Problem with Ruger P89

[JLawson]

Good morning.

Yesterday I bought a used P89... no external wear or damage of any kind.  After reading the manual I attempted to field strip the pistol for a good cleaning.  The problem is that the slide won't come off of the frame.  I've re-read the instructions and tried several times with no luck.  I noticed that with the slide locked back you can grasp the guide rod and slide it back and forth a 1/4" or so.  Also, with the slide in battery, sometimes the guide rod extends beyond the muzzle by about the same distance and you can just push it in.

Does this mean the guide rod is broken?  I've never had a guide rod break so I'm not sure what the symptoms are.  What else might be wrong?  Any suggestions  on how to get the slide off?

Thanks for your help.

[GASPASSERDELUXE]

You have to lock the slide back. Look in the magazine well and you will see the  ejector sticking forward. Push it down into the mag well and then the slide will come off the frame.  Ken

[JLawson]

Hey GPD, thanks for the reply.

When I first read the manual, I paid particular attention to that step because I have never owned a pistol where that was necessary.  Even after rotating the ejector forward and down until it locks in place, the slide won't move forward.  And there's still that weird guide rod movement.

[twyacht]

Hope it helps.

tw

[JLawson]

twyacht, thanks for your reply.

During the video, the presenter had the same problem with the slide not removing freely as it should... and he just pushed "a little harder." During his re-assembly, I noticed that the guide rod on his pistol also extended beyound the slide's guide ring. He also stated that the recoil spring can be installed with either end toward the guide rod collar. That advice, however, contradicts the instruction manual that states the smaller diameter end should be installed closest to the collar.

I decided to try gentle tapping with a rubber-tipped hammer and off she came! Guess what I found... the recoil spring was installed backwards. My theory is that the larger diameter end of the recoil spring was actually slipping over the collar and binding in the frame's guide rod channel. This also explains the "floating" guide rod because once the collar slips into the body of the spring there is nothing to prevent it's movement forward.

Long story short - I think the problem was an incorrectly installed recoil spring. With the spring installed correctly, the slide goes on and off just like it's supposed to.

Thanks again.

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

Good deal....When in doubt, get a bigger "rubber" hammer...

I too, have a couple of pistols that require, or will only re-assemble, with the guide rod spring a certain way. Just one of those things.

Glad you got it squared away, a good cleaning & lube, and the P89 is a tank of a pistol...I had one back in my single days,....wish I had it back...

Good Shooting.

tw

[Jkwas]

The P89 is a great gun.  I've been using mine for IDPA and it holds it's own against the glocks and XD's.  I've never had a malfunction in thousands of rounds.  Everyone asks me "What kind of gun is that?".   It's very well made. 

[mkm]

My brother has one he got used.  It's a pretty good gun and looks a lot better with a grip change.  We had the same problem of not being able to get the slide off to field strip it.  We would just clean it the best we could.  After a couple of years of occasionally trying to get it apart, he finally set down one evening, found some videos, and worked on it until it came apart.  I think he found something that wasn't quite right too.  Glad you got it apart.

[bafsu92]

The P series Rugers are the best pistol that can be regularly found for under $300. I've steered quite a few friends who wanted a pistol but were on a tight budget and weren't really "gun people" to them. They are just about as dependable as a Glock.

[mortdooley]

 I have had a KP89 since the 90's and used it every four years to re-qualify for my CCL except for the last time when I used my Walther P99 in .40s&w just to change things up. During the military trials to replace the 1911 I believed the Ruger would be the new service pistol but that didn't happen.