# Kahr PM45, little monster!



## chasgrips (Mar 24, 2016)

I was really Kahr fan at one time. I``ve got a PM9 that eats anything .Nice shooter. Then again I`ve had a PM 45 that I just cant shoot. It`s a beast .I've got bad arthritis in my left hand trigger finger, the recoil from that little beast has actually made me bleed due the trigger guard hitting the joint . hurts. Now being a left handed shooter, it`s hard to duck when I`m getting spent shells hitting me in the forehead! My forehead looks like a pizza after 50 rounds! Very disappointed .I`ve had the gun for 5 years ,& shoot it when I can stand the pain! Can`t sell it either. Other than that it`s a sweet gun.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Well, that is quite a small pistol in .45 ACP, so I can see it hurting to shoot. I have this Kahr:

It is the CM9, and I use that and my Ruger LCP during the warm weather months the most, as a pocket carry gun and a spare magazine or two. I have found this CM9 to be accurate and soft shooting, but then again that is why I bought such a small pistol in 9mm....I knew the bigger bores would raise hell with my hands! Lol.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

chasgrips said:


> I was really Kahr fan at one time. I``ve got a PM9 that eats anything .Nice shooter. Then again I`ve had a PM 45 that I just cant shoot. It`s a beast .I've got bad arthritis in my left hand trigger finger, the recoil from that little beast has actually made me bleed due the trigger guard hitting the joint . hurts. Now being a left handed shooter, it`s hard to duck when I`m getting spent shells hitting me in the forehead! My forehead looks like a pizza after 50 rounds! Very disappointed .I`ve had the gun for 5 years ,& shoot it when I can stand the pain! Can`t sell it either. Other than that it`s a sweet gun.


The best I can offer is to tell you to grip the pistol with all of your hand's strength.
The harder you grip, the less the gun will move in your hand, and the less of a beating your finger will take.

I, too, am arthritic, and I am having a great deal of trouble shooting my own shortie .45 ACP pistol. And it's all-steel, much heavier than yours, and therefore it probably recoils less.
I'm building my strength and technique back up, and I find that a "death grip" is the most helpful item in my recoil-control toolbox.
Try it and see.

Until just a short time ago, my arthritis had been requiring me to use a mere .380 ACP, all-steel pistol for self defense.
You, too, may find that to be your most viable option.


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## chasgrips (Mar 24, 2016)

In retrospect,I was shooting my Kimber CDP II & it was as pleasant as a small 45 can be. I think the long trigger pull of the Kahr didn't help with the position of my finger. As I mentioned before I was getting whacked in the head with ejected cartridges. More annoying than painful. But a few bit! The gun is going be
to history . Some you like some you don`t ! Not good for a lefty/


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Kahrs are pretty nice pistols, but they fit small hands best. The break point on the trigger pull is too far back for a person with large-ish hands. I wear an XL glove, and have never been able to fire Kahrs without contorting my trigger finger to get enough leverage for a smooth, straight back trigger pull. Also, the PM-9 I had for a while chewed up my trigger finger with the trigger guard. I've had several, including a P-45, and never overcame the problem to my satisfaction. The only subcompact that has fit my hand properly, right out of the box, was the Springfield XDs45. I have also modified a S&W Shield with an Apex straight trigger and sear kit, to make it work for me.

I know of no one who makes after market triggers for Kahrs that would correct the problem, if indeed that is the problem you have. If your hand is small to medium sized, I would just agree with Steve - hold on tight.


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

My Kel-Tec P3at moves in my hand and it's a 380! WOW a 45 that small! Good Luck! you'll need it?


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## chasgrips (Mar 24, 2016)

There`s another little biter in the p64 .That little 9mm makarov was used as a police gun . I tell you ,if i was a cop I would seriously let the bad guy get away rather than shoot him with that slide biter !


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

chasgrips said:


> There`s another little biter in the p64 .That little 9mm makarov was used as a police gun . I tell you ,if i was a cop I would seriously let the bad guy get away rather than shoot him with that slide biter !


I used to own two of those, but traded them off. They were accurate and dependable, but my pinky finger was lost on that pistol....really chucked the empties a long way though!


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## Illyia (Jan 12, 2017)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> The best I can offer is to tell you to grip the pistol with all of your hand's strength.
> The harder you grip, the less the gun will move in your hand, and the less of a beating your finger will take.
> 
> I, too, am arthritic, and I am having a great deal of trouble shooting my own shortie .45 ACP pistol. And it's all-steel, much heavier than yours, and therefore it probably recoils less.
> ...


This is where the two-handed, supported hold comes in handy. The shooting hand is used to grip the piece with normal pressure, and the support hand is used to grip the shooting hand with extra pressure.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Illyia said:


> ...The shooting hand is used to grip the piece with normal pressure, and the support hand is used to grip the shooting hand with extra pressure.


Nope.
Gotta disagree with this one, too.

If the shooting hand isn't already gripping with fierce pressure, nothing the support hand can do will help stabilize the pistol.
The "inside hand" has to apply the gripping force. If it doesn't, the pressure of the "outside hand" will never have any affect on the pistol.
Think about it.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Actually, I think of my grip as a kind of pushing tug-of-war between left and right hands. The left is pushing the back of the grip into the heel of the right hand, while at the same time the heel of the right hand is pushing the three bottom fingers of the right hand into the four fingers of the left hand, leaving the index finger free to pull the trigger, independent of the rest of the hand. The two thumbs ride along the side, parallel with each other, with the right on top, and prevent any torque or windage movement. 

Taken all together, the upper body is acting as a vice, and aiming is achieved by pivoting at the hips and very slight adjustments at the shoulders.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Bisley said:


> Actually, I think of my grip as a kind of pushing tug-of-war between left and right hands...


You may remember those ads on the back covers of comic books: DYNAMIC TENSION! "Don't be a 97-pound weakling!" (Joe Bonomo, I think it was.)
Anyway, that's what you're doing: You're balancing opposing forces to improve the focussed force with which you're gripping the pistol.

To me, this is the best way to grip a pistol.
It's also a major component of the Modified Weaver stance and technique.

Assuming practice, it's quick to assume, as you make your presentation.
It turns a "mere" pistol into something very much like a short-barreled rifle (but with a very short sight radius). Your arms become the rifle stock.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I remember, but I was very young.


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