Kahr Pistols

[FFMike]

Anyone here have a Kahr? I see the CM9 is now legal in Md. and am considering one.

Are Kahr's reliable? How do the triggers rate compared to M&P and Glock?

Any info is helpful as I have never handled one.

 

[jaygibson]

I have a P40. I had a couple of FTF during the break in period, but after that it has been very reliable. Completely different trigger than a glock. It has a long pull more like a revolver. But, it is a fairly light, smooth trigger pull.

I like mine for a small summer time carry gun.

 

[ColonelHurtz]

I have a P9.
It is very small and light.

Hard to shoot well. Snappy, with a lot of recoil.
Rusts very easily for a SS gun.
The trigger pin walks out when firing.
One of the other fascia pins popped out and was lost.

It is not pleasant or fun to shoot but it is very concealable.

 

[Baumer]

I've got a P9 I bought for my wife. Ergonomics are good for concealed carry, but I didn't find the gun to be reliable out of the box. Specifically many jams (too numerous to count), there was also a known issue with the slide release or mag release ( cant remember exactly ), and mags that should have dropped free wouldn't reliably do so. I also found the company's support to be poor. I placed many calls trying to get warranty support. The "techs" seemed to be reading from a script. I was told replacement parts would be sent and they never were. The wife gave up on it and went with an S&W revolver.

ultimately I paid an independent gunsmith to fix the jamming issues and another gunsmith that does work on my 1911's & sigs recommended taking a file to the inside of the mag well to fix the mag drop issue (it did). I have now run a couple hundred trouble free rounds through it.

IMO the stock trigger is heavier and grittier than the glock. The pull weight is more consistent throughout the length of the pull, more like a revolver. I'd have to put a lot more rounds through mine before I would be confident enough to carry it. Personally I've bought my last kahr.

 

[fivepointstar]

I carry my CW9 all the time!!

VERY LONG trigger pull compared to Glock and longer reset. something you'll have to get use to. I like it b/c there's no safety so it doesn't get snagged on anything.

 

[aray]

I have a CW9 and love it. Now that the CM9 is out, once I can save up the money I plan to buy that too. The CM9 will be either a BUG for me or a CCW gun for my wife's purse.

I don't CCW in MD of course but I do every time I leave the state. The CW9 is light and easily concealable, in my case with an IWB holster.

As others have remarked the trigger pull is very long but smooth. Mine has been very reliable, otherwise I wouldn't be buying another Kahr. Easy to break down, clean, and maintain. All parts are stainless steel or polymer.

The company does say that you should not consider it reliable until after 200 rounds downrange. That's because it is machined to very tight tolerances and you need some working of the mechanical parts to loosen it up a bit. I'm not saying that is the cause of the problems others sadly experienced in this thread, every manufacturer puts out a lemon or two, but just wanted to give you a heads-up on any new Kahr. As I said, mine has worked great and I'd trust my life to it.

Unlike ColonelHurtz, I was surprised at just how little recoil there is in the CW9. I thought a small gun like that would transfer a lot of energy back to my hand. Not so. I do find +P rounds take longer than I prefer to reacquire my front sights, so for SD rounds as a personal preference I stick with standard pressure loads, even though the gun is rated for +P and many are quite happy with that. As for target practice, as an example I fired off about 200 rounds a couple of weeks back at the range and my hand wasn't tired at all. Dunno how much greater a CM9 might be as I've never (yet) had the opportunity to fire one. They're of course a bit smaller than the CW9.

Also when I ran by 2A Sales on Monday, Mark said he might order a couple of CM9s now that they're legal. Perhaps if you wait a bit you can check one out there soon. In addition if you can find a PM9, that's essentially the same gun but with a few mostly cosmetic upgrades. But it should feel the same way in your hands.

If you want to do more research, you might want to surf on by http://kahrtalk.com/ That's the big forum for the Kahr brand.

There are many fine CCW guns. Kahr is one of them & I obviously like them. But Glock & others also have fine selections as well.

 

[fivepointstar]

Fascinating!!! here are the specs on the CM9

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 6+1
Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.0", conventional rifling; 1 - 10 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.42"
Height: 4.0"
Slide Width: .90"
Weight: Pistol 14 ounces, Magazine 1.9 ounces
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable, white bar-dot combat sights
Finish: Black polymer frame, matte stainless steel slide
Magazine: 1 - 6 rd flush floorplate

WOW...not even an inch wide!!

 

[JoeBobOutfitters.com]

We have a CM9 in stock. I've never shot one, but their fit and finish is nice and one of the better triggers in a compact 9 for sure.

 

[Minuteman]

Good review.
http://bullcitydefense.com/2011/04/02/kahr-cm9-review/

 

[Baccusboy]

Good review.
http://bullcitydefense.com/2011/04/02/kahr-cm9-review/

The front sight melted? And it's not user-replaceable? That's freakin' hilarious!

 

[Bikebreath]

FWIW:

I get Gun Tests, the gun publication that accepts no advertising and they tested the CM9. I forget what they said about that, but then they tested the CW9 and liked it all around better than the CM9.

 

[BlueHeeler]

I recently tried a K9 Elite. It was amazing. The trigger pull is pleasant and ultra smooth… just like my beer and women.

I had no recoil problem for a compact 9mm. The grip is what really struck me. I have monkey hands and the pistol still fits perfect. It is one of those guns that feels completely natural in the hand to shoot. YMMV.

 

[aray]

The front sight melted? And it's not user-replaceable? That's freakin' hilarious!

I didn't find that review to be at all accurate, particularly on those specific points.

The front sights are indeed replaceable on both the CW9 and the CM9. The author simply got that wrong. I know because I personally replaced my CW9 front sights with Trijicon night sights from Dawson Precision. I'm not mechanically inclined but even so it was easy to do. (I left the rear sights alone.) Both the CW9 and CM9 are pinned by two posts that are trivial to take off.

As for the so-called melting sight, even the author admitted that it might have come out defective from the factory that way. Not excusing the fact that Kahr quality control should have caught that before it shipped of course, but other than this author I've never seen such a claim of melting sights. I've put hundreds of rounds in a single trip to the range, sometimes in rapid fire. As with all firearms you can feel the heat build-up on the barrel but never anything even approaching the melting point of the sights. Not even close.

And as for the failure to feed on his first magazine, as I stated above Kahr itself recommends 200 rounds downrange before you should consider the gun reliable, due to the tight machining tolerances. This is probably the only critical part of his review that I would call accurate.

I'd never say Kahrs are perfect; indeed the bad shipped front sight should never have happened. But goodness if the author of the review doesn't even know enought about the gun that he gets the replacment sight issue wrong, then I don't give him much credibility. Find other reviews, either pro or con, that are at least better informed.

 

[Goose Guy]

Felt one at BassPro, so no trigger time. Hard to use left handed, but easier when I switched to right hand.

Figured I'd throw that in there for anyone who needs it.

 

[SmokingGun]

I love my CW9 (see avatar)

 

[FFMike]

Thanks Guys... Appreciate the responses.

 

[Minuteman]

...The front sights are indeed replaceable on both the CW9 and the CM9. The author simply got that wrong. I know because I personally replaced my CW9 front sights with Trijicon night sights from Dawson Precision. I'm not mechanically inclined but even so it was easy to do. (I left the rear sights alone.) Both the CW9 and CM9 are pinned by two posts that are trivial to take off....

Good point. I think this demo explains what you are discussing:

 

[Mr H]

Anyone here have a Kahr? I see the CM9 is now legal in Md. and am considering one.

Are Kahr's reliable? How do the triggers rate compared to M&P and Glock?

Any info is helpful as I have never handled one.

I have an MK9

I like the recoil
I like the fit
I like the...

Sorry...so far, that's it.

The trigger action is just too long for me, but I will grant that for a close-quarters CC piece you can live with that.

It's solid, but heavy. But that's to be expected in an all-steel pistol.

Six and 7 shot mags are not comforting, but it allows for a slightly smaller carry profile.


I need to give it more range time, but haven't gotten to it yet. So, no overall opinion yet.

 

[Baccusboy]

Good point. I think this demo explains what you are discussing:

That's great!

Thanks for this.