Kahr PM9 Range Report

[Michael_2112]

Hello Everyone,

Well I just recently purchased the little Kahr in the hopes that it will fill a spring and summer CCW role. I had the oppurtunity to take the little fella out to the range yesterday....and although early on in it's life, I am very pleased thus far.

So here a few observations:

Fit and Finish:

Fantastic is all I can say. The overall appearence of this pistol is near flawless. I have heard in the past that this was not really the case with the Kahr poly line...but I think Kahr must have really stepped it up a notch in the QC department. It is possible that my specimen is the exception though. I will say right out of the box this pistol is extremely tight. It was difficult to even rack the slide. More on this later though!

To The Range:

I was able to get to the range yesterday (thank goodness I did) because I was so eager to give the PM9 a little workout. I was able to fire 240 rounds through the little guy. 200 rounds of Win white box and 40 rounds of hydra-shoks. In all 240 rounds I experienced 0 malfunctions of any kind, not even a hiccup. I was expecting a lot more recoil from this pistol, and it was a little snappy, but nothing substantial. To be honest, I think my .380 (blowback) has more noticable recoil then the PM9. The trigger is a little long, but very smooth and really quite impressive after you get used to it. I believe that all of the PM series pistols have the Elite trigger in them, not sure though. I was shooting off-hand at 12 yards and after the first few magazines I was able to put almost all of the rounds in about a 2.5" group. I'm sure this pistol is capable of better, because I am really not a very good shooter yet. So in other words, this pistol can certainly outshoot me, which doesnt take much. Plus, for it's intended purpose as a self-defense pistol, doesnt really need to be able to shoot like a target pistol.

Overall thoughts:

The only thing I was concerned with in the beginning was if this pistol would loosen up, and after 240 rounds its starting to. So I'm sure with another couple hundred rounds it will be just about right. So this I would imagine is just normal break-in for the PM9. I cleaned it really well both before and after my range session, it is really easy to break down. No wear after 240 rounds, nor should there be....but worth making note of. For such a tiny pistol, it really fits my medium-large hands well. The PM9 seems to be really well built. I paid $459 out the door, which I think was a very fair price. I also feel (as long as it continues to perform the way it has) this will be a really fantastic pistol for it's intended purpose (CCW). I can't wait to get a few more hundred rounds through this pistol, so I can start carrying it.

Now I just got to get a good pocket holster, and IWB holster for it, and I will be a very happy man.

Kinda makes me wonder why I still have my .380? With the Kahr I'm getting a 9mm which is a better cartridge as well as being much cheaper to shoot, in a smaller and lighter package. Hmmmm????


Anyways, just my initial thoughts on the PM9, so take it for what its worth! Sorry to many of you who had to read through my ramblings.

Thanks,

~Michael

 

[gau5]

Michael
my experience mirrors yours.
My PM9 is 3 days old, 200 rds fired with 100% reliability. Ficcochi ball, Fed nyclad, Fed 115+p+, Gold Dot 125+p and Geco ball
My only dissappointment so far is the accuracy. First the ft sight was loose and slid around every shot, but even after fixing that, I still can't achive groups to equal my P9. My P9 shoots 3" groups@25 yds EASY, the MP9 works hard to get 8" groups. Kahr says it should do better and I hope so.
Love this gun
here are some velocitys measured by another party
MK9 3.0 barrel
Federal 124+p+.........1063A = 311 fpe
CorBon 125jhp.........1213A = 408 fpe
Federal 115+p+.........1186A = 360 fpe
Winchester 127+p+....1160A = 379 fpe
Remington 115+p+.....1270A = 411 fpe

 

[gbelleh]

I also recently got a PM9 that has performed well. I only had 2 very minor problems early in the break-in. Both were while shooting Hydra-Shoks. First problem was a round got stuck going into the chamber for about half a second, then chambered on its own. The second problem was also with Hydra-Shoks, the slide didn't go fully into battery, but a slight tap on the back of the slide fixed it . Since then, it has had no problems.

I have about 500 rounds through mine and it has loosened up a lot since it was new.

Michael_2112,
That is a GREAT price for a PM9. They normally go for $100 to $200 more around here!

 

[mini14jac]

I have really enjoyed my PM9.
Almost 300rds so far, and no jams.

Recoil, not bad.
Accuracy, much better than I thought for such a small 9mm.

Price....
I paid $100 more, so yeah, you did ok.

 

[gau5]

Mini
what are you getting for accuracy?
I can't get much better than 8"@25 yds
where my P9 gets half that easy.

 

[Kestrel]

I'm kinda thinking about a PM9, myself, but saw one at a store today and was a little dissappointed. The finish/surface of the SS slide was a little rough and had a small but noticable dent in it. The plastic frame looked cheap and had some moldings still hanging off of it.

I hope this was just a bad example, since I like the size of the gun, but am still trying to decide if it's any better than a lightweight J-frame in the pocket...

Steve

 

[gbelleh]

That must've been a bad example you saw. All I've seen have looked really good. Mine looks better than the MK40 I used to have.

You get 2 extra shots with the PM9 over a J frame, but either one would work well. I'm still planning to get a SW 342 PD as a back up. I like to have options.

 

[mini14jac]

gau5gunner said:

what are you getting for accuracy?
I can't get much better than 8"@25 yds

Honestly, I don't think I've ever shot the gun from that far.
When I went through my CCW class, one of the instructors suggested starting up close with any new gun, then working your way back.
That way, you are learning the gun, and getting encouragement and feed back, from the better placed shots.

I figure any handgun used for defense will be fired from across a room, and not much farther.
So, I normally shoot from 20' or less.
At 10 and 15 ft. drills, rapid fire groups of 2-3" are not hard with the right ammo.
(Initial tests seem to indicate that my gun likes 124gr ammo best.)

I don't believe in the "belly gun" philosophy. I think that any gun you carry, you should be "head shot" proficient with at 15 feet.
You never know what kind of situation you will end up in, and you certainly don't want to place innocents at risk.

I didn't get the PM9 as a target gun.
As a defensive weapon, I don't think it could do a better job.

So, try shooting your gun from 10 feet, with several different brands/weights of ammo.
When you figure out what your gun likes best, (shoots the best groups with), then start backing up.

 

[txgolfer45]

I just picked up a PM9 today. Can't wait to get it out on the range. It will be my summer CCW when I can't easily cover my G26 or G19.

Scott

 

[gau5]

Well, really, one of the unique features that seperates Kahrs from the rest is among other things, their accuracy.
I understand very well "practical" ranges and target shooting ranges and my P9 is capable of both. I shoot at 25 yds all the time, and is a good benchmark for pistol accuracy.
I think 8" groups are too much and so does Kahr, I'm returning it shortly.

 

[txgolfer45]

Guess I need to RTFM!!! Loaded up a magazine with FMJ, tried to rack it and the round gets stuck. Wouldn't feed up the ramp.
Finally was able to drop the mag and clear the round. But, due to the smaller overall size, it was a PITA to get the stuck round out. Couldn't just pull the slide back like on my G26 and have the round drop out. The round with the bullet intact was larger than the opening when the slide was completely back. Had to push the round down through the handle. This happened twice. I'm like, ***!!!

So, I lock the slide back, tap the magazine then hit the slide release and the round seats in the chamber no problem. Need to check the manual to see if that is the preferred method.

Regardless, if I want to clear the weapon of a round in the chamber, it appears that it will be a PITA every time unless I can fire the round and lock the slide back.

Thoughts???

Scott

 

[gau5]

I use the slingshot method to load.
I don't recall having the difficulty you describe unloading, but I intend to check.
OK. I just hand cycled Nyclad and Ficccohi ball, all ejected smoothy.

 

[mini14jac]

txgolfer45,
Something doesn's sound right.
The slide has an extra amound of steel removed to make room for a 9mm bullet.
Either you've got some oversized rounds or something is wrong with your slide.
I can pull back the slide and eject rounds all day.
This worked with my MK9 also.

Something to think about.

gau5gunner
8" groups may not be acceptable.
It will be interesting to see what it will do when you get it back.
I don't think the gun rags that reviewed the MK9 and the PM9 shot them from that far back.
It seems the writers thought that was a bit much for a gun with a 2.5 in. barrel.

I'm curious. At 25 yds, are you shooting from sandbags?
I haven't tried it yet with my PM9, but I may give it a shot next time I'm at the range.

 

[txgolfer45]

I think it was the stiff action out of the box. Once I locked back the slide, the bullets did drop out easily. Will post a range report next weekend.

Scott

 

[AnklePocket]

Scott:
Mine does the same thing. I gently polished the feed ramp with a 1/4" wooden dowel and some 400 and 600 sandpaper. The situation improved and I'm pretty confident that the problem will be gone once I get up to 300 to 400 rounds.
Be careful to not be too gentle racking and releasing the slide. Just yank it back and let it go. That may also address the problem.

 

[gau5]

Mini14
My P9 sets the standard for Kahrs accuracy. 8" groups is OK for KelTec perhaps but not for a higher quality gun like a Kahr.
My S&W 337 snubbie gets 3-4" groups@25. all sandbagged
Gunwriters are lazy. Most rags are a waste of money with the internet sites available.
I have a mini 14 I like alot. I shortened the barrel and it groups about 3" at 50yds. Better than before anyway.

 

[Marcus]

I had the chance to wring out a new PM-9 with black slide and factory night sights this Sunday. It impressed me as being nice and slim and very light. Overall it`s slightly smaller than my ol P-11 and quite a bit thinner through the slide. It`s a little on the brisk side recoil wise,it kept beating up the tip of my shooting hand pinky finger for some reason (even shooting it with P-9 mags). I didn`t try much rapid fire with it ,it was pretty whippy. Accuracy seemed good to me for such a tiny thing,about 6"-7" at 25yds. from an improvised rest. I`d bet it will shoot better than that with someone who`s used to the trigger. Side by side with my P-11,it seemed noticably more accurate (from the bench) but less pleasant to shoot and less controlable. In the few rapid fire drills I did the P-11 more than held it`s own. However for a true pocket gun the PM-9 wins hands down as I`ve always felt that the P-11 was a little too bulky for that. Overall a neat little gun. Marcus

 

[J Scott]

Very pleased with mine too. 300 rounds so far and NO malfunctions of any kind.

It shoots exactly to POA. Range so far has been 7 yards.

It rides nicely in my Alessi Talon Plus holster.

J Scott