15-22 that would occasionally fire a round if you let the bolt go forward, something S&W never mentioned until 2 years after.

I found a p89 at a pawn shop. At first I didn't want it because it was slightly dinged up, rust in some areas, but it was 200 bucks. So I bought it, broke it down, got rid of thr rust, new handle grip, repainted the slide, and greased it up. It shoots like a Dream

Those P89s were all over the streets of chicago in the late 90s early 2000s lol… that was one of the best guns lol…

I inherited a P95DC in the box with about 20 rounds through it. Serial number shows first year for the P95. Added a Talon Grip granular wrap, Meprolight tritium sights and seeing it came with a 10 rnd only mag I stocked up on 15 rounders. Over its time with me it has seen dust, mud, snow, rain, been submerged and dropped, it is by carry at work and truck gun and sees some shit. Has NEVER failed to work no matter what is loaded or how nasty it is, a tank of a gun! And the included steel loader thingy works great!

My very first handgun was a P94, definitely a tank of a gun. Ended up trading it. Not very good for concealed carry, at least not for me, but excellent car/truck, home defense gun. If you have a P-series keep it don’t get rid of it.

Great comment about shooting one handed. I never thought that before, but I will do that when target shooting.

Great video!! I’ve always wanted a P89. I first saw it when I was back in college in the late 80s but couldn’t afford one! Thank you for commenting on ambidextrous shooting. I believe in that as well; under the best of circumstances, yes you’ll be using a two handed grip. When I go to the range, I always try to shoot at least one magazine or two in my left and right hand.

Super glad to see you do a video on this piece! I have an old P89, and it’s absolutely a tank. I don't ever remember any failures from it, and got it for $200 off gunbroker in about 2010. Beats my glocks for reliability, and thats not saying anything bad about glocks - this thing is just a soldier.

Bought mine new 35 years ago still my favorite! Never jams!

First pistol I ever bought was a P90 in 45ACP. Great fun!

Sir, thank you for this well done video on the Ruger "Tiger Tank" P-89 Pistol. The nickname, Tiger Tank, was picked up after the P-85 was introduced circa 1987. The nickname I felt was most appropriate, as this pistol was one of the best that Ruger has ever developed. Strong, stout, and reliable to a fault, it has Mr. Bill Ruger's fingerprints all over its design. When it first came out there were several other quality Wonder-Nines already on the market, but Ruger had their offering much more affordable to the working man, at no sacrifice in performance or durability. I purchased a Model P-85 MK II in 1992, it was the very same pistol as the P-85, with exception to the controls on the slide. A minor modification for easier access to those controls on the MK II Model. The MK II had not hardly got out of the Ruger Factory good before the P-89 Model replaced it. The P-89 was the spitting imagoes the original P-85, only a couple of control modification, and a new designation (P-89). All three of these listed models came from a good block of wood, as the saying goes. Different calibers were being offered off the same frame & slide design. The P-91 (40cal.) and P-90 (.45) followed quickly in the early 1990's. I purchased a second hand P-91 out of a local pawnshop dirt cheap. Nothing wrong with these P-series, they functioned flawlessly, and many weregild to various law enforcement agencies around the country, not counting foreign sales. Some gun buyers were put off by the big dimensions of the pistol, and started caterwauling loud to gun writers, who in turn wrote articles that criticized the size and bulk of the pistol. I remember reading one of those articles and laughing like hell about the commentary. But it caught on, and sales of the P-series dropped behind such crap. That is why I got my stainless P-91 Pistol for 225-dollars out the door. Ruger designed slimmer pistol models and sales picked back up again with this type of firearm, a smaller, slimmer Wonder-Nine. The 9X19 Ruger P-85 MK II Pistol was a favorite for myself. I have kept it a long time now because of its great service to me, I even carried it a while as a lawman, no problem qualifying with it yearly. Most of my co-workers were carrying the Glock 17 Pistol, whose cost was higher, but performance on a parity with my P-85 MK II. During those years (1990's) you could see the Glock Pistol in movies and on cop tv programs, which enhanced its sales to the law enforcement community and the civilian market. My P-85 MK II just kept going on and on.Tough as the Glock, at that time a great Service Department at Ruger, who would repair/replace any P-series Pistols free of charge. "NEVER" had no problems with my Ruger! Retired cop with Ruger at home now, and thankful for it. Thanks again sir!

My EDC is a p89, I prefer it CCW in the 12:30 position. I've put every brand of 9mm in it and at least 20k rounds with no FTE or FTF. Add the hogue grips and enjoy a full size 32oz gun that will double as paperweight if needed.

Such a noble beast, tough with a strange sense of elegance. Like an Art Deco locomotive car.

I got a P94 .40S&W back in 01, I love it. It lives in my truck now the only time it's unloaded is when I'm cleaning it or changing mags.

Fun fact:... San Diego PD used the Ruger P series as their duty guns in the late 90'S....

Great video very informative and thanks for sharing!

I bought 2 new P89s (one in stainless) about 3 or 4 years apart in the early 1990s. They were very popular duty sidearms with small town police departments due to the low cost. I actually used it in my proficiency shooting exercise when I obtained my LTC recently, because it was the pistol I’m the most familiar with. I shot a 92%. I’ve considered selling one over the years but I know it’s a gun that will go to my great-grandchildren. The only issue I had was the plastic grip panels cracked and I replaced them with rubberized Hogue grips (thank goodness for large hands). I can’t ever recall a malfunction despite shooting every 9mm ammo on the market, even using crappy Promags. Ruger still makes OEM mags for the P series and I have several 33 round fairly well made Promags. If you can find them, they are going from $250-350 used depending on condition.

I owned one before the great boating accident of 09'! Love the pistol, uh, loved!

Carried a P89 for 5 years as a duty weapon. It rattled horribly, but always cycled and was pretty accurate. The trigger pull was great, especially SA.

Wish Ruger would tool up again for maybe an aluminum frame repro...get S&W to bring back the 3rd gens...5906,4506 and 1006...they make 1911s why not a full line up of all metal guns...I love Glocks but every man should be able to leave his family with a nice metal piece to remember him by...

They were tanks for sure. Wouldn't be a bad idea to revive them as an apocalypse marketed sidearm. On the slide lock as a slide release, I have tiny hands and also have that issue with another classic tank - the CZ75

Great video Justin, I'll have to keep an eye out for these older Rugers. I'd rather have a sa/da all day compared to striker fired. Keep up the good work.

Accuracy and reliability were outstanding. I had one for a couple of years and the only thing I didn't care for were the ergos, rather lack thereof. Upgraded to a Sig 228 and was ecstatic. Much better ergos, easy to assemble / disassemble and a much more familiar battery of arms to me.

My P-89 Is a tank and eats ANY ammo great accuracy Never NEVER failed. Decocker. Stainless. Back when you could buy one for $200/$300 new. Great metal ammo loader.

Love my KP-89. A little big and heavy for a CCW but good for end of times.

Thanks again for the best reviews

I absolutely love my p95. Always eats everything I feed it. Also I found out my p95 uses beretta 92 and canik mags with very minor mods

Remember when everybody came up with reasons why the P-89 was inferior? I got my 310-7 series "used" in 1997 for two bills, it had never been fired, the original owner had heard from a friend about the recall on the safety decocker and wanted to get rid of it like it was the clap, I tried to tell him it was a different model, but he was convinced that Ruger was unworthy. I can't tell you which of my kids I love more and I can't decide if I love my CZ-75 or my Ruger P-89 more, but I would rather die than give them up. My only complaint is that both are hard to rack, you have to hold both safety decockers on the P-89 because it has no cocking serrations and the CZ has tiny serrations that are hard to grip, but they both eat everything I feed them so I forgive them. The 90's was a good time for wondernines and I got lucky two years in a row, and 24 years later, I don't need no stinkin' Glocks.

I had a p-85, an it was the most accurate pistol in a semi-auto I ever had, mushy as hell trigger, but accurate as all get out. Always looking for a P- 89 to replace it. Thx for the vid

Looking at those guns on the shelf in my youth I always thought they lacked a certain aesthetic appeal. They have grown on me and I've been thinking about getting one.

I acquired a P89 Special Edition about 10years ago. Didn't like the trigger, so I modified a p95 trigger for it and bought a wolf spring kit for it. It's probably the sweetest shooting gun I have. I have sigs, cz's, glocks m&p's, and a few 1911's as well. Love shooting it over all others, just don't carry it for obvious reasons.

We issued the P89 to our officers working street level drug enforcement back when we still carried revolvers. It put them on a level playing field w/the bad guys.

Polymer lower Ruger P89D. I’ve had a Ruger P89 since 1990 or 1992, and it’s my bed side self defence firearm. You almost never have to clean it and it will take any crappy or old Ammo. If I could modify it, I would redesign it with a polymer lower and keep the slide the same. The beauty of this firearm is that it has very lose tolerance is almost like an AK 47. When I shake it, it actually rattles, but I wouldn’t change it for anything, except if the polymer lower to bring the weight down and maybe shorten the barrel by 1 inch for compact version.

Rugers auto pistols have a unique look to them . I have an SR9C and I love everything about it. I wish you luck with yours, thanks for the great video 👍

Bought a kp89 for my first purchased pistol and I still can't part with it. People have joked that if I ran out of ammo I could throw it...I always replied I would do just that because it's heavy and there's no possibility of breaking it.

I owned the P89 and loved it . The only draw back I found was the field strip. It's tricky

This was a better pistol than the S&W competition. I own both a p95 and a 5904.

My P89DC has been on my nightstand since 94.

I wish that I still had my ole P89. Back in the mid 90’s I couldn’t shoot a semi auto handgun well. So I went back to a Ruger .357.

I have one, for 28 years now. I don't think they look old. Double/single is a perfect setup. This pistol will compete with any new one. After 1,300 rounds I had a malfunction; it was me not cleaning the firing pin. Pretty Frican awesome.....

Hit the slide release with your left thumb… insures that the round feeds properly after mag change. Also big trigger and trigger guard is to allow for easy use with gloves (as is often done in the military)

I have owned the p85 ,p85 mk ii, p89, p94, p95, p97 and currently own the last of the p95 series pistol it has a picatinny rail and you can still buy the magazines from Mec gar never disappointed they all worked great.

That's exactly what I say everyone about the P-Series Ruger left it's Prime probably right after the SR9

Awesome pistol,,, still have mine bought in 1994 ! Great video!

Had mine about seven years now... Still my favorite pistol out of several.

Bought my P95 25 years ago, shot 14 billion rounds without a failure and it sits bedside every night (along with my Ruger PC Charger with Lunar 9 suppressor). I've heard from several retired cops that the P95 is their bedside gun too!

Had a Ruger P 89 which shot low but, the P90 that I have shoots spot on.

Bought one in the late 80s…still have it …never jammed,never squibbed…….runs on any ammunition.

I have a P 89 in stainless steel and it is an absolute tack driver. What a good shooter!

My first 9mm carried as a police officer was the P-85 .

Really wish they would bring these guns back! I miss my p95! Regret selling it everyday!

This was the first handgun I ever bought. Rated for 20k+ rounds, and is built well. I still have it today, and though it isn't expensive or a collectors item, I'm not going to sell it.

The first handgun I ever bought was a Ruger P89DC about 30 years ago. Still in my safe.

Bought a P89Mk2 in 1993 its a work horse that never failed even with steel jacketed rounds Very accurate I still keep it bed side to this day

Don't forget to flip the ejector tab back up after reinstalling the slide. Or else when loading a round into the chamber it will lock up. Learned that the hard way.

I bought a 95 with rail in 2011!

i used to have a ruger p90 with a brownish purple finish on the slide. loved it.

Still own mine. First handgun ever purchased. WHen out of ammo you can throw it at your target as well!!