Last night the Posse finally went out to the range and got a little shooting in.
The smell of smokeless powder was as sweet perfume to us after the long haitus. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long until our next outing.
After we happily thundered away with The Beast and honed our skills with the Taurus 85, we turned to something a little different: the Ruger KP89.
The P89 series is a well-known and rugged contribution to the auto-loader family.
The KP89 is the stainless steel version of it.
If it looks familiar to some readers, that is because Antonio Banderas used two of them in the classic Desperado.
The KP89 is, like all Rugers, a solid firearm suitable for a hard day's work.
The KP89 comes in 9mm, though other Ruger pistols in the "P" series are chambered for .45 ACP and .40 SW.
While many gun enthusiasts fault the 9mm, it is a decent calibre for self-defense and excellent for casual shooting.
The KP89 fits nicely in the hand. Its single column magazine is easy even for women to grasp. The grip is adequate and pleasant, though nothing to write home about.
Like all Ruger autoloaders these days, the KP89 comes with 10-round magazines. Ruger used to make high-caps (and still does for law-enforcement) but the rumor is Bill Ruger decided that if you needed more than 10 shots to hit the target, you shouldn't even be shooting.
After-market magazines are probably out there, but the Posse has not had very good experience with such things.
The KP89 uses the old Colt 1911 swinging-link system. It is easy to take down and put back together, making it great for new shooters.
As is customary these days, there are several variants with different safety features. Ours has a safety that also decocks the weapon. This also disengages the trigger.
This allows the user to safely carry it with a round in the chamber. To use it, simply flip up the safety and fire: the first shot will be double action, but the remainder will be single action. For those who prefer single action from the get-go, the hammer can be manually cocked once the safety is off.
So how does it shoot?
Pretty nicely. Ruger has never had a reputation for particularly fine triggers and the KP89 isn't the model to give it one. We found the trigger on our (admittedly well-used) model to be spongy rather than stiff. It reminded us of a Glock - a rather long stroke, even on single action.
On double action, well, it's pretty tough.
The Posse prefers a crisp, clean trigger pull. Perhaps we are unfair to Ruger. The Beast, for example, is pretty clean to fire. Then again, we purchased it used and it looked like someone had worked on it.
And it's single-action only, which is a slightly different animal.
Nonetheless, on single action shooting is pleasant and reasonably accurate. This is a great starter gun. It is fairly inexpensive, rugged as hell, and it feels good in the hand.
It also has nice aesthetic lines and just enough gadgety-goodness to make the shooter feel like he's operating a sophisticated piece of machinery.
And let us be honest: all that clicking and side-racking is why people like autoloaders. The fact that one can drop the mag, reload, let the slide rack forward, flip the safety off and then open fire is a key selling point.
While we are on the honesty kick, we will also admit that part of the reason one even bothers with autoloaders is to rapid-fire them down range.
A proven stress reliever is to line up two or three full magazines on your shooting bench and then see how fast you can empty them down the lane. Accuracy? Whatever.
This is about what scientists call (to use the technical term) "budda-budda."
Every now and then, humans have a primal need to make some noise and spray some lead. Guns such as the KP89 are ideal for this purpose. You aren't going to wear it out, can't really break it, and it is extremely easy to clean up afterward.
Budda-budda does have some dangers, the chief of which is that you will go through mountains of ammunition. One way to limit this is to load only 6 or 7 shots per magazine. When you're blasting away, you don't really notice the difference and the savings do add up when you do this two or three times in a row.
Our verdict?
Oh yeah, this one is a keeper. No matter how many guns are added to our collection, the KP89 will remain. It is great for first-time shooters and veterans will enjoy it as well.
what is the difference between the kp89 and the kp89d? same apperance? same mags? same caliber?
Posted by: nate | February 24, 2006 at 04:50 PM
The difference is in how the safety/decocking mechanism works. Here is a link that helps explain it.
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=3044&return=Y
Posted by: Posse Incitatus | February 25, 2006 at 10:21 AM
I just recently purchased a KP89 after I had tested it out at a range. It felt extremely comfortable wielding as well as being easy to shoot. I am a first time shooter and buyer and this is the first of many firearms to come. Just keeping safety my #1 rule when it comes to handling my firearms. It is a great hobby to pick up and is a big-time stress reliever. I am not familiar on how to clean a gun let alone the different ways to shoot and tricks of the trade. Right now I'm doing all the research I can in order to get the most out of my shooting and ways to troubleshoot when a problem may surface. Planning on taking a class real soon to get the know-how on guns, so in the mean time if there are any websites or tips you may have for me....feel free to e-mail me with the details. Thank You!
Posted by: Vinson | December 28, 2006 at 08:13 AM
I have always liked Ruger firearms. Have 3 brand new ones now in my collection, My wife gave me a new kp 89 9mm for Christmas. Boy did I love the feel of it right away!! We took it out to shoot it and wow !! did I love it. This gun was so smooth to shoot. All I want to do now is to go shoot my kp89. Quality, smoothness and accuracy, that is what the kp89 is about. If anyone is thinking about buying a new handgun and really don't know what to get, you want go wrong with this gun. Ihave handled most all I could find in several stores and wondered what to get. I am very proud of this gun and will match it with anything available. The new sr9 is very good looking but I wouldn't take two of them for this kp89. Go shoot one and see for yourself. smooooth, smooth.
Posted by: gary robinson | January 30, 2008 at 09:40 PM
Still loving my KP89 Ruger. It is a shame Ruger is discontinuing such a great firearm.If you can get your hands on one I advise you to get it. The best thing you can do is to put hogue grips on it for a perfect feel in your hands. Be sure to save your original grips for increased value years down the road. The best 9mm Ruger ever built.
Posted by: gary robinson | July 27, 2008 at 01:57 PM
Still loving my KP89 Ruger. It is a shame Ruger is discontinuing such a great firearm.If you can get your hands on one I advise you to get it. The best thing you can do is to put hogue grips on it for a perfect feel in your hands. Be sure to save your original grips for increased value years down the road. The best 9mm Ruger ever built.
Posted by: gary robinson | July 27, 2008 at 01:59 PM
Still loving my KP89 Ruger. It is a shame Ruger is discontinuing such a great firearm.If you can get your hands on one I advise you to get it. The best thing you can do is to put hogue grips on it for a perfect feel in your hands. Be sure to save your original grips for increased value years down the road. The best 9mm Ruger ever built.
Posted by: gary robinson | July 27, 2008 at 02:00 PM