Kahr quality

[chris in va]

I have a 'Special Edition' K9 with the carbon steel slide, stainless frame and non-elite trigger.

Everything works fine on it, except two things. The rear sight worked loose within a week and the mag design allows rounds to pop out easily if kept in a pocket.

[JMC]

Thanks for the replies.

I simply googled "kahr cw40 problems" and was blown away what all came up. I think I will stay away from them. I'm amazed that the Company is selling as many guns as they are. You would think that the company would fix the problem to increase their image with the customer base. You would think at the price point the customer is paying (even at 350 bucks), the company could improve the the CS at least.

You may say, don't bash a gun that you have never shot, and most times I would agree with that. But there was just to much bad reading on the topic to take a chance with my hard earned money.

Thanks again for all the replies.

I think you have made a wise decision.

There are far to many good firearms out there to take a chance on a potential problem one.

[Beentown71]

Meh, I have had 4 with no issues.

Google just about any manufacture with problem behind it and see what happens. If that were what the deciding factor was I would never buy anything.

[Motownstan]

I have a CM 45 that runs 100%. when I first got it I had trouble with some LSWC that I loaded a little on the light side. With hotter ammo it runs flawlessly. The CM 45 is a lot easier on my hand than my S&W 442.

[oldscot3]

I have an all steel k40. From day one, right out of the box it has run without a single hiccup. No problem, not one itty biddy issue. It's my primary ccw for years now because I have 100% confidence in it. As a bonus, it's crazy accurate for a pistol it's size.

[JERRYS.]

well guess what. the Charter Arms Bulldog Classic has been released. looks like my PM9 will be up for dibs.

[Jeff22]

I have a P9 I bought new in 2000, A K9 I bought used in 2012 and a T9 I bought used in 2014.

I have shot the P9 regularly since I got it. I have not shot the K9 or T9 that much.

I've been very pleased with all three guns.

People I know that have Kahrs in other calibers or smaller frame sizes have had some functioning problems.

I plan to shoot my Kahrs in the new IDPA compact carry pistol (CCP) division once they get all the rules figured out.

As somebody noted again, the design of the feed lips on the magazine often permits the top round to pop out in your ammo pouch,

[skizzums]

I have no experience with Kahr, but I will just add, if you google ANY gun brand and "problems", your going to see a ton of horror stories. go to a website like bud's or other major gun retailer and get a feel for the actual mass of reviews

[Brian48]

My Kahr built Auto-Ordnance was a moderately good 1911 (in it's price range). Like all low to mid range 1911s, it had it's minor issues. Many of which was remedied by myself. It served as good range toy and home defense gun while I had it. Then again, this was a 1911 and there's huge knowledge base out there as well a zillion after market parts.

As far as their other offerings, I'm sure most are probably good quality, but I just can't bring myself to buy another Kahr strictly for self-defense or conceal carry.

I had a all-steel K9 that remained unreliable despite two return trips to the factory. Multiple failures to feed no matter what ammo I used, including fmj ball. After the second trip, reliability did improve, but it was still not 100%. What really soured me on the Kahrs was this one incident that occurred to me one night in CT back in '96.

I was at an Western Connecticut State University off-campus location for professional training. I was parked in a public, indoor lot and was in my car going through my bags looking for books or something when I spotted a young man dressed in "Gangsta" attire approach my aisle in the lot. It was a warm night so he was wearing a white t-shirt. Not nearly enough to conceal the Beretta 92 that he had tucked in his baggy pants. My range bag was in the car at the time so I Immediately reached for my Kahr K9 and a mag full of 124gr CCI Gold Dots. While not great, it was still the most reliable jhp I tested for the gun at the time.

The gun jammed on the first round after raking the slide. As he got closer, I drop mag, cleared the gun, and tried again. Once again, jammed on the second round. At this point, I tossed the gun aside and grabbed my SW jframe. Better than nothing I suppose.

As it turned out, the guy just kept on walking and went straight to his car. I surmised he was probably just a student or employee and carrying because he was afraid of getting mugged or something. This was not the safest place in town after all. After that night, I decided the Kahr had to go and traded it away at a loss. Ever since then, I've shied away from all Kahrs products completely until I picked up the Auto-Ordnance. Even then, it was intended as a project gun and not something I would stake my life on. To this day, I wonder what a pickle I would have been in if I had shoot it out with a guy so much better armed than I was.

As a side note, I had a friend who picked up a K40 at the same time I picked up my K9. The gun was a lemon for him too and thankfully, he was never put in the same situation as I was.

[CANIS]

I have owned several Kahrs... MK9, MK40, K40, PM9. All have been exceptional. I still use the MK40 as a carry gun for days when my New Agent .45 is a bit too much to hide comfortably,

Accurate and easy to shoot and maintain. Outside for a 1911, Kahrs have my favorite trigger pull.

CANIS

[Fishbed77]

I simply googled "kahr cw40 problems" and was blown away what all came up. I think I will stay away from them. I'm amazed that the Company is selling as many guns as they are.

I think you answered your own question.

Kahr sells a LOT of handguns. Some lemons are bound to get through. The vast majority are just fine.

If you Google "Glock Kaboom" you will get the impression that every .40SW Glock out there is a grenade waiting to go of in your hand at any moment.

[Auto5]

My brother's new CM9 broke two magazine followers the first day out. He sent it back to Kahr snd they fixed it. Over 500 rounds trouble free since then and he's very happy with it.

Many people expect a new gun to work flawlessly right out of the box, but that doesn't always happen. Some need a break in period or some minor adjustments. No need to trash the entire product line as long as you can get it to work.

[Armybrat]

I have no experience with Kahr, but I will just add, if you google ANY gun brand and "problems", your going to see a ton of horror stories. go to a website like bud's or other major gun retailer and get a feel for the actual mass of reviews

Very true - Same for Glock, Sig, H&K, CZ, S&W, Colt, Kimber, & just about any other you can think of.
If I relied on the Internet for all my info, I'd just stay at home with a baseball bat by my side.

[Djay3]

I had superb experiences with two early all metal Kahrs. The first was a carbon steel coated in Birdsong Black T (sold by Kahr that way; not an aftermarket coating). The second was an early all stainless steel MK9.

They require a quality gun belt and holster to make the dense weight disappear. The Kramer Michigan State Paddle holster is a dream with these two firearms.

I see a very mixed bag concerning the polymer versions and I have no personal experience.

[Ruger45LC]

I've only owned polymer framed Kahrs, about seven of them and all worked fine. Smaller guns, like Kahrs can be harder to shoot because of their size as they simply require more attention to grip technique and are much more prone to any sort of limpwristing (mainly due to their light weight). Those not as competent as others when it comes to handguns might see this a flaw and rant and rave about how bad they are, when 99% of the time it's user error, small semi autos do take practice to become proficient with and some even require a bit of a break in period.

Kahr's value series, the CW and CM models are, to me, the best in their price class. They've got very good features and good quality for the price.

[Mitchum]

I bought the CM45 a little over a month ago. I'm taking the CCW class in March and wanted to have a little time to get used to it. I've taken it to the range 3 times and run about 200 rounds through it with no issues (technically I had one FTE but pretty sure that was due to my being a novice shooter!).

My only initial complaint with the gun was the grip - it was a bit harsh. I bought the rubber Talon grip after trip #1 to the range and installed. At first I didn't think it was going to provide the comfort I wanted but after shooting again I think it'll be fine.

As I said, I'm a novice shooter, but my experience with the CM45 has been nothing but good.

[peggysue]

Look at SCCY 9MM pistols better grips.. Bullet proof pistols

[Ibmikey]

My friend's .380 went back to the factory so many times it knew the route by heart...Kahr said shoot it 200 times to break it in...the pistol would never shoot more than once....they finally gave him a different pistol and I believe it runs just fine? "Ya pays yer money and Ya takes yer chances " with most items produced today.

[baddarryl]

My CM9 has about 400 rounds through it. Good trigger, accurate for a gun that small, hides well, and works. Not one failure. Only thing I don't like is that the slide release is required by Kahr to chamber a round. It does not like to be racked. That makes me think it will fail to feed, but it hasn't.

Great point made earlier about small autos and less proficient users. I am sure that gets a lot of guns bad mojo that the maybe do not deserve.

[Deaf Smith]

I've owned four Kahrs in my time. a K9 and MK9, both were excellent but heavy.

Yes my K9 is a bit heavy but it's very reliable and accurate. DPX is the ammo of choice for it.

Never had a polymer Kahr run right for long with me, but the steel ones are very good.

Deaf

[Darker Loaf]

This thread is funny. I was just talking to Venom1956 about this today! I've personally had problems with 2/4 poly Kahr's that I've own or shot. I had no issues with a rented PM9, many issues with a purchased CW9, no issues with a borrowed CW9 (and supposedly none on that gun in general), and finally some cycling issues on used P9.

I own and carry an all-steel K9 2003 Elite Model, and I love it. It is really well made, and I've had no issues in 1,000's of rounds. Venom also owns an T9, which I have fired, which has had no issues to report so far.

My analysis is that some poly Kahrs have problems, and that the all-steel Kahrs are better. Venom1956 would likely still endorse poly Kahrs and will probably buy one. I might try a Gen 2 upper-end poly Kahr because I am a sucker for some of the improvements.

[Nick_C_S]

I carry a Kahr CW9. Hides well. Easy to shoot. Accurate. And above all - reliable. My CW9 has never - ever - jammed. It has gobbled up and spit out every round of ammunition I have ever fed it. And I'm even talking lead semi-wadcutter handloads. Everything. I'd say I have about 1500 rounds through it. Very pleased with it. I'm strongly considering getting another one, for back up, spare parts, whatever.

[Fishbed77]

Only thing I don't like is that the slide release is required by Kahr to chamber a round. It does not like to be racked. That makes me think it will fail to feed, but it hasn't.

The Kahr manual recommends this, but I have never ever had a problem racking the CM9 slide just like I do ever other semi-automatic pistol. If you pull it all the way back and release it, it will chamber a round and go into battery every time.

It's worth noting that the recoil spring it quite heavy on these pistols. I can only assume that Kahr is afraid that users will not fully retract the slide to chamber, and perhaps cause malfunctions.

[Darker Loaf]

RE racking Kahr's: It appears if you do it with a lot of authority that this is less of an issue, but it is sort of tricky to do. Also, not every Kahr seems to have issues with this, as many people have reported.

My Kahr K9 Elite doesn't give me grief on racking, but I've personally had issues with a CW9 and a P9 that I owned.

Oh, I've had long discussions about this specific issue on tfl. The owner's manual/FAQ from Kahr say that it is because a fully loaded magazine presents the first round at a different angle. One can only assume that this makes fully racking a slide and letting it go without riding it at all more difficult or less tolerant. Kahr recommends downloading if racking is the prefered method of loading your handgun.

[Seven High]

The Kahr 8 round magazines are problematic. I found that if I download it by one round the reliability increases. I got the impression that something is binding inside of the magazine. IMO stick with the six round magazines.