RecoilRob
Member
WARNING: The following contains a discussion of the removal of a safety device installed by the factory that might be required by your local juristiction. Please consider the legal ramifications before modifying your pistol.
I just stumbled upon a new/unfired blue P345 at the local gun emporium. It was in the Used case but shows absolutely NO evidence of use. Good enough....and, at $295 I thought it just HAD to go home with me.
I have never been a fan of magazine safeties and set about to see if this one is removable. Happily, it is. And easily too!
Under the rear sight are two spring loaded firing pin locking devices. The forward one is the mag safety and the rearward one the trigger safety. Simply remove the offending mag safety and reinstall the rear sight.
I test fired with 200grn semi-wadcutter pin ammo and none would eject without the magazine in place. They stayed in the ejection port in line with the barrel and fell out when the slide was retracted. Ejection with mag in place was positive and the slide locked back on the empty mag.
Of course, shooting the weapon without a mag is NOT a normal thing and should only be reserved for emergency during a tactical reload. I don't consider the magless failure to eject a major problem and believe it to certainly be less of a problem than failure to fire.
A couple more good things happened after the surgery too! With the safety, the mag would pop out about 1/2" when the release was hit. Safetyless, the mags eject clear of the pistol with gusto.
Also, the slide release that had been a real bear to release a locked back slide suddenly works easily and positively now. The slide that would seem to bind when trying to get it all the way back to lock before surgery now feels normal. Dry firing without mag inserted will not hurt the gun now either.
I was torn between posting this in the Autoloader or Gunsmithing forums and thought it might get to more 345 owners here.
The P345 seems like a very nice pistol that is 'bugged' by a device that many feel is not needed, and IMO is a MUCH better operating weapon without the mag safety. Looks like Ruger might have felt the same way and designed it to be easily removable by anyone savvy enough to do it.
I just stumbled upon a new/unfired blue P345 at the local gun emporium. It was in the Used case but shows absolutely NO evidence of use. Good enough....and, at $295 I thought it just HAD to go home with me.
I have never been a fan of magazine safeties and set about to see if this one is removable. Happily, it is. And easily too!
Under the rear sight are two spring loaded firing pin locking devices. The forward one is the mag safety and the rearward one the trigger safety. Simply remove the offending mag safety and reinstall the rear sight.
I test fired with 200grn semi-wadcutter pin ammo and none would eject without the magazine in place. They stayed in the ejection port in line with the barrel and fell out when the slide was retracted. Ejection with mag in place was positive and the slide locked back on the empty mag.
Of course, shooting the weapon without a mag is NOT a normal thing and should only be reserved for emergency during a tactical reload. I don't consider the magless failure to eject a major problem and believe it to certainly be less of a problem than failure to fire.
A couple more good things happened after the surgery too! With the safety, the mag would pop out about 1/2" when the release was hit. Safetyless, the mags eject clear of the pistol with gusto.
Also, the slide release that had been a real bear to release a locked back slide suddenly works easily and positively now. The slide that would seem to bind when trying to get it all the way back to lock before surgery now feels normal. Dry firing without mag inserted will not hurt the gun now either.
I was torn between posting this in the Autoloader or Gunsmithing forums and thought it might get to more 345 owners here.
The P345 seems like a very nice pistol that is 'bugged' by a device that many feel is not needed, and IMO is a MUCH better operating weapon without the mag safety. Looks like Ruger might have felt the same way and designed it to be easily removable by anyone savvy enough to do it.
