Kahr P45 cracked frame

[DGladden]

I bought this last weekend from a private seller. I did not notice this crack until last night. I have already emailed Kahr about this but they have yet to reply. Does anyone here have experience with their customer service? Any idea how much a frame replacement will cost?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220414/03329deb421ff1beb3bab072dcd055c1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220414/54a31175d441c85e9772b98499b38561.jpg

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[Bawanna]

They are generally pretty good at answering emails, give them a bit. I have no clue on cost. If no response by say tomorrow email again or call. I'd be tempted to fix that myself if the cost is large. Some acra glas and maybe a pin would keep it from going anywhere. It may have been that way for years. BUT I get that it needs to be addressed. Would drive me crazy too.

[DGladden]

They are generally pretty good at answering emails, give them a bit. I have no clue on cost. If no response by say tomorrow email again or call. I'd be tempted to fix that myself if the cost is large. Some acra glas and maybe a pin would keep it from going anywhere. It may have been that way for years. BUT I get that it needs to be addressed. Would drive me crazy too.I had a similar thought about DIY repair. Similar to fixing a crack in a wood stock. Drill a small hole at the top of the crack and plug it. Then fill the crack with some sort of epoxy and once it's cured, clean it up with some needle files.

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[DGladden]

Well, I got an email from Mark with customer service. He requested pictures of the crack and said frame replacement is about $250. Ouch! I sent a couple of pictures and he replied that he had never seen one crack like that before and that it was likely caused by something the previous owner did. I did tell him that the cost of repair, plus shipping and FFL fees would end up costing me more than the gun did to begin with. He thanked me for the pictures and said if there was anything else he could assist with, to let him know. I think I may contact a local gunsmith that does phenomenal work and see what he thinks.

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[BirdsThaWord]

Look on youtube about the baking soda and super glue “trick”. I do not know what the acra glas is that Bawanna mentioned is, but maybe it’s a good solution. Supposedly the super glue and baking soda deal is a very solid repair thing as guys use it to repair guitar frets, etc with it. May be worth a look see.

[DGladden]

Look on youtube about the baking soda and super glue “trick”. I do not know what the acra glas is that Bawanna mentioned is, but maybe it’s a good solution. Supposedly the super glue and baking soda deal is a very solid repair thing as guys use it to repair guitar frets, etc with it. May be worth a look see.I'll have to look into that. I had another thought last night while enjoying a nice glass of bourbon! Another possibility would be to chop the grip and make a "long slide" PM45.... [emoji848]

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[dustnchips]

J-B Weld. I would repair it for cosmedics but it should not have any stress down there.

[Bawanna]

I'll have to look into that. I had another thought last night while enjoying a nice glass of bourbon! Another possibility would be to chop the grip and make a "long slide" PM45.... [emoji848]

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That's an interesting idea. Find a reference point to accurately measure how far up the crack goes. If I can find the same reference point I'll measure my PM45 and see if you can eliminate all the crack.
I'm with dustnchips, I don't think there's much stress in that area but cosmetically it wouldn't make me happy.
Acraglas is sold by Brownells, it's a two part epoxy that many use to bed rifle stocks but it'll fix anything. They have it where steel or aluminum can be added for strength. Comes in liquid or gel. I prefer the gel as it's one to one mix by volume. The liquid has to be measured but it's good for small cracks and places you want it to run. Also comes with black or brown dye so you can match (fairly close) to what your fixing.
Some have told me it's similar or maybe the same as Marine Tech if you work on boats. It's good stuff.

[King Rat]

Just wondering if Kahr said what they would do to fix it? It would seem that to just try and repair a polymer grip would give liability issues. I had a number of LCP's that had cracked grips and Ruger would replace the entire gun. Issue a new serial number etc. since the number is on the grip. I love the Kahr's but maybe it is time they did make some changes. Like a modular design. Easy to replace grip, work on and replace parts etc. You have a nice gun that most likely will go on shooting well for many more years. It might be worth the money to go ahead and pay the $250 to make sure it is right. (Not telling you how to spend your money, but just my 2 cents). Is it possible Kahr would replace the gun for $250? Also that is a odd location for a split to occur. Wonder what caused that? Good luck, hope things work out for you.

[DGladden]

They would end up replacing the serialized polymer frame. It would have a new serial number and all. The customer service rep did say that was a strange place for a crack and that he had never seen one break there before. The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards doing a grip chop.

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[DavidR]

Design changes? How silly. We all know that Kahr’s single stack design is the pinnacle of concealed carry engineering. So called advancements made by other manufacturers are 100% marketing hype.


Disclosure 1: for certain conceal carry situations I do find the CT380 to be the pinnacle of design

Disclosure 2: I can’t find the sarcasm button but my post is sarcasm, mostly

[King Rat]

They would end up replacing the serialized polymer frame. It would have a new serial number and all. The customer service rep did say that was a strange place for a crack and that he had never seen one break there before. The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards doing a grip chop.

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Just thinking out loud, But I see a new slide is $145. So getting a new P45 for around $400 and have a spare slide as well.

https://i.imgur.com/9SiYCaz.png

[BirdsThaWord]

If you do the chop keep us posted (with pics please) as that would be interesting to see.

[dao]

Kahr PM45 on top, P45 on bottom. A P45 Covert. Good idea!
Looks like you've got about 5/16" to play with.

[Bawanna]

Looks like it would just clear the crack if the nubs are all in the same place. It's up into the second row which is eliminated on the PM.

[dao]

I will be watching this thread. I'm curious to see how it turns out. I've often wondered what polymer would look like after repairing mars to it. Some of the polymers used are very prone to scuffs and scratches. I don't mind even wear on a gun, or even wear on the high points from holstering and such, but I don't care for scratches, nicks, or gouges. It would be interesting to see what someone like Bird could do to a polymer finish trying to "freshen" up its appearance and/or making it look brand new. For instance I recently cut down some Pearce grip extensions for the K9 I picked up, to remove some to the pinky extension that isn't needed for my own pinky to have a full grip on the gun. After shortening them with my bench grinder and then using a much finer sandpaper on them the places I had ground and sanded are a lighter gray then the rest of the extension. It would be ideal to have the color match without resorting to a Sharpie as I did.

[Bawanna]

Most (not all) tupperware will polish up. A little dremel or a polishing wheel with a little compound. I think it kind of hydrates the tupperware more than anything.
I sometimes just throw stuff at it, car wax, oil, experiment a little bit.

[BirdsThaWord]

Yes, I have done the same Colonel. Mostly when restoring interior trim, etc when I was a hot rodder/drag racer. The liquid plastic polish is what I’ve found to work best as a final polish, after any other sanding or polishing. Kinda like the Mother’s metal polish, but too plastic. Very low abrasion, so it get’s a high gloss finish. But, I would think the entire grip would then need polishing to match or it would stand out. That may be an issue in the rough textured areas.
Sometimes, when I’ve purchased new G10 grips they come looking very dry or powdery. I use furniture wax (spray can) to bring those to life. Squirt them, let them sit, then rub it in and wipe off the excess. Really brings out whatever color is in the grips. They smell kinda nice afterwards too!

[DGladden]

I believe I will attempt to chop the grip. If I screw it up then I'll bite the bullet and send it in to Kahr for a new frame. But after doing a little research it appears that Kahr once offered a P45 Covert, which was basically a P45 slide assembly on a PM45 frame. I've seen some pictures of them and they look like an excellent carry package. Now I have to get my hands on five round mag. I'll start cruising eBay when I get paid next week and see if I can snag a factory mag for a reasonable price. I will absolutely document the process and post it here. Although it may be a little bit before I get around to it.

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[dao]

We'll be here DGladden, take your time and do it right.

I use oil on my G10 grips Bird. I use FP-10 for nearly all my cleaning and oiling anyway and so I just apply it liberally to the grips. And them wipe them off with my fondling rag. Talk about a good smell. Remember that line in Apocalypse Now when Robert Duvall said "I just love the smell of FP-10 in the morning"? Oh wait, I may be confused. Too much oil fumes I guess :D But seriously, FP-10 smells great.

[King Rat]

Yes, I have done the same Colonel. Mostly when restoring interior trim, etc when I was a hot rodder/drag racer. The liquid plastic polish is what I’ve found to work best as a final polish, after any other sanding or polishing. Kinda like the Mother’s metal polish, but too plastic. Very low abrasion, so it get’s a high gloss finish. But, I would think the entire grip would then need polishing to match or it would stand out. That may be an issue in the rough textured areas.
Sometimes, when I’ve purchased new G10 grips they come looking very dry or powdery. I use furniture wax (spray can) to bring those to life. Squirt them, let them sit, then rub it in and wipe off the excess. Really brings out whatever color is in the grips. They smell kinda nice afterwards too!

Very interesting Bird, will have to try it out. Ever done your own strippling? One thing nice about a modular gun. You can always get a new grip. And I have messed up a few. In fact have some grips that I have messed up, and will start some experiments with polishing. Thanks for posting.

[BirdsThaWord]

We'll be here DGladden, take your time and do it right.

I use oil on my G10 grips Bird. I use FP-10 for nearly all my cleaning and oiling anyway and so I just apply it liberally to the grips. And them wipe them off with my fondling rag. Talk about a good smell. Remember that line in Apocalypse Now when Robert Duvall said "I just love the smell of FP-10 in the morning"? Oh wait, I may be confused. Too much oil fumes I guess :D But seriously, FP-10 smells great.
The FP-10 is new to me. I looked it up just now. Says CLP on it. Maybe it’s a new version of the CLP that I use? Yes, I have used that as well to soak down guns. Really seems to penetrate into everything very well. Most Sigs finishes always seem to be a bit dry or powdery in appearance, with some showing the slightest hair scratches easily. The CLP seems to make them disappear. Good “all around” stuff!

[BirdsThaWord]

Very interesting Bird, will have to try it out. Ever done your own strippling? One thing nice about a modular gun. You can always get a new grip. And I have messed up a few. In fact have some grips that I have messed up, and will start some experiments with polishing. Thanks for posting. Certainly and you as well! Yes, I have stippled a few times (2), but using a standard soldering iron. I thought they came out nice, and it was fun to see the change, but if I were to do it again I would follow up with a heat gun to semi smooth the sharp edges of the dimples. Saw that being done in a few videos and they said it kept the grabbiness but took away some of the extreme abrasiveness. I’ve seen some amazing stipple jobs when guys get the right stuff, such as the wood burning kits with the interesting shaped tips.
I think this guy went a bit too far...
18862
Now maybe if the slide, barrel, trigger and take down pin were polished...:w00t:

[dao]

It's not a new version of CLP Bird, at least not the same brand. It's got its own history and formula. Doesn't smell like chemicals or solvents at all either. It's kind of unique. I've been using it for years and use it for all but serious build up on a gun that has not been cleaned regularly.
Gotta hand it to whoever did the stipling on that Kahr. It's like one of those things that you either like a lot, or not at all. I'd imagine it feels like a cheese grater though.

[BirdsThaWord]

I think they must make a few versions. Sounds like what you’ve got smells better than my CLP. It does have a strong chemical smell (reminds me of “press wash” we used as a Lithographer’s Mate in the Navy) that my wife can’t stand. I’ll give yours a shot once I run out.
18864

[King Rat]

Certainly and you as well! Yes, I have stippled a few times (2), but using a standard soldering iron. I thought they came out nice, and it was fun to see the change, but if I were to do it again I would follow up with a heat gun to semi smooth the sharp edges of the dimples. Saw that being done in a few videos and they said it kept the grabbiness but took away some of the extreme abrasiveness. I’ve seen some amazing stipple jobs when guys get the right stuff, such as the wood burning kits with the interesting shaped tips.
I think this guy went a bit too far...
18862
Now maybe if the slide, barrel, trigger and take down pin were polished...:w00t:

I personally like it. It would look better as you say with polished slide. I am the last person that should ever touch a heat gun with anything, but I got tired of the grip tape coming off my very heavily shot Beretta Nano and the Nano has a slick grip to begin with other than the back strap. . Lousy job as far as looks, but I have to say the grip feels great and solid when shooting. I have a picture somewhere of a pro job, but the cost was like $85.00.
https://i.imgur.com/wPWCdjS.jpg?1 same with Pico https://i.imgur.com/AjvAXrL.jpg?1

Here is a PRO job.

https://i.imgur.com/eqBqEZL.jpg

Just saw this website. Some nice patterns
https://www.brazenfirearms.com/collections/stippling/products/stippling-cobweb

[BirdsThaWord]

King that does not look lousy to me. Maybe better in the pics than real life? That last one (fde color frame) is one of my favorite stipple styles.

[dao]

I think they look good too. With my artistic talents if I ever put them to work on stippling I'd have to spring for a new frame.

Didn't mean to say that FP-10 is not a CLP Bird, but that it's not the same company which makes "the" CLP. I think the only reason they and others might get away with using the acronym is because Clean Lubicate and Protect was a thing before the company that makes the well know product began using it as a name. The FP-10 really does smell good. Wholesome even. Especially with popcorn. Or a beer. Or both. :D

All kidding aside, days after cleaning and or re-lubing my guns I will put them to my nose just to smell them while handling them.

[Bawanna]

Wife don't use them but maybe a person could throw their gun in the dryer with one of them sweet smelling dryer sheets. Just a thought......ok a bad thought.