I finally got to look in person at the pistols I want

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drummerwookie

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i finally got to look at the Ruger p345 and got to hold it and it felt great. havent gotten to shoot one yet, but it fit my hand perfectly. looked 10 times better in person then on the net too. found a place that would sell it brand new for 410 bucks....

but, at that same place, which is where ill probably end up buying from, the owner was a very helpful person and they have a great indoor shooting range are are building an indoor rifle range, but anyways, they had a 2 year old ruger P94 40 cal, and it was the limited edition model with that different grip if you all know what i mean. well, it was also in stainless, and it came with 3 mags, and 2 holsters, all for 375 bucks. it felt good in my hand, but not as good as the P345, and i loved that it came with the extra mags and holsters, and like i said, all for 375 bucks. would i be an idiot if i dont go for it, if they still have it when i get the money to buy the gun?..lol..
 
Get the one that feels better in your hand. I expect you'll regret it if you don't.

You can buy all those extras in good time.
 
lol..the more i think about it, the better that used one sounds...

can any one tell me the difference between the regular p94 and the P94 special, besides the grip and the fact the Special was made in limited numbers?
 
I imagine the grips are likely the only difference. Did it have an OD green frame or typical Ruger grey aluminum? I've seen special editions that had that two tone look. Looks nice but no functional difference. If it has Hogue wraparound grips (rubber with finger grooves on the frontstrap) those only cost about 20-25 bucks at most gunstores. Add a lot of controllability to the gun under recoil but they aren't terribly expensive and don't add a huge amount of value to the gun. I've installed them on both my P89 and P90.

Coincidentally I was in the local shop today to price P95's. They didn't have any put had P345's for $409. I held one for the first time and had a hard time handing it back across the counter. I've got to get that SRH sold so I can pick one of those up. :D

If it were me, I'd go with the 345. Of course, I've never been a huge fan of the .40SW round. I like mine in either 9 or .45.
 
rantingredneck, this is exactly what the p94 looked like, same grip, same finish, and pretty much same design, but this is a pic of the newer version, the P944. and i did like how the 345 felt more, and i like the looks of the 345 more too..

but heres what the P94 looked like
rugerP94.jpg
 
Yeah that OD frame is pretty but not really different from the standard Ruger grey. Those are the hogue wraparound grips. As I said they add some controllability but not much value. The only difference there is that the ones that come on the Ruger special editions have the Ruger emblem on them instead of the Hogue emblem.

The P345 has a thinner slide and grip than the P94 and will be lighter. That will make CCW easier if you decide to get your permit (assuming you don't already have it). The 345 is a one piece frame/grip and you can't get aftermarket grips for it. Unless of course you put a hogue slip on over the existing frame. I did that with a Sigma I used to own and it helped. I liked the way the 345 felt as is though so if I get one I doubt I'll go that route. I'm looking at getting the 345 or 95 soon so that I can quit lugging around a P90 or P89 everywhere. It ain't so bad in winter but during the summer its a PITA.

Whichever way you decide you are getting a fine weapon. Ruger P series pistols are built like tanks. They'll eat anything, they go bang every time and they hit where you aim.
 
thanx for all that info on the 345...didnt realize there were that many differences. and yes, i thought the 345 felt better in my hands then any other pistol that ive held or shot...this is my first pistol, but ive shot my friends p22 walther, glock 22, what ever glock it is that has the 45 cals also, sig p226, ruger mark III, and like i said, the 345 felt better then any of them. i would just really like some way to find one to actually shoot before i get one, but there arent any used ones around here for the dealers to allow me to shoot.

and yes, i do plan on getting a CCW, mainly just to get the professional advice on the safest ways to handle a gun and everything else i would learn. but i will also like having the permit that would allow me to carry it almost anywhere i want to go. i dont plan on carrying it everywhere, but when i go on 4-wheeling trips/camping trips in my jeep, i plan on going in some fairly remote locations, where ive heard from other jeepers that people, including some of them, have been robbed by the locals while in the middle of no where, so no way for them to get help in time. a few of them have had a pistol or rifle with them, and scared off the unwanted pests, but those that didnt lost all their belongings while, like i said, they were in the middle of no where and needed everything they had
 
I really love my P345, and favor the .45, but your used .40 with the mags is pretty tempting.
 
but your used .40 with the mags is pretty tempting.
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yea, your telling me...lol..im thinking as of now, that if they still have that there when im ready to buy, then ill get it bc it is a good deal, a 40 caliber pistol will do just about as much damage as a 45, not a huge difference, and if i dont like it, i could probably sell it for more then i paid for it, or atleast the same amount that i paid for it, and then get the 345
 
If the P345 is what you really want, I'd say go for it. A few bucks either way six months down the road... Who's going to miss it? But you're going to have your Ruger for a long time. Don't settle for something that's less than exactly what you want for a few bucks; that's my opinion.
 
The P345 dose have a wonderful grip and low recoil for a 45. Real smooth if you lube with grease instead of oil.
 
If the P345 is what you really want, I'd say go for it. A few bucks either way six months down the road... Who's going to miss it? But you're going to have your Ruger for a long time. Don't settle for something that's less than exactly what you want for a few bucks; that's my opinion
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good point as well....its the same as when i bought my jeep...had my step dad with me to Co-sign bc i was only 20 when i got it and it was brand new, and i started thinking that maybe i should settle for a cheaper model jeep, like the sport model, but my step dad, even as much into saving money as he is, said if i didnt get the exact jeep i wanted at the time, i would be kicking myself down the road. and so i went with what i did and havent regreted it...

so maybe its the same way with this gun..lol
 
I think the P94 (which began production in 1994) was the 9mm and the P944 (which began production in 1995) was the .40 version of the same basic pistol... though side by side there are some noticable differences.

I have the standard stainless P944 DC and think its a very good pistol.

KP94D.gif
 
Actually the P94 was offered in both 9mm and .40SW. Though I don't think there's any difference really between the 94 and 944 other than the catalog number. Looks like yours has 94 as a model number on the slide too.

If I'm not mistaken, and I probably am, the 93 was also offered in both calibers.
 
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