The Rest of my Kahr PM-9 Story

[gamboolman]

I had posted last month on a new Kahr PM-9 I had bought and the problems I was experiencing. I sent it back to the factory and..............

Let me say that I really wanted the Kahr to work:
I bought a brand new Kahr PM-9 because of the size. I had gone in with the intention purchasing a Glock 26 or perhaps the compact Springfield but when I saw the Kahr PM-9 and the size - Well...... I bought it.

I have just received my full refund from the Kahr factory on the PM-9.

Failure to Feed/Battery were chronic using all types of ammunition and after sending it back to the Kahr factory to be worked on to no avail. I cleaned it and lubed it during shooting sessions, used +P and regular loads of multiple high quality mfgs of ammunition. I went thru ~ 1,500 to 2,000 rounds trying to break it in and get it to function reliably - and I just gave up after the factory failed to address the FTB/FTF issues.

I must say that Ms. Dottie Herold at Kahr is great and that she is very good at customer service. I cannot fault Kahr's customer service. But when I pay ~$600 for a CCW gun that I will depend upon to protect me and my family - well I expect it be able to at least shoot the 7 rounds in it without FTB/FTF.

I bought a Glock 26 and it eats anything I put in it. I have total confidence in the Glock. I carry the Glock in a Tucker Cover-Up IWB when wearing jeans and a shirt tucked in. For shorts and T-shirt which is most everyday in Houston I use the Safe Carry (Thunderwear).

I am not a Khar basher. This is just my experience. I will stick with Glocks as their record and proven reliability is unparalleled.
I really wanted the Kahr to work.............

Thanks, gamboolman...

 

[psyopspec]

Thanks for filling us in on the rest of the story. My PM9 still functions fine - sorry yours didn't, but it's good to hear that they gave it a shot and then refunded your money when it didn't work out.

 

[jlh26oo]

glad to hear there was a happy ending anyways

Yeah, I'm dumping mine too. Not so much b/c of performance, as it actually works fine. But it was only AFTER I bought that I found out they have a life expectancy of ~6k rounds (and I thought I had done some pretty extensive research too). Fine for a gun to be "shot a little, carried a lot", but those are not mutually exlusive purposes imo. If the latter is "alot", so should the former be. ymmv.

One thing I will say, their CS is indeed top notch if they worked with you that well, then eventually gave you your cash back. I'll end up taking a hit on mine at the gunshow when I trade in.

One thing I've noticed about guns with a spotty interweb reputation- it seems like everyone gets an example that is either 100% reliable, no failures EVER; or they never get them running at all. You see just as many "kahr = junk", as there are "kahr = perfect" threads. Never any middle ground.

While my pm9 is the only (centerfire) auto I've owned that ever had a failure (less than 500 rounds through it vs 10 times that through glocks & rugers), I'd still actually trust it. Plus, it's approaching the lower limit of my "firepower" basement (weighing caliber X capacity X barrel length etc). You've upgraded imo.

Congrats on the G26.

 

[orionengnr]

Sorry to hear of your experience, but glad to hear Dottie and Kahr did their best to make it right.

Mine works great, and it's not going anywhere.

 

[dfariswheel]

jlh26oo:

Where did you hear that the polymer Kahr only has a 6000 round service life?

 

[kahrcarry]

dfariswheel,

in the Dec 06/Jan 07 issue of Handguns, author Duane Thomas writes "when you make a full-power auto pistol this small, especially with a polymer frame, you severely impact long-term durability. Kahr's not fooling anyone; the company will flat-out tell you the PM9 is a 6,000 round gun." I can only assume that he actually asked, and was given that answer. I found this a little surprising, myself, as I've put many more rounds than that through my PM9, P9, and CW9. It's baffling, and more than a little disconcerting, but that appears to be the company line.

 

[gbran]

gamboolman,

You sound just like me, except I still have the PM9, which I carry summer and a G26 the rest of the time. My problems were entirely with the 7 round magazine. My 2cnd 7 rd mag also won't feed properly. Both my 6 rounders are flawless.

 

[grimjaw]

Where did you hear that the polymer Kahr only has a 6000 round service life?

Perhaps he meant the recoil spring? I've heard that the spring takes a beating from that little slide and should be replaced within a few thousand rounds.

jm

 

[wally]

My CW9 was not perfect, but has been since Kahr returned it. Use the search, I posted the details. I got it to practice with for cheap ammo and to save wear and tear on my PM40 and P40 which are carried a lot, shot a little and have been 100% after a few failures to go fully into battery with the first couple of mags.

--wally.

 

[StressPuppy]

Sorry to hear of the problems some have had. I just got a PM9 and went through 200 rounds in my first outing with it and did not have a failure of any sort. I was using Winchester white box stuff from WalMart. Cycled and went bang every time.

As for the 6000 round thing, if I'm the company manufacturing a gun, I'm going to take the absolute worst case scenario for the life expectancy and use that as what I told people. If a gun does do worst case, then company is "covered". If it goes longer, which it probably will, everyone is happy. Sounds more like a CYA thing to me, JMO.

So far I like my Kahr a lot, but I will say it is no Glock. My Glock 19 will shoot all day and night, go without cleaning and eat everything you feed it. But comparing the Kahr to the Glock is probably not fair to either gun. Different designs for different end purposes I think.