P345 any good?

[Monkeybear]

Ruger P345 any good?

Around here the CZ97 cost around $600. I like it and I have a thing for CZ but while helping a friend locate a .45 I came across the P345. The P345 cost a bit more than half the price of a CZ97 so my question to you guys who have owned /fired one is

Is the P345 a good .45 semi automatic pistol?

This is about the P345. This is not about built in locks. This is not about 1911s/Glocks/XDs/Hks/ect. I know that those are all fine guns. I do not know about the P345.

Thoughts and opinions about the P345 would be appreciated. Pics too

 

[Arkie]

Well I love my Ruger P345. It's my carry gun and I really like it a lot.

I bought it when they first came out and they did have a few minor problems but Ruger fixed them right up and I haven't heard of the new ones having the same problem.

There is the Mag safety that some people does not like but I didn't mind.

It's real easy to take down and clean and putting it back together is a snap. The Polymar grip is real easy on your hands and it even fits me very well. (I'm a lefty).

It has a fairly strong trigger on it if the hammer is not cocked but after that it's smooth and crisp.

It will take a few hundred rounds of ammo to get everything operating smooth and to loosen it up.

Here are a few photos of mine.

This one is the Ruger and the Bersa Thunder .45. Click Here.


This one is in the Custom IWB Holster by K & D Holster. Click Here.


And this one is my Helper in case I forget where I put it. Click Here.

 

[John Wesley]

I really like my Ruger 345.

I had to remove my magazine disconnect (poor design but takes about 10 miinutes to fix). I dropped the hammer spring down to 20 lbs too. Had Ruger send me a new rear sight because it shot high out of the box.

Now it seems reliable, fits my hand well, conceals well for a gun of it's size. It seems about as accurate as my other guns that size. In fact, it's my main carry gun right now.

At this point the only negative thing I have to say about it is that it does not feel quite as "refined" or "slick" (???) to shoot as my Beretta for example. (It also cost a lot less than the Beretta.)

If I was considering buying another one I'd plan on removing the mag disconnect to be safe and be aware that there are no adjustible sights available for it yet (AFAIK). It is my favorite .45 though!

 

[loadedround]

I bought one a year and a half ago and have have put over 2500 rounds thru it now with absoultly no problens of any kind. This P345 has replaced my 1911 as my main house gun. It is a reliable pistol!

 

[Crimp]

I liked the solid handling of the P345, but was never able to get a decent pattern out of many commercial and handloaded rounds. I'm quite happy now that I traded it for an XD-45 Tactical.

 

[Anna's Dad]

I love mine and my wife (4'11" with very small hands) can rack/fire it and enjoys firing it as well.

Its been utterly reliable. It's much thinner/less bulky than earlier Ruger designs (I actually like the looks). Accurate enough for its intended purpose.

I really have found no fault with it at all!

 

[MCgunner]

Just not enough advantage in concealment to ween me off my P90. The P90 isn't that hard to carry if I want to carry it and I know the gun is 100% and uber-accurate. The .345's thinner, but that's not enough to make me buy one.

I put it needs some improvement not just for the goofy safety feathers I don't want, but it could be lighter, yet. Make it the size of a G36 and I might be persuaded. I don't need the smaller grip and at 6'0", 210, I don't have a problem if I wanna conceal the P90. At 33 oz unloaded, the P90 is just within my zone of comfort and the Summer Special IWB makes it comfy.

 

[boomer1911a1]

Almost perfect...

I bought one when I was between P-90s (I love P-90s, but I always seem to wind up needing to sell them for some reason... possibly poor money management skills...) and am generally quite satisfied with it: It has all the positive attributes of the P-90 (superb accuracy, reliability, durability, rust resistance, dedicated 8-round magazines (identical to the '90, thank God), and Ruger's customer service (as yet uneeded),) with the added bonus of having a slightly smaller, lighter platform. I even find it (dare I say) sleeker and sexier in shape than the '90.

I love the saftey -- an actual saftey, not just a decocker. And I kind of dig the tapered shape of the rear sight.

The only thing preventing me from voting "PERFECT" is the shape of the grip. I think Ruger slimmed it down TOO far. I have big hands that feel right at home wrapped around a P-90 grip, and the P-345 is just a skosh too narrow... particularly right at the bottom of the palm. It makes it line up just slightly off-center for my "point." This problem was 90% corrected with one of those Hogue finger-groove slip-ons, but the solution wasn't perfect.

I'll probably eventually buy another P-90 just for that hefty grip, but I'll have to buy it outright with no trading. The P-345 is not going to give me the excuse, and I think if I sold it, I'd have to replace it, too!

 

[Storm]

I'm impressed with mine, but then I haven;t shot it yet, so my opinion will have to wait.

One thing that did bother me, and this is purely aesthetic, was the glossy silver serial number plate on the frame. Kinda tacky looking especially as mine has the blued slide. I took some Black magic to it and its now a dull black and blends right in. Is there some legal reason why they went with the silver plate?

 

[B yond]

problems remedied...

Most of the complaints you'll hear about the p345 are related to the magazine safety or jamming. Here are the solutions:

Magazine Safety: DO NOT dry fire without a magazine inserted. You may also need to clean under the rear sight.

Jamming: For some reason some of these pistols made it out of the factory without being deburred very well. a small burr in a tiny indent opposite the extractor on the breach face can grab the rim of a cartridge being loaded. Also, a sharp lip where the feed ramp meets the chamber can dig into brass and cause jams. Both of these can be easily remedied with sandpaper/steel wool/scotchbrite/dremel tool with polishing compound.

Anyway, aside from those 2 problems, which are easily fixed, this is a great weapon. It is a better fit for smaller hands. Those of us with big hands may have some problems with the DA trigger pull, but it's nothing a little practice can't correct.

 

[BobCav]

Hi everyone. This is my first post on THR! I just got a P345 a couple weeks ago and have only put 100 rounds through her. That said, I love the gun. I'm in VA and will be OC'ing here shortly as soon as I get a nice reliable holster.

I got mine used, only about 500 rounds through her with 5 mags for $350 and mine had a HOGUE rubber grip sleeve on it. That makes a nice adition to the gun and it feels very comfortable in my hand. First time out in many years and I shot 100 rounds, nice groups, no problems whatsoever and no fatigue. Tomorrow I'll fire about 200 rounds.

Monday, I have a set of 19, 20 and 21 lb Wolff hammer springs coming to lighten up the pull on DA. From what I hear, it makes a WORLD of difference.