Used Kahr K9

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RiverwinoIA

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Finally have all my ducks in a row, and am going to buy a used K9 as soon as i find a good one.

Found one thats rated NRA "excellent", matte black, Serial # AD19xx.

Its an earlier model, from 96-97.

Any reason to look further than this one? I dont really care if its stainless or not, as i plan to have it "rogaurded" eventually.
 
As long as it shoots OK, there's no reason not to buy it.

I would advise replacing the recoil spring just as insurance, since with a used gun you have no idea how many rounds it's fired, and Kahr recoil springs should be replaced every 1500 to 2000 rounds or so.

DO NOT buy any kind of "extra power" spring, unless there's a PROVEN need for one.
NO ONE knows more about what spring is needed than Kahr so stick with factory.

You'll LIKE the K9. It's rapidly becoming this generation's Gold Standard in personal defense pistols.
 
I like mine.:cool:

salty.

Edited to add:

Other than forgetting to mention the necessity of changing the recoil spring BEFORE it needs to be replaced, I also forgot to mention that in some of the earlier models, reportedly there were some problems with the K-9 in digesting reloaded ammunition. I don't know if it was because of a tight chamber, the poly rifiling, or, most likely, reloaded ammo that wasn't up to spec.

Mine has never 'bobbled' with factory ammunition. That said, its only fair to mention that the only factory ammo that has been fired in this gun in quantity has been mostly Cor-Bon 115 +P JHP and some Wal-Mart Ball.
I tried a box or two of the new Cor-Bon DPX all copper ammunition. No problems there either. If I ever win the lottery, I may buy some more DPX.

Leather Arsenal makes a dandy IWB holster for the Kahrs. For me, I can forget about re-holstering a drawn weapon worn IWB in a leather holster.

If you follow through with your intended purchase, I don't think you will be disappointed.

I liked my K-9 enough that I bought the tupperware frame version also. The steel frame gets more range time, the plastic frame gets more carry time. Both work with Cor-Bon 115 +P ammunition.

The Kahrs are not high in the 'tinker factor'. Other than tritium sights, or a change of grip panels, there isn't much that I am aware of that can be done to 'em that can make them any more dependable or 'user friendly'. That being the case, it may be a bit unlikely that a used Kahr would have been 'smithed on by Bubba' at the kitchen table using a rat-tail file and his trusty cross-peen hammer.

Other folks may have an entirely different opinion. Maybe I was just lucky, I dunno. As I said, I like mine.

sd.
 
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I have one of the earlier factory electroless nickel K9s as I bought mine darn near the same day they became available. The earlier ones don't have a reinforced frame and are a bit more svelte. However, one should remember Justin Moon designed these pistols specifically with Cor-bons 115gr +P in mind.

I've put a few hundred rounds of Winchester 127gr +P+ through mine without a hitch (though I carry the 147 offering as I find it more accurate out of mine). All that's been needed after a few thousand rounds of various 9mm fodder was a new Wolff recoil spring. Mine's been my daily carry for a decade now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You won't regret buying one.
 
Any reason to look further than this one? I dont really care if its stainless or not, as i plan to have it "rogaurded" eventually.
Click to expand...

It depends on the price. What's this one going to cost you? I am in the camp that believes in buying used when it comes to Kahr. I wouldn't pay much over $400 for one, but that's me. poppy
 
I went ahead and bought it.

$415.00, little bit of holster wear, w/ original box, mags, and papers.

yay.
 
That may be a little high for a matte black version but not too bad. Also the area you are in plays a big part in prices. I would lose any sleep over that price because it is a few hundred less than new. I had an early E-9 that was a nice pistol. I think mine was about the same time period as yours.

Here are some tips. The black finish is weak and will rust but that is not a big deal since you mentioned that you were going to have it refinished. The chambers on the Kahrs esp the early ones are very tight and precise. That is one reason they are so accurate. Polish the feedramp and chamber to a mirror finish and that should set you up for a better feed. The Kahr triggers need oil. It sounds like a strange thing to mention but when I got mine, I took it apart and cleaned it and shot it. I always thought the trigger was not as good as I had heard. it seemed rough and a little gritty. I shot it for about 800 rounds before I got the idea to put a few drop of oil on the trigger!:eek: What a difference it made! I felt like a fool that I had been shooting it for so long without oil on the trigger! As others have mentioned, you really do need to change springs once in a while. Mine needed it after about 1200 rds. It continued to function 100% but where the slide and bbl came to gether, I was seeing some marks for excessive force.

Other than that, enjoy! I think the Kahr K-9 is the class act in the world of medium single stack 9mms. There has never been a better gun in this area and there still isn't one. It will be many years before someone outdoes what Kahr has done with the K-9. The only thing that could improve the K-9 is make the frame out of aluminum. I don't know why they didn't do that in the first place.
 
thanks for the tips albanian.


im curious about the elite trigger, since mine will be the original long trigger.
I plan to practice a lot, will the elite trigger make it easier to get good scores?
( i know its not much to order the parts from kahr).
 
You lucky dog!

riverwinoIA - did you find your K9 from a friend, at a show or on the net? Just curious, as I have passively been looking for the same for a while. No hurry, but just curious as to how your dream finally came true.
 
RiverwinoIA said:
found it at auctionarms.com
Click to expand...

Thank-you and, once again, congratulations! Enjoy your new Kahr. It would be really great if you'd come back and publish a range report once your pistol arrives.
 
If you have any doubts or problems with it just send it back to Kahr and have them check it out and upgrade it .
 
I will be sure to do a full review of the k9 once ive recieved it and shot a couple hundred rounds through it.
 
Kahr recoil springs should be replaced every 1500 to 2000 rounds or so.
Click to expand...

Why is that, that doesn't sound so good, I would be paying more in recoil springs than ammo if i had to change it that often, what makes them wear out so much so quick? I might just have to steer away from a khar then! I know i want shoot it like my xd, but I still would like to put 2000 rds a year through it and that is a new recoil spring every year! Sounds funny to me, please help me understand! Thanks!
 
Thanks again for the tip on AuctionArms.com. Hard to believe, but I didn't have that site bookmarked.

Was this your first purchase through them? Did everything go smoothly?

After touring the site a bit and registering, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on making a purchase there!
 
possum:

The problem is, these tiny, sub-compact pistols are under a LOT of stress due to the need to keep the spring length as short as possible so as to allow a short barrel and slide.

Also, the slide is much lighter than bigger pistols.

All this combines to put a tremendous strain on the recoil spring, and they take quite a beating. Much more so than bigger heavier guns with longer springs.

This is simply "the nature of the beast" with all of these mini-guns, no matter what brand.
You don't get something for nothing. The "something" you get is a full powered cartridge designed to be used in full sized service pistols, only packaged in a tiny pocket sized gun.

The "pay back" is, the springs take such a beating they have to be replaced much more often.

In truth, springs are not that expensive.
New springs for the K9 cost a "whopping" $8.00, so replacing one every year isn't going to break you.
 
RiverwinoIA :

The Elite trigger offers a slightly shorter pull.

The earlier Kahr's had a problem with the trigger moving too far after the striker was released.
This extra movement put a unnecessary strain on the trigger spring, and earlier guns that were heavily used COULD break the trigger spring.

I had this happen twice on my early stainless K9, and the second time, Kahr sent me an upgraded trigger with a built-in stop ledge that acts as a trigger stop to prevent over rotation.

Whether this is the "Elite" trigger, or just an upgraded standard trigger, I don't know.

As far as the actual Elite trigger assembly, I've heard some people who really liked it, and some people who tried it and preferred the standard trigger.

If you decide to try an Elite trigger assembly, I STRONGLY recommend having Kahr install it.
The Kahr trigger assembly is deceptively simple, and is a MAJOR PITA to reinstall.
 
dfariswheel,
thank you for the intel I had never heard of that, and $8.00 dosen't sound so bad i was thinking more like $30-$40, but hey that is even better. Where do you pick these up from? Thanks again. i appreciate the help!
 
"Why is that, that doesn't sound so good, I would be paying more in recoil springs than ammo if i had to change it that often, what makes them wear out so much so quick? I might just have to steer away from a khar then! I know i want shoot it like my xd, but I still would like to put 2000 rds a year through it and that is a new recoil spring every year! Sounds funny to me, please help me understand! Thanks!"

dfariswheel already answered it well but I have to second what he says. It is just the nature of the beast so to say. I think people tend to forget that when the K-9 came out, there had never been anything like it. It was a 9mm that could shoot full house +P ammo in a gun smaller than many .380s at the time. It was a dream come true for many of us. Putting 2000 rds though the Kahr a year is a lot but it will be fine as long as you replace the spring. It is just one spring and like dfariswheel said, it is only $8.00. Not a big deal in my book. There is nothing wrong with the Kahr, that is just what you have to do.

I would rather replace an $8.00 spring every couple of years than have to replace the major componets like some pistols need. And another thing, the Kahrs actually work. That may sound silly but it is something that isn't talked about. The K-9s are reliable as full sized pistols. What other small pistol can you say that about? The Kel-Tecs are great ideas but they are not reliable. Some will work and some won't. Some will work for a while and all of a sudden break. The all steel Kahrs are great guns, the plastic versions need more work and I would avoid them until they get the bugs worked out.
 
range report

Recieved the K9 this afternoon.

Took it to the range with a friend, shot 200 rounds of WWB 115gr. FMJ.
-0 failures
-front site came loose, then snapped back into place and stayed
-that trigger is lonngggg
-solid looking and feeling piece
-awesome grip, slim tight controls

I really like the gun. The finish, infamous black oxide over carbon steel, has no rusting or putting anywhere.
I was very inconsistent with this pistol. I think subtle changes in grip make a big difference, and i need to key in on them. Id shoot an effective softball size pattern dead center, then the next magazine spray the bottom of the target. Im also a noob pistolero, so i need some more practice with my basics.

Im very happy with my purchase, the gun ran reliably, everything is "tight" and precisely built, and held good groups when i was doing my part.
I see an elite trigger in my near future, i would rather learn with the shorter trigger pull as it would feel more natural to me.

345%3A874%3A7%7Ffp337%3Enu%3D3255%3E454%3E245%3EWSNRCG%3D3233479669949nu0mrj

My k9 and streamlight scorpion
 
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