ruger p90 vs. p97 vs. p345

ruger .45 acp

  • p90

    Votes: 15 35.7%

  • p97

    Votes: 11 26.2%

  • p345

    Votes: 16 38.1%
  • Total voters
    42
  • Poll closed .
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R

Revolver Ocelot

Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2006
Messages
1,470
I've been wanting to get a ruger semi auto pistol for sometime now. Just recently I realized I have one 45acp pistol in my house and it is my wife's, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make my first 45 a ruger.

That being said, I can't deicide which one to start with espeacially being the comparison is kind of apples to apples here. So I ask what your opinions of them are, what model you like best for it features reliability etc.
 
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I love my P90 it was the first .45 I ever bought and well my first semi auto too now that I think about it and I'll never sell it. I haven't found any ammo it wont shoot yet but it is a big heavy bulky gun but it just feels right in my hand and you can pick them up pretty cheap.

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I'm a P90 fan; mine has been reliable and accurate.
I shot a P345 extensively, nice enough gun, felt a little top heavy to me. I had no problems with it, but I've read that they can be damaged to the point of not firing by dry firing without the magazine in place.
I've never shot a P97, so I have no experience worth relating in regards to them other than they generally have a good rep on most forums.

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Regards,
Greg
 
greg, I have never seen one with a black polymer grip before, just curious is that an after market change made to your pistol or just a different version of the same handgun?
 
greg, I have never seen one with a black polymer grip before, just curious is that an after market change made to your pistol or just a different version of the same handgun?
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Originally, it was a blued "manual safety' model (seems all the blued ones have the black frame). I picked up a complete stainless "decock only" top end in a parts lot auction on gunbroker. It all swapped over without a hitch (I just refinished it and added night sights).
The trigger is a modified P95 trigger and the grips are Uncle Mike's.
Thanks for asking,
Greg
 
I voted P97. It's a little smaller than the P90, and doesn't include any of the lawyer stuff the P345 has, although, I do prefer the ergonomics of the P345 more. My P97 has never had a failure of any kind, and is very accurate and easy shooting. Plus, I picked it up NIB for under $300.
 
Good question, thanks for asking it.

I've been looking for a .45 ACP pistol that is a little handier than my S&W 4506 and 5" 1911. I'm not looking for a compact, just something lighter than the 40ish oz pistols I currently have. The Ruger P90 and P345 seem like the logical solution for me. I'll be interested in the input from forum members.

In my P90 Google searches, I always come upon THR member P97. He has a pretty cool engraved P90DC and I believe his wife has a P345. When he chimes in he should have a good perspective.

I've seen gb6491's grips in previous posts and have been meaning to ask where he got them. I'm not a fan of the wrap around grips with finger grooves, but the stock P90 grips always seem as if they could be a little slick, especially with no front or backstrap treatment as on the P90. Those Uncle Mike's look like a good option.
 
I've seen gb6491's grips in previous posts and have been meaning to ask where he got them. I'm not a fan of the wrap around grips with finger grooves, but the stock P90 grips always seem as if they could be a little slick, especially with no front or backstrap treatment as on the P90. Those Uncle Mike's look like a good option.
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JTQ,
Those are Uncle Mike's Model 59503. I don't think they are being made anymore, but they turn up on the various auction sites.

Hogue makes wood panels, that you can get checkered or smooth:
http://www.hoguestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=27_65_606

Regards,
Greg
 
gb6491 thanks for the info. I've done a few searches for P90 grip panels in the past and couldn't find your grips. Since you think Uncle Mike's doesn't make them anymore is probably why I couldn't find them.

I am familiar with Hogue. i have a set of rubber mono-grips on my S&W 686 and checkered ebony panels on my Colt Combat Elite. Hogue is always my first stop when I'm looking for grips. I'd like to see simple checkered rubber panels for the P90 or even checkered ebony would be nice.
 
The P90 is clunky, but amazingly accurate. The P97 felt a little better to me, until I changed the factory P90 stocks to the Uncle Mikes type (available used from time to time on GunBroker). The P345 seemed nifty to me when I read about it, but left me somewhat cold upon shooting one - also, I've seen and heard about problems with them (something I've never seen with the earlier Ruger .45s).

Long story short, I'm very happy with my P90.

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I have a P97 and had a P345. I never had a problem with either one and both are plenty accurate. I sold the P345 to a friend because he really loved it. The P97 does nightstand duty for me and I feel like I can trust it with my life. It feeds anything and just works. I have also used it for a CCW in the past but it really is too big for that.

All three of the Rugers you are looking at are good pistols. There were problems with some of the P345's in the past but it looks like all the ones built in the last couple of years or so have been fine. Just get the one that feels best to you. Oh, for CCW the P345 would be the best choice IMHO. I carried mine in an IWB holster under a summer weight tee shirt with no problem.
 
I voted P345. Someone on here just got a blued P345 and it looked like the business. They feel really nice in the hand too, IMO.
 
Ruger .45

Interesting that I should find this post.

I just got back from the range after putting my P97 through its paces. I bought this gun several years ago because it was priced fairly and I wanted another .45 that wasn't a 1911.

Before I fired it the first time I really wasn't expecting to get too excited to be honest, but this gun has surprised me....Big Time.

It shoots as well or better than my old Colt and is dead nutz reliable! It has become a regular carry gun for me as well as doing home defense duty. Accuracy is more than I could ask for with my handloads of 5.2 gr. of Bullseye behind a 200 gr. LSWC. Handles very well and very controllable.

It may not be for everyone, but it sure works for me.
 
I have at one time owned all three and like all three. Currently I only own a couple of P90s which is my favorite. I really liked the P97 but for some reason sold mine and now they are discontinued. I like the looks, the ergonomics and the accuracy of the P345 but really am not terribly fond of the added gizmos such as magazine disconnect (not a very good design IMO), the internal lock and the way the loaded chamber indicator works. Neither of the last two are deal-breakers for me, though, but the magazine disconnect issue is troubling to me (and I know it is easily removed). For me, the obvious remaining choice is the old stand-by P90. Just superb! It's a little bigger than the P345 but not that much. It's a little heavier than the 97, but not that much. I do wish I still had my P97 which was the best of all worlds in many ways. I won't be rid of my P90s.

At the risk of other Ruger fans throwing rocks at me, I sold my P345 in favor of a Glock 30 SF which fills the role better and more simply - for me, which is not a knock against those who love their P345s.
 
At the risk of other Ruger fans throwing rocks at me, I sold my P345 in favor of a Glock 30 SF which fills the role better and more simply - for me, which is not a knock against those who love their P345s.
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Traitor
 
That wasn't so bad...:)

Not as easy as the local guy who robbed a convenience store with an airsoft gun. No one was injured.
 
honestly you can't go wrong with any of the 3. My dad owns the p90 and carries it with little trouble. Works reliably goes bang every time. Just like our other ruger semi autos you can load any factory round and any properly loaded reload and they won't fail. I have a p345 that I carry daily when my security six doesn't beat it out. If you do get the p345 take out the useless magazine disconnect safety and you won't have to worry about the problems associated with dry firing. Its just a little piece that fits under the rear sight, remove the sight, take the piece out, put rear sight back on and you're good to go. Either will stand up to a beating but if you plan on carrying it personally i'd go with a p345. Range gun/house gun/trail gun go for the p90 as its a bit heftier and in theory will stand more abuse. Don't own a p97 nor have i fired one so i can't comment specifically on it except to say its a Ruger, can't go wrong there. Good luck in deciding
 
I have a question about the followers on the "new" (is it 5+ years since they changed from 7 round) followers in the 8 round magazines.

My understanding is they are basically the "Devel" follower used in the Chip McCormack 1911 mags that are known to tip forward after the last round and ding feed ramps on aluminum/alloy framed 1911's. The typical recommendation is to avoid those followers on alloy/aluminum framed 1911's. Of course all Ruger P-series are either polymer or aluminum framed. I have seen posts commenting on this problem with the Rugers.

I've read you could use the old nylon/plastic/polymer followers from the old 7 round mags, if you can find them. However, can you put 1911 followers in a P-90/97/345 tube such as those replacement followers from Tripp/Wilson/Checkmate? Is frame gouging really a problem with the 8 round mags with the Devel follower?
 
I've read you could use the old nylon/plastic/polymer followers from the old 7 round mags, if you can find them. However, can you put 1911 followers in a P-90/97/345 tube such as those replacement followers from Tripp/Wilson/Checkmate? Is frame gouging really a problem with the 8 round mags with the Devel follower?
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Ruger polymer followers for the 7 round magazines work, but you need to use the 7 round spring as well (the 8 round springs have larger coils).

At least some 1911 followers/springs will work: http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=87683&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

From what I've read, the gouging caused by metal followers is cosmetic and does not hamper performance. I noticed it very early in my gun and replaced all the metal followers with a poly follower and 7 round spring; losing the extra round wasn't a big deal to me.

Regards,
Greg
 
My dad has the stainless KP345. I have shot it several times and like it. He has had no problems at all with his. I think the picatinny rail is definitely nice to have.
 
I had a P90 and it was an amazing handgun. Stupidly reliable, built like a tank, and if you ran out of ammo it will double as a framing hammer. However, you do need very large hands, it is a BIG gun. I have some big mitts but stumpy fingers and I have a hard time reaching the trigger.

The P345 is a better design, maybe not a better gun, but a much more usable design. Very similar to the 1911 in feel (without the painful beavertail and hammer on the back of my hand), even the mags are nearly identical. It was accurate and really reliable. The only issue I had with it is that it would not lock forward occasionally. I did some research and it turns out the magazine disconnect can cause problems. Solution is to remove the mag disconnect spring. Takes about thirty seconds. Never a problem after that. That was one of the few I regret selling, but there are more out there.

No information on the P97
 
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