buying a PM 40

[olympicmotorcars]

I have decided to buy a new PM 40. After reading on lots of forums I am convinced I have a good chance to get a reliable weapon if I get a fairly recently produced one. They seem to have had a lot of teething problems when they first came out. Does anyone have a serial number decoder that will let me know when a gun was produced, I am worried about getting one that has been sitting on a shelf for a few years.

I am also on the fence about getting night sights or not. What is everyone's opinion on factory night sights. What brand does Kahr use? Will they be the 3 dot type? How big of a deal is it to get them put on later?

Any other advice on purchasing will be appreciated, thanks everyone.

[jkalantzis]

if it is a new one it will have a beveled front end and a 45 cal recoil spring in it. Good luck and let us know how it shoots.

[Pender1]

http://kahrtalk.com/kahr-tech/207-kahr-serial-number-history-wig19-glocktalk.html

That's about the best we can do.

[Bawanna]

I have decided to buy a new PM 40. After reading on lots of forums I am convinced I have a good chance to get a reliable weapon if I get a fairly recently produced one. They seem to have had a lot of teething problems when they first came out. Does anyone have a serial number decoder that will let me know when a gun was produced, I am worried about getting one that has been sitting on a shelf for a few years.

I am also on the fence about getting night sights or not. What is everyone's opinion on factory night sights. What brand does Kahr use? Will they be the 3 dot type? How big of a deal is it to get them put on later?

Any other advice on purchasing will be appreciated, thanks everyone.

That's the part I didn't know for sure, glad jkalantzis handled that. As for night sights, most around here seem to agree they are a nice thing to have. While they are changeable at a later date I've always found that its most convenient and econimically feasible to buy the gun with them on it. Plus you don't have to go thru the trauma of waiting to get them installed. As jklantzis will attest it's important to get what you really want and not settle for something that will do for now. If you want a black one, get a black one. Buyer remorse is a terrible thing.
Good luck, pics when you get it. Read Jocko's breaking in a new Kahr in the tech section. It will help you along the way.

[olympicmotorcars]

What is the difference in a 45 caliber recoil spring? Does it physically look different, or is it just a stiffer spring?

[Frankhenrylee]

Hey whats up, I just bought one of the new PM40's with the beveled slide a couple of weeks ago. I've put 250 through her so far with no malfuctions. The mags had a little trouble feeding during the break in period but they're smooth as silk now. I posted a question about night sights last week and got a lot of good info. I still haven't decided which way to go but most seem to like the XS sights and/or the Crimson Trace laser. Sights are definetely cheaper when they come on the gun from the factory, so unless you want something different than those thats the way to go. Not sure the difference in the spring, but mine works like a champ. Good luck to you.

[Bawanna]

I have decided to buy a new PM 40. After reading on lots of forums I am convinced I have a good chance to get a reliable weapon if I get a fairly recently produced one. They seem to have had a lot of teething problems when they first came out. Does anyone have a serial number decoder that will let me know when a gun was produced, I am worried about getting one that has been sitting on a shelf for a few years.

I am also on the fence about getting night sights or not. What is everyone's opinion on factory night sights. What brand does Kahr use? Will they be the 3 dot type? How big of a deal is it to get them put on later?

Any other advice on purchasing will be appreciated, thanks everyone.

At the risk of muddying the waters even though that's what I do best (borderline forte) I gotta ask why or how you decided on 40? There are alot of PM40 owners here that are very happy with them. I hear many state that the recoil is nothing to be concerned with. My K40 bucks a bit, not brutal, I can shoot it alot but it kicks. I guess what I would suggest or what I would do if it was me is look at the PM9, small light, easy to carry with a very good track record or the PM45, fits same holster, few ounces heavier, shoots real bullets and with less recoil (at least felt recoil) than a 40. Not picking on the 40 it's a great round but to me hot and fast for a very small gun.
I'm also a big fan of the XS sights, no confusion on that issue at all. That's what I'd put on somewhere down the road without question.

[olympicmotorcars]

I bought a Glock model 27 about a year ago and have been extremely pleased with it. I am not bothered by the recoil at all. I guess I just want the maximum power in the smallest package available and also want to stick with one caliber. I have heard the arguments for 9mm but I trust my life with the 40.

I also do not plan on giving up my model 27, I just need something a little smaller for certain occasions.

[Bawanna]

I bought a Glock model 27 about a year ago and have been extremely pleased with it. I am not bothered by the recoil at all. I guess I just want the maximum power in the smallest package available and also want to stick with one caliber. I have heard the arguments for 9mm but I trust my life with the 40.

I also do not plan on giving up my model 27, I just need something a little smaller for certain occasions.

That makes good sense. I've owned a G27 and they are a great gun. I tried to do the same thing and stick with one caliber and I'm doing fairly well, sorta. Most of the carry wardrobe is now 45 with a 40 thrown in for occasional use. For carry the PM40 is the ticket. I think you'll find the PM has more recoil but not unmanageable.

[getsome]

Hi olympic, I did the opposite and bought the CW40 because I already had 2 .45acp pistols a .44mag revolver and my carry gun a S&W 640 .357 mag and could find pleanty of .40 cal ammo even when the shelves were empty of most all the other popular calibers so I traded my .32 Seecamp for the CW40...I found the recoil pretty snappy but not painful or anything like that but I sent it to Mag-na-Port and now it shoots like a dream...You still know you have fired a big round but the port job really helped with the muzzle flip...I have sent it to Bowie Tactical to have the grip frame cut down to the 5 round PM size so I can pocket carry the little beast...Try a .40 and you will be happy...As soon as I can find a die set for .40 cal I want to try a somewhat lighter load for range use like maybe 900 to 950 fps with a 165 grain bullet...I want to work up some handloads that will function in the gun but allow for longer range time for practice...Good luck and happy shooting...