Kahr PM9 pros and cons........

[JERRY]

im considering this as a BUG. ive learned that Kahr has changed their life time warranty to a 5 year warranty. why? are they putting crap out the door and having to eat it on warranty claims?


if you have one, not the mk9, pr the p9, or the k9, but IF you have or had the PM9, what is your take on it?


thanks for any fair and non bashing responses....

 

[Lou22]

I bought a PM9 last year. This is the first I've heard of the warranty change. I can't complain about my PM9. After the 200-round break-in, the performance has been flawless. Very good DAO trigger. Considering I have been taking it to the range only every 3 months or so, I get 3-4 inch groups at 21 feet, which I consider quite acceptable for self defense. The group expands a bit when I shoot the Ranger 115gr +P+, which is what I normally carry. That level of power makes for a snappy but managable recoil.

I heard some PM9 owners have experienced peening on part of the barrel. I examined mine and haven't seen any yet, after about 800 rounds.

Lou

 

[FLCLIFF]

I like mine. Accurate at close range (up to 25 feet), no failures to feed, very concealable and light weight. I'd recommend it.I carry Corbon Powerball in mine.

 

[JERRY]

whats with the peening issue? ive heard about it in limited discussion.

is it prone to any PM9 or just to a few early production guns?

what bugs are there typically with this gun? also, whats been done by the company to work them out? will i be stuck with a $40.00 shipping charge when i have to send the gun in for warranty work?

how does the company stand behind their product? customer service is what?

 

[GrandmasterB]

I'm very happy with my PM9 as a carry gun. The trigger reset is quite long, but the gun is reliable and easy to carry in a pocket. I carry mine in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster. It conceals as well or better than most .380's.

I have never had a jam or problem of any kind with mine. I too have heard about the barrel peening, but understand this was with some early guns and has been addressed in the newer models and is no longer an issue.

Recoil can be a bit snappy with +P rounds, but nothing unmanageable.

 

[Brass Balls]

Mine has been reliable with Gold Dots. If I take my time it is combat accurate enough for me to qualify with it at 25 yards. I really can't comment on how long it will last. I rarely carry it and rarely shoot it.

When I need something small though it gets the nod and I like not having to drop below 9mm just to have a small gun.

 

[Harold Mayo]

Had a PM9 but ended up ditching it for a P9. No problems with reliability or anything else but it was just too small for me. Some people say that the size doesn't matter, that you aren't buying it to shoot but to carry. I say otherwise. If you ever NEED to use it, then you need to be able to use it well and that means shootability. Mine was fine in terms of accuracy and reliability but it just didn't measure up in terms of controllability when compared to the P9.

Overall, I would rather have a slightly larger gun that I can shoot better and conceal almost as well then a gun that conceals well but is a little more difficult to shoot.

 

[mdao]

whats with the peening issue? ive heard about it in limited discussion.

Kahr let a batch of guns out with bad barrels. The steel for the barrel was softer than it should have been, so the barrel hood would deform and cause the gun to malfunction. My particular PM9 had this issue and would seize up ever time I shot it. The problem appeared after ~ 200 rds. I sent it back into Kahr, and it worked great after they replaced the barrel. The early guns did not have this issue, and the latest guns no longer have this issue.

Other than that, it's reliable, accurate, and a great pocket gun; if pocket carry works for you. It didn't for me, so I traded it. In any carry mode other than pocket, I find that my CW9 and S&W 3914 conceal just as easily.

My experiences with customer service at Kahr has been good. But both my PM9 and CW9 had to take trips back to the Kahr factory, so I guess my experience with Kahr QC has been pretty bad.

 

[loki.fish]

I haven't reached my 200rd breakin yet, so my problem might go away after the breakin. But I have issues with the last round in the mag not wanting to load. Maybe a bad spring...but both mags that came with the gun do the same thing. Who knows....not me. No way to take it apart as they're all metal and welded shut. I don't like the recoil on them....I have better luck controlling my D.E. .50, could just be I'm not used to the small size of the gun yet though.

 

[Jiml3]

My experience with mine has been 100% positive. My only complaint was with the polymer grip. Because the gun tends to be a bit snappish, it twists in your hand. I purchased a "A -grip" which is a warp around felt grip. I applied it with a little trimming and now it feels fine. You can get it at Brownells.

 

[Tequila jake]

Kahr PM9 - Charging Chamber from the Magazine

The only problem I have with mine is that it won't always pick up the first round out of a magazine by pulling back the slide and releasing it. When I lock the slide back, insert the magazine, then hit the slide release lever there is no problem.

There are no FTFs or FTEs when firing it, so I don't know if it's worth sending it back to Kahr to have this problem fixed.

Tequila Jake

 

[warmrain]

Kahr could never make my PM9 or PM40 run so I got rid of them both cheap and wnt back to my flawless 8 year old MK9 which has never once had a malfunction of any kind.

The only disadvantage for pocket carry over the PM9 is the weight. It is more reliable and has better fit and finish than the PM9. It does not suffer the barrel peening issues and always chambers the initial round.

 

[JERRY]

i had a mk9 and later a k9, both have moved on......the weight was what got me.....if worn on a belt, i will move to a larger gun altogether.

i may hold out for the new kel-tec slim line 9mm......

 

[warmrain]

Ditto that Jerry,

I bought the PMs in order to pocket carry. The MK9 is too heavy for me to do that so it is now a belt pistol.

 

[Abner]

JERRY,

I have a PM9 with about 600 rounds through it. I pocket carry. Compared to the S&W 642 .38 that it replaced it is:
1. more accurate for me
2. has less felt recoil, the 642 hurts my hand
3. sights are much better and it has night sights as well
4. more rounds in gun, easier to reload.

It's very sensitive to limp wristing which I, apparently, am very prone to. Mine has only been 100% with the 115gr Silvertip/USA bullet style.

You will have to pay to ship it back to Kahr for the first visit. That is normal for most manufs I think. The PM9 isn't the only model with the peening issue. Perhaps that's why the warranty has changed. Maybe most users won't experience the problem in the first 5 years due to low round count. Then it happens...

Anyway, mine is showing signs of peening but hasn't malfunctioned yet.
Adam

 

[ABBOBERG]

As far as the PM9 picking up the first round in the mag, I also have that problem. I have had the magazine replaced but it still didn't fix it. In my case, this problem causes the slide to lock up tight on the first round. I have to pull the mag out with lots of effort to get the round loose. BTW this problem only comes up when I carry the gun a bit. I think it is because the hollow point rounds can float in the mag more, allowing rim lock to occur.
Because of this problem I no longer carry this gun since I can't trust it. I think the PM9 is best suited for the range, where you are constantly loading fresh mags, and where most people say they are shooting hundreds of rounds with no hiccups......

 

[warmrain]

ABBOBERG,

Do you mean picking up the "next" round upon firing the first round or do you mean it won't chamber the initial round (manually). If the former you have a problem that is uncommon. The latter is a common problem and can be solved by:

1. chambering the initial round by dropping the slide with the slide stop.
2. polishing the feed ramp and practicing until you can do it.

Kahr recommends #1

I choose #2

#2 can be done with practice. You must rack very vigerously and slip off the back of the slide. Start by yanking so hard you end uphitting yourself in the chest...