S INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR STAINLESS STEEL CALIBER .45 Auto (.45 ACP) RUGER P345D ® TM DECOCK-ONLY MODEL PISTOL ! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS IN THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS FIREARM For Product Service on This Model Please Call: (928) 778-6555 (See p. 29) STURM, RUGER & Company, Inc. Southport, Connecticut 06890 U.S.A.
State-By-State Warnings Certain states require by law that their own specified warning notices in larger-than-normal type be conspicuously included by the manufacturer, distributor, or retail dealer with firearms sold in that state. Sturm, Ruger sells its products in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Because our products may be sold in these states, we include the following: California: ! WARNING ! ADVERTENCIA “A los niños los atraen las armas de fuego y las pueden hacer funcionar.
Maine: “ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF A CHILD IS A CRIME. IF YOU LEAVE A FIREARM AND AMMUNITION WITHIN EASY ACCESS OF A CHILD, YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO FINE, IMPRISONMENT OR BOTH. KEEP FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION SEPARATE. KEEP FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION LOCKED UP. USE TRIGGER LOCKS.” Maryland: “WARNING: Children can operate firearms which may cause death or serious injury.
New Jersey: “IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO LEAVE A LOADED FIREARM WITHIN EASY ACCESS OF A MINOR.” New York City: “THE USE OF A LOCKING DEVICE OR SAFETY LOCK IS ONLY ONE ASPECT OF RESPONSIBLE FIREARM STORAGE. FOR INCREASED SAFETY, FIREARMS SHOULD BE STORED UNLOADED AND LOCKED IN A LOCATION THAT IS BOTH SEPARATE FROM THEIR AMMUNITION AND INACCESSIBLE TO CHILDREN AND OTHER UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS.
WHY ARE WE INCLUDING A FIRED CARTRIDGE CASE WITH EVERY RUGER PISTOL AND REVOLVER? Certain states and jurisdictions now require that all newly manufactured pistols and revolvers must be accompanied by a cartridge case, which has been test fired from that gun at the factory. The case must be placed in a sealed container bearing certain information concerning this test cartridge.
Use the Correct Lock: While the basic locking device is substantially similar for all Ruger® firearms, due to the different shapes of the many Ruger® firearms, some firearms utilize different locking devices. The lock with a 5” shackle is for use with RUGER® P345DTM Decock-Only Model Pistols. It is very important to use the correct locking device! To Install the Factory-Supplied Locking Device: 1. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your fingers outside the trigger guard at all times! 2.
FIREARMS SAFETY - YOUR RESPONSIBILITY SAFETY MUST BE THE FIRST AND CONSTANT CONSIDERATION OF EVERY PERSON WHO HANDLES FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION. This Instruction Manual is designed to assist you in learning how to use and care for your RUGER® P345DTM Decock-Only Model Pistols properly. Please contact us if you have any questions. Only when you are certain you fully understand the Manual and can properly carry out its instructions should you practice loading, unloading, etc. with live ammunition.
WARNINGS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE ARE FOUND ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES: ! Locking Devices Alterations Decocking Lever Ammunition Lead Exposure Firing Handling Unloading 5 8 12 12 13 15 17 18 Slide Retraction Malfunctions Disassembly Lubrication Storage Shipping Parts Purchasers 19 21 24 26 28 29 30 OTHER CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS APPEAR THROUGHOUT THE MANUAL. FIREARMS ARE DANGEROUS WEAPONS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS IN THIS MANUAL THOROUGHLY AND CAREFULLY BEFORE USING.
NOMENCLATURE Slide’s open-top design minimizes possibility of jamming, enables shooter to clear any malfunction easily by hand. Sights have high-visibility white dots both front and rear. Both sights can be adjusted for windage. Grooved, exposed hammer spur enables the shooter to cock the hammer easily for accurate single-action firing if desired. To decock the pistol, depress the decocking lever until the hammer drops. This action moves the firing pin forward into the slide.
Action: The action of the Ruger P345D decock-only model pistol is of the U.S. M1911 type that utilizes a tilting barrel design in which the barrel and slide are locked together at the moment of firing. After firing, the barrel and slide recoil to the rear a short distance while still locked together. After this initial movement, the barrel is cammed downward from its locked position, permitting full recoil of the slide and the extraction and ejection of the spent cartridge case.
SPECIAL FEATURE - DECOCKING LEVER The model you have selected is equipped with a special manual decocking lever that also allows you to decock (uncock) a cocked pistol without manipulating the trigger. Conventional thumb decocking procedures are therefore not necessary and should not be employed with this pistol. To decock the pistol, point the pistol in a safe direction. Depress the decocking lever until the hammer drops.
! WARNING - DECOCKING LEVER ‘DECOCK” POSITION WHEN HELD “FIRE” POSITION WHEN RELEASED Operating the decocking lever does not prevent firing when the trigger is pulled. Like a double-action revolver, the pistol will fire whenever the trigger is pulled. Therefore, never touch the trigger, whether the pistol is cocked or not, unless you wish to fire the pistol. Do not decock the pistol manually - always use the decocking lever.
AMMUNITION (CARTRIDGES) NOTICE WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY WHATSOEVER OCCURRING IN CONNECTION WITH, OR AS A RESULT OF, THE USE IN RUGER FIREARMS OF FAULTY, OR NON-STANDARD, OR “RE-MANUFACTURED”, OR HANDLOADED (RELOADED) AMMUNITION, OR OF CARTRIDGES OTHER THAN THOSE FOR WHICH THE FIREARM WAS ORIGINALLY CHAMBERED.
TO LOAD AND FIRE Practice this important aspect of safe gun handling with an unloaded pistol until you can perform each of the steps described below with skill and confidence. But before you do anything with the pistol, first read completely through this manual. 1. Be certain the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction. (See “The Basic Rules of Safe Firearms Handling,” page 35.) 2. Press the magazine latch inward from the left side and remove the magazine from the frame.
7. When the pistol is in the “uncocked” mode (hammer forward), the first shot can be fired double-action by pulling the trigger all the way to the rear, which cocks the hammer and then fires the pistol. Subsequent shots are fired single-action until the magazine is empty, the hammer being cocked by the slide as it recoils from each shot. Note that the trigger pull is much lighter for these subsequent shots. ! WARNING - FIRING The slide automatically opens and shuts quickly while firing.
OPERATION OF LOADED CHAMBER INDICATOR You should always treat every gun as though it is loaded and always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Never rely upon any safety or mechanical device to justify unsafe or careless gun handling. In order to assist you in determining the presence of a cartridge in the chamber of your RUGER® P345DTM pistol, it is equipped with a loaded chamber indicator. The indicator appears on the top of the slide. (See “Nomenclature,” p. 9.
OPERATION OF MAGAZINE DISCONNECT Your RUGER® P345DTM pistol is equipped with a magazine disconnect. This device prevents firing if the magazine is removed from the pistol. You will not be able to use your P345DTM pistol as a single loader or to fire the pistol with the magazine out of the pistol. REMEMBER THAT A ROUND MAY STILL BE IN THE CHAMBER AND THAT THE PISTOL MAY STILL BE LOADED EVEN IF THE MAGAZINE IS REMOVED.
TO UNCOCK (DECOCK) THE PISTOL With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, depress the decocking lever fully. The hammer will drop near the end of the lever’s travel. Although this may appear startling, it is important to note that the firing pin is cammed forward into the slide and locked in a neutral position thus preventing forward movement toward the cartridge; therefore, the pistol will not fire when the lever is depressed.
CORRECT UNLOADING SEQUENCE DEPRESS DECOCKING LEVER ! WARNING - SLIDE RETRACTION The slide should always be pulled rearward (“retracted”) by pulling the rear portion of the slide in the vicinity of the decock-only lever, or the serrations (depending upon model). Always keep fingers away from trigger! Never put any part of your hands or body over the muzzle while retracting the slide for loading, unloading, inspection, or clearing a malfunction.
4. To close the slide, again check to be sure the chamber and breech-face are empty. Pull the slide to its rearmost postion and release it. The slide will snap forward. Keep fingers out of ejection port on top of slide! 5. If the magazine contains cartridges, they can be removed by sliding each cartridge forward and out of magazine, one at a time, until the magazine is empty. 6. Push empty (unloaded) magazine into frame until magazine latch locks it in place. TO RELOAD THE PISTOL 1.
cartridge clear of the pistol. These failures usually are the result of the slide not being pulled rearward vigorously. From the foregoing, it is clear that the gun user must: 1. Always visually check the chamber and the breech-face after opening the slide to eject a chambered cartridge. If the slide is not vigorously retracted when being operated by hand, the extracted cartridge can be “ejected” into the magazine-well of the grip frame or remain held to the breech-face by the extractor. 2.
to clear the jam. Drawing the slide fully to the rear may bring the jammed cartridge along. Keep your face away from the ejection port during this operation. When attempting to clear a jam, use only wood “tools” so that the cartridge will not be damaged or the primer ignited. A 3/16” wooden dowel with a point on one end is useful. 3. Visually check to make sure that all cartridges have been removed from the pistol. Safely dispose of any cartridges involved in a malfunction incident.
of a pencil) through top of slide and push ejector downward and forward (see Figure 6, below) until it locks in its lower position. This will permit forward movement of slide. Further disassembly is impossible unless this is done. FIGURE 7 Index marks aligned. FIGURE 6 Press slide stop up. Depress ejector. FIGURE 8 Slide stop in disassembly position. 4. Remove fingers from ejection port. Grasp slide tightly.
7. Pull barrel upward out of slide slightly and withdraw to the rear. 8. This completes normal fieldstripping for routine cleaning and lubrication purposes. Further disassembly of slide or frame components is not recommended and should only be undertaken by the factory. ! WARNING - DISASSEMBLY Always unload a firearm before cleaning, lubrication, disassembly or assembly. DECOCKING LEVER UNLOAD BEFORE DISASSEMBLY TO REASSEMBLE 1. Be certain chamber and magazine are empty. 2.
Snap-On Base - Use a punch to press in on the magazine spring seat where it protrudes into the hole in the magazine floorplate. Slide the magazine floorplate toward the front of the magazine, taking care to prevent the forcible ejection of the magazine spring seat and compressed magazine spring. Withdraw the magazine spring seat and magazine spring from the magazine body. Turn magazine upside down and remove magazine follower. Reassemble in reverse order.
3. Using powder solvent on a clean patch or bristle brush, remove powder residue from all components of the mechanism. After cleaning, run a dry patch through the bore, then follow with a patch that is very lightly oiled. Wipe all surfaces clean with cloth, then wipe all surfaces with a patch or cloth that has been very lightly oiled. 4. NOTE: Only a light application of oil is needed to provide adequate lubrication of moving parts and to prevent rust.
OPERATION OF INTERNAL LOCK Never rely upon any safety mechanism or mechanical device to justify unsafe or careless handling of a firearm. When securing your pistol or to prevent unauthorized access, you should rely first and foremost on the key-operated locking device supplied with your pistol. (See Page 6.) However, for added security, and to comply with certain state and local laws, your RUGER® P345DTM pistol is also equipped with a manually operated internal lock.
ALTERNATIVE METHOD II – TO RENDER THE PISTOL INOPERATIVE FOR SAFE STORAGE With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, remove the magazine, retract the slide, and check the chamber to be sure the pistol is completely unloaded! Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, and press upward on the slide stop. Insert a finger into the action and press the ejector assembly fully forward. Next, pull the slide stop pin out the left side of the pistol frame until it is withdrawn completely out of the frame.
SIGHT ADJUSTMENT The RUGER® P345DTM Pistols are equipped with a rear sight which is adjustable for windage only. After the rear-sight lock screw has been loosened, the rear sight can be drifted laterally in its dovetail on the top of the slide by tapping it with a wooden- or plastic-headed hammer or similar implement. Move the rear sight in the direction you want the shot to move on the target. After the rear sight is adjusted, tighten the rear-sight lock screw.
Enclose a letter which includes your name, address, telephone number, and serial number and model of the firearm. Describe in detail the trouble you have experienced with your firearm, or the work you wish to have done. Merely stating that the firearm “needs repair” is inadequate information. Please enclose copies of any previous correspondence. Work performed will bear a net minimum labor charge of $20.00 plus a $20.00 shipping and handling charge.
RUGER® P345DTM PARTS LIST Design, prices and specifications subject to change without notice. SPECIFY MODEL AND CALIBER WHEN ORDERING (See Exploded Views on Pages 34) 31 Key No.
Key No. 22 23 24 * * 32 * * * 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Part Name Lock Detent Plunger Firing Pin Spring Firing Pin Camblock/Recoil Spring Assembly Includes Key Nos.
Key No. 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Part Name Hammer Spring Seat Pin Detent Hammer Spring Hammer Strut Hammer Spring Seat Pin Sear Pivot Pin, 2 Req’d Slide Stop Assembly Frame, with Accessory Rail Frame, without Accessory Rail, Not Illustrated Magazine, Complete, 8-shot Internal Lock Key Also Available, but Not Illustrated Magazine Loader Case Only 33 * PARTS SO MARKED MUST BE FACTORY FITTED Part No.
RUGER® P345DTM EXPLODED VIEW 34
THE BASIC RULES OF SAFE FIREARMS HANDLING We believe that Americans have a right to purchase and use firearms for lawful purposes. The private ownership of firearms in America is traditional, but that ownership imposes the responsibility on the gun owner to use his firearms in a way which will ensure his own safety and that of others. When firearms are used in a safe and responsible manner, they are a great source of pleasure and satisfaction, and represent a fundamental part of our personal liberty.
A safe direction must take into account the fact that a bullet may penetrate a wall, ceiling, floor, window, etc., and strike a person or damage property. Make it a habit to know exactly where the muzzle of your gun is pointing whenever you handle it, and be sure that you are always in control of the direction in which the muzzle is pointing, even if you fall or stumble. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. 3. FIREARMS SHOULD BE UNLOADED WHEN NOT IN USE.
5. BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET BEFORE YOU SHOOT. Don’t shoot unless you know exactly where your bullet is going to strike. Be sure of the bullet stop behind your target, even when dry-firing with an unloaded gun. If you are in the field hunting, do not fire at a movement or noise. Take the time to be absolutely certain of your target before you pull the trigger. 6. WEAR SHOOTING GLASSES AND HEARING PROTECTORS WHEN YOU SHOOT.
, 8. DON T SHOOT AT A HARD SURFACE, OR AT WATER. Bullets can glance off many surfaces like rocks or the surface of water and travel in unpredictable directions with considerable velocity. 9. NEVER TRANSPORT A LOADED FIREARM. Firearms should always be unloaded before being moved or placed in a vehicle. A suitable carrying case or scabbard should be used to carry an unloaded firearm to and from the shooting area. 10. AVOID ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WHEN SHOOTING. Don’t drink until the day’s shooting is over.
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF AN EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT: RUGER FIREARMS One of the few American firearms manufacturers whose management has remained in the same family since starting in business, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., had its beginning in a small machine shop occupying a rented frame building in Southport, Connecticut. In January, 1949, with an initial investment of only $50,000 and an idea, William B. Ruger and Alexander M.
WHY NO WARRANTY CARD HAS BEEN PACKED WITH THIS NEW RUGER FIREARM The Magnuson-Moss Act (Public Law 93-637) does not require any seller or manufacturer of a consumer product to give a written warranty. It does provide that if a written warranty is given, it must be designated as “limited” or as “full” and sets minimum standards for a “full” warranty. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
