Size of Ruger P97

Q

Quantum Singularity

New member
I put my new P97 side by side to my Glock 17, and what do you know...the P97 is bigger! Its suppose to be a compact and its larger and wider than the "full sized" Glock 17. Mr. Ruger makes great guns, but I think old Bill needs new glasses.
 
Remember the P-97 is a compact *.45* and the G17 is a 9mm. Compare the P-97 to a G21 and I`ll bet it seems a good deal more compact! :) It`s also compact vs. a P-90. FWIW I was also surpised to see that mine is about the same size as my CZ-75. The CZ is thinner through the slide and very slightly thicker through the grip. Then I thought about the caliber issue and compared it`s specs to a CZ-97 .45 which is noticably larger. I`m glad to say that the P-97 conceals very nicely(even under a T shirt)in a Kytac Braveheart IWB and I`m quite pleased with it overall even if it isn`t as compact as it could be. Marcus

[This message has been edited by Marcus (edited September 17, 2000).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Marcus:
Remember the P-97 is a compact *.45* and the G17 is a 9mm. Compare the P-97 to a G21 and I`ll bet it seems a good deal more compact! :) It`s also compact vs. a P-90. FWIW I was also surpised to see that mine is about the same size as my CZ-75. The CZ is thinner through the slide and very slightly thicker through the grip. Then I thought about the caliber issue and compared it`s specs to a CZ-97 .45 which is noticably larger. I`m glad to say that the P-97 conceals very nicely(even under a T shirt)in a Kytac Braveheart IWB and I`m quite pleased with it overall even if it isn`t as compact as it could be. Marcus

[This message has been edited by Marcus (edited September 17, 2000).][/quote]

Well, I have a Glock 21 and it itself is only slightly longer than the 17. It is significantly wider though. But, I bet when I put my G21 and Ruger P97 side by side, they will be equal (or close to) in length and I bet the Ruger will be wider. Hell, I won't be concealing it anyway (not legal for most people in Kali). I love the handling of the P97, and I really am not worried about the size issue. I only brought up the size issue out of curiosity-- as I wonder why Ruger builds even his compacts like tanks.
 
Well, it is a FORTY-FIVE, after all. Keep in mind that Ruger 'overbuilds' all of their guns. Part of it is due to the casting process itself, requiring thicker beefier parts. Part of it is to maintain their reputation for building tank-tough guns. After all, only Ruger, Freedom Arms and certain Dan Wesson models are rated for some of the warmer, heavy-duty wheelgun loads out there.
 
Who the hell said the P-97 was a compact? Ruger uses the terms 'full-size' and 'down-sized' to describe their pistols. They have never used the term compact to my knowledge in this respect.
 
I just checked up on a few dimentions for comparison purposes. A Kimber Compact is 7.5" long OAL,the P-97 is 7.6". 1/10" ain`t much and the Rugers barrel is .2" longer. The slide of the P-97 is 1.05" wide at it`s widest part (at the very rear). A "slimline" Glock36 is 1.13" wide. What`s more the P-97`s slide tapers almost steadily down to .9" where the Glock is 1.13" all the way to the muzzle bevel. In fact the P-97`s slide (at it`s widest) is just 1/10" thicker than my Keltec P-11! Toward the muzzle it`s actually slightly narrower! A SipPro is 1.34" thick at it`s widest point the P-97 is 1.2" at the slide release and 1.12" at the thickest point otherwise. No one says these guns aren`t "compact" or that they`re "too big to carry". My point? Measure! Don`t trust your eyes, they`ll fool ya! :) I`m not trying to dog you on this it`s just that I`m sick and tired of folks saying Ruger autos are SOOOO BIG when it just ain`t so. Marcus
 
I dug up some more interesting (?) dimensions. The P-97 is just a hair smaller than the G21 (a 1/16" here and 1/32" there) so I stand corrected on my earlier statement that the 21 would be much larger. But how about this,the G21 is smaller in 1 or more dimensions than either the Sig220,Ruger P-90 or H&K USP?! So perhaps the G21 has gotten a bad rap for being "too big" as well? Marcus
 
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