New P345 Owner Needs Feedback

A couple years ago, Ruger discontinued the P345--before I could buy one! I carried a S&W 645 for 15 years. I loved the features but got tired of the weight of the big Smith. Now, the P345 is back, perhaps never to be seen again, so I'm buying one. I'm looking for tips and suggestions from P345 owners.

1. Is it still a bad idea to dry fire without a magazine in place?
2. How much of a break in will I likely need?
3. I've heard they like lots of lubrication--yes?
4. Favorite holsters or ammo?
5. If you've swapped out the hammer strut spring for a lighter Wolff spring, I'd love to know how that worked out for you.

For those of you who hate the P345--please just move on. It's my gun, and I like TDA designs, magazine safeties, loaded chamber indicators, reliable locks and flip-floppy slide-mounted safeties. Remember--15 years with a 645!

Since Ruger's web site doesn't list the P345 I assume you found an NOS one, right?

Unless Ruger had changed the mag disconnect design sometime in it's production life, and I doubt they did, dry firing a P345 without a magazine in place can cause damage. Even the SR-series, with their different mag disconnect design, are not supposed to be dry fired without a mag in place even though it's less damaging than the P345 was reported to be.

NOS?

I saw the guns listed as new at BudsGunshop, and my local gun store (CatawbaSurplus.us) could get them from a distributor in Kentucky. Should be here in less than a week.

New Old Stock.

All the P-guns are obsolete. Sadly...

Yeah, the P345 is obsolete a few years ago.......anything you find "new" now is new old stock.

I traded mine this past year for my SR1911, I owned it for about 6-7 years with no issues at all. Don't dry fire without the magazine in, you can bend the firing pin. Normal cleaning and lube, nothing extra needed. It ate any ammo I put into it, never skipped a beat.

Steve

maineultraclassic said:

Don't dry fire without the magazine in, you can bend the firing pin.

Click to expand...

Apparently some potential owners were so concerned about it that they refused to buy the display case pistol from their gun shop for fear it had been dry fired without the magazine a few times and insisted on getting an unopened one.

And yes, NOS = New Old Stock. I apologize for assuming it was "common knowledge"

i put a wolf reduced power main spring in and the gun fires just fine .I reload with win. primers. i did have to reduce overall length of .452 bullets by .005. would not seat fully. lapped the barrel with "softscrub",tight patch.mine shoots fine. I bought 2 10 rdn mags. same as p95 fit. go to pistol in this house. will add laser soon.wish it had an adjustable rear sight.

I saw those P345s listed for sale by Buds recently. They had been unavailable until very recently, and I suspect they won't last long this time either since Ruger has ceased producing them. You have, in my opinon, bought yourself an excellent handgun. As others have already stated, avoid the dry fire without a magazine. My P345 has never once failed to fire regardless of the ammo I've fed it. I carry mine in a Don Hume IWB holster which has served me quite well thus far. As for break in, from all I've read and experienced personally, they are good to go right from the start. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.

CommanderCrusty said:

A couple years ago, Ruger discontinued the P345--before I could buy one! I carried a S&W 645 for 15 years. I loved the features but got tired of the weight of the big Smith. Now, the P345 is back, perhaps never to be seen again, so I'm buying one. I'm looking for tips and suggestions from P345 owners.

1. Is it still a bad idea to dry fire without a magazine in place?
2. How much of a break in will I likely need?
3. I've heard they like lots of lubrication--yes?
4. Favorite holsters or ammo?
5. If you've swapped out the hammer strut spring for a lighter Wolff spring, I'd love to know how that worked out for you.

For those of you who hate the P345--please just move on. It's my gun, and I like TDA designs, magazine safeties, loaded chamber indicators, reliable locks and flip-floppy slide-mounted safeties. Remember--15 years with a 645!

Click to expand...

1. Yes. From the P345D & P345 manual safety model owners manual page 17.
DRY FIRING
Going through the actions of cocking, aiming and pulling the trigger on an
unloaded gun is known as "dry firing." It can be useful to learn the "feel" of your
pistol. Be certain that the pistol is fully unloaded (both the chamber and magazine
are empty) and that the pistol is pointing in a safe direction even when you are
practicing dry firing. The RUGER® P345® pistols can be dry-fired without
damage to the firing pin or other components as long as the magazine is inserted.
CAUTION: Dry firing your RUGER® P345® with the magazine removed may
result in damage or unnecessary wear to the firing pin blocking mechanism.
2. I personally didn't run 200 or 500 rounds before using it in IPDA style competition. It's never failed to function. Most folks will recommend the 200 to 500 round break in.
3. I haven't experienced any problems with under lubrication. I use a CLP cleaner.
4. Fobus for at the range and a Galco COP for belt, carry concealed by a leather vest.
5. I've never felt the need to modify any of my gun actions and use them as they come out of the box. If the action is so bad as to be unusable, It would go back to the company. But I've never had to do that either.

Hello Pyth0n, I read your post on the P345 with interest- having just shot mine for the first time on Monday. It was patterning to the low left but that is most likely me and until I figure out the proper grip I won't be drifting the sights.
Since we are both in Tucson maybe we'll cross paths at a range. I most often shoot at Pima Pistol. Anyway, thanks for the insights
Ned, Tucson

roylt said:

...All the P-guns are obsolete. Sadly...

Click to expand...

Obsolete? Hardly. Just a victim of Ruger's oft-misguided and out-of-touch marketing department.
The P-series put Ruger on the map as a maker of auto-loading centerfire pistols. The P345 is one of the best of it's design by any maker, period. Absolute reliability and accuracy better than pistols twice or more its price. I stake my family's lives on one at hand while I sleep.

Don't dry-fire without the mag in place, period. Buy snap-caps and use them for dry-fire practice.
I've never needed nor used more than a couple drops total after stripping and cleaning. I use Wilson's PTFE super lube stuff.
Ruger had the best holsters for my money, and may still. Galco also made the best for the 345.

Striker-fired pistols are ok for the Glock-raised generation, but the Ruger P-series appeal to those who understand what it means to put front sight on another person. The P345 works. Not obsolete, just more expensive to produce.

So the tens of thousands of LEO's using Glocks don't count? Silly post.

"So the tens of thousands of LEO's using Glocks don't count? "
Don't drift from the OP's questions.

Bought mine new a couple years ago.

200gr swc's for practice rounds.




N-M Holsters IWB https://www.facebook.com/pages/NM-Holsters/218117514891764

I loved my p345...but it had to many issues. My first one was great, but my second one had to many issues. Remove the magazine disconnect and the gun is wonderful.

Not to drift but striker fired weapons are cheaper to make. This is a factor in LEO and military selection. NOT all so don't blast me, they are fine guns.

Picked up my second P345 (NOS) today at Whittakers, a blue model, 429.29 OTD. I like em and wanted another copy for hard times. My first one was flawless except for a couple failures to return to battery during the first couple mags, but since then routinely reliable with any ammo I try. Hope my second one does as well.

I found one today at a LGS and it was $360 it was used but only some blue wear.it had slip on houge like grip.

I also have the P345, got it 3 or 4 years back and have had absolutely no problem with it. A fine shooting .45. I like the DA/SA action better than the SAO on the 1911 or a stricker fired pistol. On the DA/SA you can keep one in the tube and don't need a safety of any kind. The SA trigger pull on mine is light and clean and the initial DA pull isn't much different than my old S&W model 28 which was a fine trigger. I'll be keeping this one for a long time, or at least as long as a guy in his 70s can keep anything.

A friend of mine bought a like new older P345 and it had issues, as in fail to fire. Upon inspection he found small metal fragments around the firing pin, which he cleaned and the pistol operated perfectly but after some more rounds it had the same failure. He found that the early production of this model used a firing pin that was tapered and the firing pin spring would stretch and work up the tapered pin until it started to chew the spring. He bought a replacement pin which has a "shelf" cut into it for the firing pin spring to shoulder against, and after this replacement the pistol worked without issue and is very accurate. He set a small OD green empty propane cyl on the berm behind the 100yd target frames, about 110 yds and I shot it dead center with the first shot. I like the p345 so much I tried to buy one and they wanted $500+ for one and found the Kahr CW45 handle and feel, IMO, identical for $370, so I own the Kahr. Both of these pistols are amazingly accurate and you won't go wrong with either.