The Story of Eleanor

I’ve owed this story to you for a good while. Back in 2008 I read about a new Pocket pistol in .45 ACP from Kahr. I’m in love with .45 ACP, and when I don’t carry in my shoulder rig, or carry a backup gun I like to drop a gun in my front pocket.

So let’s have a look at the story of my Kahr PM45, that I call “Eleanor”.

Now for those who don’t know we have a bullshit system here in Mass where guns first need to be approved for “Safety”. BTW some well-known guns that are “Unsafe” for Massachusetts are everything in the Glock line, as well as all handguns made by Springfield Armory or Colt. Now Colt and Springer just didn’t want to play with the Attorney General’s stupid games and never submitted a single unit for testing. Companies like Kahr and Glock submitted EVERYTHING they had (this was destructive testing and likely cost millions), the guns passed the safety tests…but the AG decided in his infinite wisdom that the guns were still “Unsafe” and couldn’t be sold.

Ok so how does one get around this. First the law ONLY effects FFL transfers, so you can privately sell these guns all you want. (well we’re allowed 4 sales per year) There is one exception, is an FFL can transfer guns that are given to you through a will estate. I didn’t feel like asking one of my friends or relatives to buy one and then die…I like the gun but not that much, I needed to look at the other options. One way is to have an officer buy a gun (cops are exempted from all our bullshit laws) and then sell the gun to you. There are several cops in the state that run a racket like that. The other is to get somebody to move into state, get their LTC and then sell it.

A few years ago my Buddy Vector moved to Virginia with his wife while she was in college, and given that their family is from Maine and Mass they chose to move back. They also bought their house they moved back into. That coupled with the fact that DC traffic is ALWAYS horrible, and there are no gun shops in the Arlington area he knew about. It was a bother for him I didn’t press the issue. I was a big chagrined, but it later turned out the state never cancelled his permit so there would have been some bizarre legal issues.

So that opportunity was missed, then Christina decided to move to Mass. Stupid move, and after I attempted to talk her out of it, I talked her into buying a PM45. BTW the gun was bought online from US Citizen’s FFL “Well Regulated Millita”

Then Christina Moved to Mass. Got settled in and got her LTC, and given that she didn’t really like the gun, she sold it to me, which we had to do through the state police. Used to be we had to do it on paper forms and send them out in the mail. Now its online which is better…if you ignore all the infringements of the 2nd Amendment.

So yeah, that’s what it took for me to get this one gun. What a pain in the HOLE this was. The Gun was built about an hour west of me in Worcester Mass, then shipped to Traction Control’s place (where’s he located BTW?**UPDATE** He’s in Texas also, thanks Kevin) then to Texas, then driven in a car up to Massachusetts.

There’s one thing about my Westinghouse M1891 was made in Mass, went to Russia and goodness knows where, only to now be living in a gun safe back in Massachusetts as the crown jewel of my collection (I need to do a better post on that rifle). This gun pranced around the country not because it needed to, I’d just as soon drive over to the Worcester factory and swipe my credit card and bring it home, but no, it had to be difficult.

Still I will say, all that PITA, it was WORTH IT, I love this gun, and its EXACTLY what I wanted for a light carry/Backup gun.

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0 Responses to The Story of Eleanor

  1. Kristopher says:

    Insanity. Your state needs to be invaded, its rulers and their supporters executed, and the slaves living there freed.

    Procedure for buying PM45 from a private individual in Wyoming:

    Pay for it. Take it home.

  2. Jack says:

    Wow. Glad you got it but what a mess.

    And I love how not only can the “Only Ones” buy what they want, but they can sell it too.

    Special Laws for Special People

  3. Great story. I didn’t realize how difficult it can be to buy a gun in different states. We are very spoiled here in Virginia.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Yep, well I post stories like this, and pictures like this just so those of you in the free states don’t lose your will to fight.

      I grew up in Maine, which makes Virginia look like a prison. You can buy whatever guns you like, including the full catalog from the NFA. Unless you live in one of the cities you can shoot in your backyard. Open carry is 100% legal and requires no paperwork, Private sales are 100% legal and require no paperwork, permits are shall issue and $60 for residents, and you can carry anywhere but primary schools and federal buildings. The only place that can have binding signage are places with liquor licenses…and I’ve never seen a posted bar.

      I say all that because I was pro 2nd Amendment when I lived there, but it wasn’t until I saw what they subjected me to, and how they treated me in Mass that I became a gun-nut and activist.

      • agirlandhergun says:

        Wow, I am fairly clueless about gun laws in other states. I know about DC, Maryland, Illinois, Jersey, California, Wisconsin because I traveled there over the summer and, of course, Texas, but I had no idea about Maine.

        So much to learn.

        I do belong to the Virginia Citizens Defense League(VCDL) which is pretty darn aggressive and pro active in fighting for the rights of gun owners in the state and I have learned so much from them, but I’v got a long way to go.

        I am enjoying your blog!

        • Weerd Beard says:

          Glad you’re active as well as writing a great blog (The carry industry has been dominated by males, both in dress and body types, so the more females we have blogging about carry the better!)

          Glad you enjoy the blog!

      • Ted N says:

        I have a friend that lives in Maine. He says that, “Well sir, he needed killing,” is still a valid legal defense in court. I think that’s pretty awesome.

  4. guffaw says:

    I’m sorry for your loss, of your freedoms!

  5. Riley says:

    Thanks for the extra info and pictures Weerd, doesn’t help with the whole wanting one really bad thing, but more info is more better. I’ve seen posts about how the recoil isn’t as bad as you would expect with a gun as light as this one due to how hight up you can get your hand on the grip. Since you have put some rounds down range with this one, how would you rate this one as compared to other polymer guns as far as “felt” recoil goes? I am huge fan of a gun you know you’ve pulled the trigger on. I loves me some 500 mag, but I wouldn’t want to shoot it all day. Is this one fun to shoot?

    • Weerd Beard says:

      The PM45 has several things going for it. #1. Nested recoil springs really spread out the recoil impulse, couple that with what is a fairly heavy slide for a gun this size. #2. Low bore axis, #3. .45 ACP is just a gentle cartridge for the power it has.

      I would describe the felt recoil being similar to shooting .357 Magnums out of an all-steel revolver. It has a little pop to it, but its hardly a difficult gun to shoot, nor is it unpleasant like my airwieight snubbie.

      As far as compared to other polymer guns, I haven’t shot anything that’s really comparable. The “Baby Glocks” are easier to shoot because they’re bigger, heavier, and have a wider backstrap, same goes for full-size guns. I haven’t shot many of the micro .380 guns which are very small and light for the cartridge they shoot.

      I HAVE shot a Kahr P40 which is essentially the same size as the PM45 but in .40 S&W, and because of the recoil impulse of the .40 S&W (high pressure cartridge, fast burn rate) and I believe the P-series uses just a single recoil spring rather than a nested assembly, that gun WAS a handful.

      As for “Fun To Shoot”, On two occasions I’ve put 200 rounds in one sitting with no ill effects. I’m betting I could shoot it all day without any issue…I still prefer a full-size, but for any gun I’ve considered as a “Backup” its damn easy to shoot.

      BTW you see the full review I did on the gun?
      http://www.weerdworld.com/2011/i-call-her-eleanor/

      • Riley says:

        Thanks Weerd I saw you initial review and thats what got me wanting one. This was just me pestering you for even more details 🙂

        Thanks again Weerd, love the blog, love VC!! If you ever find yourself down in Texas let me know, I’ll buy you a cold PBR.
        Riley

        • Weerd Beard says:

          NP, keep asking that’s how this thing works.

          Glad you enjoy VC, but that does mean you’re a sick puppy!

          I do need to get back to Texas for a good old time. Lot of good people down there.

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  7. Kevin Baker says:

    Rick lives in Texas, too, Weird. Outside of Dallas, IIRC.

  8. What IS this Massachusetts place you speak of? Never heard of it.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Yeah go on and Gloat Mr. “I Used To Live In Boston, and Now I open Carry to my Job in the State Legislature”

      Unfortunately besides the whole Liberty thing Massachusetts is the perfect place for the wife and I to live at this time in our lives. My prison is self-imposed.

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  11. Motor-T says:

    Weer’d, John Farnam has notes from SHOT show. Apparantly your Kahr can eat from 1911 mags.

    http://www.defense-training.com/quips.html

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Unfortunately he’s dead wrong on that. The Kahr .45 Magazines borrowed heavily from the 1911 pattern, so the bodies are the same dimensions, and the mag catch is in the same place, still the Kahr uses a tilting barrel like Glocks and other modern polymer guns, meaning the feed geometry is VERY different between the two. The cartridges are presented to the gun at a MUCH more dramatic angle in the 1911 because the chamber isn’t tilted as far down, meaning a Kahr simply won’t strip the top round off of a 1911 magazine.

      I had high hopes when my PM45 accepted my Wilson Combat magazines…but sadly I started racking the slide and the rounds in the well stayed put. So for my reloads I carry TP45 7-round magazines. Wish they made 8 or 9 rounders.

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