Best Budget Pistol Ever?? Ruger P95 review
Today I want to discuss the Ruger P95 9mm pistol. I’ll say this for the record…I think it to be the very BEST fullsize handgun on the market FOR THE MONEY! If your on a budget as most people are…I cant think of a single thing I’d consider buying over a Ruger P95. It’s reliable enough for MIL and LE work, its accurate, well made, totally reliable, concealable, high capacity and descent looking. It will fill the role as a concealed carry gun, home defense or just out printing nice groups at the range. I believe it to be the best bang for the dollar available today. I have bought 4 of them this year….309$ was the most I paid to get one home…the other 3 were UNDER 300$ free and clear. Heres what I do…I bid every one on gunbroker under 300$…I do it all the time…just bide your time..like I said 3 of them home for under 300 a piece. Try to find another gun that nice for 300$. Good luck.
So what do you get for your 300$? A fullsize, built like a tank hicap 9mm pistol, NIB with 2 15 shot mags and a mag loader. You get functional 3 white dot sites, a decock/safety lever and ambi mag release buttons AND a light rail 
…you know how I feel about lights…go Streamlight LED TLR 1, 2 or 3. The P95 has been used by the US Military by the way..I dont remember exactly what for but a batch was issued to tankers and I think chopper pilots awhile back…I’m sketchy on those details as to why but I remember seeing it. So enough said it passed some kind of trial. Additionally it is the pistol issued by the Federal Bureau of Prisons…again it passed some kind of testing. I had a friend who was an armorer down at FLETC in Glynco GA. (thats the fed cop training grounds) He worked on a ton of different guns down there and said 2 things that stuck in my head…If he were God for a day there would only be mossberg shotguns and ruger pistols. They NEVER fail he said…now I wouldnt go quite that far with pistols…I’m an XD man to the bone but its definetly a Kudo for ruger 9mm’s. Like I said I bought 4…and I’ll always be trying to get more of them. 3 have already been talked out of my hands by other people, 1 war buddy, a cop buddy and my Aunty’M.
Shooting one…is the trigger the best?? Nope…but its not bad! Does it go bang everytime you pull the trigger?? YES it does…does it shoot strait?? Yes again….is it comfortable and user friendly? Yep I think so…theres just nothing to complain about period…nothing…ESPECIALLY for the $$ spent…I bought WAY crappy guns that cost alot more…If your on that budget and its tight…you might be thinking used Taurus or God forbid a High-point 
please…just save a couple more $$ and get the Ruger…you will have a great gun in perfect working order thats going to outlast us all. Check the group out…thats just cheap, slow federal ball ammo..that weak 9.50$ a box of 50 stuff. Get yourself some Critical Defense 115 grain or my preferred 9mm round for fullsize guns is the Remington GoldenSabre. The 124 grain +P load. Either of those 2 will serve you well for defensive purposes…ball ammo for practice only…Buy good fast stuff with a good bullet in it for the real deal.
Summary-well I think I’ve been clear…you absolutely cannot go wrong with one of these fine pistols…and the best part is it doesnt break the bank. I have never seen a better firearm for less money and alot of stuff thats worse and costs more. You wont be sorry. As always thanks for reading and happy shooting.
By: Cary Kieffer
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- ruger group
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- Ruger 95
Cary, Great review! I was already looking at the P95 as a first handgun based on price, but your endorsement helped re-affirm my decision – that I was not just settling on a “cheap” pistol but a quality American-made firearm at a bargain price. I just picked one up this past month for $300. Have not had a chance to take it to the range yet, but feels like a great fit for my hand.
Thanks Jeff! I’m glad the review helped you out. I really do think thats the best bargain gun going. Ya did good. Now get out there and enjoy it:) Take care.
1 – Ruger single six .22LR Revolver with conivrseon for .22 Mag, used around $400. Can be used for target, training, plinking, small game hunting.2 – Mossberg 535 Waterfowl / Turkey combo. It comes with a 28″ barrel for waterfowl hunting or skeet and a 22″ barrel for turkey. Screw in chokes, comes with IC, M, and F. $300 dollars brand new at Dick’s sporting goods (I have this). If you remove the 3 shell stop in the mag tube, you can fit (5) 2.75″ shells in there, if you wanted to re-purpose as home defense. The shotgun can also handle 2.75 through 3.5″ magnum loads. By far the most versatile shotgun package available.3 – The most fun I have at the range is with my $310 Henry lever action .22LR, so I’d at that to the list. It’s shockingly accurate.Another benefit to these three is that they are stupid simple to take apart and clean, which is important for the starting gunny. I think the Ruger Mark 2/3 is a phenominal platform but I’d never recommend it to someone starting out….
Good article. I just picked one up yesterday for $280 used. I am a first time gun owner and I am very happy with my purchase. I have not fired it yet, but I will within the next few days. I have a couple of questions. What ammo do you suggest I get? (Range & Home Defended). Where can I find some accessories?
Home defense/carry I use Remington 124 grain +P Golden Sabres
Range I shoot whatever is cheapest by the case..usually federal champion 115 grain or American Eagle red box.
The only accessory you really need is a light. Look at the Streamlight TRL lights…theres a 1, 2 and a trl-3. Any of them are great. from about 75$ for the 3 to 250ish$ for the TRL-1. Check out botachtactical.com or opticsplanet.com I’ve had good buys for those lights on ebay too. Enjoy it and shoot often.
Buy all used and get four:1. Ruger p95 or P97, or Taurus PT92 – all under $300.00 if you shop around.2. Mossberg ATR, Remington Sportsman 78, or old Winchester Ranger 70 in cableir of choice (.243, 270, .308, .30-06) can be had used for less than $300.003. Remington 870 or Mossberg 500, 20 or 12 gauge, can be had for less than $300.00 easily.4. Remington 514 single-shot .22 can be found in pristine shape for less than $100.00 or a beater Marlin, Savage or Stevens bolt repeater .22 for around $65.00In those categories, I still have the P95, P97, Mossberg ATR, and Remington 870 all used for less than the above prices, and a Savage 64/65 style bolt .22 repeater (store-branded “Springfield 234″ with detachable magazines, 5 & 10 rounders) for $65.00. All within the past four years.
I bought a Ruger P95 about 4 years ago. I started with a $500 budget and got the pistol for a little under $300. The rest of the budget went in to a decent holster and ammo. Every time I shoot that gun with friends and family I keep getting comments on how ugly it looks. The comments are not something I worry about cause I keep shooting thru their malfunctions and ammo shortages. The comments tend to stop pretty quick went they figure out that my Ruger P95 will eat any 9mm ammo and keep shooting accurately.
My Ruger has been battle tested at my home…so far it has survived your standard mud, rain, snow, dirt, dust, drops. It has also managed to survive puking kids, exploding diapers, baby bottle spills, the mysterious unidentifiable substances in a diaper bag, and has still effectually held intruders at bay.
I wouldn’t recommend people intentional test their firearms with these situations. My Ruger P95 was tested during the everyday carry of a mom of 3 small kids.
Hi Lissa, thanks for the great comment on my article! Loved it! I’m glad you have chosen to carry and wish more people would. We both know you made a great choice in pistols too. Bang for your buck I dont think the p95 can be beaten. Would you mind telling us what happened with your intruders?? If not thats fine too. Thanks for stopping by and seeing us here. Cary
I’ve owned my Ruger P95 for nearly a year. My son and I have put over 700 rounds through it at the range without a single jam; we’ve shot Winchester (regular 115 grain and Personal Protection), Remington(also 115 grain and 147 grain), and some Bulgarian ammo from Cabela’s (FMS2000, and at $8 per 50, I should have bought them out!). We have two factory 15 round mags, a 15 round ProMag and one of the fabled 32 round ProMags (which is a thing of beauty in itself, but we no longer take it to the range….too expensive).
The next time that the local price dips back near $300, we’re going to buy another one.
Here’s the scenario: A frined who is a brand new gunowner approaches you for advise. Their budget is $1,000, can you give them some advice on what firearms to get as a new gunowner. Assume for the sake of argument that they have a separate budget for ammo (i.e. the $1,000 is earmarked for guns only; no “A .38 Special and 2,000 rounds of ammunition” for this exercise).Always fun to play that game.I’m not a big rifle or shotgun guy, so here’s how I’d answer:Glock 19 (or equivalent, say, an XD), Ruger Mark i/ii/iii or 22/45 .22. You should be able to squeak in under $1K with a Mosin 91/30. Buy used on any or all of these.That gets you a self defense centerfire pistol, a cheap shooting plinking/target .22 pistol, and a fun cannon that could certainly take deer if need be. (Though my preference would be an Enfield, their price has risen quite a bit.)