Ruger P345... RIP

I'm sure it's all sales numbers driven. The $300-ish price point kept the P95 in high demand even after the SR9 was introduced, but when I was working in high volume gun dealers the P345 was rarely asked for. Ruger is positioning the SR series as their Glock / S&W M&P competitor, so it makes sense to have your .45 ACP offering in your premier pistol line.

I'm surprised Ruger hasn't made a 40 S&W version of the P95 to compete with the S&W Sigma (SW40VE) and the SD VE that replaced it. A 40 S&W version of the P95 would offer the same DA/SA safety-decocker alternative to the mainstream value line striker fired guns that the 9mm version does.

The P95 is one of Rugers best selling guns, where the P345 is not so much. It was selling at the same price point as the new SR45, so it doesn't make much sense to compete with your own product. There were a lot of issues with the P345 when it first came out, which probably hurt sales in the long run. It was a solid, accurate gun though. In today's market, there just isn't a lot of demand for a full sized, single stack auto that isn't a 1911.

I picked up an early production P345 and it was just plain terrible. The thing would puke out pins/retainers about every time I took it out. Might have just been a lemon, or possibly quality control / design issues earned it a bad reputation and people gave up on it compared to the better revered P95.

Mine shot great ... for everyone else. For me? Not so much. I must have done something to it in a past life.

TarDevil said:

Gone from Ruger's lineup (didn't see another thread about this, but this probably isn't news to anyone here).

Why ditch the P345 and keep the P95?

Oh well. Nice gun, would've loved to own one, but the SR45 is bound to have better ergos with a better price. The SR45 is on my next-buy list. Maybe that's one reason the P345 has been buried.

Click to expand...

Aside from looking and feeling decent, the P345 was a dud, only the most extreme fans stick by them. It is a platform that had many flaws, two serious, that could instantly render the thing useless.

Now that Ruger has the SR1911 4.25" and the SR45, there isn't a reason to keep the P345 around.