thinking of trading my j-frame in for a kahr. thoughts?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I

Ian's Dad

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
131
I currently carry a S&W 442 when i pocket carry, which for me is about half the time.

I am considering trading it for a Kahr pm40 or pm45 for the following reasons..

1) seems to be thinner

2) think i'll shoot it more accurately

3) love the sights, for such a small gun

4) stopping power...

Any thoughts. The reason i'm leaning against the 9 is simply that I don't reload 9mm, but i do .40 and .45.

looking for thoughts from folks who have owned or shot the PM40 or PM 45.. the 40 is smaller (good thing) but i've read it's a bear to shoot. My other carry gun is a walther PPS in .40 which is perfect, but not for pocket carry...

thanks for any insight.
 
ok...

that's a different point altogether, but i appreciate that as well. Let's assume i'm paying for it.. really looking at thoughts about trading out the j-frame for pocket carry.. don't want to buy the kahr if i won't end up using it...

I have plenty of other nice smiths too. :)
 
You should consider the PM9. I will still have an increase in power and ease of carry but it will also be much more shootable than either the 40 or the 45. If you REALLY have your heart set no something that starts with a 4, then go with the .40. The .45 is a lower pressure round and looses a lot of steam in a short barrel.

Personally, I think the smaller 9s and new 380s have made the snubby obsolete. They are easier to carry and conceal, slimmer, better shooting, offer more firepower, are easier to reload, etc.......

You will also find that a Glock 26/27, M&P 9C, and the XDs are just as small as your snubby and offer a real advantage in firepower and shootability . I suggest you try a few weapons and shop around a little. There is nothing worse than shooting someone else's weapon and realizing you bought the wrong one.
 
I guess I think the snubby to be a more versatile carry gun than any automatic. It can be carried any way the Kahr can be. It offers better reliablity in general. The only thing going for your choice in Kahrs is cartridge power which I dont think is a compelling argument.

In the end though it will be about comfort for you. Kahrs require breaking in despite what many have to say about guns needing breaking in. You have to follow the rules with them and read the user manual. There are many inexperienced shooters out there who are less than impressed with Kahrs because they failed to follow the rules. They are prone to limp wristing and are ammo picky.

Having said all that I have owned a K9 that gave flawless service once I found its ammo and I would not hesitate to buy another.
 
I guess I think the snubby to be a more versatile carry gun than any automatic. It can be carried any way the Kahr can be. It offers better reliablity in general. The only thing going for your choice in Kahrs is cartridge power which I dont think is a compelling argument.
Click to expand...

I disagree with this statement whole heartedly and I have carried both types of weapons for years. There are many advantages to the auto (shootability, accuracy, ease of carrying spare ammo, ease of reloading) but I find NO advantage to the snubby over the auto except maybe in pocket carry. Snubbies are no smaller or easier to carry than my M&P 9c. The M&P or Glock 26 (or similar) are much more capable defensive arms than a snubby. In fact I used to have several snubbies for pocket carry but when I realized they were not any smaller and much less capable than my M&P I sold them. If I can't carry my M&P I carry a Ruger LCP which is small enough to make a difference for pocket carry. It is still more accurate in quick fire, has less recoil, and reloads much easier than a snub. I haven't heard one compelling argument that holds up in my experience to convince me a snubnose is a better carry weapon for the average shooter. I do recommend a 38 revolver with a 3-4 inch barrel for new shooters but never a snubnose.
 
"I haven't heard one compelling argument that holds up in my experience to convince me a snubnose is a better carry weapon for the average shooter."

Automatics have all the advantages, except for the most important one of all: reliability. They might stovepipe or jam, or the mag might have come loose in your pocket, when you need them the most.
 
Dependability of j-frame ranks top for me. Love small auto's but just can't get trust level to that of my j-frame. Don't want to start a feud between auto's and revolvers but the pocket is my last option for self defence.
 
My M&P, LCP, P7, FEG HiPower. Have all been 100% reliable. Is the snubby MORE than 100% reliable? Revolvers are not infallible. They have an outstanding reputation for reliability but so do many autos. My M&P 9C has shot over 5000 rounds without trouble other than a weak slide stop spring that is getting fixed now. Would a light weight snub like a 442 do the same? Possibly, or there might be frame stretch or timing problems that will develop with that much shooting. I don't think in the long run it would be as reliable. If I have a FTF or FTE with my pistol they are also very easy to clear. Tap, rack, bang was the drill back in the day. Revolvers are equally or even more so susceptible to the elements. One little rock or a little mud can possibly take a revolver out of commission. Autos are a little tougher in that aspect in my opinion. I prefer better firepower, better sights, better controllability , faster follow up shots, faster reloads, easier carry of spare ammo, MORE spare ammo, etc....over a theoretical edge in reliability.
 
I'll go with hillbillydelux though, keep the snubby too. Snubbies have their purpose even if I don't think primary carry is the best one for it. I would however take a long look at weapons like the G26/27 by Glock or the M&P 9C. The PM9 doesn't have a very good track record for reliability like they do. The newest PM9s are supposed to be very good though. If I was to get a Kahr I would lean toward the K9 or the MK9 personally. Iv'e read much more positive things about them.
 
Kahrs are great guns, but they like to run really wet. At least mine did! After a couple weeks in my pocket it got dry and had some lint and would have malfunctions. With that said, if you can keep it wet and/or clean it every few days, then get the Kahr. I love the MK9, but I now have a .38 snub in my pocket.
 
I had a taurus 650 and a PM40.

(650 CIA is a 357 snub...)

I bought the 650 first. loved everything about it. It unfortunately looks like an orange in your pocket. I strongly disagree that people can not see the print of snubbies in the pocket. To me they are so unnatural looking it draws attention.

So I bought a PM40. Google 'kahr mag follower broke" google "kahr fail to return to battery"

I also disagree that the pm40 is crazy in recoil. Not THAT bad. +P .38's in the snubby were worse I thought.

I love the kahr idea. However my major concerns with the design and appearance: Grip handle plastic is the softest plastic used in all pistols.
Kahr is the only magazine that does not support the second round after the top. This ejects rounds in the pocket, and if you shake the living crap out of your kahr and fire it 3 rounds *you may* end up with a failure to feed the 2nd round. You can prove me wrong by holding a kahr magazine loaded in your hand and shake it. What happens? 2 round pops out a little more than it should. Unlike a normal magazine that you should tap on the back, the kahr's round is really in a weird way now.
The extended mag puts pressure on the entire mag and shifts it out of place. Google this problem, you will see its actually common, perhaps the rule not the exception.
They are heavy. Yes they are light relatively speaking, but they are heavy in a pocket. Too heavy. You feel it all day.
Oh! and their customer service is terrible. I don't believe most stories for a second on how great they are. First I received 2 (!) emails with major punctuation and spelling errors (on a 700 dollar gun, you can afford a spell checking program). Then I had to ship it back on my dime (50 dollars actually). This was after 2 accusations that I did not go past the 200 break in period. So after spending money on 300 rounds I had to fight them on that and pay for shipping on a 3 week old gun. Mag follower broke (second on) on the first shot back from them. The extended magazine (which they had just replaced) was still causing failure to feeds. Nose dives, failure to return to battery blah blah blah.

In the end, bought a pf9, sold it. Bought a p3at. kept it. awesome gun. Never notice it in a kydex pocket holster.
 
Last edited:
rellascout said:
Pass on the Kahr. You are going from 99% reliable to carp shoot IMHO.
Click to expand...
Really! Well my two Kahrs are NOT 99%, They are 100%. I have one of the first production K9s and it has never had a malfunction of any kind and my PM9 has also never malfunctioned.
 
Keep the j-frame, try the other, see if you like it better.

Personally I haven't carried my j-frame much since I got the Ruger LCP. The latter is way more concealable and comfortable in a pocket. I carried the j-frame for a year but haven't really since I tried the LCP. Yes, I realize the power factor is lower with .380. But it holds more and reloads much quicker, and like I said, is much lighter and thinner. Reliable and accurate, too.

I've been thinking about a Kahr PM9. Remarkably small for a 9mm and gets pretty good reviews.
 
My experience with Kahrs are that they need as much initial attention as a Keltec. Once properly fluffed/buffed and broken in thay tend to perform well but they need a lot of love to get them started.
 
Last edited:
Keep the J. My one attempt with a Kahr was a disaster. Sent it back on my nickle per their rules, came back with more problems. 35 years with J's and never an issue. What would you want if you were in a situation where you absolutely must have your gun work?
 
How about a Model 60, pre J-magnum, with a bobbed hammer? It would give you a little bit more weight than 642/442 and not as much as a current J-mag 60. The pre-J-magnum M60s easily digest +P ammo
Click to expand...

I agree with this jon. But I am still for the snubby. It is true for the average shooter a snub may not be the best choice.
 
I have a PM45 and would trade nearly any production pistol made for it. I pocket carry it everyday, it is my go everywhere gun. It had one jam at round 39 in the break-in period and it has since shot flawless for me. I would make the trade any day.

As far a the short barrel hindering it, I killed a deer with mine a few weeks ago and the Gold Dot busted through two ribs and stopped just under the skin on the outgoing side, bullet expanded just fine as well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Kahr PM9 or PM40 for Pocket Carry??
Replies
11
Views
2K
Lancel
L
J
  • Locked
  • Poll
Kahr PM45 vs Kahr PM40
Replies
14
Views
3K
sgtdraino
S
76shuvlinoff
  • Locked
Kahr vs Kahr?
Replies
12
Views
732
76shuvlinoff
76shuvlinoff
J
  • Locked
Kahr PM Series Recoil
Replies
10
Views
845
9MMare
9
T
  • Locked
help decide Glock 27 v. Kahr PM40
Replies
0
Views
485
TJ42
T
Back
Top