New EDC Kahr PM45 DLC finish

[megatronrules]

So I was previously carrying a Glock 39 in 45 GAP. Great gun and I like Glock just fine. However I've owned about 8 other kahr arms guns over the years and they've all been reliable and accurate guns. And I love the Kahr trigger as I'm a revolver man at heart and learned to shoot on DA revolvers from snub noses to 4 and 6 inch K,L and N frame smiths.

That said I've got a good friend who is a diehard Glock and 45 GAP fan. He owns the other two Glock models in this caliber,for which he hand loads for. I had a small stash of 45 GAP ammo and brass as well as the Glock 39 and 4 magazines. So he made me an offer I couldn't refuse that being my now kahr PM45 and a few hundred rounds of 45 ACP ammo.

So we swapped even up and this kahr even has trigicon night sights too which are brand new. So I'm very happy with this trade.
I promptly took the little 45 to the range and it performed flawlessly. Not a single bobble with 230 grain FMJ ammo or the gold dot and HST 230 grain JHP ammo.

I've owned 3 other PM45's over the last 4-5 years and foolishly sold or traded them for something else that I thought I just had to have.

Yet as it turned out I always missed the little polymer Kahr 45 enough to go buy another. All my other kahr pistols were the stainless slide models which I like just fine. But living in South Florida they would develop rust spots if not wiped down daily after carry. So I'm glad to have this one in their blackened stainless DLC finish. It's supposed to hold up better to corrosion we'll see if that's the case,but I love the gun.

Kahr Arms guns have always been reliable for me except for one during the 200 round break in period. But even that one a P9 smoothed out and ran fine around the 250 round mark. And it's been stone reliable ever since.

I love the 45 ACP round and the PM45 is scantly larger than the PM9 I used to own. It disappears under a T shirt AIWB,in a pocket or ankle holster. Almost everyone who I've shown it too thinks it's a 9mm due to it's diminutive size. The PM45 is no more difficult to carry and conceal than a snub nose revolver,with about the same size footprint.

It's also much more accurate and softer than you would think for such a small thin and lightweight 45 caliber gun. Maybe it's me but kahr arms guns have always seemed smaller,thinner and lighter than other makers guns in the same calibers.

Anyway thanks for read this far and if anyone else here is kahr fan PM45 or other model please let me know what you think of these guns. Especially their DLC finish how has yours held up to rust or other wear compared to their stainless models?

 

[Tilos]

I too own and have carried 9mm versions of plastic Kahrs.
The CW9 is my favorite as it has traditional rifling that groups well with coated bullets.
I have recently switched to a true DAO gun because I can thumb the hammer when re-holstering during practice.
That and the greater capacity, double strike capability.
The only negative is the added size/width because it is a double-stack.
Sig P250

Edited to add obligatory pic of Kahrs/Kahr Tire sleeves:

.

 

[Charlie98]

I think the sweet spot on the Kahr line is the 9mm pistols... I own 5 of them, and a CW9 is my daily carry. Having said that... I've owned 2 .45ACP Kahrs... a CW45 and a P45... and both gave me fits. The P45 was the biggest disappointment, because I really wanted to like that pistol. It wasn't a bad shooter... when you could get it to shoot. Having said that... I must admit, I would be tempted if I came across a reasonably priced PM45... it might very well be the Kahr .45 that checks all my boxes.

 

[Tinman357]

I have the P9 modded to "covert" configuration as well as the TP45 configured the same. Great carry guns. Accurate and solid reliability.

 

[Tallball]

Congratulations. I really like the Kahrs. Traded a Glock 43 for one last year. Have Kahrs in all four calibers.

The 45 is my favorite for certain coat pockets. Just big enough to not get turned around in them.

As the OP said, it's a surprisingly easy shooter for a 45acp that small.

Kahr CM45

• Tallball
• Jul 12, 2023

 

[DeepSouth]

I’ve had a PM45 as my primary carry piece for around 15 years now. I’m a big guy at 6’6” and 240ish but I strangely little girly grips, as a result I’m fan of the KAHR’s.

I’ve carried mine in various ways over the years, but old fashioned pocket carry is easily the most common way I carry it, while not ideal it is convenient.

It is surprisingly soft shooting and accurate for what it is. I tried a PM40 for a while but pretty quick I came back to the 45. I mean why carry a .40 when they make a .45? The recoil of the two is nearly indistinguishable.

 

[Dan-O]

Don’t have any in dlc…but the stainless ones have held up just fine for me.

 

[Mercy Me]

Take that all you glock fans.

 

[nofendertom]

I agree with Charlie98 in that the 9mm is the sweet spot. For me it is the K9 all steel model. Had it since the mid-nineties and still going strong. Mine is all carbon steel not
stainless. It had a black finish that wore pretty quick. Sent it to Kahr and they satin nickel plated it. The finish has been wearing very well since then. used in both Kydex and
leather holsters.

 

[bannockburn]

Charlie98

I think the sweet spot on the Kahr line is the 9mm pistols... I own 5 of them, and a CW9 is my daily carry.

I tend to agree with that statement as well. My first Kahr was a CW40 and while it was a good size pistol for CCW, it had it's share of problems that continued even after the break-in period. Sold it to a table holder at a local gun show with full disclosure. He said always wanted one to try out. After that I kind of avoided looking at Kahrs until the CM9 came out. The ergonomics of the new pistol were spot-on along with a rather long but smooth trigger pull. It instantly became one of the stars of my CCW line-up, along with two S&W J frame snubbies.

 

[megatronrules]

I think the sweet spot on the Kahr line is the 9mm pistols... I own 5 of them, and a CW9 is my daily carry. Having said that... I've owned 2 .45ACP Kahrs... a CW45 and a P45... and both gave me fits. The P45 was the biggest disappointment, because I really wanted to like that pistol. It wasn't a bad shooter... when you could get it to shoot. Having said that... I must admit, I would be tempted if I came across a reasonably priced PM45... it might very well be the Kahr .45 that checks all my boxes.

I know this is going to sound cliche and all,but maybe you just got a bad one? I know two different models of gun from the same maker not likely still possible.

There are a few PM45's on gun broker that are not priced crazy high. Maybe give one a shot sir no pun intended I had a P9,PM9,CM40,CW45,Mk40 elite 03 and three other PM45'S besides this one over The years.

And they all ran fine all were bought used expert the PM45'S I got those new and foolishly sold or traded them for something else I thought I just had to have. Yet the PM45 worked so well for me that I always ended up buying another PM45 to replace the ones I'd sold.

Fast forward to the other day and I now have another one. I say it's MY perfect EDC gun. It will share that role with the charter arms bulldog classic I just scored on gun broker. I'd also like to get another kahr maybe another PM45 or MK40.

I had a PM9 that was a great gun but I liked that the PM45 is scarcely bigger than the PM9 but it's a 45. Don't get me wrong I like 9mm just fine and will probably end up with another PM9 or other Kahr in 9mm I'm thinking an MK9 would be better still than an MK40 even.

 

[mm93]

I carry an old Kahr E9 in 9mm, single stack mag. It's back when they were all steel, so a bit heavier, but I love the slim single stack lines for concealed carry. And the extra weight feels better when shooting too.
I was carrying a newer polymer frame 9mm semiauto, but a friend was selling his Kahr for $200 and I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough!

 

[megatronrules]

I carry an old Kahr E9 in 9mm, single stack mag. It's back when they were all steel, so a bit heavier, but I love the slim single stack lines for concealed carry. And the extra weight feels better when shooting too.
I was carrying a newer polymer frame 9mm semiauto, but a friend was selling his Kahr for $200 and I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough!

That's a great deal on a kahr indeed. I agree with you on the steel frame Kahrs as well. They are works of art and beautifully made and great shootings guns. I'll probably end up with another K9 or MK9 and a PM9 too before to long.

 

[Armybrat]

My first Kahr was this early PM9, followed by the CW45, CW9, and then the little CT380.
They were all soft & reliable shooters, the the CW9 being the favorite.
All were gifted eventually to my sons & grandsons in recent years.
However, I missed them (particularly the CW9) so much it was a no-brainer to jump on a S9 deal for $218 close out at Locked & Loaded. I liked it so much with the improvements that a second one was ordered.

 

[megatronrules]

Armtbrat yes sir like you I'm always been a big fan of kahr arms guns. I know every gun manufacturer puts out a lemon from time to time. And I'm not saying every story on the gun forms here if one being a lemon is not true I'm sure they are I've bought sold and traded so many guns over the years that I think it's safe to say I've gotten a lemon at least one time from each of the major manufacturers at one point or another. And it sure sucks for a new gun especially.

I also believe that if some of the people that had problems with their kahr guns would simply do the basic clean strip and recommended breaking.

That would probably go a lot smoother. I was reading in one of the gun rags is recently as a few months ago that carons if I remember this right they have a machine that simulates 200 or 300 racks to each pistol negating the need for a break-in period I don't know if that's true or not and I could be remembering that wrong too.

I like it enjoy all firearms but especially handguns and I know Glocks and six one out of the box. But I think we're most people mess up they assume with kahr maybe because they were polymer frame as well that they're just going to work right out of the box.

They kahr clearly state that their guns require 200 round break in. And I noticed with the new PM 45 that I had that it was a very well made gun smooth but very tightly fitted so tight I had to use both of my thumbs to chamber around on the first range trip with the slide stop.

I will say the only problem I've ever had with one of the kahr arms pistols, was with a brand new CM40 about 5 years ago. And it wasn't even the gun itself it was one of the magazines the feed ramp broke the plastic magazine follower. The god functioned with ball ammo and hollow points flawlessly for about 350 rounds on that first range trip I only became aware of the broken plastic magazine follower when I Field strip the gun and expected the magazine to clean it. I was kind of impressed by that that it's still fed functioned and shot fine with a broken magazine follower on one of the magazines.

As I'm sure you know Justin Moon the designer of the Kahr pistols, was and is himself a lifelong firearms enthusiast. Another thing I love about the kahr arms guns is that their dinner and lighter and smaller The guns of the same calipers from other manufacturers and I think a lot of that has to do with the offset feed ramp in just a design of the pistol.

We've had a few stee kahr arms guns in the family. My twin brother is owned a black and stainless K9 a k40 covert and I owned an MK40 elite '03. All were accurate reliable soft shooting guns. I think the all steel kahra are beautifully made machined fit and finished firearms.

I remember when I was a teenager in the mid-90s when the K9 first came on the scene. I thought that was so cool that a guy who enjoyed shooting collecting and carrying gun so much couldn't find a carry pistol he liked so he literally designed his own I thought that was so cool,and still do. Justin moon is for sure very talented and intelligent guy who designed a great firearm in my opinion.
.

 

[Armybrat]

I read about the new “break in machine” at the Kahr factory in this American Rifleman review of the S9:
(scroll about halfway down)

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Tested: Kahr S9 Pistol

An upgrade over the company’s similar CW9, the new S Series offers value-added features such as three-dot sights, forward slide cocking serrations, an accessory rail and two magazines.

www.americanrifleman.org

“Previous models had recommended in their manuals that the guns be broken-in with at least 200 rounds of ammunition, however, the cost of this break-in procedure dissuaded some potential customers from buying a CW9. Kahr’s solution was to build a hydraulic fixture to cycle each gun hundreds of times before shipping it out. This process breaks loose any microscopic burs and burnishes the metal parts, in effect, breaking the gun in at the factory. Additionally, the chamber of the barrel is polished and honed. Kahr states that the S9 should be ready to carry straight from the box, although a prudent person will test any new gun with his or her desired carry ammunition. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure his or her gun and ammunition work correctly together before carrying them for personal protection.”

 

[megatronrules]

I read about the new “break in machine” at the Kahr factory in this American Rifleman review of the S9:
(scroll about halfway down)

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Tested: Kahr S9 Pistol

An upgrade over the company’s similar CW9, the new S Series offers value-added features such as three-dot sights, forward slide cocking serrations, an accessory rail and two magazines.

www.americanrifleman.org

“Previous models had recommended in their manuals that the guns be broken-in with at least 200 rounds of ammunition, however, the cost of this break-in procedure dissuaded some potential customers from buying a CW9. Kahr’s solution was to build a hydraulic fixture to cycle each gun hundreds of times before shipping it out. This process breaks loose any microscopic burs and burnishes the metal parts, in effect, breaking the gun in at the factory. Additionally, the chamber of the barrel is polished and honed. Kahr states that the S9 should be ready to carry straight from the box, although a prudent person will test any new gun with his or her desired carry ammunition. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure his or her gun and ammunition work correctly together before carrying them for personal protection.”

That's funny you posted that after Seeing this I remember that's where I read about it now.

I also forgot to mention earlier I do think some of the issues with kahrs and any semi auto pistols are sometimes user induced. My Kahrs and Glock 19 even would turn into jam-o-marics whenever my sister would shoot them. She's really small 4'10" really small hands and wrists. She just couldn't get a firm enough grip I think.


Those same guns run fine with me or our brother shooting them. Oddly enough she tried my P9 and it ran fine for her,maybe the slightly longer slide is a bit more forgiving or a loser grip?

Incidentally she settled on a S&W 642 which she shoot really well. She did recently purchase a Walther CCP M2 9MM that she can shoot reliably. I guess thats what it comes down too is finding what fits and works for us best.

 

[Styx]

I read about the new “break in machine” at the Kahr factory in this American Rifleman review of the S9:
(scroll about halfway down)

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Tested: Kahr S9 Pistol

An upgrade over the company’s similar CW9, the new S Series offers value-added features such as three-dot sights, forward slide cocking serrations, an accessory rail and two magazines.

www.americanrifleman.org

“Previous models had recommended in their manuals that the guns be broken-in with at least 200 rounds of ammunition, however, the cost of this break-in procedure dissuaded some potential customers from buying a CW9. Kahr’s solution was to build a hydraulic fixture to cycle each gun hundreds of times before shipping it out. This process breaks loose any microscopic burs and burnishes the metal parts, in effect, breaking the gun in at the factory. Additionally, the chamber of the barrel is polished and honed. Kahr states that the S9 should be ready to carry straight from the box, although a prudent person will test any new gun with his or her desired carry ammunition. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure his or her gun and ammunition work correctly together before carrying them for personal protection.”

My opinion is that a new gun is going to have at the very least 200 rounds shot through it before it's carried regardless, so I don't understand all the bunched up bloomers over the break-in. Next, the end user could also very well rack the slide manually to accelerate the process. I don't think this is too much to ask. I mean, you have to break in cars, motorcycles, breaks, etc. Basically, it's like we're asking motor vehicle manufacturers to drive new cars a few thousand miles to break them in, and then charge the buyer for the privilege. There is no doubt that Kahr has raised the price and has passed it onto the end user.

 

[megatronrules]

I agree with you on the break in period thing as well. Sure Glocks don't need a break in period. But again different design, different gun made to different tolerances.

And again I agree with shooting at least 200 rounds from any gun new or used,to verify that it functions with your chosen ammo or any ammo for that matter. But yes I like you can understand why a break in period for a handgun is such a bad thing when it's commonly accepted with the other mass produced products you mentioned.

 

[Armybrat]

My opinion is that a new gun is going to have at the very least 200 rounds shot through it before it's carried regardless, so I don't understand all the bunched up bloomers over the break-in. Next, the end user could also very well rack the slide manually to accelerate the process. I don't think this is too much to ask. I mean, you have to break in cars, motorcycles, breaks, etc. Basically, it's like we're asking motor vehicle manufacturers to drive new cars a few thousand miles to break them in, and then charge the buyer for the privilege. There is no doubt that Kahr has raised the price and has passed it onto the end user.

I agree.
My two new S9 Kahrs will be well broken in before they are ready for EDC…..like all the rest of my semiautos

 

[megatronrules]

Yes sir it's just a prudent thing to do to be sure. My sister she's a bit paranoid she put almost a 1,000 rounds thru her 642 before carrying it. Not a bad thing in my opinion. She has an apex trigger kit installed and that really helps the trigger on that gun.

 

[paul105]

My favorite is the CW45. I acquired a CM45 because I like the CW45 so much. I shot this target at 25 yds rested over a back pack while getting a rifle on paper. Center diamond 5 shots connected by the light black lines.
.

.
Mine functions flawlessly with factory hardball. It can be a bit finicky with other ammo.
.
Paul

 

[megatronrules]

Paul105 I had a CW45 also years ago. Great gun. I only sold it to fund my first PM45 as I mostly pocket carry and the PM45 was better suited to this role.

The CW45/PM45 also runs well with certain 1911 officers size magazines. Some need to have so of the metal removed on the left side of the mag at the fed lips others don't. I e found it's nice to know this in case Luke me your a 1911 guy too. I've also found that the kahr magazines are good quality and they have always run fine for me. I've owned all calibers of kahr arms except the 380 versions.

My favorite is the 45 ACP models with the 9mm guns being an equal as I like them both the same for different reasons. The PM9 is just small enough to work better in some pockets. But I don't find the PM45 any harder to conceal carries in the same spot all things being equal.

I gotta hand it to Justin Moon he did design a great gun for concealed carry. I have an admiration and respect for Mr. Moon, because here's a guy who like a lot of us is a lifelong firearms enthusiast who couldn't find a 9 mm gun that he thought was small enough for Carrie and back in those days they're really weren't any. So he designs his own. And he did an awesome job at it to boot as well hat's just awesome in my book.

I think a lot of the newer shooters they see something like a Sig 365 which is a great gun that's his own right. But what they don't realize these people either weren't born yet or were just toddlers when the Kahr pistols were first introduced and really they were a game changer. They were a game changer because back then there was nothing else like it. The K9 was truly Revolutionary in 1995.

Really you can get a Walther PPK and I love the PPK I've owned a couple but has a gun that was the same size but fired a full power 9 mm and now the PM45 isn't much bigger than a PPK and it's certainly lighter. Maybe a hair thicker.

I carry my DLC finished PM45 with confidence knowing that Justin Moon's masterpiece excels at its purpose. And I got to say this thing is no harder to carry than a J frame revolver, and I think a loaded PM 45 weighs slightly less than a loaded steel J frame which is crazy if you think about it.

 

[paul105]

CW40 lightly modified for pocket carry. Under recoil, slide stop would randomly engage (my thumb was the culprit) - so, I reduced the profile - problem solved. Magazine was dropping, also under recoil - catch was a bit proud, so it was reduced. Added laser for night use if needed. Skintight pocket holster from ccw breakaways. My back country walk the dogs rig.
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.

l
Compared to 1 7/8" J frame (this one is a 22 lady smith but same size as larger calibers)
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