Looking for a CCW in .45 ACP

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I carry a Kahr P45 all the time... literally. I love it and would recommend it to anyone. I'm looking at buying a similar Kahr but in 9mm. The P45 weighs in at about 25 oz. fully loaded with 6+1 capacity (or 7+1 with the extended mag). It's easy, light, shoots dead nuts accurate... like same bullet hole accurate at 7 yards. Trigger pull is smooth and consistent but different from most other guns I've shot. It's pretty easy to get used to and it's the same pull every time. I've been carrying it for a few years now and have no complaints with it... plus, the whole thing is stainless steel and polymer... it doesn't rust. It also has a 1911 grip angle and points extremely naturally... the grip texture is agressive and offers a no slip surface incase high stress turns into sweaty palm syndrom for you... It's a near perfect ccw gun. I love it.

That said... I will second Kahr's recommendation to use premium ammunition. I've had a couple cycling problems using budget ammo like UMC hollow points and PMC during the break-in period. The premium hollow points cycle very smoothly and flawlessly (which is what I hope you would carry). You can use cheap stuff for break-in and range practice (just don't be surprised if you get a feed problem here or there)... but make sure you put the best stuff in it for any duty use. High quality defense ammunition is what the gun is designed to run with (according to Kahr).
 
Wait a little longer and you should look at the new xdm single stack, compact 45. They just reviewed it at this years shot show. The pistol has one more safety then the glock 36. ( grip and trigger safety ) This gun should be a hit.
 
Thanks to everyone who's replied so far! I am still anticipating new responses!

As expected, there's be a lot of great praise for the Glock 36, which I believe will be the gun that I settle on. Glock has such a reputation for reliability and accuracy. Once I shoot it at the range I'll know for sure. I am planning to try out the Kahr as well (either the P45 or CW45; while I like the PM45, the 5+1 kind of deters me).

vvanders said:
How about a Sig P220 Compact?
Click to expand...

While I like the style of Sigs, I don't really care for how they work too much. Besides, the P220 is still a bit big and heavy for what I'm looking for.

DeepSouth said:
The first thing I'll say is that their are reports of reliability issues for a reason. I'll have to go into a little PM45 history to explain. When the PM45's came out they had an issue that definitely caused feeding problems. The problem has become known as "the notch" it looks like this. If you already have a PM9 you will notice they have this notch machined in already, why they didn't do that with the PM45's is anybody's guess.

Those PM45's with no notch machined in them were not reliable at all until the notch wore in, which could take quiet a while.....in the 5-600 round neighborhood. Kahr has since redesigned the entire PM series and this problem was addressed, or so I'm told. A friend of mine has a newer PM40 and that is the only one of the redesigned Kahr's I have handled. His has been totally reliable as far as I know.

Now for my PM45, It had 1 FTF on round #39, after that it has ran fine for me. I say "for me" because for the first 250 +/- rounds every time my wife fired it she had a FTF, every time. I guess 250 rounds is about how long it took my notch ware in, like I said some people report a much longer period. Judging from other reports I was one's of the lucky one that didn't have much trouble, I believe my constantly racking the slide and playing with my new toy had a lot to do with it.

After that I proceed to put another 1500-2000 rounds through it without any issues. I love the little thing so much I sent it Cylinder and Slide for some work, more money than sense I guess.... but I've got the best double action trigger I've ever felt.

If I was buying a new PM45 I wouldn't expect any issues, assuming they have corrected the notch problem as everyone says they have. If I bought one of the older ones I would expect FTF problems at first but they clear up. I say this because the redesigned PM's came out less than a year ago (I think) so there are probably some older ones out there still NIB.



See why I couldn't type that from a phone.

Anyway I hope that helps.
DS
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Thanks for the great info! If I do decide to go with a PM45, I'll definitely have to make sure that I'm getting a newer one!

TheBurns said:
Ill suggest it... have you looked into other brands? I personally carry a taurus pt145 miledium pro 3rd gen. I have polished the feed ramp on this gun, and the slide railes. this gun is one hundred percent reliable, retails around $300.00, has 10+1 capacity, and a small light rail (that I dont use). The gun is slightly thicker than you want, but it conceals well, i carry it in "the pit" of my hip. I am relatively slim, with no dunlap and it dissapears at this position. I know a lot of people poopoo taurus, but mine has been 100% reliable with a great many rounds through the gun. I like the capacity. It, sadly, does have a manual safety, which i never engage. It is striker fired, DAO. just as suggestion. to each their own i supose.
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While I know that some Taurus pistols are reliable (my father has a PT945 that has been reliable), I used to own two Tauruses and they were nothing but trouble. Needless to say, I now own zero. Taurus would have to come out with something pretty amazing to win me back.

Mot45acp said:
I had the Glock 36 traded it for a Glock 23. And I hate. 40. I'm a .45 guy.

Here's why:

Most your. 45acp ammo is designed and tested out of a 5" barrel. To compensate for this I would carry lighter grain (185) +P. The Glock 23 is nearly the same size, uses the same holsters, carries twice as many rounds, in the same weight, moving faster than +P .45.

Also the G36 would bite me on the pinky between the grip and mag. This can be fixed with an extension, but that takes away from the compactness.

And its a .40 so I don't care about scratching it up. Which I did on the first day. I didn't realize my slide was making sweet love to a rivet on my jeans for 12 hours. Also this is strictly a ccw piece, so I don't need to stock thousands of rounds and 20 mags for it.

I have the Glock 19, 30SF and 21SF. The G23 gets carried. The G30SF when I don't have to conceal.

I have had the G26 and its not really any easier to conceal then the mid size. And I've had a G17 and G22, I couldn't shoot well due to the palm swell.


Did I mention I hate .40?
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I used to have a pistol in .40 S&W, and I didn't care too much for the round. However, I have considered it for a Glock since they do (from what I understand) have great .40 S&W offerings. If for whatever reason I really don't like the Glock 36 and Glock 30, I may look at the .40 S&W Glock line.

JR133 said:
Wait a little longer and you should look at the new xdm single stack, compact 45. They just reviewed it at this years shot show. The pistol has one more safety then the glock 36. ( grip and trigger safety ) This gun should be a hit.
Click to expand...

The Springfield XD-S is pretty much the only pistol that stood out to me at SHOT Show this year. I really want to get my hands on one sometime soon to try it out. However, while it is on my original list, I doubt that I'd consider one for right now. I don't like buying first generation firearms, especially for self defense. It's just too risky. Even great manufacturers can release a product with bugs in the initial run. And the fact that it will ship with only a 5+1 option...I know that 6+1 isn't that much of a difference, but when talking about small numbers it can mean a lot. I have no problem carrying a 1911 with a 7+1 capacity, and dropping one round in order to have something more compact and lightweight is a trade-off that right now seems necessary. However, dropping two rounds is a bit hard to swallow. Also, while I like the idea of a grip safety...what's the point really? It makes the gun more complicated with more parts, but really it isn't much of a complement to the trigger safety since I don't see an easy way to have the trigger pull without intention without the grip safety being depressed as well. With a single-action pistol like the 1911 I understand the need for redundant safeties. But with modern guns like the Glock and Springfield XD that already have a trigger safety and other passive safety to prevent discharge when dropped and whatnot, I don't see the need for a grip safety.

Please keep up the great posts, guys and gals! I am checking on this thread several times a day. I plan to fire the Glock 36 here pretty soon; when I do I'll pop back in here and give my opinion for sure!
 
To illustrate what I said about the Pearce +0 grip extensions not making the G36 any less compact...factory base plate on top, Pearce +0 on the bottom. As you can see, the difference is VERY little...not enough to matter.

0129121452.jpg

I've been thinking about trying the Talon grips for the G36 ever since I've had it...even I will admit that the G36 is not the most comfy gun to hold in your hand...I was in the truck stop a few minutes ago and noticed they had some "grip tape", for $3.99 I figured it was worth a try...if nothing else, I can see what it feels like.

0129121451a.jpg

The back strap is whats most uncomfortable...right at the top, I needed to build that up some because it was just a little too "deep"...the difference is nothing short of great, 1 strip of grip tape and it feels almost like an XD.

0129121451.jpg

I haven't shot it...even though I am in TX, I don't think they'd like it if I got out here in the truck stop lot and started blasting Pepsi cans, LOL...but the grip feels much better than it did...I will be ordering some Talon grips for the G36, unless this grip tape surprises me and stays on better than I expect it to...it was just an easy way to see what the Talon grips might feel like.
 
Sig C 3 commander slide with officer frame. Cost more but boy is a nice rig.
 
The P45 weighs in at about 25 oz. fully loaded with 6+1 capacity (or 7+1 with the extended mag). It's easy, light, shoots dead nuts accurate... like same bullet hole accurate at 7 yards. Trigger pull is smooth and consistent but different from most other guns I've shot. It's pretty easy to get used to and it's the same pull every time. I've been carrying it for a few years now and have no complaints with it... plus, the whole thing is stainless steel and polymer... it doesn't rust. It also has a 1911 grip angle and points extremely naturally... the grip texture is agressive and offers a no slip surface incase high stress turns into sweaty palm syndrom for you... It's a near perfect ccw gun. I love it.
Click to expand...
+1 (only in my case, a CW45)
I have an Officer's ACP, tried a G36, and finally went with the CW45 for carry. I've been well pleased with that choice.
24ca836.jpg
Regards,
Greg
 
gb6491

What kind of mags are those. All the 45 Kahr mags I can find have plastic bases on them. If you know where I can get some PM45 mags with flush metal bases I would love to know.

Thanks
DS
 
What kind of mags are those. All the 45 Kahr mags I can find have plastic bases on them. If you know where I can get some PM45 mags with flush metal bases I would love to know.
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DeepSouth,
Those are modified Officer's/compact size 1911 magazines. Info on the modification can be found here: http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3317
Unfortunately, I don't know of any mags that will fit flush in the PM 45 without much more extensive modification:
http://kahrtalk.com/showpost.php?p=35496&postcount=20
This should work to make PM size magazines as well:
http://kahrtalk.com/showpost.php?p=80497&postcount=180
http://kahrtalk.com/showpost.php?p=82170&postcount=188
Regards,
Greg
 
gb6491... I want some of these so bad. that 7 rounder is EXACTLY what I want... I was going to try to modify my stock mags to hold a 7 round capacity... I couldn't care less about the slide lock. This is a HUGE help... thanks for posting.
 
You really owe it to yourself to check out the S&W M&P45 compact.
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The M&P is definitely on my list to check out. I have handled various versions of it several times and I haven't cared too much for them. But my wife is looking at getting one, so I plan to rent it soon (probably in .40 S&W); that should give me a good idea of how it shoots and whatnot. Like the Kahr, one advantage that the M&P has over Glock is that they are made in the United States.

In my mind I've already decided on the Glock 36 for sure. However, when I go to rent it, if I really dislike how it feels and/or shoots, then I want to have other choices in my mind (which right now are the Kahr and M&P).
 
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