Sell Me On a Kahr

[ice monkey]

Or not. I want to like em! So thin and a longer trigger pull... how reliable are the “C” versions?

[jreXD9]

I've had a PM9, an MK9, a CW45, a CW9 and now a CM9. I traded the MK9 for something that got traded long ago. That MK9 is one pistol I greatly regretted getting rid of. Being a heavier pistol, it shot the softest by far. Yes, their triggers are long, but they are butter smooth. No grit at all. For such a small pistol they're plenty accurate out to 20-25ft. IMO, the CM9 is just as good as the much more expensive PM9 that has a polygonal barrel. My CM9 has been flawless. All of them were. Never a hiccup. For some reason I couldn't shoot the CW9 worth a crap. Tolerances are tight and they're the stiffest 9's to rack that I've ever had. I like Kahr pistols. The CM9 gets carried only when I have to dress up and pocket carry becomes my best option. Hope this helps.

[Targa]

I would be hard pressed to find a better CC handgun than my CM9.

[JMag1]

I have reliable/reasonably-priced Kahr pistols, a CM-9, and a CW-380.


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[Mosin44az]

Owned a K9 Elite, a PM9, a CM9, and a P380. None functioned reliably enough to be trusted, with the P380 being especially awful. To add insult to injury, the finish on my fancy and pricey K9 Elite quickly discolored in the grip area.

Any gun that requires hundreds of rounds to break in, that must be loaded in a particular way, that has a Fan website containing a 12-point detailed lubrication chart, is WAY too finicky for me.

Nice looking, slim, good trigger, comfortable to shoot, but way too finicky. No more.

[stephen426]

I have a MK9 and a PM9. jreXD9, if your interested in the MK9, PM me with an offer. Mine had night sights. The MK9 is too heavy for a 6+1 for me. I carried the PM9 for many years and still do occasionally. I switched to a Glock 43 due to the shorter trigger pull. I put the Ghost Pro trigger bar and It is so much smoother with almost no over-travel.

Ice Monkey, the Kahr is a decent gun when properly broken in. It is slim and the trigger is long, but smooth. I would push you towards the Glock 43 though since I feel the trigger is better. Also, I had an issue with the internals of the Kahr rusting when I seat all over it during Hurricane Irma. Glocks hold up better.

[Nathan]

I had a P40 and have a CW380. The P40 was a great gun, but really hard for me to shoot fast with any accuracy.

The CW380 is a great pocket 380 that is quit shootable.

[Dragon breath]

I had a cw380 that I could never get reliable enough to carry. Even after a ‘fluff and buff’ and doing all the tricks I could find online for these guns, it would have a failure about every 20 rounds with fmj. With hollow points, it was much worse.

[dean1818]

Pros
Thin
light
reliable


Cons
Trigger reset is a LOOOONNNGGG way away (accurate double taps, I couldnt master)
Magazine followers are a weak point of design (i had some breakage)
The exposed slide stop spring isnt a good design

Its not a great gun, but a good one

I ended up with M&Ps

[Fishbed77]

I've owned a CM9 for about 6 years now. In all that time it has never malfunctioned with quite a wide variety of ammo. It has been carried quite a bit and never babied.

My only advise is to stick to the standard capacity magazines (flush fit with steel baseplate) and not bother with any of the extended mags with the flimsy plastic baseplates.

[ice monkey]

Thanks gents! I'm torn. I have a G42 that I use as a backup and sometimes as a primary in the dead of summer when light is the only way to go. I love the pistol, but wouldn't mind upping it to a 9mm.

The Kahr CM9 has the same dimensions as the G42, and is almost as light. Hence...

Sounds like things with Kahr's haven't changed much from when I looked at them the first time some 8 years ago. The reviews were mixed then as well.

Bah, maybe the 42 is the perfect pistol for deep concealment. And yes, there is a big difference between the 42 and the 43 to me .

Thanks again.

[5whiskey]

I have a CW9 that has been dead nuts reliable. I do not shoot it as well as all of my other pistols (still think it is me and not the pistol, however)... but it is plenty combat accurate. Can hold about an 8 inch group at 25 yards with deliberate fire with it. That's still a CM shot for the most part.

It is my duty carry during much of the summer, in an OWB holster. Conceals very well even worn on the belt. That's why I love it.

[Jim Watson]

I have a CW9 that is handy and reliable, I also have an early E9 that is compact but heavy. Their flatness is their main asset, their loooong "rollover" trigger is their main liability. I have been splurging on hideout guns lately and can say the Ruger LC9S may be the most shootable. A long but very light trigger.

[jreXD9]

Re the LC9s....it's got an exceptional trigger! Small sights. I recently traded away one of these. Fine pistol. Much Snappier than my CM9, though.

[dgludwig]

Any gun that requires hundreds of rounds to break in, that must be loaded in a particular way, that has a Fan website containing a 12-point detailed lubrication chart, is WAY too finicky for me.

Nice looking and handling pistols for sure but I have to agree with Mosin44az-I much prefer guns that are ready to go straight from the box and that don't require a lot of maintenance to work right. And I don't think I could ever get used to that long, heavy trigger pull for every shot.

[HighValleyRanch]

And I don't think I could ever get used to that long, heavy trigger pull for every shot.

I love my K40. I think of it as a flat high capacity revolver!LOL. Trigger is very much like double action, only lighter.

[Fishbed77]

Any gun that requires hundreds of rounds to break in, that must be loaded in a particular way, that has a Fan website containing a 12-point detailed lubrication chart, is WAY too finicky for me.

My CM9 has worked flawlessly from the moment I took it out of the box, and I've never used the slide release to chamber. I rack the slide like every other centerfire semi-auto I own (though it takes some strength due to the very strong recoil spring). I lubricate the pistol like ever other one (grease on slide rails, and light oil everywhere else).

Frankly, I believe Kahr's owner manuals are full of CYA because they know a lot of their small carry guns are going to be many user's first firearms, and they are trying to manage expectations.

[Nick_C_S]

I'll sell you on a Kahr. Will probably be the easiest thing I do all day.

I carry a CW9 in the warmer months - which is about 9 months a year here in the Sacramento Valley. (I'm actually a revolver guy, so when I can bundle up the clothing, I carry a big fat magnum .)

I bought my CW9 (new) for carry in early '13. I have since put about 1000-ish rounds through it. Many of those rounds were full-power (+P) defense level. I don't shoot it a lot because it's my carry piece and don't want to wear it out (it is a polymer frame). So I shoot it only to keep in practice (which I need to do again, come to think of it).

It has a looooong trigger pull, giving you plenty of "are you sure you want to do this" time. But the pull is light and very smooth. It's a matter of personal preference, but I like that.

But here's what impresses me the most: My CW9 - from the first time out of the box - has never ever - ever - failed to feed, eject, fire, or function in any way. Never. Ever. And I have even put some funky non-feed-friendly bullet profiles through it - like semi-wadcutters. Has cycled flawlessly every time. Every time. Never a malfunction. Not a one. I can't say that about any of my other semi-autos.

[Fishbed77]

I bought my CW9 (new) for carry in early '13. I have since put about 1000-ish rounds through it. Many of those rounds were full-power (+P) defense level. I don't shoot it a lot because it's my carry piece and don't want to wear it out (it is a polymer frame).

One thing to note with the Kahr polymer pistols is that there is a misconception that the slide rides on polymer rails. This is untrue.

The steel rear rails (on the CM9 at least) are colored black, making them difficult to see against the black polymer frame, and the front rails are located down in the dust cover, which is an atypical location, but they are still there nonetheless and are steel.

You are no more likely to wear the Kahr frame out with high round count than you are with most other compact polymer pistols, and it has been well proven that polymer pistols in general can survive round counts equal to or higher than steel or aluminum framed pistols.

[gnystrom]

My 8 year old PM9 has been nothing but perfect. Lighter and smaller than my Sig P365 so it still retains it's place as my pocket gun. Especially in lightweight dress pants.

[hank327]

I have a K9 in electress nickel that I got in the late 90s. I got it used and it’s never malfunctioned on me. I guess the previous owner must have broke it in for me. It’s flat, fits in my hand well and is very accurate. The trigger feels like a very good double action revolver’s trigger and if you are used to firing a double action revolver you’ll feel right at home. I love my K9.

[wild cat mccane]

After a PM40, CM9, CW380...I'd rather sell you on a Ruger LCP.

You won't be "upgrading" the round, but you get a much smaller pistol. Magguts for a +1 in the stock magazine.

[Siggy63]

I have 6 Kahrs with a black p9 on the way. I feel Kahr makes one of the best cc guns still today. I have never had any issues with any of my Kahrs. They all have hundreds of rounds through them. Never had issues at all during “break in period”

[Dfariswheel]

I seem to have read recently that Kahr is now using some sort of mechanical device to "break in" their guns, so the 200 round rule may no longer be in effect.
I still won't trust my life to any gun I haven't put a couple of hundred rounds through.

The reason the manual says to load the Kahr by using the slide stop is because too many people fail to pull the strongly springed slide fully to the rear and get a miss-feed.
They of course blame the gun and send it back.
These micro-guns have extremely stiff springs and a fairly small slide to grip so it's just very easy to cause a miss-feed.

The long trigger pull is the key Kahr feature.
Unlike many other guns like the Glock and S&W M&P that have very short triggers, the Kahr is as safe to carry as a double action revolver.
With the Kahr's there's little chance of an "accident" because you somehow pulled the trigger safety and the trigger.
With the Kahr, like a good DA revolver you have to actually pull the trigger hard enough to fire it, and the long pull pretty well eliminates "accidents".
Unlike most other automatics, you can just drop a Kahr in a coat pocket safely.

Shooting the Kahr's is like shooting a DA revolver. It's totally different than other automatics and it's a skill you have to spend a little time and practice to learn.
Since most people are going to carry a Kahr in a holster I just bought an early stainless K9 and carry it in a holster I designed.

Here's my K9 cross-draw holster. It's sort of a combination of a reverse seam and standard seam. This offers more support then a standard reverse seam, but still has the front seam to serve as a sight protector.
It carries very well and you soon forget your'e carrying an all steel gun.

[Nathan]

I had a cw380 that I could never get reliable enough to carry. Even after a ‘fluff and buff’ and doing all the tricks I could find online for these guns, it would have a failure about every 20 rounds with fmj. With hollow points, it was much worse.

Wow! Mine runs like a house on fire!