Fella on GunBroker had an auction for a half-dozen Ruger factory mags for the 9mm P-series. My ‘buy’ threshold is $15 ea. Any more than that and I’ll just wait for a better deal. Turns out I won the auction. As Im emailing the guy to coordinate the purchase he says “Oh, we found another ten mags in the shop. Ten bucks apiece?” Uhm..ok. And then another guy on GB was trying to unload a bunch(!) of ban-era Mil/LE-only marked factory mags. His state had gone to 10-rd mags and he had to sell his 15-rd mags. I told him I’d trade him for the 10-rd mags I have sitting here.
So…I have more than neatly sewed up the magazine needs for the dozen or so guns I have here that take the P-series mags.
Speaking of P series, Tam over at View From The Porch is doing a 2,000 round shoot-it-till-it-dies test on a P89. She’s mentioned that the sights are a challenge, the grip is bleah, and the trigger belongs on a staplegun. There’s a bit of truth to that. So why do I love the P95 (the next stop on the evolutionary highway of the P-series) so much? Easy. Because unless you come across someone selling a Glock or a Sig for $200, there is no better 9mm handgun that you can buy for two hundred bucks.
If you’re patient, you can land a P95 off gun broker, with shipping, for $200. Now, there are NO new handguns you can buy for $200 that I’d feel comfortable going into Katrina-ville with. And the ‘good” guns like Sig, Glock, Beretta, and Smith seldom show up used for a mere pair of Franklins. Sure, maybe your HiPoint or TokaMakarov has been reliable as a sunrise…but I’ll take the 15-round capacity of the Ruger.
So, while the P95 isn’t a great gun, it is the best 9mm you can buy for $200 unless you know some meth addict selling a G34 in an alleyway somewhere. And for my intended use of the P95, which is as a, basically, disposable handgun for truck/cache/cabin/loaner… well, you cannot do better at that price.
I wish Tam were testing the P95 rather than the P89… the P95 had some refinements that made it a better shooter, IMHO, than the P89. However, I’ll be curious to see how the 2,000-rd shoot turns out.
As I was looking through her blog at all the other 2,000-rd tests one thing becomes clear: virtually any handgun from a reputable large manufacturer, using quality ammo, is darn near 100% reliable. Many of the failures that do occur in the tests that she writes about involve Wolf ammo, or bargain ammo of questionable pedigree. Not all, but enough to let me form an opinion about the ammo. The point being that if you buy a new, modern manufactured handgun in 9mm (that isn’t a Remington R51) and feed it quality (not high grade, just ‘quality’) ammo, you will probably achieve monotonous reliability.
Anyway, unless I pick up another P95 or three…which I really am going to hope I don’t….I think I’ve got the magazine angle covered. So much so, in fact, that it might be time to package a couple of the P95’s for the Deep Sleep with a half dozen mags, some ammo, and the usual accoutrements.
Forgive me if you have written this before, or if you consider this proprietary information, but I have a few questions about packaging for “Deep Sleep”. Have you, or would you consider, going into more detail in a post – particularly speaking about the method as well as the “usual accoutrements”? I have wanted to do this for some time but haven’t quite nailed down how to do it. Any assistance or references would be appreciated.
Keep up the fantastic blog!
Clean the weapon real well. No carbon at all, usmc inspection standards. Lube up an oil down well, wet the metal. Use one good freezer bag as a liner, then shrink vacuum seal that up. Put three cleaned oiled mags in it as well. If holster is available package that with other extra mags and ammo, @200 rounds packaged well in another sealed or wrapped package. Put it all together in a bread bag type case of some such for a give out, sale, care package.
Thanks for this! I would assume a thin film of oil both inside and outside the firearm?
I’ve started to do this as well CZ, but I have gone a little more overboard. I’m centering on the G23, throwing a 9mm SS Storm Lake barrel with it and about 4-5 mags of each calibur type (Real Glocks for the 40 and Magpuls for the 9mm). It gets a paddle holster, a cleaning kit and a box of 50 each 40 and 9mm. All sealed up in a desiccant added .50cal ammo can ready for the attic or garden nap.
A few more dollars than your Rugers but I run in first-responder circles that will most likely have either of those caliburs available.
I don’t have much experience with a P95, but I do agree that is a good price for a full sized double stack 9 mm. Personally, I have shot the Taurus G2 and like how it gets 12 rounds into a gun compact enough for deep concealment/ pocket carry, but I don’t expect full size performance out of it – for that I have gone to the Hi Power, 92, or Glock 21 (Glock 9 mm’s don’t fit my hand well).
I’m with patriotman – I’m interested in what you consider a full package to put away. I normally include ammo, magazines, holster, and mag pouches, but I’ve wondered about a cleaning kit or spare parts.
I find lots of 9mm m&p pistols for 250$ and they are super reliable imho. I Also love the ruger sr9 full size and I find those around $250 as well. Both carry 17 rounds standard capacity and I find the mags for them in bargain bins usually. Now I just to find a few holsters. Best blog ever btw.
Thought provoking
I have heard really good things about the S&W SDVE9.
They often come up new for sub $250. Last year, unfortunately when I was broke, they were going for $189.
If I ever branch out from my Gen 3 Glock 9mm and .38/.357 mag selections that’s where I will probably go.
Man o’man, I have P95’s and never seem to be on GB at the right time. What a deal on mags, and $200 P95’s, I’m envious!
Hey CZ I have an R51 that I admit needed a bit of initial ironing out with 100 Rd’s of 124 gr and 147gr. But now it shoots quite well. The pistol really points well in my hand, and I just like the look of it. Also nice to have a pistol that actually has a alloy frame instead of polymer. Nothing against polymer frame pistols, I have Glock and M&P and Kel-Tec. All fine as you know.