Mini-Reviews: Beretta 85 & Ruger P345

I had a chance to shoot a few interesting handguns over Christmas vacation. One was a S&W .357Mag. which shot sweetly, but I've reviewed one similar before. The other two were as follows:

1) Beretta 85, .380ACP--This is the most handsome gun I've ever fired. It's essentially a scaled-down version of the Beretta 92 only in .380ACP (also know as 9mm Kurz or 9mm Short). It had blued steel and gorgeous checkered wood grips. Like I said, it's a handsome gun.

Now, I was told that it was quite accurate before I shot it and was very disappointed that my first group was...huge. If I were shooting at a watermelon, most of the shots would've hit, but I was hoping for head of lettuce or even grapefruit groups. The problem was two-fold. One, the grips are small, so the shooting finger of a larger hand doesn't fall naturally into place on the trigger. The second issue was the heaviness of the trigger.

So, while I loved the look of this little piece and it would be adequate for defensive purposes, I didn't find it to be as much fun as I'd hoped.

Oh, one other thing. I managed to jam this one. I think it was my own careless mistake, but I'll blame the smallish size partially. Apparently I'd let the thumb on my right hand creep up while I was shooting and managed to engage the safety mid-cycle resulting in a locked slide. I got it cleared but felt a bit chagrined at my mistake. Live and learn, I guess.

2) Ruger P345, .45ACP--I read about this gun when it first came out. It is an intriguing idea--a non-1911 platform .45 with a polymer frame and fairly compact dimensions. While most of the money spent on .45s is spent on classic 1911 style guns, there are plenty of people out there who are sold on the .45 but want something smaller or safer than a single-action.

I am a huge fan of the 1911 and have said before that I shoot it more accurately than most other handguns, so I was somewhat skeptical about the P345. Though it has won several awards, I assumed it would be a compromise pistol. I was pleasantly surprised.

The P345 has a polymer body, a stainless slide, excellent big-dot night sights and an 8-round magazine. It has a 4.25 inch barrel and weighs 29 ounces, roughly a half pound lighter than a typical 1911. Best of all are super slim safety, magazine and slide releases, and the 1.2 inch wide slide. Though somewhat larger than the typical CCW, this would not be burdensome or difficult to carry and conceal. So how does it shoot?

Great. Though the DA trigger pull is on par with the Beretta 92 reviewed previously in that it goes on forever, the SA pulls that follow are smooth and easy. Recoil was very comfortable, and it was nearly as easy to shoot accurately as the 1911s I've tried. The ergonomics are just right, too, with the slim controls easy to operate.

When you consider that most 1911s are well over $600, the fact that this gun shoots nearly as well but is safer, more compact and only costs $400 is astounding. Highly recommended.