I have a Kahr K9 Elite Stainless. Operates flawlessly and extremely accurate and conceals well. Definitely a top three EDC in the rotation along with a P365 and P225

Because the triggers suck.

The triggers certainly do not suck. They're different, absolutely. Long and smooth. If you don't like that, they're just not for you.

IME here and on other forums, Kahr threads generally have either/or participation- love or hate. There's not much in-between.

I have an older PM9 I've had for a long time. The machining, finish and engraving on the newer ones does not compare- it's not nearly as well-done. Even though I never carry it and it just sits in the safe, I can't bring myself to sell it.

I have had no problems with it, nor with the CM9 I bought for the wife but sold to a member here because it didn't work for her.

I've had a CM9 since the mid/late 2000s. It's... just okay. I honestly never really warmed up to it all that much. And it's been collecting dust for years now.

At the time I bought it, the CM9 was right about the best option (actually one of the only options) for a true "pocket 9mm", and it was certainly a step up in sights/capacity/trigger weight/caliber compared to the S&W 642 .38 revolver it replaced as my pocket carry BUG. But I never liked the overly long trigger pull with its equally overly long reset, nor Kahr's reputation for not-quite-100%-reliability, especially if an owner had not followed their prescribed "break in" process for the first 250ish rounds.

And nowadays, there are a number of better options for pocket 9mm semiautos.

Kahrs still have their small niche in the market, for people who want a single stack semiauto and who really like the long revolver-style trigger pull. But that's not most folks these days, and I think that number will continue to dwindle further in the future as the "raised on revolvers" generation passes on.

quote:

Originally posted by AH.74:
The triggers certainly do not suck. They're different, absolutely. Long and smooth. If you don't like that, they're just not for you.

Completely agree with this. I don't know if Kahr has changed their trigger quality, but over the previous years that I played with Kahr pistols, I was always impressed at how silky smooth their triggers are. Long, yes, but amazingly smooth and even.

Saying their trigger sucks is the same as saying the DAK sucks. They being not for you doesn't mean they suck.

Now, if you're talking "suck", try the stock trigger on the plain DA/SA HK USP.

I have owned four previously, and still have two of them. Three were all steel guns (2 x K9 elites, K40 covert) and one is a P380. I still own one of the K9s and the P380. All of them have functioned as advertised and have been utterly reliable. I did have a shooting buddy that cracked a frame on a PM9 while I was shooting next to him, but I’m not sure how many rounds he had through the gun.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I have mostly seen favorable article 's about them in more than a few gun web sites and magazine's, Don't recall a bad review about them.

While I know a few people who own Kahr's, these folks do not shoot their guns very often. In addition, Magazines usually do not have many critical reviews since they take advertisements from gun manufacturers. In addition, many reviews are focused on the firearms features vs. any intensive testing or longer term reliability issues, IMHO.

Another common complaint with the Kahr is rounds popping out while carrying a spare magazine.

quote:

Originally posted by Fundman:
Another common complaint with the Kahr is rounds popping out while carrying a spare magazine.

If you use quality mag carriers that actually fit your mags, this is a non-issue. I carried that PM9 for quite a while and never had a problem.

quote:

Originally posted.

That being said I have two Kahrs, a CM9 that's perfectly reliable with any 9mm ammo that I have shot through it, and a CW380 that is very picky about ammo. It's 100% a jamomatic with certain ammo, and 100% reliable with others. I can live with the dichotomy nature of "my" cw380 because luckily, it's 100% reliable with the .380 defensive ammo I find suitable to carry.

Interesting. I have a LCP, the trigger literally wore a blister in my finger if I shot more than 25 rds a day, so I ordered a CW380. Loved it. Accurate, tiny, reliable. Then one day I took it for its semi-annual trip to the range and it failed to eject, I think it was. Multiple times. I was crushed, because I just don’t want to box it up and send it off. I tried again a month later hoping it had been a bad dream, but same thing.

I didn’t think about ammo, because I’d always just used whatever I could find cheapest in 250 quantities, and never had a problem. But maybe I got a bad batch of something. Shouda thought of that. Or maybe whatever I bought last had slightly larger case dimensions.

Mind sharing what you’ve found to be reliable in your CW380?

Thanks!

By the way, I also have a CW9 that was a fine pistol from about 2009 to about 2016, never had any problems. But I’d always loved the looks of the PPS and when the classics fell in price to the 300s I bought a couple and loved them even more than the Kahr, so that one hasn’t been shot in 4 years. But it never gave any problems.

I have the CW9 it gets carried a lot, and can put up tight groups at defense ranges. I run Federal 135gr Hydra Shok. I've lost track of how many rounds I've put through it, well over 1000 with 0 issues.I've also run a couple of CW45s that were excellent.

I have the CM9 & the CW45. Carried & shot both at the range about 500 rounds through them. I've never had a problem with either one. The CM9 is very snappy to me with defensive loads, but it carried great even in the summertime with shorts & t shirt. The 45 was good for winter carry, but recoil was very pronounced and after about 50 rounds your hand was somewhat beat up.
Both are safe queens nowadays, but I would pull either one for carry if I had too.

I'm a fan

have owned 4 (k9 x 2, e9 and p9 -- still have 2 of these) that were very reliable. +p ammo no issues

i like how they are small but still offer a 'full' three finger (+ thumb) hold on the grip

very slim... maybe the slimmest (?)

my preferred carry handgun

trigger is outstanding once you learn it

i think we don't hear a lot about them because they are not a 'big' manufacturer like Glock, S&W, Sig, etc

-------------------------------

Past owner of a CW45.

Problems I had were feeding, failure to feed. Unable to seat a full magazine on a loaded chamber. Pronounced swelling of the dust cover after just a few mags of normal pressure ammo.

Kahr’s customer response was: All of that is normal. Needs time to break in (feeding). Swelling of the dust cover is normal. Pistol isn’t designed to hold 6+1. The capacity is six.

I traded it at the same store I bought it with full disclosure. If you have one that works for you, that’s awesome. But I won’t be buying any more.

And I have been vocal about that in the past. I stay out of the ‘check out my new PM9’ threads, but if somebody asks about Kahr, I haven’t been shy to tell them how I feel. So I may be one of the ones on this forum that’s not respecting Kahr.

My PM9 has been flawless, exceptionally accurate, and IMO has the IDEAL defensive trigger. Can't complain one bit. It's awesome to shoot also. IMO lower recoil than the G43 or Shield, which I also have shot quite a bit.

I shot a CW380 also, and I want one now. Tiny little sucker with pleasant recoil.

My PM and CM9 have been reliable, I followed the 200 rd break in procdure on both. Since the LCP came out I've carried them much less.

The only problem I had was with the 7rd mags, they never worked properly on the range and I gave them away.

https://shopkahrfirearmsgroup....720-mk720-packed.asp

Mas Ayoob has written more than a few articles about this brand, Google them and read his take, I'd consider him reliable, And then some.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

quote:

Originally posted by sigarms229:
I've had nothing but positive experiences with Kahr pistols. I carried a PM9 daily before I switched the the P365.

Same, my only dislike was the long trigger pull. Other than that I loved mine.

I love the Kahr K9 and MK9...aside from those I’m not really a fan. Kahr was very innovative 30 years ago but they basically gave that up. Since then they have been using the same designs and only making aesthetic changes here and there to try and seem relevant. Honestly I think their guns looked best left as is. In the world of 12 round micro 9’s a 7 shot 9mm that weighs as much as Buick aren’t all that appealing these days.

My experience, I've had three P9s, my wife had a K9, P9, and T9. Decent guns, but we both found them a little finicky in ammo choice. We moved on and our now strictly Glock shooters (well I did just switch my 19s for MR918s...)