PM40 at 15 yards

[jimmer]

I have recently purchased the PM40 for conceal carry, and is awesome, compact, light I forget I have it on. I have about 100 rounds thru gun without a glitch (Remington 180 gr. fmj) my issue is with the pattern i practice at 15 yards one or two on target and four or five 8” to 12” off. Is this due to the 3” barrel, break-in period, do I need to drop to 135 to 150 gr, the shooter needs more practice or all the above? Thanks, jimmer

[rock]

I don't have a pm40, but I do have a K40 and I like to use Win. Ranger T-series 180 grn. They feed well and are very accurate. The heavier bullets have a softer, not so snappy recoil for me as well.

[CDW]

I bought a PM40 a couple months ago and have had the same experience. I have about 600 rounds through the gun now, but I too struggle with consistency. In my case, I don't think I can blame it on the gun. When I concentrate and do everything right I can pretty much drill a hole in the X with this thing at 15 yrds. Sometimes I can do it 2 or 3 times in a row. Like you though, my next round may be several inches off. I attribute this to the snappier recoil of this gun. I find that I really need to focus to fight off the reflexive flinch just before the gun goes bang. I don't have this problem with my G27. I've got a couple thousand rounds through the G27, and to me it is a more comfortable gun to shoot than the PM40. I think the shorter reset on the G27 trigger also helps with the accuracy of follow-up shots. All that said though, I love the PM40. It is WAY more comfortable to carry and I have had no reliability issues since the break in period. I have just committed to practicing more, including much more dry firing, to try and overcome that flinch reflex. Try some dry firing and see if you don't catch yourself pulling the barrel down just before the trigger breaks.

[DarrellR]

Hey Jimmer. I'm glad you are enjoying the PM40. It's a great carry gun. As to your accuracy issues you didn't tell us your handgun experience level, or if you are having this problem with any of your other handguns. The 40 cal. is a great defensive round, but can take some getting used to in the smaller framed pistols.

I'm not aware of any accuracy issues during the break in period with the PM's.

[OldGuyinTN]

Jimmer, I was trained on heavy, long-barreled steel handguns and shot with them until recently. Since I got my carry permit I bought a CW9 and practice with it quite a bit. By the way, no failures in over 1000 rounds fired. I had to get used to the long trigger pull and the short sight radius. CDW has a very valid point about yanking the pistol off your intended point of aim. I myself discovered that after a few shots if I wasn't completely focused on the three edges of the front sight throughout that long, steady pull, I'd end up moving just a little when the shot would go off. Also, where I used to keep a firm grip with my shootong hand and passive support with my weak hand when using the heavier steel pistols, I couldn't do that and keep total control of the sights with the CW9. I have found that not tensing my shooting hand, and firmly squeezing and controlling it with my weak hand, I can more steadily pull my trigger finger straight back toward the web of the shooting hand. Lastly, for me this gun requires that I use the tip of my finger on the trigger, versus the pad up to the first joint. These methods give me great groups and more rapid reacquisition of the target. The gun just falls right back onto the bull's eye. These grip/trigger styles are very noticeable if you shoot a .22 target pistol after a few magazines through the Kahr. Will my style work for a .40? I can't answer that, but Maybe this information will help.

[Ratmando73]

Jimmer,

Are the flyers at a constant clock code or all over the target?

[rss5995]

i have about 3,000 rounds through my kahr pm40, so i'm very competent with it. i shoot at ranges from 1 yard to 100 yards, but mostly from 10 yards to 50 yards. to give you an idea how accurate you can become with a 3" barrel, i can confidently hit 16" steel gongs at 50 yards, and when i get bored with this i routinely hit the smaller 12" and 8" gongs, aways shooting off-hand. the secret is "trigger control." i cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have a smooth trigger pull. kahrs have outstanding triggers and extremely accurate barrels. it really is all about trigger control.

[rss5995]

recoil no longer becomes an issue with the pm40 after about 2,000 rounds. at this point it no longer is even a consideration, not even an after thought. for less recoil, though, switch to the 135 grain bullets. the heavier the bullet, the more recoil. think about it... no bullet, no recoil (nothing pushing back). an extremely heavy bullet is harder to push out the barrel, hence it pushes back more and gives the most recoil. you won't notice a difference between the 165 and 180 grain bullets, but you will feel less recoil with the 135 grain bullets. i prefer the 180 grain bullets. my wife prefers the 135 grain bullets.

[jimmer]

I think it’s in my flinch I’m used to shooting Colt 357 python and Rugar 22mark 11 target accurately. Smaller gun, more recoil, going to try some of your suggestions. Thanks again, Jimmer

[yankee2500]

As stated by several people it's in the grip and trigger squeeze, you have to learn to not anticipate the shot, and to squeeze the trigger not pull the trigger. All my carry gun are small and light Ruger LCP (380) 9.42oz -Rohrbaugh R9s (9mm) 12.8oz -
Kahr PM40 (40S&W) 17.7oz and a Colt New Agent (45acp) 24oz. And all are very accurate if I do my part, and squeeze the trigger. Shooting light small, short barrel guns takes more concentration than heaver long barrel ones, the short barrel is less forgiving to a slight movement than a longer barrrel.
John