Ruger P345 Instructions Manual

11
OPERATION OF MANUAL SAFETY
The model you have selected is equipped with special, manual, ambidextrous
safety levers that also allow 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 apply the manual safety and decock the pistol, point the pistol in a safe
direction.Move either the right- or left-hand safety lever downward and fully to
the “safe” position. When the...

12
WARNING - MANUAL SAFETY
Placing the safety in an intermediate
position between “safe” and “fire” can result
in the user thinking the pistol is in a safe or
fire position when it is not. Pulling the
trigger with the safety in an intermediate
position may cause the pistol to fire.
Therefore, always move the safety fully
to its
intended position and then checkto be sure
it is where you want it to be. Unless the
white dot is fully visible, the safety is not
“ON.” Unless the red dot is fully visible, the...

13
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 HAND-
LOADED (RELOADED) AMMUNITION, OR OF CARTRIDGES
OTHER THAN THOSE FOR WHICH THE FIREARM WAS
ORIGINALLY CHAMBERED.
WARNING - LEAD EXPOSURE
Discharging firearms in poorly
ventilated areas, cleaning firearms, or
handling ammunition may result in
exposure to lead and...

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.Move either the right- or left-hand safety lever fully downward to its “safe”
position so that the white dot is fully...

15
WARNING - FIRING
7.If the pistol is not to be fired immediately, the safety should remain in its
“safe” position (see Figure 2, p. 11).
8. If the pistol is to be fired immediately, the manual safety can be rotated
upward to its “fire” position (see Figure 3, p. 11). The firing pin is still
blocked at all times by the internal firing pin block unless the trigger is
pulled all the way to the rear.
9.The pistol is ready for instant use once the safety is disengaged.When the
pistol is in the “uncocked”...

16
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
®
P345TMpistol, it is equipped with a loaded chamber indicator.  The indicator
appears on the top of the slide. (See “Nomenclature,” p. 9.) 
When the chamber is empty,...

TO UNCOCK (DECOCK) THE PISTOL
With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction,engage the safety fully. The hammer
will drop near the end of the safety’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 safety is applied. Manually
decocking the hammer with the thumb is neither necessary nor recommended....

WARNING - UNLOADING 
18
REMOVING MAGAZINE
DOES NOT UNLOAD CHAMBER 
Removing magazine does not unload pistol! To
unload, firstremove magazine, thenpull slide to
rear, eject chambered cartridge, and visually inspect
chamber to be sure it is empty.The safety should
always be in its “Safe” position when loading or
unloading the pistol. Always point the pistol in a safe
direction when loading or unloading.
TO UNLOAD
WARNING:This sequence must be followed exactly as outlined. Failure to do so
can result in the...

19
WARNING - SLIDE RETRACTION
The slide should always be pulled
rearward (“retracted”) by pulling the
r
earportion of the slide in the vicinity
of the safety, 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 slidefor loading, unloading,
inspection, or clearing a malfunction.
KEEP HANDS
AWAY FROM MUZZLE AND
FINGER OFF TRIGGER
CORRECT UNLOADING SEQUENCE  !  3
2 14SAFETY...

20
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. Firing all...