Kahr seems to have owners with no issues, and some with lots of issues. I owned a CW9 and had no issues with it. However, the mags felt cheap and sometimes my magazine would pop out while I was carrying it. I think the mag release spring was really light. I’ve been thinking of buying another one since I need a single stack carry gun.
Kahr owners, have you had any issues with your Kahr?
My CM9 had two or three malfunctions in the first 50 rounds, but has been perfect since. Like Kahr says, they need a break in period.
Also, they’re not a pistol that can be limp wristed.
Had three of them, and all were GTG. Great little guns. I liked the all metal versions. At the time they came out, they were pretty much the only reliable well made sub compact guns and they were expensive. I can’t recall anything that really competed with them at the time. Now you have choices like the Shield which are less $$$ and well made and reliable, so Kahr seems less worth the costs to me. I know they have a budget line of guns now, but I have no experience with them. Just recently sold my Kahr k40.
I had a PM9 that was great. Never had a problem. Some were not so lucky though.
My PM9 has been great. I had the mag do the same as you. I had it in a soft pocket holster and my phone in same pocket. Think the phone helped to release the mag.
My PM45 was a PITA at first. It would stovepipe almost every round, sometimes not pick up a round from the mag and was just horrible. Forget about ejecting a loaded round. The front of the bullet would not clear the chamber. Kahr sent me a new recoil spring and I couldn’t even rack the slide. It was coil bonding bad. I called them back and they told me they are trim to fit. So I put the new one away and started trimming the original. Started clipping 1/8 coil at a time. With 3/8 of a coil clipped, it runs great now.
So if you have a Kahr with feeding issues, check for coil bind.
A couple hundred rounds through mine and not one malfunction. This is more than I can say for my Glock 43…
I’ve had a CW9 for several years. The break in period really is necessary. The gun has a really good DAO trigger, points really well for me, and is very accurate. My wife didn’t really like it when it was new but likes it now that it has over 1,000 rounds (it loosened up a bit). The only issue I had was that the gun would not drop a mag free. The mag would “stick” about 1/2 way out. I contacted Kahr and returned the gun with the 2 mags. They fixed it and I’ve had no more issues. The only thing I don’t like about the Kahr is that the mags seem very flimsy and the top round in the mag tilts easily. The gun is very easy to conceal carry.
All of that being said, I now have a Shield and will carry it after a couple of hundred more rounds.
I bought a CW9 for my daughter last year and she loves it. I haven’t heard a single complaint.
Had two PM9s. Both were super reliable. Great little guns. I only abandoned them when I transitioned to J Frames.
P40 as regular CC since 2005’ish. Bought used and very inexpensive. Had some FTF issues after about 150-250 rounds. New recoil spring helped but not fixed. Sent to Kahr, came back with new slide & barrel no charge. Been solid ever since.
Very smooth DA, easiest to conceal I’ve found. I can run plates with it almost as fast as a commander.
Every now and then i think about trying a PPS or similar. Then I shoot my P40 and quickly cancel that idea.
My view:
Good gun yet over priced IMO
I had a pm9 it did have some barrel peening .
I’ve had a K-9 Elite for 12+ years. Never had a problem. And it’s actually surprisingly accurate. Spending more time with a VP-9 nowadays, but it’s still good for concealed carry.
Older T9 with MMC Sights been good to go for almost a decade and many thousand rounds. P9 and CW9 also no issues.
Plenty of problems,
K40 with a chamber insert that backed out. Kahr’s customer service told me impossible, but changed their tune when they saw the pictures. Required a trip to the factory.
PM9 was beginning to FTF. Ordered a new recoil spring as it was likely approaching 10k rounds. When replaced, the gun became worse even after a few hundred rounds. Required a trip to the factory - and came back worse. The gun also was a little shaky in cold weather, which is a common complaint on the PM9.
Great concept, spotty reliability, shitty customer service.
PM9 has been a great little gun for me. I haven’t come across another subcompact is in it’s size/weight class. Front pocket carry is easy.
CM9. Pearce ext, bicycle innertube over grip. 100% spot on like all my Kahrs. Love 'em.
I had a PM9 with issues. FRTB with various defensive HP’s, even after several hundred rounds of FMJ. I had a T9 that was flawless. I think it’s a mixed bag. If you get a good one, it’s good. If not, should you trust it for carry? I went back to a G-26.
Never had an issue with my MK9 except with full power +p 124gr. The mags OTOH, they wouldn’t retain rounds in the mags to save their life. I walk out the door with a loaded mag, and when I take my pants off in the evening, I had a pocket full of bullets and 2 rounds in the magazine. Sold it, bought a shield and have never had a problem since.
P9, never a problem, runs great. My two complaints are mag related: 1.) the steep angle the top round is held at makes it very easy to have the round pop out. Make sure you keep your mags in an enclosed pouch, lest you end up with a pocketful of loose rounds. 2.) the feed lips on the mags are sharp. Get a Mag-lula (or tougher fingers).
I got my Kahr several years ago because I wanted something slimmer and easier to conceal than my Glock 19, yet functioned pretty much the same way. Similar long trigger pull, no external safety. Because of the cost I would look at some of the newer options from Glock or S&W today.
Have two: pm9 & p45. Both about 5 years old, carried frequently and shot regularly. Thousands of rounds through each. PM9 has never had a problem. P45 has the occasional light primer strike on hard primers. Both are unbelievably accurate.
I personally think Kahr makes a very high quality pistol, even the value series. However, I also think that the platform offers minimal forgiveness for poor shooting form; e.g. limp wrist, loose grip, poor trigger control, etc. My 2 cents.
EDIT: I also had the same mag problem with the PM9 as nimbabew describes in his post when I carried 115 grain loads. I’d have a pocket full of shells at the end of the day. I switched to 147gr HST +p and the problem went away. Longer cartridges stay put and don’t bounce out anymore. I’ve never had a mag problem with the .45.