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Kahr Arms
Mr. Gunz
Member Posts: 1,621 ✭✭✭
I haven't been on this forum in a while, but I was looking at a Kahr K-9 and K-40. The price new was around $465.00. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with these pistols in the usual categories, reliability and accuracy?
Comments
1. PM9 - Slide would not retract with live round in chamber.
2. PM40 - Could not be reassembled. Something was stopping the slide approximately 1/32-inch short of being fully on slide.
3. PM9 - Cartridge exploded venting gases down through the magazine and into the frame. Frame destroyed. Magazine destroyed.
These failures occured out of a total of about two dozen Kahr pistols sold over the period.
During the same time frame I had the following failures with these handguns:
1. S&W Airweight revolvers - none
2. S&W M&P pistols - none
3. Springfield XD & XDM - none
4. Springfield 1911 pistols - none
5. Glock - 1 gun exploded from using lead-bullet reloads.
6. Kel-Tec - One gun locked up tight due to incorrect reassembly by owner; another would not close on cartridge due to crimped extractor spring.
7. Taurus pistols - One missing grip screw; one cracked barrel (!).
8. Colt (all) - none
9. Taurus revolvers - none
10. All other makes - no failures
I am considering dropping Kahr Arms from my stock.
Any comments or advice?
If he wants one for carry, I can highly recomend the P-9. That is the one I carry the most. Sometimes I carry my P-45. The P series have a polimer frame and weigh quite a bit less.
I have Glocks, Springfields, and HK'S, and the Kahr stacks up to them very good.
The possible down sides depending on your point of view are a long DAO trigger pull versus the safe action trigger that has a much shorter pull that feels single action. The downsizing that makes the Kahr concealable also makes the grip small for people with large hands. This is definitely one of those guns that leaves you with your pinkie curled under the magazine base. There are chopped micro Kahrs available that make the grip even smaller. Then you give up 7 to 8 rounds in the single stack Kahr magazine compared to the double stack Glock Compacts and 2 or 3 to the Glock Sub-Compacts.
I adjusted to the DAO trigger, the relatively small grip and the reduced ammo capacity and find them to be a good trade-off for the benefits of the smaller and flatter package.
The only other caveats I can offer from personal experience and talking to others is that the .40 S&W can get a little bouncy in a gun of this size (so can 9mm +P and +P+) and the Kahrs really need 200 plus break-in rounds before they loosen up and becomes reliable enough for carry. My Glocks have all run like a top right out of the box.
A Kahr plus for me is that the Kahrs (with the exception of the new CW economy models) provide dove-tail slots front and rear making it easier to replace sights and to adjust the windage. I like Hienie straight 8 sights sights for carry and had these installed on my P9 with no problem. The only other change I've made is to have the trigger radiused and polished since the trigger pull is pretty much like a light DA revolver's.
quote:Originally posted by Mr. Gunz
Well...i have an uncle looking at something in 9mm...how do they stack up vs like glock or springfield other similar pistols...hes just gonna shoot around with it and mabey a little idpa in a great while...any opinions or thoughts? Personal experince?