The story of the Ruger P90 pistol dates back to the early 1980s when the U.S. Army announced trials for a new pistol to replace the Colt M1911A1.
Ruger, like many companies, wanted the contract which came with not only guaranteed sales for years but also prestige.
Using the Sig P220 as well as the M1911 for inspiration, the Ruger engineers came up with a semi-automatic, locked breach, recoil operated pistol that met all the requirements of the U.S. Army, which included 9mm chambering, 15 round capacity, decocker/safety and double action trigger. The gun was named the P85 for the year 1985, which it was designed.
Unfortunately, Ruger was late to the party and the P85 was not ready in time for the first 2 tests. Later it was given consideration and even passed all of the tests, but the Army stuck with their previous decision to adopt the Beretta M92. Read more about the P85 here.
Ruger did not give up on the design and continued to improve the pistol adding a stainless version, ambidextrous controls and eventually a polymer framed version.
In 1990 Ruger designed a single stack model in 45 ACP, dubbed the P90, the pistol came in a blued and a stainless-steel version (with the exception of the cast aluminum frame). The P90 shared many parts with the P85 including the grip panels, made of a black synthetic material that were inset, blending seamlessly with the frame.
Ruger shipped the pistols in a plastic blow-molded case with two stainless magazines, a mag loader along with the instructions and other pertinent paperwork.
The P90 was not a big seller, but it did get a boost when it was chosen to be the sidearm of Harry Tasker (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the 1994 movie True Lies.
Specs:
Caliber: 45 ACP
Capacity: 7/8 rounds
Weight: 34 oz
Height: 5.8"
Length: 7.8"
Barrel Length: 4.5"
Width: 1.26"
Years Produced: 1991-2010
I bought my P90 from a local forum member for just $300. It came with two factory 8 round magazines and the original case and instructions. My P90 was made in 2002 (check your serial # here)
The gun came with a few issues, one was the mag well had a bur that needed smoothing, see more here. I also swapped the factory grip panels for wrap-around Houge grips.
FWIW Ruger did finally get an Army contract in the late 90s for a batch of P95 pistols issued to tank crews. The P95 was a polymer framed development of the P89 and the a used P95 was my recommendation for better than Hi-Point when they were $200
ReplyDelete