captbahbah

Hi to All. Put 200 rounds through the gun: 50 rounds of Independence 230 grain ball, 50 rounds Of Magtech 230 grain ball, 100 rounds of Winchester 185 grain Brass Enclosed Base. Used both hands, RH only, LH only. One- shot drills, two-shot drills, five-shot drills, rapid and controlled shots at 50 feet, 21 feet and 7 feet. Head shots too. 3 failure to feed due to limp wrist. Other than that, no malfunctions. Gun is accurate. Recoil is snappy but manageable. Follow-up shots no problem. Pinky pinched at bottom of magazine and magazine well. Brass hit my forehead and face a handful of times. Called Kahr. They said it was my grip. Factory sights: front dot, rear notch. Will be putting on XS Big Dot like I had on my MK40. The slide rides on plastic rails! Called Kahr didn't really understand the explanation. Will have to inquire again. It works, though. I like the gun. Small size, big bore. I have a Glock 30. Big gun. I usually carry my S&W Bodyguard or Colt D/S. I just prefer revolvers. This gun may be just what I'm looking for.

Sarge405

Glad you like it. Kahrs are like S&W autos to me. Point too low, have to make an effort to keep muzzle up. 1911s,Glocks, SIGS all point naturally for me. So do my revolvers.

Limp wrist can cause failures. Brass hitting your face, well, more knowing people than me can answer but its more of an extractor/ejector problem. Frame rails can't be all plastic. Have to have steel inserts like all do. Even your G30.
Enjoy it.

captbahbah

Thanks. Extractor/ejector was my first thought also. I'll see. My next range session will make sure of my grip. If it still happens, I'll know. I suspect it can be an extractor/ejector problem. Was doing dry-drills with brass dummy rounds. With a round in the chamber, I rack the slide to feed the next round. When I do this, the round that was in the chamber does eject but the new round gets stuck inside the chamber and had to use a rubber mallet to move the slide enough to get that round out. Had to do this several times. Recoil spring problem, too? What a bummer. I really want this to be THE gun for me.

Sarge405

Sometimes hand cycling slows down the process enough to gum up the works. Actual live firing may not show the problem. If spent cases are not traveling the optimum 4-6ft behind/side then ejector angle, length or extractor could be the problem. On a new gun I doubt the recoil spring would.

captbahbah

Got back on the phone with Kahr. Gun designed so that trigger won't reset usless it is released after being pulled. Advised to use snap caps instead of brass dummy rounds for dry drills. Designed to function via recoil. Advised to run more rounds through the gun and the problem of brass hitting forehead, face should resolve itself. Can administratively unload with no problem. Will updated after next range session.

Sarge405

Please do.

captbahbah

Hi to All. Put 50 rds of Speer Lawman 230 grn TMJ through my pm45. Accurate. Three failure to feed. Two shell casings hit my face. To be continued.

captbahbah

I'm bummed out. After a total of 530 rounds, over 50 shell casings have struck my forehead a/o face. Suffered two small cuts on my forehead. Also, several slide locks, and failures to feed. Going back to my Glock 30 for now. Can't wait for them to get it fixed.

retDAC

Thanks for the update.

captbahbah

Got my pm45 back from Kahr today. The Technical Service Work Sheet reads as follows: "Replaced trigger bar. (The trigger resets now when I rack the slide with the trigger depressed during dry drills. Why was I told Kahr made the gun's trigger so that it wouldn't reset when depressed while the slide is racked? Did they misunderstand my problem)? Replaced slide stop spring. Replaced recoil spring. Polished feed ramp. Polished slide stop. Polished ejector. Lubed. Test fired. Good." Promptly fired 100 rounds of 230 grain ball ammo. Still very accurate. Total of 34 shell casings still came back to hit my forehead/pate/right eyebrow. Had another person fire 10 rounds through the gun and he didn't have that problem. Maybe it is my grip. For some reason it still won't admin unload Federal 230 grn Non Toxic ball rounds but will with Federal 230 grn ball. Not too happy. Am going to put more rounds through the gun and report back.

Sarge405

Trigger should disconnect and reset when slide actuates. otherwise you would have a full automatic weapon.

If another person firing your gun does not have the cases hitting them in the head then yup, its you.

All guns are finicky when it comes to ammo. The second most expensive purchase after the gun is the 20 different kinds of ammo you'll buy to see which is the most reliable and most accurate in your gun. Then you stick with it. And it doesn't have to be the latest greatest have to be all either. Any good decent hollowpoint gets the job done.

captbahbah

I was hoping not to have to go that route. Right now, I'm using Federal 230 grain ball. I'll have to start using other brands as well. Put another 125 rounds through the gun. Not 100% reliable. At one point it became a one shot gun, the slide locking back after each shot. The slide stop lever came loose! Life was so much simpler with my J frame and Colt D/S and Glocks.

Sarge405

Well, I am sorry for your troubles.

And let me tell you, for all those years I carried a revolver on and off duty without a second thought, not one malfunctioned. Not once did it not do its job when I needed it. Never worried about it either. Ah the good ole days!

captbahbah

Put more rounds through the gun. 40 rds of Federal 230 grn N.T.(non toxic) ball. One hit my chest. On hit my left shoulder. Two hit right ear. One hit right eye. One hit face. One double feed. Same session, shot 40 rds of Federal 230 grn ball. No malfunctions. One shell casing hit face. Had another shooter put 10 rounds through the gun. No malfunctions. Only two malfunctions out of 80 rounds. Ejecting better. Hope this becomes a trend.

captbahbah

Since my last post had 2 range sessions with pm45. The first, I shot 50 rds Federal 230 grn ball. Experienced a couple of slide locks and a couple of shell casings hit my forehead. The second, shot 25 rds of same. Experienced 1 slide lock. Accurate. Reliability getting better? More to come....

Sarge405

I think you will be going for a new "break-in" rounds fired record!!!!!!!

captbahbah

590 rounds thru my pm45 since I got it back from Kahr Nov. 22nd 2010. 530 rounds before that, for a total of 1,120 rounds fired thru the gun. Last time at the range shot 50 rounds 230 grain Remington UMC Target brand. The last 25 rounds, gun became a one shot pistol. Rounds still hitting forehead and face. Sent it back to Kahr. Back to my S&W 649, .38 special. Spoke with Kahr and they said they do not replace defective firearms; they just keep fixing them. Think I got a lemon.

captbahbah

Got my gun back this Monday. Work order stated: Replaced slide, barrel, slide stop, follower. Lubed test fired. Good. Today, Tuesday, ran 200 rounds of Federal 230 grain ball thru the gun (Kahr's reccommended break-in round count). The ejection problem seems to be solved becaused only 3 shell casings hit my forehead; it's no longer a one shot pistol and is still very accurate. But, my rear night sight is not luminous in the dark, the slide stop became loose after 140 rounds and continued to loosen for the duration of the shooting session and the trigger failed to reset 7 times. Shipped it back this afternoon. Very disappointed. I'm going to keep the faith. This is the 3rd time sending it back to Kahr. Three times the charm? Back to my Glock 30 for now.

captbahbah

Got the gun back Thurs. Kahr replace rear sight and slide stop. Fri. today, put 30 rounds of Federal 230 grain ball through. Stop at 30 because the slide kept getting stuck in the rearward position; wouldn't release by using slide release or by racking it back. Had to do both simultaneously! Got home and the slide is releasing normally now. What the heck?? Again, accurate as heck but unreliable. Three times was not the charm! Called Kahr right away. No help at 1630 hrs EST. Angry. Very Angry.

one eye joe

This is sounding more and more like a Taurus thread......

captbahbah

Not familiar with the Taurus thread. Did check other forums to find that I am not alone. Many other shooters have had similar problems and worst with their pm45.

captbahbah

Hi to All. Shipped gun back to Kahr week of 5/20/11 (for the 4th time). Couple of big wigs got involved. Got the gun back on Thurs 6/9/11. Action taken at the shop: "Tested. Polished interior of slide. Lubed and test fired OK". Was told over the phone that 70 rounds were fired without the slide sticking in the rearward position. I ran 100 rounds of 230 grain ball through the gun and experienced no erratic ejections (brass no longer hit my forehead). Gun functioned flawlessly. Did have 1 limp wrist malfunction during the 1st fifty rounds and another 3 or 4 limp wrist malfunctions on the 2nd fifty rounds. Feeling pretty good about the gun now. Going to run the gun some more in the next couple of weeks to make sure, but I think this is going to work out after all. Gun is accurate a all heck!

captbahbah

The bad news continues. Had 4 short range sessions for a total of 270 rounds of 230 grain ball from Federal and 6 rounds of Gold Dot Golden Saber. 276 rounds total. The trigger failed to reset numerous times. I often could not finish a 5 round string of fire. The six rounds of Gold Dot shot fine. Called Kahr. They said it could be the trigger draw bar. Called Karl Sokol. He said it might also be the trigger draw bar spring or the sear not captivating the striker. Back to the factory it goes. To be continued.

retDAC

Do appreciate the updates.

Alabaster

Wow. Never had an issue with mine. This is another anomaly to me. I see and hear of so many happy Kahr owners. I'm glad They're trying to get it right for you. That's gotta be a headache going through that with a new gun. Hope it all pans out soon.

captbahbah

Yes. I know there are a lot of happy Kahr owners. I was one of them when I owned an MK40. Since trading that in for a pm45, I've had to be patient. Love the gun, the way it feels, the way it shoots (when it works).
Just a small correction regarding my last post. The 6 rounds were Remington Golden Sabers, not Gold Dot.

captbahbah

Hi to All. Finally got my PM45 back on 9/26/11. They replaced the slide. Had a few short range sessions and put a total of 335 Federal 230 grain ball thru the gun. So far so good. No more erratic ejection (solved after the third time around) and the trigger resets nicely. For some reason, the slide lock lever loosened after the first 20 rounds but hasn't happened again. Feeling pretty good about the gun again. Accurate as heck. I want to put a total of 500 round thru the gun with the new slide just to make sure. So far, since the purchase, I've shot a total of 1,727 rounds thru the gun. Remember, this is the second barrel and slide. Will keep you posted.

retDAC

Thanks for the update. Sure hope this works.

captbahbah

10/9/10. Sunday in NYC. Short range session. 150 rounds of Federal 230 grain ball. One-shot, two-shot, three-shot, five-shot drills using both hands at 21 and 10 feet. Done from the holster with magazine changes. Purposely didn't chamber first round to simulate malfunction and performed immediate action drill. Also, right and left hand alternating shots. PM45 functioned very well. The only hang up was that the empty magazines didn't also fall freely from the mag well. Feeling good about the gun, now. 485 rounds fired through the gun since getting new slide. 15 more rounds to go. Will update.

captbahbah

Tuesday. 10/11/11. After my last post, I wiped my pm45 down. I haven't cleaned it yet. I lubed it with Slide Glide after it came back from the shop. Great stuff. Seems to make the gun softer shooting. I lube the slide rails, hood and outside of barrel. After shooting and not cleaning the gun for 485 rounds, I just wiped it clean. Anyway, afterwards, I function tested the gun with empty magazines. 5 of my mags wouln't lock the slide back. Looked like the follower on those mags didn't make contact with the slide lock lever. I pressed on the lever while inserting the mags and then the slide did lock back. I called Kahr and asked for 5 followers. I'll start from there.
I did fire 15 rounds of Federal 230 grain ball with 3 of those mags today and the slide did lock back on the last round. I've now fired 500 round through the gun since getting it back with the new slide. Will update once I get the new followers.

captbahbah

Wednesday. 10/12/11. Fired 100 rounds of 230 grain of Winchester (white box) ball.
PM45 functioned properly. The 5 mags that wouldn't lock back the slide during function test did lock back after the last round was fired but still will not lock slide on function test. I experienced 4 failures to feed on the last 10 rounds. I'm sure it was due to limp wristing. A total of 600 rounds fired since getting new slide. To be continued...

retDAC

Sure do appreciate the updates.

captbahbah

Fri. 10/14/11. Fired 50 rounds today. Fired 100 rounds yesterday. The 50 rounds today was a combination of 25 rounds of Federal Hydro Shok, 10 rounds of Remington Golden Sabre and 15 rounds of Federal ball. 230 grains all. The gun functioned just fine. No malfunctions. This brings the round count fired to 750 since getting the 2nd slide. At this point I'm satisfied that the gun will work when I need it to. Granted, the gun was returned for repair 5 times; replace barrel once, replaced slide twice. Note: after reviewing my notes about this gun from day of purchase to the present, I've fired a total of 2,571 rounds through the gun. That is a lot of rounds down range, a lot of money gone down range. Had to do it. A Glock this is not but this gun fits my needs. It's small, powerful, fits my hand. I'm partial to small guns. As I write this, 5 new follower from Kahr are sitting on my desk. I will continue to note the function of the gun and keep track of the round count. Will update on new followers.

captbahbah

Sat. 10/15/11. Sad to report that after replacing the 5 magazines with new followers, only 1 out of the 5 will lock the slide back during function test. So now I have to think that it is the slide lock lever itself because when I press the lever against the frame and then inser the empty mag, the slide locks back every time. There is a wee bit of play on the lever. It doesn't sit flush against the frame. Here we go again.

captbahbah

Kahr finally sent me a Torx driver for the torx screw on the frame of the gun. A little trial and error and I was able to adjust it so the slide stop lever sits flush against the frame. Now all but one of the five magazines will lock back the slide during dry drills. They all locked the slide back during live fire. I have Kahr PM45 fatigue.

retDAC

Congrats. Guess your PM45 isn't new anymore.

captbahbah

Saturday. November 26th, 2011. A couple of weeks ago, I had a couple of short range sessions and fired a total of 126 rounds of Federal 230 grain ball. Gun fired and functioned flawlessly except that on a four combat reloads, the slide was jolted forward when I slammed the magazine into the mag well but did not chamber a round. Haven't gotten an answer from Kahr yet. Spoke with Karl Sokol and he suggested I check the slide stop cut-out on the slide and to see if there was any play when it locked back on an empty magazine. Cut-out is ok and there isn't any play in the slide. Also, one of my 6 round magazines wouldn't fit into the gun. Turns out the left panel of the magazine tube (when viewed from the back of the magazine) came away from the back portion of the tube. When charged with rounds, the left side bulges. The welded seam on the back of the tube is visible. That is not where the split is; it is where the left panel meets the edge of the back portion of the mag tube. No one has gotten back to me on that either. I guess they're getting customer service fatigue on this gun of mine.

Alabaster

Well, it is Thanksgiving weekend. Between the shopping rush and their holiday schedule, the may take a little longer than usual to get back.

I have had more than a couple guns that'll drop the slide when I slam a mag home in a "slide lock reload", mostly GLOCKs, but they've always chambered a round when they do it. I hope you get this handled. It sucks to chase a specter only to end up deciding that it needs to go bye-bye.

captbahbah

As it turned out, rep from Kahr did leave a voice mail on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Went back to my S&W 649 in .38 spl. for now. Still dry fire the pm45 every other night.

captbahbah

I ran 50 rounds of Federal and 50 rounds of Lawman 230 grain ball through the gun last week. The problem of the slide going forward caused by inertia during a combat reload but not chambering a round continued. Had it shipped back to Kahr this past Friday, December 16th, 2011. I bought this gun October of 2010. It has not been 100% reliable. How much longer should I stick with this? I went back to my Glock 30 for about three days. Back to my S&W 649 again. Glock 30 is just too big.