Just bought Kahr. What to look out for?

[19-3Ben]

I've fallen in love with the idea of the Kahr K40.

Went into the funshop today and fondled one from the 'used' cabinet. Felt awesome in the hand, trigger was smooth, etc... it confirmed my gut feelings about it.
I committed to buy it. Going in tomorrow to pick it up for $417. Just the gun and one (factory) mag.

It looks barely used. I didn't actually open it up (which is stupid. i always field strip a used gun before buying) but upon racking the slide back, I didn't see any peening on the guide rod or barrel that I have heard about.

On the other hand, the pistol looks like it's barely been shot. Since this will be a carry gun, it's obviously going to get the break in of 200 rounds of range ammo + carry ammo.

I know some people have had problems with Kahr reliability and QC consistency, so my question is, what sorts of other stuff do I have to look out for?
Anything I've missed so far?

P.S.- I'm very excited. This thing is in amazing condition and I LOVE the weight and feel of it.

 

[Sgt. Stiglitz]

Lube it well. Follow the break in. Watch reinstalling the slide stop, don't bugger up the small spring. Reassemble the recoil spring correctly. I got the PM9 and love it. Oh, and they need to feed from the magazine, no dropping the first round into the chamber.......

"That is part of the design. Our pistols need to be loaded from the mag or you can blow out the extractor. Please email mail me back if you have any other questions."

Ian Burr

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=477491

 

[sprocket3]

I would be real concerned with a used one. My father has one (not sure of the model) that is lucky to feed 10 rounds without a jam. Some ammo seems worse than others but i'm used to guns that never jam and paying that kind of money I don't expect to have feeding issues.

 

[RedAlert]

Despite Sproket's comments, a Kahr is a fine weapon. Do us and yourself, read the user's manua completely and diligently follow the instructions. As mentioned above, it must feed rounds from the mag. Also, don't rack and release the slide to load the round. Use the slide release/stop lever to feed from the mag. Then drop the mag and replace the round fed into the chamber.
Use a firm grip and enjoy the hell out of it!

Ralph

 

[dogtown tom]

sprocket3: I would be real concerned with a used one...

Bought three of my four Kahrs used: K9, CW9 and PM9. All have been perfect since day one.

 

[usp9]

what sorts of other stuff do I have to look out for?

Before disassembling... CLEAR the GUN, because you have to pull the trigger to remove the slide.

The K series are a little frustrating to disassemble until you get the hang of it. I find the easiest way to hold the slide open at the correct spot is to make, whittle, shape or cut, something to place into the ejection port to hold it open, while you "tap" the slide stop pin out. Not all Kahrs disassemble the same. Read the manual.

There are a billions youtube vids...some of them good. The Kahr site also has good videos to watch.

Here's the handy lube chart. I use some grease on the rails too. Your gun isn't polymer, but most of this applies.



Enjoy your new .40...be safe.

 

[m2steven]

I have 2 Kahrs and i've never had a problem. However, once you get it you'll notice that they are high tolerance pieces of equipment. Certain non high tolerance (yes, even really expensive personal protection ammo which may be larger or smaller than standard) may not cycle well in the pistol. Every cheap range ammo I can find plus winchester hollow points cycle in my 9mm Kahrs and a box of 20 powerball all cycle perfectly.

Keep it clean and lubed and enjoy one of the finest pistols out there.

 

[distra]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=493083

another thread of interest. My P45 had trigger reset troubles out of the box and had to be sent back to Kahr for repair. It was fixed, but I never shot it real well so I sold it off. The K series is supposed to have less issues than the P, but that's hearsay. My P45 did chew up the guide rod which I replaced with a stainless steel one. Good luck with the K40, hope it works well for you. BTW, I'm heading to the range tomorrow with the M&P9c to put some rounds down range.

 

[StrikeFire83]

I'm getting rid of a Kahr PM9 pretty soon, but not because of reliability. I had a few hiccups within the break in period, but afterward no problems with feed or function. I just can't get used to the trigger or score good groups with the thing, and other guns are a more natural fit for me.

I also had a Kahr K9 that I bought used and put a large number of trouble free rounds through. I ended up selling it because it was too big and heavy to serve its purpose, but the function was flawless.

 

[ATW525]

so my question is, what sorts of other stuff do I have to look out for?

The main thing you have to look out for is more Kahrs. They have a nasty habit of popping up when you least expect it and the next thing you know you're trying to explain to your SO why the bank account is empty.

 

[dogtown tom]

ATW525 Quote:

so my question is, what sorts of other stuff do I have to look out for?

The main thing you have to look out for is more Kahrs. They have a nasty habit of popping up when you least expect it and the next thing you know you're trying to explain to your SO why the bank account is empty.

Ain't that the truth!

I'll definitely add a T9 and a Mk9 in the future. I'm also looking to get the Kahr P180 (Kahr's answer to the Ruger LCP180): http://www.realguns.com/archives/192.htm

 

[19-3Ben]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'm excited to get it.

I'll see what happens when I get it to the range next week. It seems like diligent cleaning and lubing is going to be key in smooth operation. Totally not used to that. The other carry gun is my Ruger SP101. You couldn't stop that from working if you hit it with a sledge hammer! I'll also be careful to load the mag and then hit the slide release to chamber a round. I'm accustomed to pulling back the slide and letting go with my M&P.

No worries about the SO. She already has an MK9 picked out as the CCW that she wants. She says it's the 'prettiest' of all the really small guns. Whatever gets her to carry is fine by me.

 

[NWCP]

Get to know your pistol, keep it well lubed, clean and talk to it nicely. ;-) I've had zero issues with my Kahr PM9. In my opinion they make the best DAO trigger on the market.

 

[Dr_2_B]

ummm, waiting for the pics...

 

[19-3Ben]

Don't you know, good things come to those who wait.

First a couple pics disassembled. I'm pretty happy. the thing looks almost like new.




I'm going to guess that a lot of the rubbing on the barrel is actually from me playing with the gun in the last 24 hours.


Now the Outside. Notice the lack of holster wear or for that matter.... any wear.




All in all, I'm very very happy for $417. I can't believe I got it for so little in this condition.
Now I'm just waiting on my order of .40cal ammo to show up so I can go testfire. I ordered 200 rounds of FMJ 165gr, and 180gr (100 of each). As well as some 165gr Gold Dots that I'd use for carry. I'll keep you updated.

Edit:
Pics fixed.

 

[usp9]

Help! I'm blind, I'm blind!!

 

[19-3Ben]

You can see again!

It's a Christmas miracle!

Fixed the photobucket links.

 

[usp9]

Looks like it came in a non-Kahr case, (nothing wrong with that...looks like a S&W blue box). Did you get the manual with it? If not you can get one downloaded from the Kahr web site.

Nice looking gun. Appears well cared for and shot little. Good price too. Enjoy and be safe.

 

[19-3Ben]

Good spot!!!

It did not originally come with a case. The guy was nice and threw the S&W case for free.

And yeah, no instructions. Already downloaded them. Reading them tonight. Nice thing about being Jewish. Christmas is a day off to get stuff done!

 

[chris in va]

$417, makes me sick. I paid $600 for a 'special edition' K9 with the black carbon slide and stainless frame. Has the NYPD trigger which is somewhat longer in pull compared to yours. The gun shop wanted over $700 for a normal K9 'elite'.




I really think you'll enjoy it. I'm still amazed how recoil is more of a snap back than a flip up with the bore axis being lower.

My friend likes mine so much she wants one of her own now. Those CW9's look mighty attractive at the price. Too bad they don't make a K or T45.

 

[usp9]

My first Kahr, a well used K9, also with the original trigger, in all black finish. A great carry gun.



My newest Kahr...another K9 but this one has the elite trigger, which I prefer, night sights, which my older eyes prefer, and complete with a Crimson Trace laser. Just barely broken in but proving to be just as good as the first K9. I got a good deal on this setup at less than $600

 

[Sgt. Stiglitz]

I bought my fisrt Kahr PM 9 off Gun Broker. I wanted the .380 but the prices were out of site and the bidding was wild. I found a nice new PM-9 with night sights and bid $675.00 on it and won.
(Ending Date: 09/07/2009 12:48:15 PM Quantity Won: 1 Winning Bid: $675.00 (per item)) With a retail price for a Black polymer frame, matte stainless slide with Tritium night sights MSRP: $908.00, I couldn't complain. The trigger took a bit to get used to, but after some range time and lots of dry firing, I got the hang of it. These groups are at 10yds.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=476934


Kahr PM 9 MM Second time at the Range

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Took the Kahr PM 9 MM to the range today again to try out some different 9 MM Loads I have at home as well as some reloads.

I chrono'd some Hirtenberger 9mm 100 gr Truncated Soft Ponts, Federal 115Gr JHP's, Federal Premium Hydra-Shock 124 Gr JHP's and some Winchester Ranger SXT 127Gr +P+ JHP's. Below are some photos of the groups at 10 yards and chrono data. The Ranger +P+ felt the hottest and gave a good jolt. You know you were shooting something but it was controllable non the less. The Kahr is real easy to shoot, recoil is NOT a problem even with +P's. Chrono data out of the PM 9 3" Barrel below:


Hirtenberger 9mm 100gr. Truncated Soft Ponts Kahr PM 9 MM 3" Barrel:
1101 fps
1192 1192
1200 1200
1186 1186
1163

Federal 115Gr +P+ JHP's Kahr PM 9 MM 3" Barrel (Federal 9BPLE):
1085 fps
1165 1184
1131 1168
1163

Winchester Ranger SXT 127Gr +P+ JHP's: Kahr PM 9 MM 3" Barrel:
1190 fps
1160 1124
1158 1139
1140

Remington Golden Sabre 124 Gr JHP's +P.
1024 fps
1064
1017
1044
999
1076

Out of the 2 1/4 " Barrel S&W 940 Federal 115Gr +P+ JHP's ran:
1198 fps
1196
1172
1191
1191

As a control I shot the Winchester Ranger STX 127Gr +P+ JHP's out of a S&W Model 39-2 with a 4" Barrel:
1258 fps
1262 1256
1244 1237
1242


Cast Lead Round Nose with 4.5Grs. Unique ran around 1050 fps and shot pretty well in the Polygonal rifling of the Kahr PM 9 MM. No Problems with leading. My barrel showed a little wear like yours, but a few minutes on the buffer wheel with some buffing compound took care of that.

 

[19-3Ben]

I'm liking the Kahr lovin' going on here!

I totally agree about a K45. I would sell my K40 to get a K45 in a heartbeat. I've thought that from the moment they first introduced the P45. I thought "they shoulda introduced it in steel. Everybody loves a steel .45acp pistol."

Although I have to say, the CW45 is awfully tempting. For the price I don't think there is another .45 on the market that can come anywhere close in terms of size and weight.
If it turns out that I don't like the feel of the K40 at the range or something, I'll sell it (probably even make a little profit) and buy a brand new CW45 with the money.

USP9- less than $600 for the K9 Elite WITH CT grips? You stole that thing! I would love a setup like that. Nothing to do with age! I'm 25.

 

[19-3Ben]

Sgt. those are some impressive numbers. I wonder if it's the polygonal rifling that gives it the slight edge in velocity to compensate for such a short barrel.

 

[Jim PHL]

I had a Kahr K40 and loved it. At the time I sold it I had just "discovered" the 1911 and wanted a compact 1911 for carry. I didn't get rid of it due to any failings of it. The K40 is still a gun I would recommend to anyone as a carry gun. Great ergonomics, carries very easily (slim) and is controllable and accurate launching them .40's. My only advice for you is to learn to stroke that trigger rather than trying to 'stage' it.