Tell me about your P345!

[Katana8869]

I bought one used a couple of years ago and I have put well over two thousand rounds through it and it has been a great gun. It is light and thin with dimensions about equal to those of a Comander sized 1911. It carries well IWB and is reasonably easy to conceal. I have found it to be accurate and reliable and it is one of my favorite semi-autos.

When I got it, I heard about problems that the gun can develop due to dry-firing without a magazine in place which are caused by the firing pin peening the magazine disconnect safety. I don't like magazine disconnects anyway so I removed it. The process was very simple and I had the operation completed in less than 5 minutes. Problem solved.

I also put a lighter 19lb Wolf hammer spring in the gun the week after I bought it but I wore it out at about the 2000 rounds mark and started experiencing light primer strikes as a result. This has been the only issue that I have had with the gun. After I put a new 21lb spring in it and we were back in business and I've had no further issues. I may put a new recoil spring in it at some point but I am not all that worried about it right now.

I have other guns that are fancier and more expensive, but the P345 is a reliable workhorse that gets the job done and does it very well. I consider it to be one of my best gun purchases and it remains one of my favorites in my collection.

I'd love to hear from some other P345 owners and get their impressions of this interesting .45 Ruger.

The P345 with my Kel-tec P3AT


A little range work. Rapid fire at 15 yards

 

[Katana8869]

No takers? Maybe it ain't so interesting . lol

 

[Evnldr]

You managed to put me to sleep.. thanks lmfao.. J/K I have a Bersa Compact 45. So no help lol. Looks sweet

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Is the safety/decocker (what type - safety or decock only?) lever easy to operate? It looks very thin and flat to the side of the slide.

BTW, I know you got it before the LCP came out, but IMO it would look better with a LCP companion.

 

[GettinOld]

I share your enthusiasm for the P345. It's the first autoloader I've had that I can shoot as well as a revolver, and it's a lot nicer to carry. I also have a Ruger Blackhawk .45 ACP, which weighs 42 oz, I believe, and the felt recoil is clearly greater from the revolver than from the P345 using the same ammo.
As to carrying, the P345 is so smooth and snag-free that it has totally replaced a SW 640 for carry in town, and a 3" SW 60 for carry when hiking. Now that I'm used to using a DA first shot followed by SA follow-ups, I couldn't be more satisfied.

 

[ricebasher302]

I almost bought one last spring when I was on the market. I ended up with an FN instead. However, personally, I think the P345 is one of the most aestetically pleasing pistols on the market. It is a beautiful pistol. I love the smooth, rounded features and classic design. Man, I think I may need one now!

 

[Katana8869]

Is the safety/decocker (what type - safety or decock only?) lever easy to operate? It looks very thin and flat to the side of the slide.

BTW, I know you got it before the LCP came out, but IMO it would look better with a LCP companion.

It works just fine for me. Mine has the safety/decocker. Yes it does fit very close to the slide but despite that, it is very easy to operate.

And yes I did recently buy it an LCP to keep it company. I just don't have any pics of them together yet! lol

 

[BP44]

I dont own one yet but it's the only ruger auto that I like the looks of. Sweet looking pistola

 

[MissouriCrowinMass]

The P345 is an excellent semi for the money. Surprisingly accurate...not much difference from my Sig P220. I did fail to read the Instructions and messed it up dry firing. Ruger did the repair free of charge in reasonable time. I felt like an idiot yet I believe the Mag Disconnect causing dry firing to damage the action is a major design defect. Hopefully, Ruger addresses that in the future? All in all, 1/2 the price of many .45's and very good performance. You can't go too wrong with a P345. Some people advocate removing the little Mag Disconnect Pin under the rear sight. I'm told it is an easy job but there are a couple of tricks when sliding the sight out. I believe you have to make sure that the other pin doesn't drop into the Mag Dis hole or you'll bend it?

 

[markallen]

The trick to "cleaning the rear sight", is to not loosen the set screw anymore then is needed to get the sight to move to the right. If you remove, or loosen the set screw too much, the spring/ plunger that is used in the firing pin safety, will pop up into the hole/ space left from the set screw.
This will block the sight from moving enough to get the Mag Safety pin, and spring out, and won't allow you to move the sight back to the proper place.
If you clean under the sight, be sure to mark the location of the sight on the frame. It makes it easier to get back on target quicker.
I have found my P345 to be totally reliable. I have even shot a full magazine upside down, with no malfunctions.

 

[possum]

i had one. it was the least expensive handgun that i have ever owned, however it is th emost accurate handgun that i have ever had or shot. it was a great size and all and i loved the fact that it was single stack. However it was very unreliable, however Ruger was great about it. First i asked for new magazines, and they sent me 2 more no questions asked. that didn't work, and i sent it in, they fixed it and i sold it my dad who wanted it. it might have been 100% reliable for the rest of eternity, however i didn't feel confident in it.