Ruger kp345, anyone have one?

Big JD-From the hills

Big JD-From the hills

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Im wondering if anyone here owns or has shot the ruger p345, with or without the rail? How does it handle? Does the single action trigger feel to short? What about durability(of the polymer lower)? Am i corect that the slide glides on polymer only, or does it have metal inserts?

Any thoughts/ opionons apreciated.
 
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Just picked mine up.... will be off to the range tomorrow evening.. report to
follow. I have heard nothing but good things about it...cheap to aquire!
I have never owned a Ruger handgun before... looks pretty agricultural...long
heavy double action pull.. pretty long, and right at the back of the triggerguard 'break' on the single action.
Not a single steel insert in the frame to be seen.. makes one wonder about the longevity of the unit...
Ejector looks (and feels) pretty fragile...Ooooh, this is sure different from any
of my other units (Glock,H&K,Sig, Springfield,etc,etc,)
Safety/decocker is awkward to work..maybe gets easier with practice.
I will also be giving my new CZ SP-01 it's first 'barrel warming'...comparison with the Ruger to follow...Stay tuned!:D
 
I'vegot about 3000 rounds thru mine and not a sign of wear on the polymere. Poly Rugers have been around for a while and have proven themselves to be durable. The gun handles great even with hot loads. From a bench rest at 25yrds I've grouped under 2" and regularly 2 to 3" with 230 gr ammo. This gun has become my favorite IDPA gun [ because of its compact size] and I even shoot IPSC production div. with excellent results. The single action trigger resets much faster than the previous P series so its easy to get fast follow up shots. As all Ruger guns, its good value for the money. It will probobly last a lifetime. Have fun.
 
Range report Ruger 345

Had a chance to trial my used (new to me) 345 a couple of nights ago.
At 20yds, the Ruger was keeping everything within 3 - 4 " for me, and for
my range mate, with the younger eyes, and better technique, half that.
It fed everything ( factory 185 and 230 ball, 200 and 230 Hornady JHP)
flawlessly and the recoil was no problem for anyone used to a 45.
I had a first time shooter give it a go, and after working his way through a
High Standard in 22LR, and my new CZ SP-01 in 9MM, he had no trouble
handling the Ruger in single action mode.
The double action trigger is loooong and stiff, and the single action portion is the same, but not objectionable. The double action pull came up just over 11LB., and the single action 6 and change on my Lyman electronic gauge.
The safety, decocker was awkward, but would get easier to manipulate with
some 'seat time'. The grip angle and size seemed to fit everyone who tried it, and the mag release was easy to reach..
The mags held 8 rounds, single stack, and were easy to load.
Disassembly and cleaning were a snap, and I guess my only theoreticle concern would be over the unit's longevity... as noted previously, no metal inserts in the polymer frame...(who knows, maybe not really necessary?!)
Summary... If you want an inexpensive, single stack that is a real shooter,
then look no further..I can give it an unqualifed two thumbs up!:D
I have included some photos....http://homepage.mac.com/inmans/PhotoAlbum26.html
 
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Yes it is single stack. Im sure ruger fired many 10's of thousands of rds out of it during r&d... although, its more geard toward carry... not action/target shooting ect. My only concern would be cold weather duribility... -30, and the thing cracks when it fires?
 
Big JD-From the hills said:
Yes it is single stack. Im sure ruger fired many 10's of thousands of rds out of it during r&d... although, its more geard toward carry... not action/target shooting ect. My only concern would be cold weather duribility... -30, and the thing cracks when it fires?
Click to expand...

Yeah - the temperature thing - I called Ruger - they said I should have no problem - so I've spent a hundred rounds in last couple of days - not at -30. but it was below zero - cold enough that 7.5 grains of Longshot behind 200 grain wouldn't usually function reliably at all. 7.5 grains of Longshot behind a 185 grain would stovepipe every time. This was not a gun failure, but rather a cold powder problem. I called Hodgdon and they said flake powder is temperature sensitive. 7.8 grains of Longshot ( max recommended) works okay for 200 grain, but still will not work slide with 185 grain unless I keep then in warm pocket and single feed them. Again, this was not a gun problem , but a powder problem.

I also used a couple of mags of overpowered loads - .4 grains over the max in about -10F with cold gun and warm bullets. Funny, but this was the most accurrate.

I wish that the rear sight was elevation adjustable - my only wish.

Sorry this got so long but I did want to vouch for the strength of the 345D at cold temps. I've fired about 600 rounds at below 20F - 100 of those at below zero.
 
I've owned a kp345 for a few months. I got the decock only model. Yes, the mags are single stack. A beautiful pistol, very ergonomic. I'm impressed. Didn't break the bank either. If I knew the value of this pistol before I seen the price tag, I would spend 4 figures on it. Great firearm indeed.
 
I also have the KP345DPR and its great. I had some problems at first with everything hitting too high but found an undersized dovetail in the rear sight and when assembled it was barely hanging in the groove. Ruger sent replacements and that was great. I went one step further and put on a set of Williams Fire Sight fiber optics and I just love it. I usually shoot at 15m max as my eyes are no longer good enough for the 25 or 50m stuff, but I found the gun can easily put 20rds in a group the size of a toonie at 15m right at point of aim. I am very impressed with its fit, feel and function and it will eat anything I feed it. I had some hiccups with reloads at first but it was a loading error where the rounds were loaded long and it was not coming into full battery, but that was easily remedied and no problem since. There is not a lot in the way of holsters for it yet, but they are coming and there are some solutions out there short of custom that work quite well.. Mags are interchangeable with the Ruger P90 and P97 so thats easy.
The trigger starts out a bit rough and the pull is strong, but I was surprised how much it smoothed out with use.
I am very pleased with it and reccommend it to anybody looking for a durable, lightweight and reliable gun at a very reasonable price.
Cheers:)
dB
 
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