Bro. Jim's rusty .45 got my interest going

He befell a grand deal on a "rusty" polymer framed "stainless" slide Kahr .45 CW model. Not that he was looking for one but it was so cheap no real gun fancier could have possibly passed it up. Plus what a wonderful caliber, certainly worth playing with a little bit.

I like the odd little guns that seem so controversial. I've never seen a brand so hot & cold with buyers. Some claim mis-feeds and broken magazines while others just love them. I have grown fond of them due to the low resale price point, wonderful trigger action, and small size for the power. Their claim to fame is the smallest, lightest, most powerful, package reasonable. Sounds good to me. I have a .380 about the size of wartime .25 ACP, a 9mm Luger smaller than anyone else's .380 and a .40 S&W the size of a Colt .32 ACP!

Jim had some feeding issues with his CW45 feeding his handloads. Sounded like a short throat to me. His CW model has conventional rifling in the barrel. He also experimented with some 1911 magazines too. Like I needed an excuse. I found a deal on a PM45 that is a little smaller than Jim's CW, and it has a Polygonal rifled Walther barrel in it. I did not have an example with a "blackened" stainless slide and thought they looked good. Plus I like loading .45 ACP and have a Lyman 310 kit I want to shake down.

I think many of the problems folks have is with limp wristing the smaller guns. Even I find the PM45 will sling brass at my forehead if I do not grip it firmly. Tighten the grip and all is well. Functioning with my old lead RN bullets is fine, but it mimics hardball anyway, so it should. Recoil with the .45 is much more comfortable than the PM9 or the P40 that I also have. Actually it's more fun to shoot than even the teeny .380.

Size is what's shocking. My Glock G30s (my favorite carry gun) dwarfs it. The Glock is about 30% thicker too. The PM45 is actually is about the same size as a 2" 5-shot J-frame S&W, but it's a 6-shot .45 ACP! I find that amazing.

This is my wife's Reeder customized M60 she carries around. It's a family favorite.

The .45 is about the same width at 1" and even slicker to pack with flat slides. Loaded they weigh close to the same too, but the .45 ammo seems so heavy at 1/2 oz. per ctg.

There is no comparison to a 1911 platform and it's obviously more difficult to wield with precision. But it does well since it's more likely to be on board and there are no buttons, or safeties to fiddle with, just draw and shoot. I can see the three dot nite sights easily!

I'm beginning to toy with accessory magazines and find a factory 8-shot Colt 1911 mag works fine. The only exception it the last shot slide hold open feature. It protrudes about 3/4" and makes a fine back up magazine. Carried with the standard 5+1 the package is very short and concealed easily.

Lots more shooting and testing to do. That makes it more fun for me. The sketchy reports of infrequent adversity only fuel me more.