PM45 reliable?

[kgturner]

I'm trying to sell my CW9 and move up to the PM45 for everyday carry. There are no Kahr dealers around me who have the PM45 in stock so I have nothing to go on but reviews. When searching the new, it seems like people complain more about the PM45 than they praise it. If you own a PM45, please let me know what your experiences with it have been. I tend to believe people like to complain more than they like to give praise.

Kevin T

[hsart]

I've had a PM45 for EDC for 18 months and after a few early problems quickly resolved by Kahr it has been flawless. I was getting ejections to the forehead more than I liked when it was new. I agree that many more people will complain when they have issues as opposed to pleased owners. I'm of the opinion though that a lot of poly Kahr guns have user issues rather than gun issues.

[Bawanna]

About the same for me, year and a half or so. I had no issues with mine at all except early with my handloads which I determined were just a tad long OAL.

Never a blip with factory of any kind.

[DKD]

Like BAWANNA,

I have had mine for about a year and a half now. When I was first brteaking in my pistol a did have a few failure to go into battery and a slight nudge on the rear of the slide fixed that problem. This was generally within the first hundred or so rounds ran through the gun though. If I am not mistaken I also had a couple of hang ups on the feed ramp, but after cleaning the gun it also corrected the issue.
Like HSART I too was getting dotted in the forehead with extracted casings during the early break in period. This to went away well before 150 round count was up. I also beleive some of that was due to the loose grip I had on the weapon and not the fault of the gun. By round count 200 the empties went well clear and over my right shoulder 5-6' Ft away from me.
I probably only have abound 350-400 rounds down range as of this date but this pistol eats many different loads even some of my hand loads from 165 grains to 230 grains in various nose shapes with complete reliability.
I reaaly like carrying this gun alot. I only thing I would like to see is a more flush floor plate on the magazine instead of the plastic base just like the ones on the PM9's. That would make it more pocketable and the ultimate pocket cannon.

[rjt123]

I've had mine not quite a year now. It rapidly became my favorite carry pistol. I had a few minor breakin-related hiccups in the first hundred or so rounds, but it is now also my most reliable carry pistol. Kahr managed to make the .45 platform about as small as possible in a "real" gun (I'm discounting things like two round derringers). Springfield is releasing a .45 XDs, which sounds like it may give Kahr a run for the money in the market segment.

[JohnR]

The 45XDs is intriguing, but it's in between the PM45 and CW45 in size (longer than the PM, not as tall as the CW). Price-wise it looks like it'll be right in between the PM and CW. I read a review that called it a "game changer" but the writer apparently never heard of the PM45.

[JFootin]

The 45XDs is intriguing, but it's in between the PM45 and CW45 in size (longer than the PM, not as tall as the CW). Price-wise it looks like it'll be right in between the PM and CW. I read a review that called it a "game changer" but the writer apparently never heard of the PM45.

Well, it's not going to be long until Thunder71 has his XDs, so we will get to hear all about it. An interesting pistol, for sure. But I am kinda smitten by the CW45, especially at the low prices they are available at right now.

[rjt123]

But I am kinda smitten by the CW45, especially at the low prices they are available at right now.

The downside, of course, is the cost of the ammo. Wouldn't you know that the two carry guns I want the most range time with right now, P380 and PM45, are both some of the most expensive "mainstream" calibers around? Yeesh!

[JFootin]

The downside, of course, is the cost of the ammo. Wouldn't you know that the two carry guns I want the most range time with right now, P380 and PM45, are both some of the most expensive "mainstream" calibers around? Yeesh!

I guess the 45 are expensive because of the materials cost—they are so BIG! LOL! I think its just highway robbery with the 380. :mad:

[CJB]

My first Kahr - PM4544, utterly reliable with factory ammo. Had a little problem with the frame, Kahr repaired it. Still utterly reliable with factory ammo. Does not like LONG ammo, even though it still fits in the magazine. Factory and "shorter" reloads work well. So those 260jhp's and such... not its cup of tea. The 230's and down to 185's where overall length may be a little shorter... love's em.

Liked it so much, I got another, in silver. Same utter reliability. Same ammo preferences.

I've got a PM9, not quite the same, but not too different from your CW9. Utterly reliable as well, and from what I see less peculiar on ammo, but then again, the 9mm is not loaded over as wide a range as the .45acp is.

One of those three is my EDC... always, every day, day in, day out, except for at work - where the EDC is close by for after work. At nite - under the pillow. Constant, reliable, accurate, companions. Good ones at that.

[JohnR]

Well that got me curious. My wife's handy dandy digital kitchen scale says an empty .45 casing weighs 5 grams, an empty 9x19 weighs 4 grams. So the brass weighs 25% more.

A complete WWB 9x19 cartridge weigh 12 grams, a WWB .45ACP weighs 21 grams, or 75% more.

Then the bullet weights: the .45 weighs twice as much as the 9mm. 115 vs. 230 grains.