HK P7 PSP vs. Kahr K9: I need some help

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MEH

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2007
Messages
214
Location
Lancaster County PA
I want to buy a small 9mm for the range, home defense, CCW when I turn 21, and TEOTWAWKI, so basically a handgun that will last the rest of my life.

H&K P7 PSP Hard Chromed

Kahr K9 Stainless

Which one of these pistols wins in the specified areas?

Durability?

Reliability?

Longevity? (How many rounds will it fire before something breaks?)
 
My only experience with the P7 PSP is that I just bought one (but have admired them for 25 years)...and with the Kahr was when I got to hold one and feel the trigger pull...these two pistols are quite a bit apart in price (I would think unless someone is giving you a P7 PSP.

The PSP is considered by many to be the Rolls Royce of pistols (many are as nice but this is a top tier pistol)
PSP has a sweet single action like trigger once you depress the plunger (squeeze cocker)
PSP is very well made
PSP has a fixed barrel and is extremely and supremely accurate!
PSP is all steel but the weight feels all in the grip so it handles like a lightweight...naturally pointing, like extending your finger.
many longtime owners of P7 pistols say they never need to be repaired
You will probably never lose money on a P7...they never came in Hard Chrome but many change the finish and Hard Chrome is a top pick

The Kahr is probably easy to conceal and a 9MM...:D

Good luck and let us know what you choose!...can you tell which one I like???

Bill
 
You likely wont go wrong with either. I carry a Kahr P9 every day as a ccw , and just picked up one of the german police trade in hk p7s . The hk is by far the superior range gun , the kahr by far superior ccw gun due to weight imho. The weight issue would be less or non existant with the k9 tho . Reliability seems to be a wash between them as long as both are adequately cleaned. Once my K&D holster comes in its likely i will carry the p7 as my " sunday go to meeting" ccw, ie when something a bit fancyer is in order .
 
Which one of these pistols wins in the specified areas?

Durability?

Reliability?

Longevity? (How many rounds will it fire before something breaks?)
Click to expand...

The three questions you asked can't be answered. Both have proven durability, both are considered very reliable guns with few problems. The P7 is a long lived gun but out of production, while the Kahr is a much newer design and still produced. If you are looking for a gun to go many years, that one consideration (still produced) may sway your decision.

On the other hand... side by side comparisons of things measured and felt and observed... the P7 is, IMHO, clearly the superior CCW. If for no other reason than the trigger, the P7 is better. The only flaw with the K9 is that nasty Kahr trigger.

On the other hand... the P7 is not a range gun. Neither is the Kahr, it gets hot too, but not nearly as hot as the P7. As a home defence gun either will do fine. It is easier and cheaper to get night sights on the Kahr.

My suggestion is that when you turn 21 buy a P7, as the prices are very good right now. Then immediatly start saving for your Kahr to celebrate your twentysecond b-day.

KahrK9andP7001.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Last edited:
All my HK buddies on HKPRO tell me that the PSP is about as perfect as a weapon can get. I held one at my FFL last night and it was comfortable...but they are just ugly as sin lol (ducking). I couldnt do it, especially with the weird mag release placement and decocker position, not to mention the grip slide release. I would say if its your only weapon than its probably ok, but if you are going to carry or shoot anything with different control levers and mag release its probably not a good idea.

P2000SK was more my speed.
 
I own both and feel that the P7/PSP is a better more accurate gun (crisp trigger), but the Kahr probably will need less service in the long run (decades).

P7s are comparable to well-tuned sports cars, take care of them and they are amazing, but kahrs are more like steel Glocks and can take more abuse.

Both are fine singlestack 9mm pistols.
 
I'm a very happy K9 owner. Having said that, the P7 is certainly the better gun. Better accuracy, trigger and overall refinement. I'd love to have one someday!:p

The K9 is no slouch though either. At half the price, you aren't giving up anything in reliability, just putting up with a DAO trigger and it's not an HK P7. K9's are pretty darn accurate in their own right too. Polymer Kahrs (esp. the little ones) have mixed reliability reviews, but not the all steel "K's".
 
Thank you everyone for the info.

Does anyone know the part counts of the K9 and the P7?

I think I can get a P7 PSP for around $800 and a K9 will cost about $700.
 
MEh the p7 is much more complex than the kahr with many more parts . A p7 would be like a rolex , a viper , a porche . Fine engineering without any parts breakage to speak of unless abused . The kahr is more like your old chevy suv ( or a glock ) in that you can bury it today in a ziplock , dig it up in 30 years and shoot . Neither condition should impact your choices . IMHO the Kahr is better for ccw , however you will ( again imho ) never have a chance to pick up a p7 at todays prices .. ( i have wanted one since they came out but because of the $$ verses other pistols never could/would get one ) get the p7 first and then get the kahr , 1911 , or whatever you desire that is still in production . I know your just starting out , and i know we want them all , but get what you cant next year to build a quality collection .
 
The P7 series is a lot more mechanically complicated then the KAHR series. I can't give an exact parts count, but you've got all the extra parts for the squeeze cocker for instance. If you take the grip panel off the P7 it looks like the innards of a clock inside.

Personally, I'd say try to shoot them both and buy the one you like best. I've owned several P7's and I finally just decided I didn't like them that much. Other's find them the perfect pistol, so YMMV.

Be aware that the P7 series is out of production and parts, especially for the PSP, are going to be harder to find and more expensive to buy as time goes on. This goes for simple things like magazines and grips as well as the more intricate internal parts.
 
Personally, I have to throw my vote out for the Kahr for defense and carry. Don't get me wrong, the HK is a GREAT gun that is certainly durable and reliable, but I think the squeeze cocker (which is somewhat stiff to operate) could put someone at a disadvantage in a SHTF situation. Specifically, if your hand was to become seriously injured, you may not be able to physically engage the squeeze cocker on the HK when you would otherwise be able to operate the Kahr. But, that doesn't mean I wouldn't still get the HK. As I said, it is a great gun.
 
I would get the P7 now before the prices go back up. I just got a nice grade B PSP for $599 delivered. I also just got a nice IWB holster for it and plan to carry it this winter.

The Kahr is easier to carry IMO, but the P7 has much better resale value if the P7 turns out not to be your cup of tea. (I know because I've sold a P7 and 2 Kahrs...I made money on the P7, lost money on the Kahrs).
 
I vote for the P7 PSP. The current batch of refurbs won't last forever, and when they're gone I think you'll see prices jump way up, so this is a great opportunity. It's a world class gun, really. If the Kahr is like a Ford the P7 is a BMW. There's nothing wrong with a Ford, they're good cars, but drive a BMW and ... ooh-la-la. You'll then understand.

The Kahr has it in 2 areas: price and weight. The P7 demands a good holster and gun belt if you're going to carry it all day. The P7 is superior in every other way--more accurate, better trigger, better quality feel, safer, more durable (except maybe the exterior finish, but that's easy to fix), more reliable, more natural pointing...

The one drawback to the P7, especially the PSP model, is that they get hot with extended shooting. I doubt you'll want to shoot more than 50-100 rounds at a time during practice without taking a break to let it cool down.
 
My Kahr K9 manual lists 44 parts. (grips listed as 1 pc)
My HK P7 manual lists 57 parts. (grips are 2 pcs)

Specifically, if your hand was to become seriously injured, you may not be able to physically engage the squeeze cocker on the HK when you would otherwise be able to operate the Kahr
Click to expand...

It takes about as much force to squeeze a Kahr trigger as it does to squeeze a P7 cocking lever. It isn't that hard.

K9 weighs 25 oz. unloaded
P7 weighs 28 oz.

Very close in size with the P7 being about 1/2 inch longer. As the P7 has a 4.1" barrel, (Vs. 3.5), this makes sense.

These guns are very similar in almost every respect. The Kahr is a bit smaller and lighter but not enough to really matter. The P7 has the superior trigger but in a adenaline rush it really wouldn't matter. Price is always important but here again they are not that far off unless your want a new gun...then price is a real issue. A new P7M8 will run around $1500...ouch.

I still think the used P7 PSP is the choice because they are so readily available right now. There are some great deals on these previously hard to get guns. Either gun will fullful the purpose and are good choices for CCW.

P.S. forgot one factor. Capacity. Eight plus one Vs. Seven plus one. Does that matter?
 
Last edited:
usp9 gave you a good answer. I will add my 2 cents.

I have both the P7 and the K9 both in blue finish. If I had to sell one today, it would be the K9, because the HK will only increase in value.

You don't say when you turn 21, but if it is in the near future, I am in the camp that suggests that you buy the P7 while they are available at reasonable prices.

IMO you are asking too much from one pistol. Are you suggesting that you will buy only one pistol for the rest of your life?

There have been some threads about one gun for most purposes, but your criteria is really extreme. In the long run you will not be satisfied with one pistol.

Buy a good .22 for the range like a Ruger MKII or III. You will save enough in ammo to justify the purchase. I always take my .22 to the range regardless of what other pistol is in the bag.

So buy that P7 and if you don't like it you can always get your money back and buy a .22 for the range, you won't be sorry.

I have several guns that I know will last a life time and will be passed on to my son and grandson, but they are not every day shooters. Be patient and build up your array of firearms that will meet every expectation.

Oh to be 21 again!
 
usp9: Thanks for all the info! I'm definitely starting to lean in the direction of the P7.

Capacity doesn't really matter to me (I intend to practice all the time with my carry gun).


poppy: I turn 21 in 2009, but I know an FFL that will hold whatever I buy until I'm 21 so I won't have to worry about the price going up.

It's not that I intend to only have one pistol (I already have a number of handguns in my parents names); I just want to buy the best that I can get.
 
I'm not an HK fanboy. As a matter of fact, my P7 is the only HK gun I ever liked, but I like it a LOT. I have no hard evidence, but I strongly suspect that the answers to your questions, in order, would be:

P7

P7

and

P7

Plus, the gun points well and has a much better trigger by any objective measure than the Kahr. It is seriously sweet. The downsides are:

cost

odd manual of arms (not a problem at all once you internalize it)

heat buildup during range shooting (not an issue for SD/CCW, but it is for practice).

If I could afford it, I'd get the P7 and not look back. The Kahr, however, is not a bad gun.

Mike
 
And yeah, P7/PSPs are cheap right now. If you want one, buy it NOW.

I prefer the P7/PSP to the P7M8. Dunno why, I just do.

Mike
 
Durability?

P7

Reliability?

P7

Longevity?

P7

I own both guns.

In fact I own three P7's at the moment [ two PSP's and an M8 ], having sold one to a friend and given one to another very good friend [ had 5 of them at one time :D].

Brownie
 
FWIW, this is just my experience, but hey, it's the only one I can directly draw upon... :D

I got a Kahr CW9 earlier this year. Bought it lightly used from a friend that I trust who said it functioned fine, etc. It did; functioned 100% with a variety of loads, it's light, concealed pretty well and wasn't a bad fit to my hand. Accuracy wasn't the greatest, but we're not talking riot gun buckshot patterns, either.

Then I got a P7 PSP. Immediately after shooting it for the first time, I got on the ball and got a second one while the getting's good.

The CW9 is now on consignment at the same gunshop where I got that first P7. They're THAT MUCH BETTER, IMHO.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

V
  • Locked
Need some advice on the H&K P7 Line up
Replies
22
Views
847
9mmepiphany
9mmepiphany
steven58
  • Locked
My New HK P7 PSP and Leather
Replies
14
Views
2K
Phonetic Diabetic
P
C
  • Locked
My "new" P7!
Replies
10
Views
2K
Sheslinger
S
M
  • Locked
p7 - review and video
Replies
21
Views
2K
MontanaBighorn
M
amprecon
  • Locked
3" S&W 64 or Kahr K9?
Replies
6
Views
851
Still Learning
S
Back
Top