Posted: 6/28/2006 3:08:43 PM EDT
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I am looking at .45 ACP pistols, and i have been looking at these two. I have been told the P345 is a very nice gun, and the SW99 (.45) that i shot was very pleasant. I am looking at a used SW99 or a new P345. I have heard the SW99's are excellent pistols, with no true problems. The P345 i see is not so good however, i heard since it was new, there were a lot of problems, are these worked out? Out of the two, which one would you take, i think i am leaning towards the SW99, is that the right decision? Also, are there any other .45 ACP auto's that i should look at, i am trying to stay under $500, and i dislike Glocks. I am looking for this as a gun to get me good with handguns, and maybe in the future carry, which one do you think would fulfill the duty? Thanks, MasterOfEvil |
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I'd go with the Ruger. I'm a snob when it comes to handguns and I got about as close as you can get to buying a P345. Good trigger, decent sights, above regular Ruger quality, great shooter, and it fit my hand like a glove. I haven't shot the SW99 in 45, but I have handled a few. That alone was enough to steer me away from them. |
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With the P345 though, i have heard there are lots of problems, is that true, or have they been fixed. I still see many threads on them with problems, and i wonder if Ruger has fixed all the bugs. What don't you like about the SW99? I thought it was very nice, i just liked the way it worked as a whole. |
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I haven't heard of any problems with the 345 except that you can't fry fire them with no mag. As for the SW99, the trigger didn't feel very good, it rattled too much for my taste, and it has less grip texture than the P99 which becomes a bar of soap when your hands get sweaty. |
what? you didn't like my RUGER??!!! How rude!!!!!! lol, nah, just kidding.....I like my P345, but it is too bulky to CC, so all I use it for is a burglar ventilator......It's nice, but a little bulky and only 8+1 capacity. |
i like the ruger, but i use to own a SW99, so im a bit biased  in fact, a sw99 was my first pistol. "first love" if you will. i still want another but this time in 9mm. |
The only problem I know of is people dry fiering with out the mag in can damage the P345 and some people do even though the manual says not to. Just put the mag in and I always use azooms to dry fire and no problems. I have about 500rds through my P345 and about 500dry fires also and have no problems at all. I also have the XD .45 but my P345 is my carry pistol because I prefer it over my other carry sized pistols because the grip and how well it shoots. It is a fantastic pistol and well worth the money. So is the XD though. I have never shot the P99 so I can not say good or bad about it. |
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I would get the P345, but if you check out rugerforum.com there is a new topic about a problem every few days. I like Ruger pistols, as they are very reliable, but i have heard that the P345 has been a problem for ruger. As for the SW99, it is a pistol that just works is what i have gathered. It shoots nice, holds 9+1, and i hear is a problem free gun. Is that true? NCPatrolAR, what don't you like about your SW99? |
I almost bought a 99 years because I've had issues with my G21s chubby grip. The grip for its capacity didnt seem great, so I passed on it. Im glad I did because the XD45 was perfect, so I bought one of those. The 345 seems like a good gun, I just never have liked the feel of Rugers semi auto line. The 345 is about the best pistol in that line in terms of feel (at least in my hands) and I have never heard anything bad said about the quality or function of a Ruger auto. |
That is interesting because that is the only place where I have ever seen any ranting on the pistol from people who say it is first hand. I could be missing it somewhere else too. However I have never met any one at the range or at work that owns one that has had one problem with it. I wonder if peopel screw with the pistol by removing parts out of the rear sight and screw it up then blame Ruger. Any way I am 100%happy with mine. I have found gripes with about every pistol I have researched including Glocks and Sigs. |
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I have read that there were a lot of hiccups wit the 345 when it first came out, but i don't know if they have been resolved, it appears that they have not been. Should i try one anyways, if there is a problem, Ruger will fix it, but i don't want a pistol that i cannot trust. As for the P99, i hear very good things. And if i ever did have a problem, S&W has good CS i have heard also, but would their warranty cover used guns, i know Ruger will? Also, when you slam the mag in hard enough on the SW99, the slide drops, i am hoping that is a feature on it? Is it? Thanks |
| I have a Black Hawk I had to send back to Ruger when I first got it so it could get a new barrel and although I had to pay to ship it to Ruger they had the gunsmith work it over and did stuff they did not have to do that would have cost me more money than the shipping to have done. I have owned a few Rugers and that is the only one I had to send back. The P99 is probably a nice pistol too. |
Trust me on that I have done it recently
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Do you think i would be taking a big risk buying it, or just risk getting an earlier one (doubt it if i ordered one) with problems. I know Ruger will fix it though, that is why i am slightly leaning towards the P345 over a SW99. I am looking for a .45 ACP because i like them, and it seems as they are the best CCW caliber. Am i mistaken on this, is a .40 or a 9mm better? From my point of thinking, it has much more momentum than the other rounds. Is my thinking flawed somewhere beleiving that the .45 is my best choice? |
The agency would probably get mad if I sent it off like that. Whne we were transitioning over to the 99, we had roughly 5 out of over 25 come through have major problems with their 99s that were new out of the box. Complete failure to functions and not firing in SA were the two main problems we saw. Our armorers stayed busy with them and a number had to go back to Smith. |
Aside from the mechanical issues I mentioned before (whihc luckily havent effected my pistol), I dont care for the ergonomics of the pistol, the light rail only takes the M5 series of lights, I hate the magazine drop lever, and the DA shot is freaking horrendous. |
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I'm not the biggest fan of the mag release, but it really isn't that bad in my opinion. What is so bad about the trigger in DA, i thought it was pretty nice. Ghostface, that is very nice. Where did you go about getting those talons? Those seem to be the original Black Talons, am i correct? Do you like that pistol moreso than others? Also, isn't that type of pistol dangerous to carry cocked? Or is there some safety feature carrying it cocked, i would be a little hesitant to do that. As for the P345, i found that for a great price (under $400). Would there be any place to get an SW99 for under $400? I saw one on Guns America for $375 from a gun dealer. Do you think that is good? |
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I had a Walther P99 and traded it for a Top-o-the-line Browning High Power. I didn't like the feel of the trigger. I just bought a Ruger 345 in .45 ACP. I like it alot. It is an accurate shooter and I have had ZERO problems with it. I've shot everything through it from high dollar defensive ammo to the cheapest, including Wolf ammo. It is as accurate as my S.A. 1911, my BHP and both Sigs. Get the Ruger P345. You won't regret it. By the way, I too, stayed away from Ruger autos for a long time. I now own a P94 9mm S/S and the 345. Love em both. |
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I know Ruger's P series makes a great pistol, but i have heard the P345 was, pretty much, junk. I beleive that to be wrong though, i don't think Ruger would make crap, thats just not them. I think the P345 would be the best option probably, no matter how much i like the features of the SW99. On a side note, how is the new P95PR? They look like nice guns, are they? |
I have had ZERO problems with my P345. I almost bought the P95 instead of the 94, but it has the polymer frame and I wanted the 94 so I could put Hogue grips on it. I'm sure the P95 is a good pistol, too! I know I can put the Hogue Hand-all grips on the 95 but I bought the 94. I put the Hogue hand-all on my 345, by the way. |
I'm a deputy and I gave a DNR officer some 5.56 TAP and he gave me three boxes of Ranger Talon, all three versions made. Yes, I really like this pistol! I never thought I would like a pistol more than a 220. I carry it in the cocked mode, it's just like carrying a Glock. Finger fire...finger safe. 
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| I own a P95 as a truck gun. It has been flawless. It has been fed nearly every thing I can get a hold of. It eats it all. I realise you are asking about the 345 series. I really know nothing about that pistol. Isn't the S&W 99 made in Croatia or something ????? WarDawg |
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Definetly SW99 - I have one in 9mm, and until I just got a Walther P99, the SW99 was my fav gun - I shoot it better than I did a $1200 TRP 1911. Ruger 345 seems to have many "issues." I almost got one last year. Visit: www.handgunforum.net/ |
+1 The last 5 new pistols I bought were all .45s (including a P345) and my favorite of the bunch is the XD-45 Tactical...  ... FWIW, I also have a couple of Glock 21s, some 1911s, and several other .45s (although no SW99, so no comment there). None have impressed me as much or as quickly as the new XD. But I have small hands & I'm sure that plays into this, so YMMV.  |
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I guess the XD45 is a good gun, but i really don't like it. ON another note, does anyone have any comments on the Ruger P95, i am liking them, and i found a very good deal. Is there a lot de-designed with the new P95's with the rail? The new ones look much cooler, but function wise i see no difference. Has there been any updates. The thing i know about the P95 is it is one of the most reliable semi-auto handguns, and i haven't heard of any real problems with it. |
Do a search on Gunbroker maybe and see what used ones are going for. Unfortunately, probably not much. Try to take &50-$75 off and see if anyone will buy it. |
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I just bought my best friend a P345 to comliment his P95DC. While shopping for his wedding gift, I had a chance to learn alot about them and I am very impressed. I personally don't prefer double stack .45's, probably because they are too large for my paws, but I also don't appreciate the increased weight/size. The P345 is typical of Ruger handguns in that it is "bulky" and probably not as streamlined as it could be, but it doesn't bother me in the least. If you like Ruger handguns, like I do, than you should love the P345. IMO, its the best .45 automatic they have ever made. The overall feel of the weapon and its excellent price make it very appealing IMO and if I liked the .45 ACP I would probably own one. The SW99 has never done much for me, though I do love the Walther P99...weird huh? Again, double stack .45's don't really appeal to me, especially in striker fired handguns.I paid 400.00 for a stainless P345 brand new, which is not much more than a used SW99 would go for. If I were going to buy a .45 automatic right now, it would definatly be the XD in .45 ACP. 14 rounds of .45 ACP in a 9mm/40 sized package is very appealing, as are the features of the XD. |
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I had a P345 but traded for a XD45 Tactical. I couldn't get used to the trigger so I got rid of it. It was good, but not for me. The XD, has a similar pull of the Glock and capacity so that was a plus for me. As for calibers, the best caliber is the one you are good at. I carry both 45ACP and 9mm and I feel comfortable with each. |
| I have the XD .45 too but to be honest besides the cool factor I like my P345 better. It conceals no problem for me in a Galco summer comfort and it shoots a bit more accurate than my XD also. The mag capacity gives the XD a posative in one area I suppose but for whatever reason I shoot the P345 better. I certainly would recomend the XD also though it is a fantastic pistol like the P345. |