Let's hear about the Kahr's we know & shoot.!

[RECTIFIER]

As a member of this forum for about 15 months or so, I cannot remember any reports from Kahr owners. I was curious of these guns & I kinda liked their innovative designs & engineering.

...so at a recent gun show, I had the opportunity to buy this CT .380 auto.

Neat little gun, it's small, so I took a pic with my Ruger SR22.

Only two range sessions so far, it functions 100% with everything I loaded it with. I have about 250 rounds thru it, with a mix or 95 grain ball & 85 grain hollowpoints.

[PSP]

I've had a bunch of them. Always liked the size, slimness and weight. On paper a perfect carry gun. In practice they lack a rock solid reliability reputation. Some of my bunch are great... some failed too much to trust as a carry. As a range gun, My personal favorite is a new style TP9. I have a K9 with laser grips, NS and an elite trigger that is sweetness personified. Lots to like here, but that doubt lingers in the back of my mind.

Here's some of my "bunch".

[Dashunde]

I'm one of those people who hates it when the reply to these questions is "use the search" because it stifles conversation, but in this case... you'd find a whole pile of stuff to read here on Kahr's.

Its usually a long list of Kahr lovers sprinkled with a few Kahr haters who say they'll never buy another, those comments are often followed up by "did you break it in?", then comes all of the "I shouldn't have to break in a new gun to make it reliable" arguments.
Then... repeat in the next thread.

I'll say this on Kahr's... I'm still mad at myself for selling my first PM9, and I'm downright pissed at myself for selling my second PM9. Plain 'ol idiot I suppose
(Long ago I moved to a non-CC state, sold the first one, moved back to MO, bought another one, then always found my LCP on my side, sold the second one because Kahr P/PM's are not cheap and its a bunch of $$ to have wrapped up in a small non-range gun thats rarely shot OR carried. Maybe I should just get the CM9?)

I really like everything about Kahr's, but that big damn slide release is anything but "thin and sexy" and needs to go away.

Kahr had the best micro9 long before they were cool, and it remained/remains in the top 3 long after many others came to the party.
But they're kinda sitting on their hands lately... time to innovate again.

[wpsdlrg]

I've had two different CM9(s). Great little gun, after a bit of tweaking to the magazines. I also added palm swells, molded to fit my hand, to the sides of the grips. Wonderful carry pistol, probably the best I've had. They were surprisingly accurate....and I always did very well with the trigger. Slide breakdown was a little bit of a pain, but otherwise, maintenance was easy and straightforward.

I've moved on, but I do often miss my CM9(s).

[racedawg]

Nice guns..had a cw45 trigger pull was too light less than 3 lbs.look at it go off ..got rid of it.I like a heavy pull less chance accidents.. But kahrs are nice except trigger

Sent from my C6530N using Tapatalk

[RolandD]

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574694

My first range report. Nice shooters so far.

[5whiskey]

I second Dashunde... Quite a few Kahr threads but let's not nitpick.

I have a CW9. It was my carry piece both on and off duty for a while. I liked the pistol. It has a sweet feeling trigger, never had a failure, and carries well. With that being said I just never could fall in love with it. I trusted it. It was utilitarian for U/C work, but it just didn't "do it" for me. It was combat accurate but I was never impressed with its accuracy. I've since been issued a SIG P290 that is even smaller and much more accurate. I still have my Kahr. I doubt that I ever get rid of it unless I buy another conceal gun. I trusted it... Just never loved it

[Targa]

No complaints with my CM9, would buy it again without a second thought. Nice ergos, feels solid enough, admittedly the trigger is long with no real reset to speak of but it is very smooth and predictable. It also conceals great and is very comfortable for IWB carry.

[hubris]

'bout to get back into cargo shorts weather. Time to put the cw380 back in my pocket. Only complaint is if I forget and jam the mag in. FTE on second round every time. Other than that, shoots well out to seven yards for me.

Any advice on ammo...using Gold Dot jhp. Have seen recs that should carry fmj for better penetration. ???

[TnTnTn]

I like my CW .45-reliable and as accurate as I am.[/URL]

[RECTIFIER]

'bout to get back into cargo shorts weather. Time to put the cw380 back in my pocket. Only complaint is if I forget and jam the mag in. FTE on second round every time. Other than that, shoots well out to seven yards for me.

Any advice on ammo...using Gold Dot jhp. Have seen recs that should carry fmj for better penetration. ???'
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Jams or failure with these Kahrs is usually attributed to cartridges not seated correctly.

Remedy.? After loading the mag, give it a few taps on a bench (or any solid surface) with rounds pointed up. It gets the rounds squared up properly.

This works for me anyway.

[tirod]

No major issues with my CW380. I'm breaking it in on steel cased Monarch and haven't cleaned it at all, straight out of the box.

Yes there are those who think a gun should be perfect and shoot anything jammed down the magazine, yet when experienced shooters who carry for self protection are asked, they all say "break it in 500 rounds. " Kahr just asks for 200.

When Rohrbaugh came out with their pocket gun, they only recommended one - 1 - specific load as the ONLY one that would work reliably. When we read of gun owners shooting new Kahr's the complaint is that the gun would have issues and we have to pry out of them what they were shooting. For the most part it was cheap budget ammo - not full power defensive loads. Well, the same issue exists with AR15 and is generally recognized there. Shoot cheap junk ammo and you get malfunctions. There's an upside to that - you get to practice drills on malfunctions. After all, it's self inflicted, make the best of it.

It's a known issue that the smaller the gun the smaller the performance envelope and the tighter the constraints on what ammo works. Ask any compact 1911 carrier about it. It's SOP on 4" or shorter 1911's to expect that you have to shoot a variety of ammo to find what will work - many won't be reliable. It's just a basic fact of guns.

The problem is that there are new shooters constantly coming in, and many are inexperienced and have a consumer view about how products should work. If it doesn't meet their expectations - which most of the time are unfounded and uneducated - then the gun is at fault. And we all know The Customer Is Always Right, hmm? Raised in an environment where all they have to do is complain and stomp their foot, they think that's all it takes to make it work better. No different than those who pump cheap unleaded in their $55,000 trunk and then wonder why they get misfire codes. Owners manual is right there - specifies the type fuel by octane grade.

We get the same thing with a lot of new gun owners, nice gun cheap junk ammo complain complain complain. I deliberately am doing that, and guess what?

Very few post up about how great the gun works, but make a complaint and it goes to ten others as human nature is to grouse around about it. Yes we get posts about "My new XXX gun is crap!" when the reality is that given enough of the right ammo and knowing how to properly grip the gun, most of the issues go away.

Kahrs are a lot better than some of the more popular sellers, and no worse. You get what you pay for. In fact, if you watch to see what the masses are buying right now, go out and do the opposite - get a Kahr and enjoy it. You aren't buying from a 50 year or older maker dependent on government contracts, you are buying from a maker entirely dependent on doing well with a difficult customer base, and they haven't gone out of business yet. Most do before their 10th year, Kahr is doing something right and has been all along. They certainly aren't coming up with the Gun of the Month or trying to market boutique shooters. They are reliable and seem to lack some other makers problems. R51 anyone? Caracal? Right.

[mete]

tirod, that's right - a lecture much needed !
Picking a gun for your GF or ammo for your pistol is never a good idea !Let your pistol decide ! It has to be happy even if the ammo is not your choice !

[dgludwig]

I'd be a lot more interested in a Kahr pistol if it wasn't for the little rise in the trigger guard, directly below the end of the trigger. Other than "style", I'm not sure why it's there but it rubs against my fat trigger finger when shooting the gun in haste.

[franco45]

I've owned several Kahr pistols and all worked well. I love the Kahr trigger and the dot the i sights. I currently own a CM9, a CT9 and a TP45. I just picked up the CM9 today at a gun show. I can see another CT380 in my future. I had one and traded it. I've missed it every since.

[RECTIFIER]

tirod said:

Kahrs are a lot better than some of the more popular sellers, and no worse. You get what you pay for.

In fact, if you watch to see what the masses are buying right now, go out and do the opposite - get a Kahr and enjoy it.

You aren't buying from a 50 year or older maker dependent on government contracts, you are buying from a maker entirely dependent on doing well with a difficult customer base, and they haven't gone out of business yet. Most do before their 10th year, Kahr is doing something right and has been all along. They certainly aren't coming up with the Gun of the Month or trying to market boutique shooters. They are reliable and seem to lack some other makers problems. R51 anyone? Caracal? Right.
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You are right, the usual complaints are from people not following manufacters recommendations. with that said, I don't run any of the cheapie ammo thru any of my guns. I take pride in keeping them clean, and loading with premium ammo is a special thing for me. I know the gun will work & serve it's purpose.

[tlm225]

I have a 50/50 track record with Kahr. My first was a CW40. Great trigger, ergonomics, and accuracy. The weight and slim design made it wonderful for concealed carry. Unfortunately it was horribly unreliable. 6-7 fail to feeds per 100 rounds (slide would lock back with rounds in magazine). After three back to the factory and 500 rounds down range I sold it (with full disclosure to the buyer).

A few months later the Kahr positives caused me to give them another try, this time with a K40. Despite the added weight of the all steel frame it carries well and is 100% reliable. I've had it about 5 years now and will stay in my stable.

[weblance]

I have 4. CM45, CW45, CM9, CW9. The CM45 is my EDC and has the most rounds through it. It has been perfect since the first 50 rounds, and is around 600 now. Fantastic little pistol, shoots to point of aim, and is well made.

I have been playing with my new CM9, and its a lot of fun also. Surprisingly soft felt recoil for its size.

[hubris]

RECTIFIER, makes sense and my jamming the mag in, followed by an additional bump with the heel of my hand, probably drops the tips' angle. Honestly, since I figured the cause and effect, the pistol has been fully reliable.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Kahr.

[Brian48]

I bought a K9 when they first came out. All the gun rags were praising them like crazy. I liked the slimness and the trigger system (best of the striker fired guns in my opinion), but it was never reliable. Not even close. Not even after 2 trips back to the factory.

I finally got rid of it after a scary incident where I really needed it to work and it jammed on me while chambering the first round and completely locked up the gun. Having no time to fiddle with it, I had to ditch it on my car floor and resort to my jframe. Luckily, no shots were fired and no one got hurt. After that, I couldn't bring myself to trust anything that Kahr produces.

I did buy their WW2 M1911 repro, but this was strictly a recreation gun.

[bedlamite]

After I had my CW40 for a year, My dad (a die hard revolver guy) bought a CW45. We still carry them.

[Armybrat]

finally got rid of it after a scary incident where I really needed it to work and it jammed on me while chambering the first round and completely locked up the gun.

Pardon me Brian, but why on earth weren't you carrying your Kahr in Condition 1?

Tote my CT380 most of the time (shorts & T-shirt weather here) and the CW45 when wearing jackets..... both in Condition 1 - ALWAYS. Love them both. Gifted my old PM9 to one of my sons several years ago.

[chris in va]

I found a new 'special edition' K9 back in 2010 fo $425. Carbon black steel slide, SS frame, 1/2" 'NYC' trigger. It's been quite reliable and is useful as an IWB deeper conceal with Clipdraw. I actually shoot it quite well with the smooh DA pull.

I finally got rid of it after a scary incident where I really needed it to work and it jammed on me while chambering the first round and completely locked up the gun

That's one thing I don't like about the manual of arms. It'll jam if you try to load by racking the slide, it has to be chambered using the slide release. That first round tends to nosedive in the weird mag angle.

I did have to file down a few sharp edges, mainly on the backstrap and trigger guard. You could shave with it.

[Stringfellow]

I think I had a jam of some sort in the first mag I put through my CW9 - but no troubles in the several hundred rounds fired since.

I am amazed at how comfortable it is to shoot, considering how small it is and since it only weighs ~15oz.

My only gripe is the long trigger pull. I prefer something shorter and crisper.

[Independent George]

I think the breakin period leads to some great deals, as owners try to get rid of their 'lemons'. I bought my PM9 on Gunbroker for $475 with two extra mags and a Crossbreed minituck. It had some hiccups early, which lead me to believe it was barely shot by the previous owner, because it's been reliable in the last 500 or so rounds since then.

Originally Posted by chris in va

That's one thing I don't like about the manual of arms. It'll jam if you try to load by racking the slide, it has to be chambered using the slide release. That first round tends to nosedive in the weird mag angle.

I did have to file down a few sharp edges, mainly on the backstrap and trigger guard. You could shave with it.

Agree completely on both counts - I went with Talon grips to deal with the second point. The first is much more serious, and is the primary reason I'm re-considering a Sig 290RS even though the Kahr is far lighter and with a superior trigger. If Sig ever made a single-stack 250 subcompact, or put their 250 trigger into a 290 frame, I'd be all over it in a heartbeat.

Originally Posted by Stringfellow

My only gripe is the long trigger pull. I prefer something shorter and crisper.

The trigger is a selling point for me - it feels like a very tuned DA revolver trigger (albeit without re-strike capability). A lot of people (including myself) feel better having that long DA pull on a deep carry gun. I'd prefer DA/SA, but I assume the action is too hard to tune on a gun that small. If Sig or CZ ever puts out a DA/SA with decocker at that size, they'll have the market cornered.