Kel-Tec P-32 and Kahr PM9 comparison (lots of pics)

[MaterDei]

Very nice job, thanks for posting this.

 

[Candiru]

USGuns said:
GREAT pics Candiru, thanks! Appreciate all the good work.
You wouldn't happen to have a S&W 340PD to take pics of too, would ya???

How would you compare the "quality" of the P32 vs. the PM9? Kahr pistols in general have a reputation for excellent quality but Kel-Tec's been making the P32 for quite sometime now and has made thousands of them, you'd think they'd be perfect by now!

Heh, wish I had a 340PD...

The quality of the P-32 and PM9 are definitely in different classes. F'rinstance, the P-32 has lots of milling marks, whereas the PM9 has next to none. The PM9 feels tighter and has sharper, more precise edges; side by side, the Kel-Tec definitely seems a lot cheaper.

I think in the final assessment, even though the Kahr cost more than twice as much as the Kel-Tec, they represent a better value.

As a side note, I'm going to be swapping my PM9 for a P9. Not being able to put my pinkie on the grip just murders my ability to handle recoil.

 

[USGuns]

340PD or PM9

As a side note, I'm going to be swapping my PM9 for a P9. Not being able to put my pinkie on the grip just murders my ability to handle recoil.

Yeah, and the 340PD is not known for it's LACK of recoil either... I've read .38spl isn't too bad and that most folks practice with that round but .357magnum is brutal! However, it would be a shoot-a-little, carry-a-lot gun and I've read that revolvers are often easier to pull out of the pocket *because* of the cylinder and don't print as much because of their shape. Having only owned automatics and no revolvers, I have no personal experience with their carryablility but some folks swear by them. I'm also attracted by the reliability and out-of-the-box readiness of a revolver. I keep teeter-tottering between a PM9 and 340PD ... I think I just need to go down and handle them both, put them in my pocket and if possible, give them a whirl on the range.

 

[USGuns]

P32 quality

The quality of the P-32 and PM9 are definitely in different classes. F'rinstance, the P-32 has lots of milling marks, whereas the PM9 has next to none. The PM9 feels tighter and has sharper, more precise edges; side by side, the Kel-Tec definitely seems a lot cheaper.

Interesting. Either Kel-Tecs quality goes up and down or folk's perception of quality is vastly different. I suspect both are true! However I dont think there's much doubt a PM9 is of higher quality than the P32. One of the founders of this website had a P32 that he compared to a SigSauer product in quality:
http://www.a-human-right.com/RKBA/p32/chromed.html

I still want one just for the fun and novelty of it.