Ruger P345 Not Firing All The TIme

[Carry_Up]

A disappointing outcome for you...unfortunate that this kind of thing can happen. The factory will naturally ask to see it, but why repeat the process again??? There are 2 ways to look at it. For one, it might indicate that the design of this kind has inherent problems that can't really be fixed but only patched up. On the other hand, they might have given the repair to the same person who let it go out the door in the first place and does not understand how it works. In either case, I would go for a trade-up to a different model. This just should NOT happen.

Carry_Up

 

[BuckJM53]

Amistad ... I haven't heard of someone with the "click-no-bang" problem on a P345 for a few years now. The C-N-B is typically brought about by dry firing without the magazine in place (likely before you bought it), which causes the firing pin to damage the magazine disconnect plunger to the point that the firing pin couldn't get past the disconnect plunger (thus click-no-bang). I'm truly surprised that Ruger did not replace the magazine disconnect plunger (which I suspect was responsible for the original as well as the current problem) on the first service. I would certainly ask them about it this time.

 

[Amistad]

My thanks to you folks for your thoughts.

Carry_Up, I will do as you suggest when I talk with the Ruger folks on Monday and ask them about any trade-up offer they might care to make. BuckJM53, I've heard of this issue before and have read where others have experienced the exact same problem with the P345. From what I've gleaned from searching and studying online, I think you are "spot on" when you mention the magazine disconnect plunger as being the heart of the issue. Like you, I also am at a loss as to why that part was not replaced while Ruger had the gun there in their repair facility a few days ago. More to come...

Amistad

 

[Amistad]

Update 1:

Well, Fedex now has the P345 in tow and it is scheduled for delivery to Ruger on Wednesday afternoon...

The agent I spoke with today seemed to be more aware of the "Click-No-Bang" issue than the previous person had been. As I mentioned different things (such as the Firing Pin Block and the Magazine Disconnect Plunger), he told me that he was entering that information into the case notes regarding my P345. He also stated that he would put a note in there about me inquiring about a possible trade-up, and also said he would see that it was brought to the attention of a supervisor. So... we'll see how this all shakes out. Stay tuned! :mrgreen:

Amistad

 

[GP100man]

Just got my PC back up & caught up on the 345 problem .

Interesting why they didn't replace the disconnect plunger??

 

[Amistad]

Update 2:

Well, my P345 was safely delivered to the Ruger folks in Prescott, AZ yesterday morning. When I sent it in the first time (earlier this month), they took delivery, worked on it that same day, and had it heading back to Texas the very next day. REALLY fast service! (In fact, maybe too fast, if you get my drift.) Anticipating the next development...

Amistad

 

[Carry_Up]

The C-N-B is typically brought about by dry firing without the magazine in place (likely before you bought it), which causes the firing pin to damage the magazine disconnect plunger to the point that the firing pin couldn't get past the disconnect plunger (thus click-no-bang). I'm truly surprised that Ruger did not replace the magazine disconnect plunger

Well, you are just making my point. This whole thing is described in the owner's manual exactly as above. So why would we wonder if the factory is aware of the problem? We could add another safety and call it the dry-fire safety. That should take care of it.

-cu

 

[Amistad]

Update 3:

Well, this time I may not get the super-fast turnaround of my P345 being returned so quickly like I did earlier this month. Just for the heck of it, I just now called Ruger and requested to know if they could give me a status of where things stand at present. The gun is currently in "Supervisor Evaluation" status. No other clue as to when the process moves further down the line... So I'll just endeavor to have a happy what's left of July... :mrgreen:

Amistad

 

[Amistad]

Update 4:

Rats! The Ruger tech who worked on my 345 just now called. He said that he and his supervisor had taken the gun to the range, had fired 100 rounds through it, and the gun didn't miss a lick. So, he's sending it back to me as is. Not sure where to go from here...

Amistad

 

[eric conrad]

I'd call back and ask if they can tell you what ammo they used.
Eric

 

[Amistad]

Eric, during my discussion with the tech, he mentioned that they fired 100 rounds of Black Hills 230GR FMJ without malfunction.

Amistad

 

[Amistad]

Last Update:

I received the P345 back from Ruger yesterday afternoon, with a note in it stating that they had fired 80 rounds with no malfunction, and were unable to reproduce the issue that I had described. (I asked them specifically to look very closely at the magazine disconnect plunger.) No mention of that on the paperwork I received, so I don't know what to think of that...

Last night, I loaded up 100 rounds of 230GR Cast (Tumble Lube from Lee's mould) and meticulously checked every round with a micrometer. I then placed each round in the gun's barrel to do the "plop" test". There were eight rounds that were not explicitly like I wanted them, as far as their roundness and seating depth. So I culled those and loaded eight more.

This morning, I fired 50 rounds of Blazer Brass 230GR FMJ through the 345. Not a hiccup to be seen. I then fired my 100 reloads. Again, absolutely flawless. I admit that I'm not sure what to make of this. I think I'll go ahead and load a couple hundred more of those Cast TL bullets and see what the future holds. I really love this P345. Though I will likely never again trust it so as to be one of my carry guns, I can still have plenty of fun with it in other uses...

Amistad

 

[Amistad]

Still wondering...

For those of you who may have followed along in this thread, I have now fired 225 rounds through this P345 with no drips, no runs, no errors. (This is since I received the gun back from Ruger on its second trip back to the factory in recent weeks.) I can't help but wonder whether Ruger may have inadvertently done something that fixed the click, no bang problem that I was having with the weapon. My feelings on it haven't changed. I really love the look and feel of this gun! It's a lot of fun to shoot and enjoy! :mrgreen:

Amistad