Ruger P85

[Yosarian87]

Pros, Cons, Problems. Buddy of mine picked one up and we are curious about others experiences. Thank you.

 

[shootersix]

ive had one for a long time, great gun, not the smallest hi cap 9mm, but never had a hiccup,

my biggest complaint is that ruger dropped it from the 9mm lineup, what with sr9 i guess they dont need alloy frame guns anymore

i love mine and dont think i'll ever get rid of it

 

[Yosarian87]

Have you had any issues with accuracy with any particular ammo? I'm going sunday to shoot with his gun to see if it is just him, but from his grouping on the P85 vs the P95 his P85 is messed up

 

[BlueEagle]

I've heard good things about performance and reliability, but every time I pick one up I feel like I'm holding onto a 3 inch piece of PVC pipe; not really a fan of the grips on them. Very fat, and very plastic.

If I saw a good deal on one, I wouldn't pass it up, but it probably won't make it into my carry line-up, and would more likely than not be a OMGSHTFWTFBBQ family hand-out gun.

 

[PistolBob]

I have one, I wish I had two more.

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

I had a P95 that I sold after a decade of rare range use. It was my nightstand piece.
Never had a a single malfunction and I would undoubtedly trust my life with it.
Not the prettiest girl at the dance, but I'll take function over looks (almost) every time.

 

[x10]

the p85-89-90 series is a typical ruger
it won't be a top end match gun
it wont be pretty
it won't be a lot of asthetic things
But it Will
be reasonably reliable
eat about any ammo
be rugged
last a lifetime
go boom when you need it

I would not want it as my only gun but if I found a deal on one and needed a gun to put in a drawer or hidy hole and expect it to be there and work after years of sitting I would without a doubt buy it.

If I found a incredble deal on 9mm ammo and bought a bunch then I would get a p85 to shoot it up

 

[hickuleas]

I bought a P85 many years ago. The only problem i had was the magazine release fell out but Ruger fixed it.

 

[Leo]

There was a recall on early P85's. Might want to give Ruger a call and make sure you got the upgraded parts. I had one of the first ones. Everyone gave that gun bad comments, but I never had a problem. It is plenty accurate for action pistol events. The grip angle is different than a 1911, so if you are used to point shooting a 1911, the P85 will be a a little high until you get used to it. Since it is a pretty old model, a really good clean and lube of the trigger might help.

 

[Hi im Bob]

I owned one for about a year and i loved it. Never had any problems with it. I put many rounds through it with no problems.

 

[bnelsonmiller]

I just joined this forum and realized that the OP is talking about me.

I the last trip to the range, my wife shot the P85 and did a little better than me. Still not consistent groups. I've tried Wolf, Federal, White Box and Silver Bear ammo, and still have issues with the accuracy.

I read on another forum that one person had a problem with the barrel expanding:

[after shooting about 500 rnds] Groups opened up to over six inches at 25 yards. Every shot was a keyhole. Took the barrel to a smith to have it looked at. He cleaned out the copper( wasn't bad) and slugged the bore. The bore slugged at almost .358. He said the barrel steel must have some sort of defect and to send the gun back to Ruger.

If that is the problem with my gun, that would explain the lack of accuracy.

I called Ruger and the gun needs to go in for a recall on the safety mechanism, so I'm going to have them take a look at the barrel.

Feel like I should have gone with a SIG

 

[rhart]

I had one of the first ones that came out. It always worked for me. I traded it years ago but I wish I had it back. I think I paid around 225 for it.

 

[kevinsr98]

I have had a P85 for years. It's a frieking tank. Takes any ammo. Very reliable with good accuracy. However since I bought my SR9, the P85 has gone from daily carry to night stand.

The SR9 fits my hand much better and I prefer the striker fire to the double/single action of the hammer fire. JMO...