PM40--Overall Impressions??

[boscobarbell]

So the itch to own a PM40 has returned with a vengeance, but I need some personal anecdotes to either convince me or dissuade me once and for all.

My first question is reliability...do owners tend to find these reliable after the prescribed break-in period? Are they ammo picky?

Second, how punishing are these to shoot? I'm not really looking for a range toy, but I would like a pistol that I can take out for the occasional 100-200 round training session (something I really can't do with my .357 Airweight J-frame, as an example).

Any insights would be appreciated!

[Bawanna]

Bearing in mind that this is just my very own personal opinion I'd pass on the 40. To me its the same reason as your 357 J frame, some brutal muzzle flip. It's tolerable, some even enjoy it, I used to back in the day.
I have a K40, had it magna ported and still too much flip, again I can shoot it without pain, even a lot of rounds but just not fun for me anymore.

The plus side of 40 is everyone seems to be walking away from it so if there's another ammo crunch 40 will probably be available.
I love 40 in a full size gun and I got along fine with it in a Glock 27 but if I was looking for a PM I'd go the 9 and everyone knows I'm not a 9 guy but I seem to gravitating to it more and more, probably from hanging around you guys on this forum.
But I ain't carrying no 380, no way, no how. And nothing in my pocket neither.

Ok see what you done, you pushed my buttons and got me all worked up........................

I'm better now, I'm sure others will be along and dispute what I've just said and that's perfectly ok too.

Be nice to find one you could shoot but that might be a challenge too.

[ROB94045]

My EDC preference is .40 SW and the PM40 is one of the easiest to conceal and carry because it's small and light. I was initially concerned that the light weight would be a problem when it came to recoil but it turned out not to be an issue for me. That said, the recoil springs are stiff and racking the slide may be an issue for some folks. I would suggest firing one at the range before you buy one. So far as ammo goes, I ran several brands through mine without issue. I'd read that this pistol really needed several hundred rounds through it as a break-in but mine didn't seem to need it. If you do get one, pay attention to the direction of the springs when you disassemble it and get them back in the same direction.

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[berettabone]

I've really never had an issue shooting .40 cal. in any firearm, especially in an occasional session.

[boscobarbell]

Bearing in mind that this is just my very own personal opinion I'd pass on the 40. To me its the same reason as your 357 J frame, some brutal muzzle flip. It's tolerable, some even enjoy it, I used to back in the day.
I have a K40, had it magna ported and still too much flip, again I can shoot it without pain, even a lot of rounds but just not fun for me anymore.

The plus side of 40 is everyone seems to be walking away from it so if there's another ammo crunch 40 will probably be available.
I love 40 in a full size gun and I got along fine with it in a Glock 27 but if I was looking for a PM I'd go the 9 and everyone knows I'm not a 9 guy but I seem to gravitating to it more and more, probably from hanging around you guys on this forum.
But I ain't carrying no 380, no way, no how. And nothing in my pocket neither.

Ok see what you done, you pushed my buttons and got me all worked up........................

I'm better now, I'm sure others will be along and dispute what I've just said and that's perfectly ok too.

Be nice to find one you could shoot but that might be a challenge too.

Thanks for your response. Not what I wanted to hear about shooting the .40 out of the little Kahr, but that's why I asked.

Regarding the PM9, I probably should have added: I owned a PM9, which I moved on from when I bought a Kimber Solo. When the Solo died, I moved on to a P365. It is, perhaps, the best all-around pistol I own. HOWEVER....

I really hate paying for ammo. Uncle Sam paid me to shoot for over 30 years. And he even insisted that I take home ammo to practice in my own time. So I managed to squirrel away more .40 than I will ever need on this Earth. Which is why I'm looking for a .40 I can both carry comfortably and use for extended range training. I'll continue to carry the P365, too, and shoot it enough to remain proficient, but I'd like to do the majority of my range training using my cache of .40.

[boscobarbell]

My EDC preference is .40 SW and the PM40 is one of the easiest to conceal and carry because it's small and light. I was initially concerned that the light weight would be a problem when it came to recoil but it turned out not to be an issue for me. So far as ammo goes, I ran several brands through mine without issue. I'd read that this pistol really needed several hundred rounds through it as a break-in but mine didn't seem to need it.

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Thanks. That pretty much encapsulates why I'm looking at the Kahr. I owned a Shield in .40 that was really easy to shoot, but it proved to be just big enough to print in some carry conditions, particularly appendix carry with lighter clothing. The Kahr is small enough (pretty much the same size as my P365) that those carry conditions shouldn't be a problem.

I never thought recoil was an issue for me, until I purchased a J-frame .357 and realized a) how difficult it was to keep some pistols on target, and b) how unholy painful it can be to fire hot rounds out of little guns. I don't expect the Kahr to be anywhere need that level of OUCH, but if it's even close it would defeat the purpose of buying a .40 for carry/range use.

[gb6491]

Not sure how much help it will be, but here's a video of me shooting my CM9 with a PM40 top end installed on it:

...and the same CM9 with a 9mm top end:


Both setups were reliable. I seem to remember that the 40 fed a little smoother when manually manipulating the gun.

Regards,
Greg

[boscobarbell]

Not sure how much help it will be, but here's a video of me shooting my CM9 with a PM40 top end installed on it...

Regards,
Greg

Thanks for that. The 9mm does seem significantly tamer, but the 40 doesn't look horrible.

[Bawanna]

It's not horrible, I didn't mean to imply that but to me the follow up and staying on target were difficult. It's more flip than recoil.

It could be compounded too shooting it at the indoor range in the little booth, the muzzle blast probably exagerated by the magn porting blast you in the face each shot.

My son, in great shape fresh out of the Marine Corp who I gave it to to have something around didnt care for it, I gave him a 9 instead which he hasn't shot yet but that will tell if there's much difference.

[berettabone]

I shoot .40 out of my HK P2SK and it seems much tamer than shooting .357 out of my SP101.