I took the CCW class about 15 months ago, I live in Wayne County, MI, near Detroit and finally got my CPL liscence.
There is a gun shop with a range where I shoot about every 2 weeks and lately Ive been trying their rental guns and have narrowed my choices down between two guns,
The PM9 made by Kahr and the smith & wesson ultra lite 357,
I seem to shoot a little more accurately with the PM9 so I'm leaning that way but would like your opinion of the choice I'm about to make.
Have you heard of any problems with this gun.

 

Hi Portable Welder

Have you heard of any problems with this gun? Only yhe early a steel models, & that could be fixed by just shooting it untill it was broken in.


http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m.../article.jhtml

There are quite a few who like the PM9 & the much more powerful, smith & wesson ultra lite 357 is a revolver.

If you held out one of each to me I would take the S&W. 1st let me say I do not like S&W never have & never will. I do however love the 357 Magnum and it's side kick the 38 Spl +P+ both fit the .357 Mag.

I do cary a small 6+1 Fire Star 45ACP with 117gr Aguila AHPs .45ACP IQ rounds a 100% Aluminum bullet (Awsome) round that comes in 9mm also. If it hits soft tissue it is like having 4 pieces of a thick razor slicing like a vegamatic. If it hits a windshield or door, the front closes up & it acts like a Full metal jacket punching through, & stopping the fight. IQ stands for the 1st smart bullet technology & yet the only way to get a small bullet act like a big one is almost 100% full expansion.

Both the guns you are looking at are very light so this is of #1 importance to you. The police use both models, as a backup. When I must use a small handgun, my 2nd choice has to be, stopping power.

I watch the trends of those who use a firearm in their jobs. The Military is moving back to the .45ACP in a light weight modern handgun format. Some Hyway patrol units are going back to the 357 Magnum, for it's penetration & stopping power. They must stop cars in their jobs. Hey if my Wife were to be snatched, I may, want to stop a car also.

The lesson we have learned with both the 38 Spl & 9mm are all the same reasons we developed the famous .357 Magnum from the 38spl & the 38S&W before that. It's ok to have a Military rifle in 22 cal, only instead of 40 grains at 1100 Feet per second, it must have a bullet that will weigh 62 grains & travel at 3600 feet per second. If it has to be small, just make sure it's fast enough to get the job done.


Congrats on getting your carry permit

 

Well, Marturo Sir,
I went and bought the PM 9mm, Made by Kahr,
I am a little disapointed with the fact that it jams about once every 15 rounds or so.
I complained to the man at the gun shop and he said you need to shoot at least 500 rounds through it, after reading the manual I found where they say to shoot 200 rounds through it,
I noticed that they conveniantly forgot to mention this in the brochure.
I do like the way it shoots and the accuracy of the gun compared to the S&W ultra light,
I hit the target every time, within a 12" area at 7 yards.
I'm going to experiment with self defence ammo after I get my 200-500 rounds of break in ammo through it
I'm a pretty good craftsmen and very experienced with metal finishing and buffing steels.
I'm going to remove the barrell after I get my 500 rounds through it and inspect the ramp for gauling and do light polish if I notice any.
I hope they are right as well as what you told me about the break in period.
I will get back to you and give you an update on how things turn out.

 

Well Portable Welder.

I said Quote: "Only the early a steel models, & that could be fixed by just shooting it until it was broken in. " I have never owned a defence pistol like that before.

When the US ARMY first tested the Model of 1911, not only did it work right from the box. It went on to shoot it's 50,000 rounds with out flaw & kept going until quiting time.

As a DIYer I would expect that like me, you will take this Gun apart & finish it before you fire it again. You don't think I shot my Star until I removed a lot of flash, & finished the sharp edges off. Do you? How about that Mossberg 500 that is such a slick Pump 12 gauge, folks have to re-look at the name to believe it.

The Company did not tell you about the break in period.

Would you buy a car if they told you, it would only brake, start, shift, go into reverse normanly, after a 1,000 miles break in, well I've made my point I believe. However we buy things everyday that are not finished & some still some holler, I won't pay that much for a pistol.

I have been a DIYer for most, if not all my life. Everybody has a why & my why is, I don't trust people to do as good a job for anyone but themselves. Before anyone says but I do & yes so did I, all those years in a stinkin Motorclcle & Automobile shops, I gave it 110%. Why? Because I put myself in some guys shoes, whose Wife just got killed, because I did a quick shoddy brake job. No Sir that's not my way, not now not ever.

I drive a restored 1969 Chevy C/10 & a restored 1970 Chevrolet Impala & the biggest problem working on them today is, getting close to an OEM quality part. I mean Moog, & the most expensieve parts today, most don't meet OEM standards of yester-year & that means the Cars & Trucks get more like todays junk, with each repair.

Funny how we evolve, at one time we strived for things we made to work great & last a Lifetime, & then now we study & learn how to make things as thin as possable & trade metal for plastic.

 

Gosh Marturo if that ain't good preachin' then it don't exist...
If there aren't a room full of amens then the congregation has died...
And if it's just preachin' to the choir then let em sing and take up the offering...
Well put... nuff said!

 

Hello

"My Two Cents"

Makes sense to me the gun shop owner would say 500 rounds till break in, when owners manual says 200 rounds.

Gun shop owner sells........>>>>>>>>>AMMO....
Amazing he didn't say 1,000 rounds!

Sure glad my M-14 & M-16 did not require a break in period when I was in the military. Also glad it did not & never did jam up either....

Enjoyed reading this thread.
Thanks

Regards & Good Luck
Sharp Advice
Web Site Host & Forums Monitor

 

Well scrollmaster, Tom.

I don't know if this is the way my Boss wan'ts me to write, but I do care about people. If I were rich, I would buy Portable Welder a brand new baby Glock, in 9mm & feel good he was well covered. Believe me I know what it's like to scrimp & save, & wait until I can get the better choices.

Oh my Boss is here Well Tom I am glad that that your M-16 did not jam either. If you went from the M-14 to a M-16 you went into battle with the M-16 not the M-16A1, & you were very lucky indeed my friend .

Marturo

 

Hi M
Thanks.

That was many many moons ago. Mid to late 60's.
Not clear anymore what model M16 it was.

Didn't care as much back than either.
Needed it to survive >when and if or needed<

All I know is needed no break in.
Fired fast, plenty of rounds per minute & didn't jam up when fired.
Ammo was 7.62 ball ammo....????

Had tripod or bypod (2 legs) on barrel.
Did not weight much.

Back than anyway...I was more youthful back than....

Oh Yeah!

Little, if any recoil, best as I recall.

Make sense? Which model was it?

 

Happy reading you will know it when you see it.
http://world.guns.ru/assault/as18-e.htm

 

I was in the first basic training company in the Army to train (exclusively) with the M16 (C-6-2, Ft Gordon, GA) in 1969. I cannot remember the flash suppressor details, but it definitely did not have a forward assist. I easily hit half-silhouette targets at 400M. Recoil was almost nil. On the full-auto range, I could consistently shoot groups about the size of a half dollar (with rifle butt under my arm, and at a range of about 25 ft) while trying to achieve a "three-round-burst". Weight, with 20 round clip, was 7.5 lb. I loved that thing which I could not call a "gun" since it was for shooting, and not for fun.