P45 grip shortening to take Detonics mags...

[badkarmaiii]

Does anyone know of someone who has done this conversion or does them on customers' guns? I've seen AMT Backup and shortened factory mag conversions, but think that the 6 round Detonics mag conversion would be best. Any help is appreciated.

-MIII

[j2k22]

'taint that hard; a sharp backsaw, an accurately-placed cutline, and a good set of balls and you are in the P45 Covert business.
You may need to alter the Detonics mag catch slot; I have to open the AMT mags about 1/8" to work in the Kahr. The follower may need some tweaking to engage the hold-open .
I ground the front lip off the AMT mag to test the function in the Kahr before cutting the frame- the mag was way up in the grip frame, out of sight, but worked fine. You might want to try the same with 1 Detonics mag before making the cut.

[Brian Dover]

Yipes! Best of luck with this project, sure isn't one I'd like to try. Reason I say this, back during the mid 1980s three of us locally had (Detonics) Combat Masters, and none of THEM worked properly with those oem magazines.

I am sincere in wishing you well with your plan though.

[josp]

News from an industry insider says that Kahr is coming out with a slightly larger 45 that holds one more round in the magazine. Maybe next they will go smaller.;)

[badkarmaiii]

My Combat Master is the most reliable 1911 I've owned. I'm looking toward the Detonics magazine becasue the 6 round capacity is adequate and identical to the Kahr's. Size-wise, it's a whole lot shorter. The Kahr's aggressive checkering should make a two-finger grip adequate for control. The far shorter length should be far more concealable. Robar responded to my e-mail with a negative on the Kahr.

-MIII

[warmrain]

Originally posted by badkarmaiii
...Robar responded to my e-mail with a negative on the Kahr.
Tell us more about that. Were you looking to them to do the grip mod or was there a coating project...?

[badkarmaiii]

Grip shortening.

[j2k22]

you are correct- a 2-finger grip gives all the control you need.
I found that the shape of the grip left a lot of voids that were not making good contact with my hand, and I filled them with epoxy putty.
Having a shelf for the shooting hand thumb greatly increases control and reduces muzzle rise.

[badkarmaiii]

I really like the idea of a shorter grip without a loss of capacity. I've considered conversion to take Officer's ACP mags, which would be far less drastic, basically no change in frame length but flush-fitting mags instead of Kahr's fingerhook extension. It's a tough choice but I'm leaning toward to shorter Detonics mag route. I've had/have several two-finger-gripped compact autos and find no problem with them, including my G29 with full-power loads. My biggest stumbling block right now is that I'm a bit chicken to take a saw to my P45.

-MIII

[j2k22]

guess it's a matter of priorities.
Mt conversion was done to yield the minimum of grip length, which is the hardest dimension of a handgun to conceal. As such, mine carries very discretely. In a warm climate, with one layer of clothing, this is a prime consideration. While I have carried any number of pistols under an Aloha shirt, this is the best yet for print-free carry with major-caliber punch. Also nice and light, which the K40 Covert is not.
Your priorites will drive your decision, or lack thereof. Officer's model mags would make a lot of sense, as I am sure they can be had cheaper than Kahr originals, and the extension is useless with the grip length of the Kahr. So, quit agonizing and act!