Kahr CM9 Durability

papadork · February 7, 2013, 03:51 PM

I finally got my CCW permit and I need a new gun. I am torn between the Kahr CM9 and the Beretta Nano. I read somewhere that the CM9 is an all-plastic frame and that slide rides dangerously close. Do I need to be concerned with the CM9 beating itself apart or should I stay with the slightly heaver, more-metal Nano?

Thanks.

AH.74 · February 7, 2013, 04:32 PM

I love mine and have no concerns about the frame or rails. Very well-made guns and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one. I haven't heard of problems in this area.

certified106 · February 7, 2013, 05:03 PM

I love my Kahr CM9! I have about 700 rounds through it and it has been flawless so far. I carry mine everywhere and find it very easy to conceal. The DAO trigger is by far the best I have ever pulled.

vyse.04 · February 7, 2013, 05:35 PM

Quote:

I read somewhere that the CM9 is an all-plastic frame and that slide rides dangerously close. Do I need to be concerned with the CM9 beating itself apart or should I stay with the slightly heaver, more-metal Nano?

The slide doesn't ride on a polymer part of the frame, but rather steel inserts. I have seen a few that had shaved the polymer a little, but the rails were still fine. MY CW45's frame still looks new though, and I have had it for over a year now.

Fishbed77 · February 7, 2013, 06:19 PM

Quote:

I read somewhere that the CM9 is an all-plastic frame and that slide rides dangerously close.

The CM9's slide runs on steel inserts in the polymer frame, just like most other polymer pistols (Glocks, M&Ps, Walthers, etc.). The rear rails are in the typical location above the grip. The front rails are located in the dustcover area.

The CM9 is an excellent pistol. Mine has been 100% reliable. I feel it is a superior design to the Nano due to the presence of a slide lock/release, better sights, and lower bore axis. It's also a surprisingly soft-shooting pistol, given its tiny size.

CSHammond · February 7, 2013, 06:21 PM

I actually have both the CM9 and the Nano. Have to say I love the Kahr, and Got the Nano for my wife. No results on the handling of the Nano as of yet since I just purchased it, but will post some comparisons after we both are able to go shoot.

CWKahrFan · February 7, 2013, 06:33 PM

Quote:

I read somewhere that the CM9 is an all-plastic frame and that slide rides dangerously close...

Somebody wrote something about that on the net a few years ago and it grew out of proportion as internet rumors sometimes do. It's not a problem.
Neither is the very slight bowing out of the Kahr poly frames. Both factors are just how they're designed. Some people don't think it's right. Whatever. The guns generally run fine. My CW9 has been absolutely 100% since out-of-box. There are legions of die-hard Kahr fans.

orionengnr · February 7, 2013, 06:58 PM

Quote:

the CM9 is an all-plastic frame and that slide rides dangerously close...

Dangerously close to what?
Polymer framed handguns have been around for 25+ years now, and are as reliable as they are common.
I have had my PM9 (same frame as the CM9) since 2006. Carried it every day for 3 1/2 years, fired it regularly, with everything from FMJ range ammo to Ranger 127 +p+ (my carry ammo).
Works better than the day I bought it, and although I do not pocket carry much these days, it's not going anywhere.
Although I have owned many handguns and many 9mms, the PM9 is currently the only 9mm I own. Does that help?

kahrguy · February 7, 2013, 07:01 PM

Drags your fingers over to the kahr forum and ask. Jocko has 32,000 rounds on a first year pm9 and still running strong. The kahrs run steel to steel.

I only have 1250 rounds thru cm9 and the same thru mu cw9. They have been 100% reliable.

Jeremiah/Az · February 7, 2013, 11:54 PM

I have the Kahr PM9 & the Beretta Nano. Both are fine guns, never had any problems with either. The Kahr does have a better trigger.

jason_iowa · February 7, 2013, 11:55 PM

Don't own one, I only hear good things from people who do...

papadork · February 8, 2013, 11:46 AM

Thanks all.

wild cat mccane · February 8, 2013, 01:48 PM

Yeah, Jacko either works for Kahr or is a liar. He doesn't have a kahr with that many rounds through it. I called him out on it and that is why he doesn't post here.

I owned a PM40. Kahrs do soak up the recoil well. Mine was a total piece of crap that Kahr couldn't fix. Retail took it back.

Might look at the concern of the magazine splitting on the CM9. Extended magazines tend to give EVERYONE a failure to feed in the smaller kahrs (regardless of caliber).

Just some extra information to consider.

papadork · February 8, 2013, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Might look at the concern of the magazine splitting on the CM9. Extended magazines tend to give EVERYONE a failure to feed in the smaller kahrs (regardless of caliber).

I also read in a few places that smacking the mag in the gun a little to hard causes the mag to fall out and the bullets all over the floor.

AH.74 · February 8, 2013, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Yeah, Jacko either works for Kahr or is a liar. He doesn't have a kahr with that many rounds through it. I called him out on it and that is why he doesn't post here.

Care to tell us how you know this with such certainty? You're so sure of that? You called him out on it- wow.

I don't call someone a liar without strong evidence. Do you have any, or are you just blowing hot air yourself?

wild cat mccane · February 8, 2013, 06:15 PM

Detraction from OP, but you asked.

He reported he had a PM9 and P9. In two months his PM9 round count jumped a staggering 6 thousand(!) rounds. Strangely he reported the exact same count for his P9 in the two month period.

In two months, 6,000 rounds? And not a single through a gun with nearly the same dimension? Right. Not even discussing money, think how many mag changes that is on a 6 mag (or 7 extended-which is a design failure) gun. 1,000.

No picture. Would love to see what a 30,000 round PM9 looks like given how soft the polymer is on the grip.

Top it off, he claims his gun went to Cylinder and Slide to receive their $700 PM9 treatment. The PM9 is $700. If he weren't lying, his gun is far from the standard PM9 on off the shelf since it cost him 2X's the normal cost.

Satisfied?

AH.74 · February 8, 2013, 06:39 PM

Honestly, I just don't care that much. I'm not pretending to be cyber-sleuth.

What I do care about is that my two Kahrs operate very well. And I don't find the polymer to be particularly soft.

Dragline45 · February 8, 2013, 07:16 PM

I don't care how much the company says the frame rails getting chewed up is normal. Literally every other gun company out there that puts out polymer framed pistols do not experience this. I have no desire in owning a gun that eats up the polymer frame as part of a break in process. I would rather go with the all steel Kahr MK9.

AH.74 · February 8, 2013, 08:16 PM

I bought my CM9 new and had only very slight shaving of excess material off the rails. I'd hardly call it eating up the frame.

Dragline45 · February 8, 2013, 09:13 PM

Quote:

I bought my CM9 new and had only very slight shaving of excess material off the rails. I'd hardly call it eating up the frame.

Yours may not have, but this one certainly did. These aren't small isolated cases either, Kahr calls this normal.

dean1818 · February 9, 2013, 07:25 AM

I had a Kahr K9 and a CM9

The Kahr K9 didnt bobble a single round

The CM9 was bobble free after a trip back to kahr.

I purchased the CM9 to pocket carry

After fumbling around trying to practice quickly drawing from a pocket,
I decided pocket carry wasnt for me.

I moved to M&Ps........ I shoot them soo much better, and to me, I like
The way they are built, and the way they break down.

I also never really liked the long trigger and reset on the Kahr. Its much smoother than some pistols but not for me.

I also didnt like the design of the slide stop with the exposed spring. Look at the picture in the post above mine. Its on the right. If you make a mistake and push the slidestop in over the spring edge you will have problems.

As for Jocko, I think the guy is on the up and up. People that post BS, usually are jerks as well. I never got that impression on the kahr boards.

I had a few FTF in the breakin period (200 rounds per kahr) which made me scratch my head.(my Shield has eaten everything since round one, mostly reloads)

Lastly, Kahr recommends using the slide stop to chamber a round. They are the only company that I know of that does that. Failure to do that may cause
a bullet to nose dive.

All and all...... The kahr is a good pistol ..... I liked my Kahrs, but I love my M&Ps ............Try some others as well.

My EDC is a M&P Shield 40, which is awesome.

If you had to choose one between the Kahr and the Beretta, I would go Kahr.

Its not perfect, but its light, thin, and inexpensive. I also believe that it would be more reliable than the Beretta.

AH.74 · February 9, 2013, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Yours may not have, but this one certainly did. These aren't small isolated cases either, Kahr calls this normal.

The picture certainly doesn't look good, but then again its purpose is probably to make it look worse than it actually is.

The real question is- once that type of situation occurs, or once that point is reached, does it continue and does it affect the operation of the gun?

If it reaches that point and never goes past it, and never affect reliability in any way, where is the real problem?

Dragline45 · February 9, 2013, 09:18 AM

Quote:

The real question is- once that type of situation occurs, or once that point is reached, does it continue and does it affect the operation of the gun?

If it reaches that point and never goes past it, and never affect reliability in any way, where is the real problem?

From what I understand it reaches a certain point and stops. Your right in it is not a real problem as it does not affect reliability, but I am OCD with my guns and it would bother me personally.

kahrguy · February 9, 2013, 12:39 PM

Y ou could cut the poly "rails " back and the only thing it will effect is getting it back togather. I have 3 kahrs and it does stop wearing typicaly buy the time you get a couple hundred rounds fired. Thats about the time most weakling can also rack the slides. Take a few round to soften up the recoil spring. I have a 100 lbs girl that can rack my cm9 and the cw and tp are no problem for her. Just does not like shooting them.

Its to bad some think kahr should not make a troubled handgun and then have to whine about it. Let that same gun buy a kimber or s&w custom shop gun I wonder with they would whin just as loudly or just deal with it.

My first kahr came from an owner that whinned so much about his new junk pistol I bought it for 250 dollars. It was so trouble free for me I know have 3 of them and carry one of them daily now for going on 3 years with the first one.

Everone can produce a bad firearm. So deal with it like an adult. Change ammo and try another shooter then contact the CS before pitching a fit. Most ever times its the owner thats at faul by then with small light weight handguns.

wild cat mccane · February 9, 2013, 01:38 PM

Yeah, here is the thing. Kahr has hit or miss customer service. I defiantly had a miss. "shoot more" before we will look at it. You are holding it wrong.

Sent NEW gun back and it came back with everything replaced. And then self destructed.

Top off that Kahr certainly has more failures than others, with a limited warranty, and costs more...yeah being an adult can include having a fit when what you buy doesn't work.

Look at the current list in the handgun forum. Karh CW9 feeding issue is a post.

February 7, 2013, 03:51 PM	#1
papadork Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 49	Kahr CM9 Durability I finally got my CCW permit and I need a new gun. I am torn between the Kahr CM9 and the Beretta Nano. I read somewhere that the CM9 is an all-plastic frame and that slide rides dangerously close. Do I need to be concerned with the CM9 beating itself apart or should I stay with the slightly heaver, more-metal Nano? Thanks.

February 9, 2013, 07:25 AM	#21
dean1818 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: Frisco Texas Posts: 844	I had a Kahr K9 and a CM9 The Kahr K9 didnt bobble a single round The CM9 was bobble free after a trip back to kahr. I purchased the CM9 to pocket carry After fumbling around trying to practice quickly drawing from a pocket, I decided pocket carry wasnt for me. I moved to M&Ps........ I shoot them soo much better, and to me, I like The way they are built, and the way they break down. I also never really liked the long trigger and reset on the Kahr. Its much smoother than some pistols but not for me. I also didnt like the design of the slide stop with the exposed spring. Look at the picture in the post above mine. Its on the right. If you make a mistake and push the slidestop in over the spring edge you will have problems. As for Jocko, I think the guy is on the up and up. People that post BS, usually are jerks as well. I never got that impression on the kahr boards. I had a few FTF in the breakin period (200 rounds per kahr) which made me scratch my head.(my Shield has eaten everything since round one, mostly reloads) Lastly, Kahr recommends using the slide stop to chamber a round. They are the only company that I know of that does that. Failure to do that may cause a bullet to nose dive. All and all...... The kahr is a good pistol ..... I liked my Kahrs, but I love my M&Ps ............Try some others as well. My EDC is a M&P Shield 40, which is awesome. If you had to choose one between the Kahr and the Beretta, I would go Kahr. Its not perfect, but its light, thin, and inexpensive. I also believe that it would be more reliable than the Beretta. __________________ An imperfect servant of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Buying American made, wherever I still can Last edited by dean1818; February 9, 2013 at 07:40 AM.

February 7, 2013, 04:32 PM	#2
AH.74 Junior member Join Date: October 13, 2008 Location: Hermit's Peak Posts: 623	I love mine and have no concerns about the frame or rails. Very well-made guns and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one. I haven't heard of problems in this area.

February 7, 2013, 05:03 PM	#3
certified106 Member Join Date: January 26, 2013 Posts: 51	I love my Kahr CM9! I have about 700 rounds through it and it has been flawless so far. I carry mine everywhere and find it very easy to conceal. The DAO trigger is by far the best I have ever pulled.

February 7, 2013, 06:21 PM	#6
CSHammond Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 54	I actually have both the CM9 and the Nano. Have to say I love the Kahr, and Got the Nano for my wife. No results on the handling of the Nano as of yet since I just purchased it, but will post some comparisons after we both are able to go shoot.

February 7, 2013, 07:01 PM	#9
kahrguy Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 561	Drags your fingers over to the kahr forum and ask. Jocko has 32,000 rounds on a first year pm9 and still running strong. The kahrs run steel to steel. I only have 1250 rounds thru cm9 and the same thru mu cw9. They have been 100% reliable.

February 7, 2013, 11:54 PM	#10
Jeremiah/Az Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2009 Location: Az. Posts: 509	I have the Kahr PM9 & the Beretta Nano. Both are fine guns, never had any problems with either. The Kahr does have a better trigger.

February 7, 2013, 11:55 PM	#11
jason_iowa Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Posts: 686	Don't own one, I only hear good things from people who do...

February 8, 2013, 11:46 AM	#12
papadork Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 49	Thanks all.

February 8, 2013, 01:48 PM	#13
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,626	Yeah, Jacko either works for Kahr or is a liar. He doesn't have a kahr with that many rounds through it. I called him out on it and that is why he doesn't post here. I owned a PM40. Kahrs do soak up the recoil well. Mine was a total piece of crap that Kahr couldn't fix. Retail took it back. Might look at the concern of the magazine splitting on the CM9. Extended magazines tend to give EVERYONE a failure to feed in the smaller kahrs (regardless of caliber). Just some extra information to consider.

February 8, 2013, 06:15 PM	#16
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,626	Detraction from OP, but you asked. He reported he had a PM9 and P9. In two months his PM9 round count jumped a staggering 6 thousand(!) rounds. Strangely he reported the exact same count for his P9 in the two month period. In two months, 6,000 rounds? And not a single through a gun with nearly the same dimension? Right. Not even discussing money, think how many mag changes that is on a 6 mag (or 7 extended-which is a design failure) gun. 1,000. No picture. Would love to see what a 30,000 round PM9 looks like given how soft the polymer is on the grip. Top it off, he claims his gun went to Cylinder and Slide to receive their $700 PM9 treatment. The PM9 is $700. If he weren't lying, his gun is far from the standard PM9 on off the shelf since it cost him 2X's the normal cost. Satisfied?

February 8, 2013, 06:39 PM	#17
AH.74 Junior member Join Date: October 13, 2008 Location: Hermit's Peak Posts: 623	Honestly, I just don't care that much. I'm not pretending to be cyber-sleuth. What I do care about is that my two Kahrs operate very well. And I don't find the polymer to be particularly soft.

February 8, 2013, 07:16 PM	#18
Dragline45 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Posts: 3,513	I don't care how much the company says the frame rails getting chewed up is normal. Literally every other gun company out there that puts out polymer framed pistols do not experience this. I have no desire in owning a gun that eats up the polymer frame as part of a break in process. I would rather go with the all steel Kahr MK9.

February 8, 2013, 08:16 PM	#19
AH.74 Junior member Join Date: October 13, 2008 Location: Hermit's Peak Posts: 623	I bought my CM9 new and had only very slight shaving of excess material off the rails. I'd hardly call it eating up the frame.

February 9, 2013, 12:39 PM	#24
kahrguy Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 561	Y ou could cut the poly "rails " back and the only thing it will effect is getting it back togather. I have 3 kahrs and it does stop wearing typicaly buy the time you get a couple hundred rounds fired. Thats about the time most weakling can also rack the slides. Take a few round to soften up the recoil spring. I have a 100 lbs girl that can rack my cm9 and the cw and tp are no problem for her. Just does not like shooting them. Its to bad some think kahr should not make a troubled handgun and then have to whine about it. Let that same gun buy a kimber or s&w custom shop gun I wonder with they would whin just as loudly or just deal with it. My first kahr came from an owner that whinned so much about his new junk pistol I bought it for 250 dollars. It was so trouble free for me I know have 3 of them and carry one of them daily now for going on 3 years with the first one. Everone can produce a bad firearm. So deal with it like an adult. Change ammo and try another shooter then contact the CS before pitching a fit. Most ever times its the owner thats at faul by then with small light weight handguns.

February 9, 2013, 01:38 PM	#25
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,626	Yeah, here is the thing. Kahr has hit or miss customer service. I defiantly had a miss. "shoot more" before we will look at it. You are holding it wrong. Sent NEW gun back and it came back with everything replaced. And then self destructed. Top off that Kahr certainly has more failures than others, with a limited warranty, and costs more...yeah being an adult can include having a fit when what you buy doesn't work. Look at the current list in the handgun forum. Karh CW9 feeding issue is a post.