Can't speak on behalf of the Kahr, but on the Seecamp...
I recently picked up a Seecamp .32 as a pistol that I can carry when I cannot carry a gun. If that doesn't make sense, don't ask! Lots of special concessions made to make a pistol this size, and it IS TINY. It's about the size of a flip-phone.
The slide cannot be racked and the trigger cannot be pulled unless there is a magazine inserted, however, the slide will retract with a partially ejected mag so long as the mag engages the disconnect (fresh round will not feed while doing this). In other words, unloading the pistol is quirky. Dry firing requires the mag to be in the gun. Dropping the mag renders the gun incapable of firing.
The left side grip panel holds in the side plate, draw bar, and draw bar spring. In other words, this grip panel and magazine serves as the left side of the frame. The end result is a tiny and thin frame. The end result is also a requirement for a strong grip panel. The original grips are tough enough, as well as the the relatively new Carbon Fiber offerings (designergrips.com). If you can find them, wooden grips may or may not have the strength to do the job, not without being overly thick, which negates the whole point of the Seecamp.
The magazine is SHORT from front-to-back; another concession to making a gun this size. At the time it was made, .32ACP was quickly becoming a forgotten caliber. Winchester Silvertip was one of the .32ACP ammo types worth a damn. Nowadays, there is a resurgence in .32ACP loadings, mostly thanks to the Seecamp and its many copies/competitors that popped up after it. These pistols are picky feeders, requiring ammo less than 0.91" in overall length. I have found that quality control on .32ACP ammo sucks big time.
Premium loadings that are less than 0.91" and loaded with a consistent OAL are good candidates to try in a Seecamp. Winchester Q4255 (flat-nosed FMJs) gave me multiple FTFs and a squib, even though the size was conducive to firing in the Seecamp. Complete garbage, although when it fires it has some punch to it. Hornady XTPs didn't work worth spit in my pistol. Federal Hydrashocks work like a charm in my gun. The trick here is to keep the last 7, 14, or 21 rounds out of any box of ammo that feeds, fires and cycles consistently. The ammo is expensive as hell, at around $1 per round. At the end of the day, this is not a range gun, but a DEEP concealment pistol.
On the subject of ammo comes the discussion about penetration vs. expansion. I have not seen any tests that show that these .32 JHPs will expand. I believe penetration is the name of the game here, and some loads have produced as much as 13" of penetration in 10% ballistic gelatin, which shows promise. The way I see it this type of gun would be fired a few times in quick succession before you hightail it out of the situation. It's not a "gunfighter's pistol" if such a thing exists. I don't have the means to conduct my own testing of penetration and expansion, but from what I've researched, it seems the .380 will give you the expansion in the JHPs, but the penetration depth is in the same neighborhood as the .32ACP. If that's true, how much are you gaining by going with the .380 (in the Seecamp, they are the same exact size and weight), and is it worth the severe recoil and follow-up shot penalty?
It is truly a delayed/retarded blowback design. There is a shallow ring cut into the chamber for the brass to expand into. This slows down the rearward travel of the size and mitigates recoil just a tad. Some casings will show bulging towards the case mouth due to this recessed ring in the chamber. There is no ejector. The ejector is the left side magazine feed lip. Pretty nifty if you ask me!
The pistol is extremely well built and it is very simple. I believe there are only ~25 parts to it. The double action trigger pull is actually pretty nice. The gun smarts a little bit when fired, but for example, nowhere near as bad as firing a S&W J-Frame Airweight .38SPL with standard loads (talk about brutal!). Follow-up shots are easy with the Seecamp, but with no sights I find that it should only be relied on to make hits on a torso-sized target out to maybe 15 feet or so. Some may be able to tighten things up at 21 feet/7yards, but we're talking about a last ditch effort pistol.
If you have a need for a mousegun for those times when you absolutely cannot carry a gun, then it is a solid choice. Better to have 7 rounds of .32ACP than to beg for mercy. You just need to understand the limitations, quirks, and picky nature of these little fellers.
Hope that helps!
Crummy cell phone pic of the gun that goes where other guns simply cannot...
