Ruger P345 or Stoeger Cougar .45?

I don't own either, but I would like to own the Ruger P345. I find the grip slim and comfortable, much like my 1911. The Cougar is a little chunky for my tastes.

The "net" is full of the shortcomings of the P345 (like don't dry fire without an empty magazine inserted), but most of those things are non-issues if you read and follow the owners manual. Of course you do know ahead of time if those are things you don't like, so if they are, buy something else.

Cougar.

I own the Cougar in 9mm, great gun that most people don't seem to pay much attention to.

Cougar. I own the Stoeger Cougar 8000 and 8045. Both excellent guns!

Rugers are reliable and they stand behind their guns 100%.

I've had both; I had the Ruger much longer than the Cougar. The Cougar felt much chunkier or blockier than the Ruger; for me the DA trigger pull was overly long and heavy; the Ruger was a dream. I sold the Cougar shortly after buying it, the Ruger I sold so I could get something else. For me, it would be the Ruger.

I don't own either but my dad has a Ruger KP345PR that I've shot quite a bit. I really like how it shoots and the quality is good. I really don't have any complaints about it. I have no experience with the Stoeger. Just thought I would give you my opinion on the Ruger. It's hard not to like the Ruger warranty.

Ruger P-345

For the money this is a fantastic handgun. So nicely engineered I hardly know where to begin except to say the ramped locking system is one of the best available. This is one smooth and soft shooting .45 ACP. More accurate than it should be and handles +P loads easily. I believe it compares to European guns costing much more.

+1 for the ruger. I use mine as a carry gun- it's slim, smooth, snagless, and points intuitively. When I get home I slap a light on it and it becomes my nightstand gun.

Recoil is well managed by the second recoil spring. Very easy to shoot fast.

I don't own the Cougar but I've handled one and I was unimpressed with the way it fit my hand.

I own a Ruger P345 and consider it one of the most reliably functioning and easy to shoot firearms I've ever shot. It fits my hand well although I don't particularly like the placement or operation of the decocker/safety. I'm not a fan of the magazine disconnect safety either. Still, I've put a lot of ammo through it--some of it being the worst .45 ACP reloads ever conceived--and it feeds and fires them all without a hiccup.

^ Funny, I think I know what you mean. I voted Ruger. I've a Cougar in 40. Good gun. The controls are all perfectly placed and take the right amount of force. I just can't stand the grip angle. With the right muzzle attachment, it would make a great hammer.

The trigger is also a bit challenging. I'm guessing it's around 8 lbs.

if you get a p345 that is reliable then that is the route that I would suggest. I had one, it was the least expensive gun that i have owned, but the most accurate gun that I have veer owned or shot. The only issue was that it was not reliable at all. It was sent back to ruger, they fixed it, but I couldn't trust it anymore. I sold it. My dad has it now and he has never had an issue.

I voted Ruger.

For this use, you don't need to buy a new gun, especially if it is a Ruger. Look for a used P90 for around $300. That's about what I sold mine for, and it was a fantastic gun. It was the daddy of the 345. I bet a lot of the internals are the same.





That's my old KP90, bought new in 1997. It was still going strong after many hundreds of rounds. I chipped the extractor by letting it slam shut on a chambered round. After that, it clunked me on the head pretty often with that heavy brass.

I also "blew it up" one time with a squib reload, followed by a non-squib. It bulged the barrel, but it didn't blow. I had Ruger replace it at the cost of $100. Served me right. I can't help but think a weaker gun may have kaboomed on me.

Ref P90 and P345.

It was the daddy of the 345. I bet a lot of the internals are the same.

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The P90 is more like the uncle. The P97 internals (and P95) are much closer to the P345 than the P90. The P90 uses a barrel link like the 1911 while the P345 uses a camblock like the P97 and P95. The P90/P97/P345 all use the same magazines though.