New member from Chicago - P45 Questions

[Webbie]

Hello everyone. I live in the Chicago area and am considering the purchase of a P45 with night sights. I've done a fair amount of scouring the internet looking for reviews and opinions on this gun. I like the size, function, and way that it fit my hand when I saw it at a local gun shop that Kahr was at for an event. I have NOT fired one, and my local range does not have one as a rental, so I'm out of the game as far as that goes.

Of course, you hear about guys who've had to send there pistol back to Kahr 3 and 4 times before it functioned properly. I'm hoping (and expecting) that to be the exception rather than the rule. I really like many things about this pistol, but I'm looking for some reassurances that this won't be a finicky little pistol that never works right or can be trusted. Who has one here that would be willing to comment?

Thanks in advance,

Warner

[Flincher]

Welcome to the forum from North Dakota. I cannot answer your P45 question, but lots of folks on this froum will be able to help ya.

[JFootin]

Welcome to the forum, Webbie! :) There is a wealth of valuable information in the New Member Area (http://kahrtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=56) and the Kahr-Tech (http://kahrtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27) sections of the forum, including an issue that we sometimes see on the 45s where the front edge of the stripper bar on the underside of the slide needs to be made an angled wedge to ensure that the first round in the mag gets in front of it. The clearance there is so tight that, with the top round all the way back in the mag, the back rim of the cartridge fails to get in front of the stripper, even if the slide is locked back and released to load the cartridge. Some stripper have that wedge angle on the front from the factory and others don't. Study the stickies. They are a gold mine of information to enhance your ownership experience with your fine Kahr pistol.

[wyntrout]

Most of the people who have problems come here to seek help and in some cases vent.

I have a K9 and six polymer Kahrs. A P45 will be my next Kahr, if nothing else jumps to the top of the list.

The .45's are really compact and there are some problems that some of us have experienced, but most can be solved with info on this forum... or Kahr will make it right. I'm sure that most Kahrs have no problems, though, you just read about a disproportionate number that go to the Internet and seek help or complain.

Kahr's unique, compact pistols are worth a little TLC as many of mine have had. I'm really happy with all of mine. I'm mainly enthused with CCW and shooting at the range, so Kahrs are just what I want!

Oh! Welcome to the forum, too!:D

You can check out the New Member area and find links to everything about the Kahr pistols. The Take down video is VERY much recommended BEFORE taking a Kahr apart. The manuals are downloadable, and there are Frequently Asked Questions to peruse. You can learn a lot before making your choice or even getting a Kahr. There's also a section there with ALL or most of the magazine tests and articles for expert reviews and their results shooting all kinds of ammo.

Wynn:)

[Geobob]

Hello, Warner, and welcome from Missouri to a really great forum. Good people and info here!

Best wishes for a safe, prosperous New Year to you and yours.

[Webbie]

Well, after posting my message over a year ago, guess what? I FINALLY ordered a P45 from Kahr. I've got some reading to do and plan on going through the prep work on the gun before I fire it. I'm excited.....I've been carrying a Ruger SR9C as my carry gun, and it's been fine, but I really expect that I'll like the size, weight, and functionality (no safety, DOA only, 45acp) of the Kahr over the Ruger.

Warner

[Bawanna]

You don't rush into stuff do ya? I saw this went to reading and realized it was from way way back.

I'm glad the procrastination finally came to an end and your gun is enroute.

I suspect you'll be fine right out of the box. Most are. Read, do the prep if for no other reason than to play with your new gun and then go shoot it.

Then come back and let us know how it is. Please don't make us wait a year.

There's lots of help here if you have any issues, and if there is Kahr will take care of it. I have not doubt.

I seriously doubt you'll have any issues and your gonna love it.

[Webbie]

You don't rush into stuff do ya? I saw this went to reading and realized it was from way way back.

I'm glad the procrastination finally came to an end and your gun is enroute.

I suspect you'll be fine right out of the box. Most are. Read, do the prep if for no other reason than to play with your new gun and then go shoot it.

Then come back and let us know how it is. Please don't make us wait a year.

There's lots of help here if you have any issues, and if there is Kahr will take care of it. I have not doubt.

I seriously doubt you'll have any issues and your gonna love it.


Actually quite the opposite....I usually DO rush into things! What happened last year was I opted to buy the DE1911G from Kahr on my instructor discount (only one per year) so I passed on the P45 last year. This year is came down to the P45 or the ultra cool Magnum Lite Graphite Rimfire Rifle. The P45 won out, as we have CCW in Illinois now and the P45 is something I'll be carrying every day and showing to students in class, as opposed to the 22 rifle which would sit in the safe most of the time. My Ruger SR9C, while I love it, is a bit heavier, larger, and is NOT a .45 ACP so it will likely be limited to range use only soon.

Warner

[shlike]

FWIW, I have a CW45, which is the economy version of the P45. The guns are the same mechanically. I have over 1000 rounds through mine without a single hiccup. I did send it back to Kahr to address the "short-rail" issue. I don't know if any of the P45's were affected by this or not. They put on a new frame under warranty and I had it back within a week. The gun has run flawlessly, even before I sent it in. It has become the primary gun in my carry rotation. My other main carry guns are a CW380, a CW9, and a S&W M&P 9C.

[Webbie]

Well, I got to SEE and touch it today as it arrived at my FFL's house. Boy does it feel nice in my hand, and I really like the Meprolight night sights that I ordered it with. And the icing on the cake is that it shipped with THREE magazines, one of which is the 7 round magazine. Nice! I get to finish my 3 day waiting period before picking it up, but I'm psyched. It sure seems like a quality firearm. I'm excited to get through the 200 round break in with it so I can start carrying it, in place of the Ruger SR9C that I've been carrying.

Warner

[Webbie]

Picked up the P45 and ran through MOST of the prep work on the P45, outside of firing it. I'll try to do that sometime this week. One thing I forgot to do was check the followers on the magazines to see if the hung up on the notch for the magazine release. I guess I'll find out if that's an issue when I go to shoot it. Simple fix though....pull the magazines apart and do a quick file down on the follower. We'll see. Looking forward to shooting my new baby. My plan is to run 200 rounds through it and see how it goes. I want to shoot it side-by-side with my current carry gun (Ruger SR9C) to see how different they feel. I'm expecting a little more recoil from the Kahr, but I'm not expecting it to be a big deal (after shooting my friend's 500 S&W magnum with 4" barrel, not much else feels like it has much recoil!).

Warner