There Is No Better 45, Than a Ruger P Series 45

I now have all 3 Ruger P Series 45acp pistols. I also have a SR1911, and a FNX-45. The FNX does house duty, because of its 15+1 capacity. I was excited with it when I bought it, but now its fallen a notch on my favorites list, and the P 45s have gone to the top. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the FNX-45, its blazingly accurate, has a good trigger, has been perfectly reliable, and feels good in my hands. It just doesnt have the nostalgia, or the allure, that my P45s have.

My SR1911 is a nice gun, but I have never really warmed to the 1911 platform. I like a Double Action pistol better than a Single Action. I know this will ruffle some feathers, but its just how I feel. The SR1911 has much more felt recoil than my P97(I haven't shot the 90 or 345 yet). It is a quality built pistol, like all Ruger products, and every collector should have a 1911, so it was a natural choice for me, Its accurate, and reliable, but... sigh...

My P97 came first. I have a P95, and the 97 is its twin. The first shots from the 97 were amazing. The sights are dead on at 25 yards, and the recoil feels like a 9mm. Its very accurate and good looking. I added a Pachmayr slip on grip sleeve, because the poly frame is slick. That really helped. Its a great pistol.

My P90 came next. I like the styling. It reminds me of a classic muscle car. Its Macho. The trigger is smooth, and reasonably light. I added Hogue Finger Groove Grip panels. The 90 is the pistol that I like to hold, and look at, at every angle. I think its a work of art.

I just picked up a P345. Its a great looking pistol also. Im surprised how much thinner it is, compared to the 95/97. It does have the heaviest trigger of the three, but I have #19 Wolff hammer springs on order. If I decide to carry a 45, it will be the one.

I cant believe the value these pistols represent. When you look at used 45 pistol prices, there is nothing that compares in accuracy, construction, and reliability. The P series draws criticism for being thick, and blocky. I suppose this is true, for a 9mm pistol, since there are double stack 9mm pistols that are thinner, but for a 45 pistol, the P series is perfect. I dont want a thin, light 45. I want something to grab on to, and some weight to absorb recoil.

I apologize for the quality of the pictures, but here they are, in the order they were produced, P90, P97 and P345

Mauser lover said:

I have short, stubby fingers. I cannot reach the slide release on the P89 (I think that it is the same as the P90) easily. Is the 345 better than the 90 in this respect? I absolutely love pretty much every other feature of the gun... it is just too far for me.

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The frame is the same on the 89 and 90. The lever is also the same distance from the back of the grip on all three, the 89, 90 & 345, BUT the grip is much thinner on the 345, allowing you to reach the lever easier on the 345. Here are 2 pics, the first from the top showing the levers are the same distance from the rear of the pistols. The second compares the thickness of the slide/frame/grip. I can operate the lever on the 345, but must adjust my grip SLIGHTLY on the frame. I can barely operate the lever on the 90, and must make a MAJOR adjustment of my grip on the frame. The 345 is much easier.