Any Advice on Buying a Kahr???

[copper4262]

Hi - Please Help Me!!!!

Im considering buying a Kahr handgun - not sure what cal - leaning towards
9mm - .40 is also a maybe - im thinking of something my wife could carry - she isn't sold on it(says they looks blocky - guess looks are important to some when buying guns) - im hoping once she trys it she will stop carrying that lil .380 she likes so well - anyway - what is everyone's advise on buying a Kahr pistol - tell me about recoil and accuracy - is it easy to carry? how dependable and durable is it ???? what models do you have and why are they good or bad??? Thanks in advance

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[VA27]

I've had a Mk9 and a MK40. Both reliable and accurate and recoil was no problem. But they are heavy, and while that makes them a breeze to shoot, it does cause a sag in your trousers if you pocket carry. I've not shot the PM9 or 40, so i can't speak to the recoil, but I imagine that they would be easy to carry.

As to the 'lil .380', if it works and she can shoot it and she likes it, let her carry it. At least she carries one. There are lots of guys here who would be tickled to death if they could get their wives to just do that. Just make sure she has good ammo and regular practice.

 

[Caipirinha]

The PM9 and MK40 seemed very comparable in recoil to me.

 

[usp9]

Which .380 does she now carry?

If you have a range with rentals it may be a good idea to let her shoot some other pistols. My only advise is to maybe stay with a longer grip, such as the P9, K9, TP9 or T9 offer, as opposed to the short PM or MK sized grip.

 

[jayrod1980]

I carry a Kahr P45 and I love it. It fits in a cheap uncle mike's clip IWB nylon holder. I love the grip and feel of the gun. I'm actually more accurate with this gun that my wife's S&W 637 w/crimson grips (less printing on that one though) or any of my full sized .40 guns (Sig 229, FNP-40). I don't have experience with the other Kahrs, but I love the design of the gun I have. The bore axis is really close to the hand and it's a really straight shooter, and you will love that Kahr trigger once you get used to it. I never leave home without it and other than the small revolver my wife carries, I don't think I could carry anything smaller and be able to handle it as well as my Kahr.

 

[critter]

I have a Kahr MK9 and love it. It is probably my most carried gun. Completely reliable and way more accurate than a gun of its size has any right to be.

VERY easy to carry on a belt and ok to pocket carry. It is a bit on the heavy side for pocket carry, but the weight is good when shooting it.

 

[copper4262]

my wife currently carries a sig 232 - She doesn't carry or practice as often as i do but im glad that she takes and interest in the idea - she has agreed to let me sell it but i need to find something to replace it - one of the problems is that the gun bits the web of her hand when she shoots it - not sure why but she complains about alot and usually ends up just taking out her Sig 225 (which she can shoot circles around me with) i dont like the 232 because my hands are soo meaty that when I shoot it the hammer and slide take chunks of skin off the back of my hand - needless to say i haven't taken the gun out in 3 years - I can't get her interested in revolvers - she prefers being able to reload with a clip and she doesn't like the heavy triggers on most snubbies - can anyone tell me what the triggers on the Kahr are like compared to a double action revolver??

thanks for the help!

 

[romma]

PM9 Rocks!

 

[possum]

well you know how i feel about mine, i know you got my pm's. i love my k-40. and my wife does too.

 

[RyanM]

I have an older MK40, with the old style trigger. Weight is about 7-7.5 pounds at the middle of the trigger. Recoil, to me, is exactly the same as the recoil on my Glock 23, but that's purely subjective. Other people say the MK40 is way more uncomfortable than even a Glock 27. My dad says the G23 just about rips his arm out of its socket, and refuses to try the Kahr, so .40 S&W is definitely not for everyone! On the other hand, I hate shooting blowback .380s. Too snappy, jars the heck out of my hand.

Anyway the SIG 232 is 6.6" x 4.7" and weighs 17.6 oz. with empty mag. So a regular K9 or K40 would still be smaller, though 7.4 ounces heavier. And a K-series or P-series would probably be easier to grip. P9 is 16.9 ounces, so slightly lighter.

I'd go with a P9. I don't hear nearly as many complaints about the larger polymer-framed guns as I do about the polymer micro-Kahrs.

 

[grimjaw]

I haven't tried the MK9, but the K9 is very tame for what it is. I don't feel the recoil was much worse than a Glock 19, and that's some of the mildest recoil I've experienced in a compact 9mm. I'd recommend either the MK9/K9 for someone recoil sensitive. The noise and flash from some cartridges out of the shorter barrel may be more distracting than the recoil.

If you can get used to the trigger, yes they are consistent guns.

jm

 

[ognnosnim]

I just bought a MK9 not too long ago. Its a great gun. It conceals very easy IWB even when I wear fitted shirts. It shoots great too.

Any of the all steel Kahrs are great choices.


The Sig P232 is a great gun too. If your wife likes it and shoots it well, why not let her keep it? I have been wanting one too.

 

[GVMan]

T9

We have a T9 that we bought specifically for my wife's small hands. It shoots great. It is all stainless and I've heard that the all stainless Kahrs tend to be more reliable. After a 200 round break in period recommended by Kahr it has had flawless operation. We had a few FTE's in the first 200 but those may have been due to learning to shoot a Semi Auto and learning not to limp wrist it. The T9 has a 4 inch barrel but they do make a smaller all stainless pistol.

 

[skud_dusty]

Taker her to the fun shop and have her handle them to see what she likes.

My suggestion? If it's a poly frame, get it in 9mm, if it's metal, consider the .40.

I've got a CW40 (base model poly framed .40) and it's a HANDFUL to shoot. On the verge of being too much recoil.

 

[BigMike66]

I have a PM9, 3 inch barrel. My in-experienced hands found the second follow-up shot to be a real bugger (for accuracy) due to the amount of recoil, using factory 115 gr. This thing only weighs 14 ozs empty. Taking my time, I'm good for about 6 inch patterns at 7 yards with the same ammo. I have to use the supplied extended mag to get three fingers into play.

Don't think you could argue concealability of a gun that measures ~ 5 in long and less than an inch wide. I do not CCW this pistol.

I also shot the bigger brother to the PM9, the P9 with a 3.5 in barrel. The shootability difference was night and day using the same 115 gr ammo. I quite enjoyed it. If provided with the opportunity again, I'd consider the P9.

The P9, unfortunately, came with a cracked frame (polymer), hence the reason I returned it. One thing I was not impressed with, was the quality of the polymer, even besides the crack. I found small strings (for lack of the proper term) in several places. For $580 +, I expected more. I have no other experience with polymer frames from different manufacturers to know if this was an exception, or the rule for this pistol type.

My wife does not like it. She's a woman, she doesn't need a reason.
It maybe the fact the pistol has zero safety features.

The PM9 (or P9) field strip and assemble real easily. You only need the plastic butt of the magazine to start the slide stop out.

With only about 200 rds of Magtech and Remington, I had no failures.

For what it's worth...



Mike

 

[wabbles]

I want to so badly love my Kahr, but...

The only problem that I have with my PM9 is that if carried 6+1 it will jam. If I carry it 5+1, it has never failed. The company knows about it and is redesigning the magazine. It is a fair amount of money but very few other guns fall into the nitch that the PM9 fills.
It is light weight and easy to carry. Accuracy is amazing. There is some muzzle flip as the pistol is kind of top heavy. Recoil is no problem and I could shoot it all day. Follow up shots are quick if you take the time to practice. My wife likes the pistol and enjoys taking to the range.

 

[Tamlin]

I have a P9 Covert, and love it. I used to have a Kel-Tec P11 as my primary ccw, but it had a tremendous kick - more than I wanted. I chose the P9 Covert because it is basically the same size as the PM9, but has that extra half-inch barrel. I don't mind my pinkie sticking over the grip at all. The recoil is not bad at all - I think the ergonomics of the gun make it that way. Plus, even though it looks "boxy," it is very slim - the Kel-Tec (and Glock 26's) are pretty thick. I'm not the best shot (don't practice nearly as much as I should), but I can still do very tight groups, even at 25 yards. I carry it in one of those Smart Carry rigs, inside my pants. It is virtually invisible. I've even carried wearing jean shorts and no one knew. I think the P9 Covert is the best of both the P9 and the PM9 - it has the longer barrel and the shorter grip. I also chose Kahr because of their reputation - I wanted my carry gun to be absolutely reliable, and didn't mind spending an extra couple of hundred bucks to make sure it was. It hasn't disappointed me at all.

Good luck, on whatever you (she) decides.

 

[Inquirer]

K-40

I have a K-40 and love it. If buying for my wife, I'd probably go with the K-9.

The K-40 is very concealable, and shoots great, but is alittle heavier than I would prefer (25 ounces or so). I'm considering complimenting it with a P-9 or a P-9 covert to give me a lighter and/or smaller option (for pocket carry or smaller less visible inside the waistband carry.

 

[kashton]

I just got ahold of a NIB Kahr MK40 Elite 2003 on Monday and have shot it twice since then. It is a great little gun! 50-70 rounds at the range is enough for me though because it does kick quite a bit. Great gun though, would highly recommend.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Rev Moon & the "Moonies"...

Kahr is owned by the group behind the Rev Sung Young Moon's "Moonie" cult.
This is not a rumor or false story. If you really want to spend your $$$ on a Khar or Auto Ordanance or Thompson product, think it over, .

Rusty S

 

[loop]

Yup, Sung Young Moon's group owns Kahr, but don't ya have to love a religious organization that buys a gun company?
On the serious side, my K40 is probably the one gun I'll probably own until I die. It is accurate, reliable, easy to handle and small enough to conceal easily.
The trigger pull is very different from a double action. It is very long, but very smooth. From the time you apply pressure to let-off the difference in pressure applied is minimal. That's the difference between it and Glocks or DA revolvers. With a Glock or other double action pistol the amount of pressure builds until there is a sudden let-off. With the Kahr you may start off with an 8-pound pull, but you'll have the same 8-pound pull until it goes boom.
Accuracy is all about consistency.
OTOH, if your wife is carrying and is happy with what she has, why mess with it?
I carry, and stake my life on, a .32 and a 9X18 when the circumstances require.
I'd prefer to have a high-cap.45, but the real key is knowing when to pull the trigger ... and knowing that once you pull the gun talking time is over...

 

[usp9]

Kahr is owned by the group behind the Rev Sung Young Moon's "Moonie" cult.

So what?
I don't think that is a factual statement, but even if it were, we here in America defend a person's religious freedom. It's one of our cherished Bill of Rights Freedoms. What country do you live in RustyShackelford? Perhaps some day you too will have this freedom.

If that's a true statement then the Moonies make a fine pistol.

 

[Ric in Richmond]

I wanted to love my PM40 as small and packable as it was, but its fickle nature, with slide not going all the forward and failure to chamber a round correctly drove me away.

Good luck.

I am not buying another one (maybe if I had the chance to run 100 rds down range first with no issues first).

I sure hope they work it all out, because I really wanted to like the gun.

 

[DMK]

Do a search for Kahr on this forum.

I don't own one yet, but I think a Kahr will be my next gun (Either a T40 or a K40). I've been doing a lot of research on them.

It seems that there are a lot of complaints about the polymer framed guns (the models with P in the model name), though mostly the smaller ones. I'll be buying a steel framed model (the MK, K or T models). Folks with the steel framed guns seem to be very happy with them and their reliability generally.

 

[Princi]

I have the MK9098N Elite with Nite-Sights. I like it, but can't hit the broadside of a barn with it. This is a true DAO pistol, and I never got the hang of shooting it. I carried it briefly, but now carry a S&W Airlite.

It is a well made pistol and I like the fact that it is 9mm vs. my Seecamp.