p345 ruger

[bselzer]

anyone have any advise on why not to purchase a ruger p345?

 

[HandK]

I teach a tactical class to civilan ccw holders, I have never seen a Ruger P model that has not jamed up when condtions are just not right for the gun, Every Ruger P model has had mulitble jams durring the course, Hope this helps,
P.S I am not running anyones gun down and do not wish to get is a Pissin match with anyone that owns one, Just passing along what I have seen with my own eyes.

 

[Joe Williams]

I've owned a P85, P89, P94 and never had a malfunction with any of them. I'm talking to my best friend, and he says he liked his P345. No malfunctions, and accurate. Says it was softer kicking than his 1911. Only reason he sold it was $$$$ emergency.

 

[wolfman]

Over 2,000 rounds through my P345 with out "any" FTF, FTE, or any other problem. Eats anything I feed it, goes bang every time I pull the trigger. I carry it everyday, and trust my life with it.

 

[HandK]

Again I am not putting down anoes gun, In a tactical situation when things are less than perfect IE a hi stress shooting situation I have never seen one not fail, just my observation's also I know of no LE Department in the country that uses them, plenty out there that use Glock, H&K, Sig's, S&W. that speaks volumes.

 

[Agent 007]

LE agencies don't use Ruger pistols, by and large, because most agencies have moved to striker fired or DAO pistols. Until recently (SR9), Ruger didn't offer a good striker fired or DAO pistol like a Glock, M&P or the Sig DAK/HK LEM pistols. There were some limited DAO metal frame Rugers, but polymer is the overwhelming choice of agencies today.

There is nothing wrong with certain Ruger P series pistols for defense or general use. Only the P345 has had some problems with the ill-designed magazine disconnect. P95 9mm pistols in particular have a very good reputation for reliability.

I'm not sure what the shooter's stress level has to do with anything, regarding pistol reliability. Either they function or they don't, no matter whether the shooter is chilled out at the range or puckered up with bullets whizzing by his head. If shooters are accidentally hitting the safety during malfunction drills, that's a weakness of DA/SA pistols in general, not just Rugers. A good self-defense pistol will have a minimum of potential failure points.

The only DA/SA pistols that I care for are "decock only" models, and Ruger makes these. I used to have a P94DC in .40, and never had a problem out of it with several hundred rounds fired. Foolishly sold it, but I'm keeping my eye out for another. They are a bit heavy, but reasonable in price and make a good home defense weapon. Rugers actually have a good reputation for being solidly built and reliable, despite not being the prettiest girls at the dance.

By the way, the Federal Bureau of Prisons issues the Ruger P95 9mm.

 

[doublebarrel]

I teach a tactical class to civilan ccw holders, I have never seen a Ruger P model that has not jamed up when condtions are just not right for the gun, Every Ruger P model has had mulitble jams durring the course, Hope this helps,
P.S I am not running anyones gun down and do not wish to get is a Pissin match with anyone that owns one, Just passing along what I have seen with my own eyes.

Hmm.., that's like the exact opposite of what I've heard (there are two Ruger forums on the Internet), and what I've experienced (owned P89 and P95 twice, owned P944 and P97 once. Still have a P89). Rugers are not known for accuracy (though alot of time it's the shooter, not the gun. Talking from experience), or workmanship (more tool marks than many, less than some), or silky mechanical operation (trigger, etc.). But they are more tolerant of cheap ammo, even put words like "No 9mm x 19, 45 Auto or 40 S&W ammunition manufactured in accordance with NATO, U.S., SAAMI, or CIP standards is known to be beyond the design limits or known not to function in these pistols." in the manual. No warning against +P ammo like many others. Sure, they will jam like all guns do, or even KB (GIGO applies here), but most people would rate their possibility for ammo related stoppage at about same level as the Glock, maybe better than Glocks...

They have a name of "built like a tank". Heavy but solid, lacks a bit of refinement, makes up by overbuilt reliability and longevity...

 

[HandK]

LE agencies don't use Ruger pistols, by and large, because most agencies have moved to striker fired or DAO pistols. Until recently (SR9), Ruger didn't offer a good striker fired or DAO pistol like a Glock, M&P or the Sig DAK/HK LEM pistols. There were some limited DAO metal frame Rugers, but polymer is the overwhelming choice of agencies today.

There is nothing wrong with certain Ruger P series pistols for defense or general use. Only the P345 has had some problems with the ill-designed magazine disconnect. P95 9mm pistols in particular have a very good reputation for reliability.

I'm not sure what the shooter's stress level has to do with anything, regarding pistol reliability. Either they function or they don't, no matter whether the shooter is chilled out at the range or puckered up with bullets whizzing by his head. If shooters are accidentally hitting the safety during malfunction drills, that's a weakness of DA/SA pistols in general, not just Rugers. A good self-defense pistol will have a minimum of potential failure points.

The only DA/SA pistols that I care for are "decock only" models, and Ruger makes these. I used to have a P94DC in .40, and never had a problem out of it with several hundred rounds fired. Foolishly sold it, but I'm keeping my eye out for another. They are a bit heavy, but reasonable in price and make a good home defense weapon. Rugers actually have a good reputation for being solidly built and reliable, despite not being the prettiest girls at the dance.

By the way, the Federal Bureau of Prisons issues the Ruger P95 9mm.

If you think for one minite that there is no diferance between a fight for your life and poking holes in paper at the range you are living in an unreal world, I do not meen this as an attack against you, but there is a world of diff, poking holes in paper at the range you have the chance to get a perfict grip, stance, site alignment site picture, In a fight for your life you are trying not to get holes punched in you, You cant dictate when and where it will happen, the bad guy does, and he will attack when things look the best for him, not you, Your heart will be beating above 200 beats a minite, Minor motor fuction will no longer work for you, you will not have the perfict grip, stance, shooting postion, If you have not trained you will not react in a manor in wich you think you will! at 200 beats a min the only part of your brain that is fuctioning is the amegliea it only knows three things fight, flight, or freeze. What happens if you take a hit in your dominant hand? and have to respond with a shot from your offhand and have never shot a gun with it before are things going to be the same, I think not, It is not a perfect world and you need to train for an imperfect fight! again I am not attacking anyones gun as for me and mine I will carry a true combat gun, as you stated " A good self-defense pistol will have a minimum of potential failure points. " H&K, Sig, Glock, does that for me and have been battle tested. Gary

 

[Kingrat]

personal experience, you wont find too many holsters custom fit to that gun, so it probably wouldnt carry well unless you use a universal that works good (never messed with anything not molded exclusively to the gun that goes in it)

friend of mine has a p345 and its been good, but it wont eat all ammo
i bought some nasty lead round nose reloads, ultramax i believe, i shot 250 through my dan wesson cbob, no malfunctions, he was getting jams, FTF, FTE, double feeds, stove pipes etc through it, after about 100rd, at least a couple per mag

so either it didnt like the ammo or it didnt like the dirty residue, but it doesnt seem very forgiving

personally i also dont like the ergonomics or the safety, it doesnt stick out and its not very easy to operate, i wouldnt own one

i also dont really understand why it takes 1911 mags but they reversed the notch that holds them in, otherwise they are pretty much the same as an 8rd 1911 mag

 

[doublebarrel]

Back on the topic of P345. It's a Ruger P unlike anything before it, that is, it's loaded with lawyer-happy "unsafey" safety features. I don't mind if they like to build the gun with ten different internal locks, as long as there's an option that I can get one WITHOUT. Glock has internal locks, SW M&P also. They give you the option to opt-out. I hate the idea someone else' treat being shoved down my throat... Just my half cent

 

[Agent 007]

If you think for one minite that there is no diferance between a fight for your life and poking holes in paper at the range you are living in an unreal world, I do not meen this as an attack against you, but there is a world of diff, poking holes in paper at the range you have the chance to get a perfict grip, stance, site alignment site picture, In a fight for your life you are trying not to get holes punched in you, You cant dictate when and where it will happen, the bad guy does, and he will attack when things look the best for him, not you, Your heart will be beating above 200 beats a minite, Minor motor fuction will no longer work for you, you will not have the perfict grip, stance, shooting postion, If you have not trained you will not react in a manor in wich you think you will! at 200 beats a min the only part of your brain that is fuctioning is the amegliea it only knows three things fight, flight, or freeze. What happens if you take a hit in your dominant hand? and have to respond with a shot from your offhand and have never shot a gun with it before are things going to be the same, I think not, It is not a perfect world and you need to train for an imperfect fight! again I am not attacking anyones gun as for me and mine I will carry a true combat gun, as you stated " A good self-defense pistol will have a minimum of potential failure points. " H&K, Sig, Glock, does that for me and have been battle tested. Gary

I understand the difference between target shooting and gunfights. None of the things you mention affect the reliability of a pistol during a gunfight. It's either reliable, or it's not. Ruger P series pistols have a solid reputation for reliability. I'm guessing you are seeing a LOT of shooter induced malfunctions, given that you teach a CCW class, probably primarily to newbies. Which P series pistols are you seeing problems with? New ones, or older ones? The P97 .45 was known to have some issues with extracting, but P90's run like a top. The P95 is notoriously dependable. P94's have a very good reputation. You couldn't give me a P345 or SR9, however....I don't like magazine disconnects, and there is a known "click - no bang" issue with the P345.

Like all makes, it depends on the particular pistol. Pistols are mechanical devices. They ALL can and have failed from time to time. The Sig P250 has been problematic (check Sig Forum if you don't believe me), and dedicated Sig fans have been complaining lately about their quality control on all of their pistols. Glock has let bad batches of .40 pistols out of the factory, so much so that LE agencies have sent the entire shipment back to Glock. There is a KNOWN issue with some Glock 22 pistols malfunctioning when used with a tactical light. S&W had teething issues with their M&P's when they first came out, mostly mag catch problems. (They are much better now, and if you ask me, superior to Glocks.) Don't know much about HK's, because I'm not one to pay $800 for horrid double action triggers, non-standard mag buttons (push down instead of in) and $50 magazines, combined with non-existent customer service.

I simply can't believe that EVERY P series pistol that you see has a failure. That doesn't jibe with reports from very happy P series owners.

 

[Agent 007]

On the topic of the P345, I would not purchase one. There have been many reports of "click - no bang" condition, where the magazine is inserted, the round is chambered, but the pistol will not fire when the trigger is pulled. This is due to the magazine disconnect system damaging the pistol when it is dry fired without a magazine inserted.

RugerForum.com :: View topic - Click No Bang Syndrome P345

Some P345 owners do a procedure called "cleaning under the rear sight." What they are doing is removing parts to disable the magazine disconnect, thus supposedly eliminating the problem of the pistol not firing when needed. As I don't care for magazine disconnects in general (one potential point of failure in a pistol that is completely unnecessary), I would avoid the P345 and pick a pistol with a more reliable reputation.

 

[iujeffcpa]

Hmm.., that's like the exact opposite of what I've heard (there are two Ruger forums on the Internet), and what I've experienced (owned P89 and P95 twice, owned P944 and P97 once. Still have a P89). Rugers are not known for accuracy...They have a name of "built like a tank". Heavy but solid, lacks a bit of refinement, makes up by overbuilt reliability and longevity...

haha any forum site dedicated to a particul product or brand is going to be pretty favorable to their firearms. I like Ruger firearms as long as it is a revolver or long gun not so much their P-series. I would agree with HandK49031 that this isn't a gun I would trust my life with. Ruger is making an effort to improve their auto handguns comparable to other popular brands such as Glock/Sig/Taurus/Walther/Beretta/etc but is seems they are going through growing pains with their SR9 and LCP recalls.

Not saying I won't own one in the future but it says a lot that miliary, police, and/or security aren't the ones carrying this auto handguns.

 

[Bisley Man]

For what it's worth I've owned a P-95 stainless decocker mdel fot 2 yrs. i had 3 ftf out of 2000 rds, and that was with Mec-Gar mags. This is my SHTF pistol at home. I keep an Insight Tech. M-6 light/laser on it.124gr.+P Gold-Dots reside in the Ruger mags.