If you like DAO, the Kahr's are decent little pistols. They seem to have worked out most of the early bugs, although some recent first-time purchasers have been relating what they feel to be quality control/cosmetic problems on some of the other forums. Simply based upon posted owner feedback, I suspect they're less prone to "voluntary upgrades", "precautionary upgrades", and "parts enhancement upgrades" than some other striker fired pistols only a little older ...
I only know a couple of people that own them, both carried for off duty purposes. One required some work by another armorer before it was reliable enough to complete a course of fire without malfunctioning in regard to feeding & chambering issues. I also suspect the smaller stature of the shooter, in the respect of grip strength & wrist stability, may also have contributed to the problem. Nice little 9mm, one of the blued versions ... heavy for its size & caliber, but nice.
The other one is a .40 S&W, don't remember the model, but the shooter wasn't satisfied with it for carry purposes until he'd received some stronger recoil springs to find the balance he preferred. Don't know what that means ...
I've owned a lot of S&W's, carried them for a while, and presently own a CS9. My CS9 is as accurate as my 3913, which means it'll allow me to shoot ordinary, narrow, wooden clothespins off the target boards fairly easily at 7-10 yards. I suspect the pistol is capable of much better accuracy, although I'm probably not up to it. The wide Novak Ghost Ring rear sight might make precision shooting more difficult than if I'd stayed with the standard 3-dot rear sight ... but I bought it for personal defense, not target shooting, and the faster sights are useful for that purpose. Later, I did experience a noticeable further increase of accuracy after the muzzle was crowned, and the chamber/barrel lead was "cleaned up", but it's still better than I am, unfortunately ...
The CS9 requires a short & chunky grip. The hammer spring is the shortest S&W uses at the moment, which lends itself to a heavier DA stroke than regular DAO afficionados often prefer. The short grip frame is covered by a thick Hogue grip, deliberately designed that way to help spread out and absorb the recoil of the 9mm in the little pistol. Lots of folks dislike the grip.
I'm still breaking mine in, as it's only had about 800+ rounds fired through it. No malfunctions. I've fired a broad range of 115gr, 147gr, 124gr+P, 115gr +P+ and 127gr +P+ through it. The higher pressure loads are a little bit sharper when it comes to perceived recoil, but only a little bit ... I also used both the standard 7-round magazines, and the 8-round 3913 magazines for spares on the range.
If you have the time, and inclination, to achieve reasonable skill at shooting a DA/SA pistol, and don't mind having a hammer which requires decocking, the CS9 is an excellent little pistol. If you want a pistol that's as simple to operate as a revolver, and which requires less manual of arms training for operation than a DA/SA pistol, the Kahr might be your choice.
Oh yeah ... S&W does have a lifetime warranty, and their Customer Service is widely regarded as among the best, if not the best, in the field ... regardless of how you view the "politics" of the previous owners & management ... if that subject arises.
I'm more interested in the products than the politics. If I was concerned about the politics of the various firearms manufacturers, and that of their countries of origin ... I probably wouldn't be able to buy any new firearms.
Rent both and fire at least 100 rounds of QUALITY factory ammunition through each of them ... not reloads. Eliminate any ammunition variables ...
You'll probably have a favorite ...
But if you ask my son...now almost 65 lbs and 9 yoa...recoil is just a way your gun tells you its working just fine...his favorite gun was my K40 Custom....and he did shoot it often and well....alone. With proper supervision...of course.
