P90, P97 or P345?

[weblance]

Well... I love my SR1911, BUT I still wanted a P series 45. Since the P series was recently discontinued, I REALLY wanted a P series 45. I bought a mint condition P97 this morning for $340. Early production 1999.

 

[Jim NE]

I have the urge to buy one of these P series 45acp pistols. I have read about the differences between the three models, and think the P90 suites me best. Any reason to consider the others? I think my next choice would be the 97, and the 345 falling in last. Opinions?

I love my P345. It's thin single stack design is sweet. The people that own them usually love them, but keep in mind that there are a few out there who seem to dislike them just as much.

It mostly stems from the magazine thing. The gun is particularly sensitive to dry firing if the magazine is removed. It apparently can damage the firing pin after just a few dry fires. There is a 3 minute permanent fix for this problem, but I haven't bothered because not firing a gun without the mag in it isn't rocket science.

It's my policy to NEVER dry fire my rimfires, so why should this be any more difficult? And it only matters when the mag is removed.

The one thing that I might get for my P345 is a Hogue handall that will fit a single stack. The factory grip feels fine, but has kind of a hard feel to it. Recoil's not bad, though.

Trade off for the single stack is a 8 round capacity, which is the ONLY negative for the gun, in my opinion.

 

[JTQ]

Good looking P97. It looks like the previous owner never shot it. I consider that a very good price too. Congratulations.

 

[GaryP]

Go for the P345

I own a KP97DC & a KP345. I owned a KP90 back in the mid 1990's also but found the grips a little large for my hand, other than that it was a great shooter. The P97 is an excellent choice if you can find one, but if I had to choose just one of these it would be the P345 over the other two. Why, because the KP345 fits my hand like a glove and My groups are noticeably tighter. The P345 has a magazine disconnect which is not to the liking of many, but is easily taken care of through a process known as "Cleaning".

 

[JRWhit]

You'll love the SR1911. higher end value for the price. Shoots great and has a very nice crisp trigger.

 

[calward]

Had a P345. It was accurate and the thinner profile was nice, but DA trigger was long and hard, and the pop up loaded chamber indicator was a pain in the butt to clean. Also the magazine disconnect always bothered me. Ended up trading it at a loss for a Glock.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[MCgunner]

Nice P97! Great gun. Were it me, I'd add a Hogue Handall grip sleeve. I like the finger grooves and non-slip texture on my P90. Fills out the grip nicely in my hand, too, and indexes my hand for a proper draw.. I had a P95 for a while, similar to the P97 in size and materials, just a 9mm. I had a Handall on it and it worked rather well.

 

[weregunner]

Excellent looking P97 there.

That should serve you well.

 

[Blue Brick]

I bought a mint condition P97 this morning for $340. Early production 1999.

I hate you.

 

[mr.trooper]

I tried hard to love my P345. It felt so good in the hand.

It worked 100% for everyone EXCEPT ME.

 

[weblance]

I bought a mint condition P97 this morning for $340. Early production 1999.

I hate you.

They are out there, you just have to be patient, and watch. I have been lurking on my local ArmList, and had seen several of the P series 45s sell for very reasonable prices. Of course there are the ones listed for $600, but most of the time, they are under $400. I watched a nice P90 sell for $280 because I couldnt get there in time, and also a stainless P345 for $300. Both of those hurt me badly. The P97 I bought was 15 miles from my home, so it was an easy grab.

 

[35Remfan]

P90 Had one

Great functioning gun. But it was too big and bulky for my hands. Sold it and ended up with a Kimber 1911.

Never had a bit of trouble with it. Put maybe 500 rounds through it. I bought it from my cousin. He never had any trouble with it either.

 

[ritepath]

I looked at a p90 used but LNIB this weekend. If I hadn't been in the market for a shield it would have come home with me, it was 389. They also have a NIB p345 but I didn't pay enough attention to the price.

 

[weblance]

Well, today presented a next to new P90DC. The owner said he bought it new, fired maybe 20 rounds through it, and hadnt touched it since. Two original 7 shot magazines, still with the warning stickers completed the package. Serial number search puts it as a 1993 model. I paid a little more than I wanted to($425), but I wanted the decock model, and in my area, those seem harder to find.

 

[JTQ]

Congratulations on that one too.

I suppose the "fella's" will hate you just a little more now.

 

[Bob M.]

I had 2 of those P90DC's. Wished I kept em....

 

[JERRY]

I once owned a P90DC.... wish I still had it.

 

[KirkP]

Love my P90 special edition with Hogue fingergrips

 

[snooperman]

Any one of the three would be a good gun. I have the P90 and it, like all Rugers, are rock solid guns that will last longer than most other guns. They are a real bargain and mine is a fine shooting 45.

 

[snooperman]

Weblance, you got a fine gun for $425. Mine will shoot better groups than my Colt 80 series. Massad Ayoob, well known police officer and gun writer has won many matches with his P90 against others with tricked -out $2000 1911 guns. Like some of the S&W 3rd gen guns, the Ruger P series guns are a real bargain.

 

[Dogguy]

The only one of the three I've had any experience with is the P345. It was a gun I bought simply due to the NIB price. It was the lowest priced .45 I had ever owned. The trigger was not so good, the pop-up loaded chamber indicator was ugly, the disassembly procedure was odd (to me), the slide ran on plastic frame rails and the magazine disconnect had a problem history that was worrisome. But it was easy to shoot well and it fed all the ammo I tried in it. I removed the magazine disconnect parts to prevent any possible future problems and decided to make it a range gun only.

People often say one gun or another has been "100% reliable". Well, the P345 was 100% for me from the first day. Fed everything from steel cased Russian range ammo to premium-priced defense ammo. I disposed of about 300 rounds of very old, very dirty lead bullet handloads and it functioned throughout despite being so filthy it looked as if it had been smoked in a barbeque. The barrel was heavily leaded as well--took awhile to get it cleaned out. Never missed a beat. Cleaned up nicely by wiping it down with Ballistol and spraying it out with brake parts cleaner.

It's a tough gun. Not refined, not pretty and it will never pass for a custom 1911, SIG or HK in buttery smooth function. But it can be used, trashed, neglected and generally abused with no ill effects.

 

[weblance]

Weblance, you got a fine gun for $425. Mine will shoot better groups than my Colt 80 series. Massad Ayoob, well known police officer and gun writer has won many matches with his P90 against others with tricked -out $2000 1911 guns. Like some of the S&W 3rd gen guns, the Ruger P series guns are a real bargain.

Thanks for the comment. I was excited to find it was still available after being up for sale for two weeks. After a little clean-up, its in exceptional condition. I certainly believe the previous owner, who told me that there haven't been many rounds fired through it. I cant wait to change that.

 

[weblance]

...And Then There Were 3...

My P series 45acp collection is complete. Today I scored a P345, 2 magazines, loading tool, original box, 50 rounds of mixed SD ammo, and an Old Faithful Pancake for $350. Cant wait to get outside and run some rounds down the barrel.

 

[clutch]

I bought my P90DC in 2000. I've bought a lot of other handguns since but it is the one I keep in the bedroom. I trust it to work first time, every time.