Range Report: Ruger P95C (9 mm)

In a recent review of the Ruger P90, Massad Ayoob mentioned something astonishing. Clay Harvey studied .45s and wrote a book, Everything You Really Need to Know About Choosing a .45 Automatic for Self-Defense. After shooting a large number of guns and looking at repair rates, he declared the P90 his "first choice for an all-purpose defensive pistol."

The P90 series is available in 9 mm, .40 S&W and .45 calibers. I shot a 9 mm P95.

The ambidextrious magazine release is the best I've ever used. I could easily reach it with my thumb or index finger. With conventional designs your finger pushes the button inwards. With the P95 your finger rocks the button forward, which I found more natural. If equipped with an ambi slide release, I think I could reach it from either side, too.

	Ruger P95
Capacity	10+1
Weight Empty	27 oz.
Barrel	4.5"
Length	7.25"
Origin	USA

Some of the Rugers use an alloy receiver. The receiver on the P95 and P97 models is made from a polymer. It's reminiscent of the Ruger 10/22. The handle is slightly blocky, but comfortable, with molded-in grips. The P95 and P97 versions are about $50 cheaper and five ounces lighter than the alloy receiver models.

The white dot sights are pretty good. Bigger or brighter dots would have helped.

All of the Ruger centerfire service pistols are double action. You have your choice of a manual safety, a decocker, or a double action only (DAO) trigger pull. (The picture accompanying this article shows the DAO model.) The double action trigger pull is somewhat long and heavy, but better than most DA triggers.

At $350 real world price for a centerfire autoloader, it would be hard to beat the Rugers, particularly with their reputation for reliability.

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Posted by Les Jones

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