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View Full Version : What's with the PM45..????



guido4198
11-22-2016, 09:51 AM
I saw a pre-owned PM45 at a gun show last weekend. First time I had ever given one a good look. Came with the original box and 2 magazines at what looked like a decent price. I went to the concession stand to have a cold drink and do just a little bit of online research about them, and was surprised by all the negative reports I was seeing.
I passed on it until I learn more .
FWIW: I have had a CM 9 for a few years now. It's been an excellent carry piece with zero issues.
What's the current record on the PM45's..??
Thanks.

Bawanna
11-22-2016, 09:57 AM
I've had zero issues with mine. I know CJB has a fondness for them and a good tack record with at least 2.

Wynn got a bad one that was no good from day one but Kahr took care of it sadly again and again until they recently just replaced it for him.

There's lots of negative online, a lot of third hand strong opinions with no merit. Your wise to research, I do the same.

topgun1953
11-22-2016, 06:39 PM
My 'few months' old CM45 has been great. A couple bobbles early but 100% now.

CJB
11-22-2016, 07:24 PM
Guido, you have a PM9 that has been good for you. The PM45 is the same design, and the design is sound and elegant, with no practical faults.

The slide stop spring can be a problem for some folks, but once properly adjusted, it usually gives no further issues. All Kahr pistols seem to be the occasional bearer of a goofy trigger bar, which may give issues due to excess polymer, spring out of place, needing a little tweakage in fitting... but once corrected, it stays corrected. Keep in mind, any fault you may see is not a "design fault", as the design itself is well thought out. Mr. Browning would have approved. But... in practice, sometimes you see a spring out of adjustment, or some binding in the trigger bar area, or an extractor that needs a little help (lots of auto loaders need extractor help, btw). Sometimes you see a magazine that fits a little tight... and again, that's not just a Kahr problem. It happens when manufacturing is ramped up to meed a huge demand. Kahr recoil springs do need some shootin' to limber up a bit. Expect the occasional whack to the forehead from empties, until that spring gets nice and slicked up.

And.... occasionally, you get a shooter who just cannot shoot a small powerful polymer frame handgun named Kahr. They will complain about everything, and not really giving things a chance.

My own experience - two PM45's, one new, one used. The new one had a frame rail issue, went to Kahr, they replaced the frame and slide and that was that, its been faultless since. BTW, it never really failed, just had a rail issue which they fixed. There were occasional stoppages in the first couple hundred rounds. Those went away. The used PM45 eats ammo like a fat lady at a smorgasbord. My used PM9 is the same. The new PM9... has had one stoppage, but also had a slide stop spring that needed a little tweak.

Get the PM or CM of your choice.... except..... the PM/CM 40 has a little issue with the magazine followers, where the nose of the feed ramp whacks the follower sometimes. The fix is easy, even for a home gunsmith.

guido4198
11-24-2016, 07:48 AM
Thanks for the replies.
I appreciate the details in the responses.
For the moment, I believe I'll stay with my CM9, and some well tested defense ammunition.

kenemoore
11-24-2016, 10:28 AM
I own a PM45 in DLC, it sat on the shelf at a local shop for almost a year before I made them an offer. Never had a single hiccup, all kinds of ammo, even a few HST +P, put a set of Mepro night sights own, and now it's my travel pistol.
I don't take my DW CCO on the road, paid to much, and don't want some gomer taking if from me. So when I travel, which is about 30% of the time, I take the PM45. No regrets... I have three of the extended magazines, and none of them work worth a darn, not sure why. So I stick with the 5 rounders and no issues.
I think the PM45 is one of the smallest production 45's on the market, and after carrying a 1911 seems to weigh almost nothing. I would buy another in a skinny minute. Compared to a 1911 the recoil is snappy, but not uncomfortable or unmanageable. When I shoot the HST 230grn +P ammo, flames shoot out about 2 feet, quite impressive.

edw794
11-26-2016, 03:33 AM
you guys are lucky. the one i just bought has problems with btf, premature slide lock, and feed issues. a trip back to kahr and the feed issue was solved by polishing the feed ramp, but the other two persisted, and now a light primer strike problem developed. now it's back at kahr again and i'm awaiting for its return.

CJB
11-26-2016, 01:33 PM
....one i just bought has problems with btf, premature slide lock, and feed issues. a trip back to kahr and the feed issue was solved by polishing the feed ramp, but the other two persisted, and now a light primer strike problem developed

What is a btf problem?

Premature slide lock is often caused by the nose of a cartridge hitting the inside tab on the slide stop, or possibly a slide stop spring needing adjustment.

Feed issues can be a new gun, with a very strong recoil spring that needs to take its set, or the bottom edge of the breech face needing a little bit of a bevel.

Light primer strikes are usually caused by crapola in the striker channel, but can also be ammo related, or due to the slide not quite getting into battery (very rare).

Kahr will often put "polished the feed ramp" but if you look at those ramps when brand new, you'll see they're as smooth as the inside of your girlfriends thigh already (except Jocko's GF, but I digress).

There is a prep sticky - and you might want to have a look at it when your pistol gets back.

Kahr's are usually pretty simple to correct issues with. They're simple designs, but not like other pistols in the nature of their functioning.

Bawanna
11-26-2016, 04:10 PM
I was curious about BTF also, was gonna ask but didn't want to look dumb.

gb6491
11-26-2016, 06:41 PM
Brass to face?

Bills1873
11-26-2016, 06:58 PM
Brass to face?
I had that once, a bit too much liquor will do it!

CJB
11-26-2016, 06:59 PM
The PM45 and CM45 sometimes, when the rounds are less than stout, the grip less than fully manly, and the recoil spring yet unlimbered, will smack the shooter in the noggin with an empty.

THIS GOES AWAY WHEN THE SPRING HAS LIMBERED UP A BIT

I can attest to that, with both my PM45's . It goes away, but is an annoying featue.... to let you know the gun's good and broken in! :)

Bawanna
11-26-2016, 07:24 PM
Only time I get brass to face is when I get a little sloppy with my grip. I guess sloppy with my grip is more manly that limp wristing.

Seriously, never gets me otherwise.

edw794
12-04-2016, 03:39 AM
kahr contacted me last week and said they were going to send a replacement gun for the one i sent back for repairs. no reason was given.

Dbholfo
12-06-2016, 11:08 PM
I bought my PM45 used, LNIB. I had to polish the feed ramp twice over a year's time. FTE after 3 rounds the first time out. Both 5 round mags. It worked flawlessly for almost a year then a few random FTEs. I now keep it clean and the feed ramp polished and no more issues. It handles as well as my Ruger P345 or a Glock 30 and conceals much easier.

allthumbsplusone
12-14-2016, 10:43 AM
Had mine out for the first time the other day. I stripped it, cleaned and lubed prior to the first trip. 100 rounds of Freedom arms new 230gr. 2 failures to fully close on the chamber. I just gave them a nudge and they were ok. Second time out was fine until I got to about round 150. Started to have failure to feeds. Broke it down and wiped the barrel and feed ramp and anything else and it seemed to help though there was the occasional failure to feed. Probably a combination of underpowered ammo and gunk. The case OD of on that just would not feed was right at the limit of the spec dim for OD at the bullet end. Length seemed OK. After all that I put about 50 rounds of Winchester Ranger and FEderal Hst 230 gr hp. No issues whatsoever. Those cases measured on the lower end of the OD tolerance and the overall length was shorter due to the hollow point. I will take no issues with defensive ammo. I will be back out with the Freedom Munitions stuff again for another try after cleaning and give a report. Sure wish my Talon Grips would get here soon. Got to tape my wedding ring since the recoil was causing it to rip the skin on my other hand. I really like it and hope it proves to get more reliable. My pm9 and p380 shoot anything without issue and when the PM 45 gets there I will carry with confidence.

Phish
12-14-2016, 11:09 AM
My CM45 will occasionally put a empty towards my head and drop inside my shirt. Hate it sometime but the thing is crazy accurate! I didhad to take a slight materialoff barrel hood in order to eject a live round when unloading.

allthumbsplusone
12-14-2016, 02:23 PM
Second report. 150 rounds and only one failure to close the chamber completely. Again just a thumb push put it in place. I noticed a couple of burrs at the bottom of the feed ramp so I buffed them off so maybe that helped. Anyway, I can now say I have complete confidence in the gun. Ran like a champ with the same ammo that was giving it some problems as it got dirty, but no issues today. PS only 2 casings to the head out of 150! I had quite a few more the last time.

Dbholfo
12-31-2016, 11:11 PM
Update since last post: I put 140 rounds through mine last Tuesday and never a hiccup. A firm grip with push/pull on the hold creates a quick return to target. The size of the PM45 can be an issue during target shooting but that's not what it's for.

O'Dell
01-01-2017, 02:40 AM
I've had both a PM45 and CM45 and neither has had any problems with the exception that the PM managed to get itself stolen. I'm not really blaming the pistol for that though. My current CM45 is my go to carry when I can cover a holster.

WMac19
01-02-2017, 01:50 AM
Only about 800 rounds through my PM45 but it's been flawless. PM9 the same, PM40 was problematic but the recoil spring felt weak while racking right out of the box.

Kahr was willing to take it back, I just wanted a new spring. Found one cheap on ebay, flawless through 600 or so rounds.

fastkahrs
01-03-2017, 03:39 PM
My PM45 (Purchased LNIB) has been flawless. 300 rounds of S&B 230gr ball & 50 rounds of 230gr HST.

I've only had two issues with my Kahr pistols; I didn't read the owners manual for my K9 (caused first round feeding issues with 147gr golden saber) and a broken mag follower on a used PM9.