Kahr MK9 Range Report (and Kahr pistols in general)

Tallball

Tallball

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Oct 2, 2014
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Kahr pistols are small single-stack semiautos chambered in 380acp, 9mm luger, 40 S&W, and 45acp. The small-capacity ones are very small for their caliber, and the polymer ones are very light. The shorter-gripped models are some of the smallest/lightest pistols available in their calibers.

If you like DA revolver triggers, you'll like the Kahr triggers. They're all the same: a long but smooth DA trigger that reminds people of a revolver. They don't have safeties, just the longish trigger pull. I like DA revolvers, so I like the Kahr triggers.

I like DA revolver triggers, I don't like safeties, and I like small/light pocket pistols. It's no surprise that I like Kahrs a lot. I'd have a lot more space available in my gun safe if I'd bought my first Kahr ten years ago instead of two years ago. :)

I bought my latest Kahr because it was stupid cheap. It's the fancy stainless steel model in 9mm. I won it for a bid of $340 on GB a couple of weeks ago. They're more like $800-something NiB, but Bubba had his way with this one. He made the slide all smooth and shiny. It's so shiny that you can literally see my face in the picture. It would have been the best mirror on Earth a few thousand years ago! Bubba also "stippled" the front of the grip with a sharp tool. Ouch. :(

I've been busy with refurbishing an old house, but I took the day off today to make a range trip. Here are my impressions of the Kahr MK9:

The MK9 is small, but heavy (25 oz). The frame and grip are stainless steel. It has a single-stack magazine that holds six rounds. The trigger isn't technically DAO, but pretty close (and that's what it feels like). The sights are good for a small pocket pistol.

Bubba even polished the slide serrations, and the Kahrs do have stiffer than average springs, so I expected racking the slide to be pretty bad. It was okay. Apparently my right hand is back to full strength. :)

It was pleasant to shoot. Even the polymer 9mm Kahrs aren't terrible, maybe because the bore axis is pretty low. The steel MK9 feels very mild for such a small 9mm pistol. I shot pistols for 90 minutes today, and I easily could have shot the MK9 that whole time. It didn't bother my hands at all. (90 minutes of PPK and both hands would have been covered with bandages.)

The sights are good and I like the Kahr trigger. As I got tired, the long trigger pull and short sight radius pulled a few of the shots kind of low, but overall I shot it just fine. More than good enough for SD. A few of the strings were downright decent.

The insides were in good order when I cleaned and inspected it last week, so I wasn't surprised when it shot 50+ rounds of mixed 115-grain range ammo with no malfunctions.

I think it's funny and cool to get a pistol for super cheap because Bubba got hold of it. This one will probably just be a range toy because of the (literally) "slippery slide", but it's a good shooter and I like it.

If a Kahr sounds like the kind of pistol you might like, I'd encourage you to try one. I've gotten to where I mostly just carry a revolver or a Kahr, and I have lots of other choices. :)

Kahr MK9.jpg

Kahr MK9.jpg

 
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I've had 5 Kahrs over the years, all good ones. Still have 2 and will probably never sell, though a serious health concern and crappy health insurance may force me to sell things I would never consider. Even my dead mothers and dead daughters jewelry. Thanks Obama!!! 🖕

The best of the bunch is a P9 that I modified the grip to take the PM9 6rd magazines. The 7rd mags have a reputation for shedding rounds due to an inadequate follower design. That has been addressed with the availability of steel followers. A tad pricy but worth it.

Then I got the slide/barrel assembly for TP9 to get the 4" barrel and sights. Kind of the poor mans Covert setup, the long way around.

Not long after all this I saw a factory new TP45 on sale at my LGS. The price was to-good-to-be-true so I asked about it. Owner said he couldn't get any intrest in it. I walked out with it for $185.00.

Took it home and it was bone dry. Racking the slide sounded like a creaky old gate in the wind. Ordered a new spring and guide rod, oiled it up. All good.

I shortened the grip on this one as well to take the smaller mags of the subcompact. I've always liked the 4" barrel on a short grip frame ever since Colt made a CCO .45. Commander slide on an officer frame.

At the time, maximum comcealment without sacrificing bullet velocity was my primary concern. So, thin, flat, smooth, short grip, 4" barrel fit the bill perfectly.

At the time, these two were just about as small as you could get with a decent barrel length. The P365XL and Hellcat crowd hadn't been made yet. So these were the best of the bunch that fit my personal requirements.

Kahr puts out a darn good gun in my opinion. A bit on the low capacity side, but great carry guns that shoot very well.

Tinman357.
 
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Tallball said:
Kahr pistols are small single-stack semiautos chambered in 380acp, 9mm luger, 40 S&W, and 45acp. The small-capacity ones are very small for their caliber, and the polymer ones are very light. The shorter-gripped models are some of the smallest/lightest pistols available in their calibers.
Click to expand...

A guy in another forum got himself a G42, so I did a comparison on handgunhero between it and my CM9. The CM9 is smaller.
Tallball said:
If you like DA revolver triggers, you'll like the Kahr triggers. They're all the same: a long but smooth DA trigger that reminds people of a revolver. They don't have safeties, just the longish trigger pull. I like DA revolvers, so I like the Kahr triggers.

I like DA revolver triggers, I don't like safeties, and I like small/light pocket pistols. It's no surprise that I like Kahrs a lot. I'd have a lot more space available in my gun safe if I'd bought my first Kahr ten years ago instead of two years ago. :)

I bought my latest Kahr because it was stupid cheap. It's the fancy stainless steel model in 9mm. I won it for a bid of $340 on GB a couple of weeks ago. They're more like $800-something NiB, but Bubba had his way with this one. He made the slide all smooth and shiny. It's so shiny that you can literally see my face in the picture. It would have been the best mirror on Earth a few thousand years ago! Bubba also "stippled" the front of the grip with a sharp tool. Ouch.

:(
Click to expand...

Nothing beadblasting or Cerakoting won't fix.
Tallball said:
I've been busy with refurbishing an old house, but I took the day off today to make a range trip. Here are my impressions of the Kahr MK9:

The MK9 is small, but heavy (25 oz). The frame and grip are stainless steel. It has a single-stack magazine that holds six rounds. The trigger isn't technically DAO, but pretty close (and that's what it feels like). The sights are good for a small pocket pistol.

Bubba even polished the slide serrations, and the Kahrs do have stiffer than average springs, so I expected racking the slide to be pretty bad. It was okay. Apparently my right hand is back to full strength. :)

It was pleasant to shoot. Even the polymer 9mm Kahrs aren't terrible, maybe because the bore axis is pretty low. The steel MK9 feels very mild for such a small 9mm pistol. I shot pistols for 90 minutes today, and I easily could have shot the MK9 that whole time. It didn't bother my hands at all. (90 minutes of PPK and both hands would have been covered with bandages.)

The sights are good and I like the Kahr trigger. As I got tired, the long trigger pull and short sight radius pulled a few of the shots kind of low, but overall I shot it just fine. More than good enough for SD. A few of the strings were downright decent.

The insides were in good order when I cleaned and inspected it last week, so I wasn't surprised when it shot 50+ rounds of mixed 115-grain range ammo with no malfunctions.

I think it's funny and cool to get a pistol for super cheap because Bubba got hold of it. This one will probably just be a range toy because of the (literally) "slippery slide", but it's a good shooter and I like it.

If a Kahr sounds like the kind of pistol you might like, I'd encourage you to try one. I've gotten to where I mostly just carry a revolver or a Kahr, and I have lots of other choices. :)
Click to expand...
I'm contemplating getting myself set up to actually be able to carry the CM9. (It was used "steal of a deal" at a local place, last year sometime.)
 
nofendertom said:
Check with Kahr about getting a new slide and switch the innards over.
Click to expand...
They list them right on their website. Mot so cheap, though.

I was looking for something Kahr related on ebay last night, and saw a bunch of populated slides (ie. with parts except barrel and recoil assembly).
 
Like Lee says, find a beadblaster. Most any gunsmith has one, and it’d be way cheaper especially if you do the full slide tear down yourself. I have a PM9 and P380.
 
I find that I don't carry my Kahr CM9 much even though it is a very nice gun. My DB9 is smaller and lighter (and not built as nicely as the CM9) so I usually carry it instead. I do carry my CM45 a fair amount. The CM45 is the smallest 45 acp I could find. It is a fair bit smaller than my XDs in .45acp. I wish I had purchased a CM40 instead of the CM9. The CM40 is the smallest / lightest 40 S&W that I am aware of.

Basically I like the carry the largest round in the smallest package that is 100% reliable. My 2 Kahrs have been 100% reliable.

I actually have a third Kahr in 50AE but I don't carry it much due to its size.
 
I really liked the CW9 I had! Very shootable, buttery smooth trigger, but worst mags I have ever seen... Had some that the button fell out of the follower, rounds would self eject into my pocket, the fit was terrible, they could use some refining.
 
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I have owned three and currently still have one.

The first two were a K40 then a K9. I traded off the K40 for the K9 just trying to consolidate calibers. Both were 100% reliable and felt so good in my hand, almost like an extension of my hand. Ergos could not have been better. But darn if I could not shoot them well. They were accurate enough, but not quite as accurate as I wanted them to be.

Now I have a CW45 that I bought cheap. According to the receipt in the box the original owner bought it in 2009. When I first took it to the range it malfunctioned a bit so I good cleaning an now other than the occasional light primer strike it fires just fine. I bought a new recoil spring for it but I cannot for the life of me get it in the gun. Not impressed by that but we will see. It is by far the most accurate of the three and I really like the .45acp so its on the keep list.
 
I had an MK9 for a couple years. I intended for it to me by CCW gun, but found after about a year of carry I just didn't "love it". Still, it was a nice gun and Tallball's points are all spot on, my issues with it were mostly around I've found I just prefer to carry revolvers.

On my example at least, the slide was very easy to manipulate, especially compared to a buddy's CM9 and PM9 I've shot (those were both pretty stiff, which Kahr is known for).

Kahr.jpg
 
My first poly pistol was a used Kahr CW9. I actually bought it with the intention of hating it, hating poly, hating the 9mm... but in reality I fell in love with the silly thing. After proving it's reliability, it became my primary carry piece. I was soon after stolen out of my pickup truck, and I had to settle for a new CM9 to replace it. While the CM9 is handy, it IS small... and I don't really shoot it that well, not when compared to the CW9. After that, I picked up a total of 4 more CW9's... one had issues so I traded it off, one I gifted to my brother, and I still have the other 2. More good news... I finally got my original CW9 back, from Dallas County. It was recovered shortly after it was stolen, during a crime, of course. Took me nearly 8 years to finally get it back... but even better, it was basically unmolested. The Kahr I gave my brother? Well, his wife shot it, and now SHE carries it... and my brother is back to carrying the Colt's Government .380 I used to carry, prior to my Kahr. Anyway...

I think the 9mm Kahrs are the very sweet spot in the Kahr lineup. Good size, reasonable capacity, 9mm power, good reliability. I have not owned or shot a .380 or .40 Kahr, I have mixed feelings about them and am happy with my 9's. I have had 2 .45 Kahrs... a P45, and a CW45. Neither of the pistols did well... the P45 was short chambered, the CW45 had ammo reliability issues, neither fit my hand well... so off they went. In fact, I traded the P45 for another used CW9 and a bunch of magazines.

I also have my CM9, and I picked up a used PM9 some years ago. Both are still a little small in my hand, so I only carry them when absolute concealment is an issue. Normally, they travel as my backup gun, or in my BOB when I'm traveling. The nice thing is all my Kahrs take the same holsters, and can use the same magazines (with the exception of the 6rd CM/PM magazines in the larger CW frame, of course.) The same manual of arms, the same ammunition, the same trigger.

A K9 is pretty high on my To Do list... everyone that has (or had) one, gushes about it. They are expensive, so it's very likely I'll just keep looking for a nice, used example that's got some shelf dust on it from setting, and make my bid.


Bubba work aside, nice score! Not a fan of the shiny slide... but I'll bet you can fix that pretty easily. I've always thought the Kahr was an easy shooter, and I agree on the PPK... my hand would be pounded into putty after a few hundred rounds of that!
 
If youre going to tone down the slide, you might want to try some grey Scotchbrite pads. They work great at cleaning up and matching S&W stainless to a factory look, and I'll bet they will get you pretty close to the matte stainless of the Kahr.

A bead blast will do a proper job of it, but youll want to do the slide, frame, and small parts together if youre going to do it right.
 
trackskippy said:
If youre going to tone down the slide, you might want to try some grey Scotchbrite pads. They work great at cleaning up and matching S&W stainless to a factory look, and I'll bet they will get you pretty close to the matte stainless of the Kahr.

A bead blast will do a proper job of it, but youll want to do the slide, frame, and small parts together if youre going to do it right.
Click to expand...

TY for that excellent advice. I'm probably not willing to pay to have a Bubba(ed) range toy refinished, but I'm definitely willing to rub on it with a pad when I'm watching football. Appreciate it! :)
 
Along with the gray Scotchbrite pad, There's another technique I've used to get a more uniform and slightly duller finish.

After using the Scotchbrite pad to dull the finish, "stroke" the pad along the length of the slide to give it a uniform grain.
Put the stripped part in a sink and mix up a thick paste of kitchen cleansing powder. Use a brass toothbrush and the paste to scrub the metal.
This will blend the finish and make it a little duller.
 
Tinman357 said:
I've had 5 Kahrs over the years, all good ones. Still have 2 and will probably never sell, though a serious health concern and crappy health insurance may force me to sell things I would never consider. Even my dead mothers and dead daughters jewelry. Thanks Obama!!! 🖕

The best of the bunch is a P9 that I modified the grip to take the PM9 6rd magazines. The 7rd mags have a reputation for shedding rounds due to an inadequate follower design. That has been addressed with the availability of steel followers. A tad pricy but worth it.

Then I got the slide/barrel assembly for TP9 to get the 4" barrel and sights. Kind of the poor mans Covert setup, the long way around.

Not long after all this I saw a factory new TP45 on sale at my LGS. The price was to-good-to-be-true so I asked about it. Owner said he couldn't get any intrest in it. I walked out with it for $185.00.

Took it home and it was bone dry. Racking the slide sounded like a creaky old gate in the wind. Ordered a new spring and guide rod, oiled it up. All good.

I shortened the grip on this one as well to take the smaller mags of the subcompact. I've always liked the 4" barrel on a short grip frame ever since Colt made a CCO .45. Commander slide on an officer frame.

At the time, maximum comcealment without sacrificing bullet velocity was my primary concern. So, thin, flat, smooth, short grip, 4" barrel fit the bill perfectly.

At the time, these two were just about as small as you could get with a decent barrel length. The P365XL and Hellcat crowd hadn't been made yet. So these were the best of the bunch that fit my personal requirements.

Kahr puts out a darn good gun in my opinion. A bit on the low capacity side, but great carry guns that shoot very well.

Tinman357.
Click to expand...
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I’ve got them in my PM9 both 6 round and 7 round and my P380 same. Be warned, some Kahr models are not in stock right now. They add one round capacity to each mag.

These feed great. I was having some issues with the P380 not wanting to lock back, and that has gone away.
 
FWIW, I have five right now: PM9, MK9, PM40, MK40, CM45.

The 40's are the tiniest bit larger than the nines, but they can use the same holsters.

The 9mm's are NBD to shoot, for me. The MK9 is even pleasant.

The steel 40 is also okay to shoot. Kinda exciting. I couldn't shoot the polymer 40 for a year while my broken hand was healing. I can shoot it okay now, but it does sting a bit.

The 45 is easy to shoot. It's larger and I can get all three fingers on the grip NP. The recoil is NBD. The larger size obviously helps, and Kahrs do have a low bore axis.

When I run across the smaller 380 (CW380?) for a good price I'll buy one. Might as well have the complete set. :)

The owner of my LGS sold this one to me for what he had in it, because it wouldn't move. The stainless ones are very nice pistols... if Bubba doesn't get to them.

KahrMK40

KahrMK40

 
I have an MK9 I've carried daily for 16+ years. Was the only all stainless 9mm in that size at the time. Think it probably still is. Not a fan of plastic guns. Although the SIG 365 is tempting me. My MK9 is extremely well made/machined. long trigger pull, as many have mentioned, but butter smooth. I have found that my trigger control/awareness improves after shooting it and it actually helps my accuracy when I shoot other pistols after the Kahr. You definitely got it for a steal! 16 years ago I paid $750 for mine new. I wish they would bring out an all steel version that would hold a higher capacity double staggered mag such as the SIG 365. Probably not to happen.
 
Tallball said:
Kahr pistols are small single-stack semiautos chambered in 380acp, 9mm luger, 40 S&W, and 45acp. The small-capacity ones are very small for their caliber, and the polymer ones are very light. The shorter-gripped models are some of the smallest/lightest pistols available in their calibers.

If you like DA revolver triggers, you'll like the Kahr triggers. They're all the same: a long but smooth DA trigger that reminds people of a revolver. They don't have safeties, just the longish trigger pull. I like DA revolvers, so I like the Kahr triggers.

..

I bought my latest Kahr because it was stupid cheap. It's the fancy stainless steel model in 9mm. I won it for a bid of $340 on GB a couple of weeks ago. They're more like $800-something NiB, but Bubba had his way with this one. He made the slide all smooth and shiny. It's so shiny that you can literally see my face in the picture. It would have been the best mirror on Earth a few thousand years ago! Bubba also "stippled" the front of the grip with a sharp tool. Ouch. :(

...

It was pleasant to shoot. Even the polymer 9mm Kahrs aren't terrible, maybe because the bore axis is pretty low. The steel MK9 feels very mild for such a small 9mm pistol. I shot pistols for 90 minutes today, and I easily could have shot the MK9 that whole time. It didn't bother my hands at all. (90 minutes of PPK and both hands would have been covered with bandages.)

The sights are good and I like the Kahr trigger. As I got tired, the long trigger pull and short sight radius pulled a few of the shots kind of low, but overall I shot it just fine. More than good enough for SD. A few of the strings were downright decent.

....

If a Kahr sounds like the kind of pistol you might like, I'd encourage you to try one. I've gotten to where I mostly just carry a revolver or a Kahr, and I have lots of other choices. :)
Click to expand...

I did finally get around to trying carrying my CM9. And, concluded it would be difficult for me to belt carry. Worn in a belt holster, the CM9 grip is just too small for me to reliably draw. The CM9's niche is pocket carry. It's only a hair larger than the LCP, and does everything better. I can actually shoot the CM9 for fun, and for accuracy (unlike the LCP).

Perhaps the next size up, the CW9, would work. Perhaps I won't worry about it.

Tallball said:
Kahr MK9.jpg

Kahr MK9.jpg

Click to expand...
Any idea what that baseplate extension is? I have one 6 round magazine with that.
 
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My go to carry gun is a P9 in a cheap kydex IWB holster. I’ve tried other pistol/holster combos but the Kahr is the favorite. Went to Cabelas a few years back to handle a wide variety of smaller guns and the feel of the Kahr was a huge standout. Then I ordered from my local shop. Plus I’ve never had a issue with it.
 
Sounds like you may be running a straight holster. I’d recommend you get a canted or FBI cant holster. It gives you more room to get a good grip before you draw.
 
@lee n. field I ordered that little pinky extension from Amazon or Midway... one of the obvious places like that. It just replaces the baseplate. My hands are XXL and I can't control tiny 9mm pistols very well without my pinky, so all of my "micro nines" have a pinky extension. It adds about 1/2" to the front of the baseplate. Since the back of the baseplate is still flush, there's no issue with snagging. It definitely helps me shoot them better, and it improves my draw, too. :)
 
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