# Kahr PM45: Now a Gunsmith's Dud



## ampgoesto11 (Aug 28, 2009)

In recent postings, I described my experience with my new PM45. After two trips back to Kahr for repairs, I sold the gun to a highly skilled gunsmith. Upon shooting the weapon, he had problems similar to mine, of which the worst was a locked barrel. When he was finally able to disassemble the gun, he concluded that the barrel did not lock up correctly with the slide. Kahr had replaced the original barrel when I had the same problem, so I was not surprised. He, the gunsmith, is now stuck with a gun that fails to function correctly with almost every mag of ammo. He accepted the risk before buying the gun from me, and feels that with some time and effort he can fix it. Well, good luck. I will never own another Kahr, ever. If Kahr was the last gun maker in the US, I would learn to use a slingshot. 

In the meantime, I purchased a new Kimber Ultra CDP II, which I love, and which functions flawlessly with any ammo I push through it. 500 rds so far with not one malfunction. I even limp-wristed the gun to see if I could induce a problem. To no avail. So, hats off to Kimber for making a nice, reliable gun in a 3" barrel. 

Just ordered a Sig P220 Carry SAS. Looked for weeks to hold one. It felt pretty dang good. Plunk went $900.


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## Gunners_Mate (Feb 17, 2010)

few questions, what do you mean by "limp-wristing"? I am unfamiliar with the term

how large are your hands? I've been looking into the p220 for a little bit now, and from a technical standpoint I like it alot, however I am not at liberty to get my hands on one. Obviously you've ordered it and thus have a good opinion of it, but can you tell me why?


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## cougartex (Jan 2, 2010)

Limp wristing is a term used to describe a phenomenon commonly encountered by new semiautomatic handgun shooters, where the shooter's grip is not firm enough to hold the frame of the pistol steady while the slide of the pistol cycles. This condition often results in a failure to complete the operating cycle, causing jams.


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## ampgoesto11 (Aug 28, 2009)

Gunners_Mate said:


> few questions, what do you mean by "limp-wristing"? I am unfamiliar with the term
> 
> how large are your hands? I've been looking into the p220 for a little bit now, and from a technical standpoint I like it alot, however I am not at liberty to get my hands on one. Obviously you've ordered it and thus have a good opinion of it, but can you tell me why?


My hands are about average sized. With the Sig short trigger, I can give the gun the Ayoob death grip and the trigger seems to land right where it should on my trigger finger. I believe that someone with smaller hands would be OK with this gun. If you have larger hands, then it's likely to feel cramped.

I can say with some experience that my new Sig is not as well finished as my older ones were (from the 19s). Seems like the finish work, not the machining, is wanting.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

ampgoesto11 said:


> In recent postings, I described my experience with my new PM45. After two trips back to Kahr for repairs, I sold the gun to a highly skilled gunsmith. Upon shooting the weapon, he had problems similar to mine, of which the worst was a locked barrel. When he was finally able to disassemble the gun, he concluded that the barrel did not lock up correctly with the slide. Kahr had replaced the original barrel when I had the same problem, so I was not surprised. He, the gunsmith, is now stuck with a gun that fails to function correctly with almost every mag of ammo. He accepted the risk before buying the gun from me, and feels that with some time and effort he can fix it. Well, good luck. I will never own another Kahr, ever. If Kahr was the last gun maker in the US, I would learn to use a slingshot.
> 
> *In the meantime, I purchased a new Kimber Ultra CDP II, which I love, and which functions flawlessly with any ammo I push through it. 500 rds so far with not one malfunction. I even limp-wristed the gun to see if I could induce a problem.* To no avail. So, hats off to Kimber for making a nice, reliable gun in a 3" barrel.
> 
> Just ordered a Sig P220 Carry SAS. Looked for weeks to hold one. It felt pretty dang good. Plunk went $900.


Best of luck with that. The problem isn't necessarily the manufacturer, it's a problem of geometry. Moving something that big around (.45) and that long in a short throw weapon will cause problems for all but the most stable (platform) shooter. You probably won't see many issues with the Kimber until the springs wear in a bit. Hence why they recommend replacing them ever 500 rounds. That can get expensive for the whole assembly on the Ultras. Personally, I don't recommend anything shorter than 4" in a 1911, or any .45 for that matter. I hope it works out for you.

Besides, the Kahr was designed around the 9mm, that's the caliber it works best in. I've got a .40 98 Elite that gobbles up everything I throw at it... AFTER I fixed the magazine release problem. Still have it, still shoot it. It's got around 4000 rounds thru it (can't find my log book for that pistol) and still going strong. Stick with the steel Kahr's and they do much better than the poly's in my experience.


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## fudo (Nov 11, 2009)

I have a Kahr CW45 that is also a turkey.It was wasted money It would be a great gun if it worked. As it is, it's a jam-a-matic. Im done with Kahr.


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