Ruger P345 being discontinued

Could one or more of our astute forum members please explain why Ruger discontinued the P345 45 ACP pistol? I've owned one for several years and find it to be one of the better DA semi autos around. I'm not nor have I ever been a fan of DA only pistols.

P-guns are old news. The SR series is the new news.

Look for an SR45C to appear shortly.

The P345 never really gained much traction in the market. I don't think it ever got past the reputation of problems on the early guns (click no bang). Traditionalists didn't like the LCI and magazine disconnect, and the majority of the polymer pistol crowd preferred the higher capacity offerings from Glock, et al.

I appreciate your reply, but CLI has me stumped. Help?

loaded round said:

I appreciate your reply, but CLI has me stumped. Help?

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Probably meant LCI (Loaded Chamber Indicator).

I owned one a few years ago and couldn't warm up to it. I found the squared, narrow and blocky grip difficult to work with shooting full power ammo.

A feature of its design I didn't care for was the magazine safety. The pistol was designed to lock the firing pin without a magazine in place but still permitted the hammer to be cocked and released. What this did was permit someone who is not familiar with that feature to dry fire it without an empty mag in place and continually pound the firing pin while it was locked and unable to absorb the shock of the falling hammer. At one point I recall reading of a number of people who had managed to break their firing pin as a result.

The pistol did not group particularly well for me either.

When I first bought my P345, there was ''fix'' for the PIA magazine safety that was called '' cleaning the rear sight'' which was drifting the rear right off and removing the magazine safety parts and reinstalling the rear sight...a very simple procedure. Another trick was to put in a lighter trigger spring from a 1911 spring kit. It gave my P345 a very smooth 4 lb. trigger and in turn was a fairly accurate pistol with hand loaded ammo. All in all it's a great night stand pistol at a decent price.

Never owned a p345, but the p97dc in stainless was one of the guns that got me into shooting. My first handgun was a P89TH. The accuracy sucked and I thought it was me. I traded up to a P97 a year later. Night and day difference in accuracy! THEN I discovered the 1911. Got a great deal, at the time, on a Springfield GI stainless (pre gear kit model). For about 475 NIB. All I ever really heard about the P345 was horrible, so I never "traded up". On a side note, I have tried a couple other P89s since my first one with no better results. The .40s I have owned have been more accurate...

I've shot enough rounds thru the tube and it's accurate up to 15yds ( I've not tried to shoot beyond 15yds) that I made my P345 my carry Gun. I trust it that much.

That makes the SR1911 series Pistols the only DA/SA hammer/Center fired Semi-autos from Ruger. For me personally, I don't like the striker Fire semi's, just could not get used to it so I sold my SR9.....................................

loaded round said:

Could one or more of our astute forum members please explain why Ruger discontinued the P345 45 ACP pistol? I've owned one for several years and find it to be one of the better DA semi autos around. I'm not nor have I ever been a fan of DA only pistols.

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LoadedR ... While the P345 is an excellent pistol IMHO and has a loyal following despite it's initial issues (nearly 105,000 sold over 9 years according to Ruger), it unfortunately succumbed to two primary issues:

1. Market Image. Although the initial "click no bang" problem was addressed and resolved early on, the lingering stories and subsequent fears of the buying public of a potential failure continued to "remain active" on the web, and as with most "internet tales" was most often propagated by folks who had never even held one in their hands.

2. Market Pressure. With the vast influx of "LKNs" (limited knowledge newbies) rushing into the market with media driven "Glock Fever" in the past few years, the manufacturers selling the entry level pistols (price point in the $400 - $600 range) have been forced to move in the direction of the polymer striker fired pistol if they wanted to capture the LKNs, remain competitive, profitable and retain (or grow) their market share.

While I personally hated to see the P-Series go by the wayside, Ruger really had no choice but to introduce, focus on and ultimately expand the SR Series.

I like my P89 DC stainless (my 1st gun) and my P345. Will never get rid of them.

For CCW, it's my Springfield XD9 SC or XDs 3 inch 45 ACP. Better conceal and better shooters.

ole442 said:

I like my P89 DC stainless (my 1st gun) and my P345. Will never get rid of them.

For CCW, it's my Springfield XD9 SC or XDs 3 inch 45 ACP. Better conceal and better shooters.

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Since I loss a lot of weight, I'm able to carry my P345 IWB, I don't even know it's there at all, even while driving........................

I have both the P345 and the SR45. I originally was going to sell the P345 after I bought the SR45, but have changed my mind. Although I love the SR45, I still love the heft of the P345 and the way it shoots. I have always had very good groupings with it.

As I originally posted, I have a P345DC that I bought new when they first came out and with several ''mods'' is one of my favorite pistols and is my house gun mounted with one of the small Sig lasers on it. Just last week I bought a used like new P345, the manual safety model, as a gift to my son. The price was a steal in itself for a solid DA 45ACP. Fortunately, it already had it's sight cleaned and it will become his house gun also.

For me, my P345 has the most wonderful grip! Several years ago I went to a gun show with cash in hand, fully intending to buy a XD-45. As I was milling around at the show looking for the best deal, I stoppped by a dealer's table where a P345 was displayed. Just a little fondling on my part was all that it took for me to buy the P345. If you think I'm lovin' it, you're right!

Amistad

I have had two p345s and sold them both for various reasons. I found a smoking deal on a used one so I am thinking about it again.

I really like the 345, it's a very good looking and ergonomic pistol. If Ruger ever decides to bring out a similar DA/SA 9mm I'll be happy to get one.

Mine is a keeper

Say Snyd,

I like the looks of that IWB holster. What kind is it? Thanks!

Amistad