Replacement for .45 acp Colt Lwt. Officer Model?

[gb6491]

Now that's a very generous and thoughtful offer KCAutoBob, you might want to think pretty hard on that one. Space is precious.
Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

What's the word I'm searching for.......Toucheeeee!

[Raulf]

I own a Kimber Tactical Ultra II, no problems at all. CM9 is going out the door with me as much as the Kimber.

[KCAutoBob]

The Voices keep saying...

Muggsy, take a look at the picture gb6491 provided for us. What I see is an Officer's Model for a right-hander. I'm left-handed. That CW45 will work for me, the Colt O.M. won't without an ambi-safety; that's modification#1. Also both my original steel-framed and my current Lwt. Officer's Model had the same weakness-the recoil spring plug tab broke and there's modification #2, to correct that problem. (By the way, I work for CA CDCR.)
CJB- you noted that 1911's weren't designed for a very short barrel--i.e., the .45 acp micro's.
Right! My experience with my Kimber Ultra Ten II and my conversations with a good (now retired) gunsmith about this matter support that idea.

Now, has kahr managed to design the PM45 to successfully overcome the problem of taming the recoil from the .45 acp inside of 3.25"?

Money talks to me and says 'buy the CW45 'cause it's affordable' (and the barrel's 3.64"). But the voices keeping talking about the P45 black or the PM45 black, retrofitted with an X-S Big Dot sight system. I like that black profile better than the stainless.
But all you guys are immensely helpful with your inputs- no b.s. Good guns, good forum. I want to know what, and why....

[O'Dell]

I have eleven 45 pistols ranging from a CW45 through Springfield, S&W 3rd Gens, SIG's, HK's, up to a Kimber and STI. If I can't cover a belt holster, I drop a PM9 in my pocket. If I'm wearing an untucked shirt or jacket, there's a 45 on my belt. About 75% of the time it's the CW45. It's the lightest and the most comfortable to carry. I've had two of them and both have been 100%.

BTW, I had a PM45 but it was stolen. It never gave a problem either, and will be replaced with a CM45 as soon as they're released. It will partially replace the PM9 as a pocket carry when possible.

[KCAutoBob]

I sent off an email...

Thinking more and more strongly about the P45, so earlier today I thought, "Gee, maybe I could ask the horse?" So I sent off an email to the service dept. at Kahr, nicely worded, asking, in their opinion, which .45acp Kahr pistol they thought to be the most reliable. I told them I was replacing a Lwt. Colt Officers Model. So now I'm frustrated 'cause I gotta wait at least til Monday for any response. Very curious to see the answer I get. You know, straight from the horse's mouth... duh.

[Bawanna]

I think if your prefer black the P is a good choice. The size is right in there with your officers model, and you get black and can get the big dot sights. I love those too. Have them on my PM45

You pay for the black, the extra mag, and the dovetailed sights but you get what you really want.

[JFootin]

I think if your prefer black the P is a good choice. The size is right in there with your officers model, and you get black and can get the big dot sights. I love those too. Have them on my PM45

You pay for the black, the extra mag, and the dovetailed sights but you get what you really want.

Those are some wise words right there!

[KCAutoBob]

Kahr Customer Service response....

Originally Posted by Bawanna
I think if your prefer black the P is a good choice. The size is right in there with your officers model, and you get black and can get the big dot sights. I love those too. Have them on my PM45

You pay for the black, the extra mag, and the dovetailed sights but you get what you really want.

Those are some wise words right there!

Got a response from Jay Dandrea in Kahr Customer Service :
"Good morning. Thank you for the questions. All of our firearms are designed to be reliable (italics added) and I would not hesitate to purchase and carry any of them. The Tp45 is the closest firearm that we make in size to an officers 1911. You will find it much lighter and comfortable to carry than the previous firearm. I hope this information helps."
I was sorta expecting that kind of reply, but what else could he say? So, with that in mind, either the P45 (3.54" barrel) or the PM45 (3.24" barrel), but I think I might talk myself into buying an extra 1/4" for $50 less and perhaps get a smidgen more reliability in the bargain. I still think a 1/4" longer recoil spring arrangement might mean a little bit extra reliability, regardless of Jay's 'opinion'. Bawanna's words are wise, and they reflect what I think I'd like to end up with for a major caliber carry piece- the P45 Black & X-S big Dot. I've found a lot of positive sentiment regarding the X-S Big Dot sights. Good thoughts!

By the way, how does the 7 rd. .45 ACP mag w/grip extension work? Okay- or not worth it?

[KCAutoBob]

A week and a half later, I'm still looking, but I keep coming back to the PM45. I notice that some seasoned shooters seem to prefer it, and hey, it just has a certain appeal to me. Now, just gotta save up my clams....

[TheTman]

I had a CW45, and right off the bat, it had a trigger reset problem, that Kahr took care of, and had it back to me in 7 days. After that it was very reliable, except when trying to use the extended 7 round mags, and those just did not work with my gun. It WAS my main carry piece, but I ended up selling it, to finance another purchase that was just too good to pass up. I was going to buy another CW45, until I heard about the CM45 coming out, and am waiting on those to become available.
If you don't like the silver slide, you can always have it duracoated black.
IMO, the CW45 is a great value, dependable, and accurate. It's a lot of gun for the price, although they are probably more expensive now than they were a couple months ago.

[KCAutoBob]

Tman, I've heard of others having problems with the extended magazine. I'm now carrying a PM9 and I'm using the standard mags that came with it. It seems Kahr could really do their customers (and themselves) a real favor by improving their magazines. If anything, the magazine seems the weak point of the weapon system. I've personally never had a magazine before with this much weakness for shedding a round. Something about the top of the magazine leaves the top round wobbly and relatively loose. Yes, thanks for your experience with your CW45. I'm still looking and the savings are attractive!

[hardluk1]

The CW and P series atleast give most of us a full grip to hold on to and a 2 1/2" barrel. Might be an easy to control pistol too over the smaller cm pm series. I enjoy my cm but the cw and find I can iwb the cw just fine behnd a tucked in shirt too.

[KCAutoBob]

Comparisons and Magazine Q&A's

True thing about the control factor. Measuring and comparing Officer's Model (O.M.) to CW45, I find the height close to the same: CW45 Ht.= 5" and O.M. Ht. = 5 1/8" (a teensy bit taller) but the length is different: CW45 O/A L= 6.32", and O.M.'s O/A L= 7.25". Respectively, barrel length is 3.64" and 3.5" which gives a very slight velocity advantage to the CW45, with both pistols having conventional rifling. Also respectively, weight is 19.7 oz.(2 oz. magazine) and 25 oz. (2 oz. mag.) So looking at these figures makes me think the CW45 is more and more appealing when I compare it to my old gun. I'm also fascinated by the possibility of using some of my 1911 magazines for the Kahr. I looked again for the thread I remembered seeing and I see that it was TheTman who'd wrote about his CW45, "It worked better with a Chip McCormick 8 round 1911 mag, which didn't need any modification." I like seeing that, and I'm wondering if the shorter Officers Model magazine also works? Now, I just noticed a post from gb6491 that contained this, "I use Officer's/Compact size 1911 magazines in my CW45". Okay, now that's Way Cool!
This is just getting better and better!

[hardluk1]

Looks like your stating to fine tune your choice.