Kahr pistols and reliability issues for small 9mm backup guns

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
21

Never had the 9mm. When the K9 first came out, it had such a stellar reputation, many K9 owners went to the P9. My brother’s P9 was flawless, and he strongly recommended it. I bought the P40 when it first became available.

My P40 has not had a single malfunction in over 800 rounds. As a matter of habit, I polish the ramps on all my pistols, so that likely abated any potential issues, and I did the 200 round break in as recommended.

When I first got my P45, it would release the slide as soon as the magazine was inserted, without stripping the top round. This occurred even with the polished ramp. I contact Kahr, and they advised that they DID have some machining issues, and it was likely my slide stop notch was cut at the wrong angle. They sent me a new slide, slide stop, recoil guide and spring within a week. Their customer service was perfect. The new slide was money.

I have not had a single problem with my P45 since the fix. It has over 350 rounds fired through it, and has killed a prairie dog or two, as well.

My P45 is my preferred carry gun. YMMV…

22

Time to close the loop on this story. I finally decided to sell my LCP, and bought a Kahr PM9.

As I said in the original post, at first I bought an LCP. Of course the LCP’s were recalled by Ruger, but I had no problem with that. However, I was having a problem with misfires (in every case, if the FTF round was tried again, it would fire), and some misfeeds when loading the first round from a new mag, as well. Ruger ignored my letter and did not fix the LCP during the recall work, so I had to send it a second time and this time they got it fixed. After that the pistol worked reliably with any ammo I fed it, and I put over 500 trouble-free rounds through it. I even started to carry it in a Desantis pocket holster. So in the reliability sense, my experience is that the LCP is capable of being a reliable gun. And that is also what I hear from most other LCP owners on the LCP forums. Reliability, for the most part, does not appear to be a problem with LCP’s.

But I never got to like the LCP. I think it may very well turn out to be a great gun for those who can grip it and fire it well, but it just didn’t work out for me. I won’t go into great detail, but with my large hands I could never get a comfortable grip on the thing; the trigger always pinched painfully when firing. Reasonably accurate double-taps were impossible, for me. And I saw wear on the rails and in other places that concerned me. While this is just an impression, it struck me every time I stripped and examined the LCP closely, that it was not very robustly constructed. Also, in general the more I learned about .380 ballistics (from DocGKR posts and others), and the more that the .380 ammo prices have shot up, the less I really liked this caliber. I’m not making any blanket statements about the .380, or the LCP for that matter, just saying that for ME, these things put together led me to decide I would stick with something in 9mm.

A few weeks ago, I bought a Kahr PM9, the blackened stainless slide model (PM9094). I know some have had reliability issues, and they are pricey for a small gun. But in fairness, many good new pistol models have had some initial issues, and that doesn’t necessarily rule them out, provided the issues can be resolved. After I dug researched it a bit, I found that more people than not that I contacted on gun forums had GREAT experiences with PM9’s and other small Kahr 9mm pistols. For example, I posted a thread on a 1911 forum I’m involved in, and I was surprised by the high percentage of very positive reports about the PM9.

Anyway, my initial range trips with the Kahr have been excellent. I have now just over 200 rounds through it (Federal 9mm 124gr HST, Winchester White Box, and Speer Lawman), and not a single FTF, stovepipe, or issue of any kind. I’ve tried to induce failures by limp-wristing, firing sideways, etc., and so far it’s handled everything. I was expecting some stoppages the first 200 rounds, as many have said this happens because Kahr makes their guns tight. But apparently it is not going to happen on this one.

Bottom line: for me, the Kahr PM9 shoots great, feels great, is reliable so far, it’s 9mm (which is handy because I have a LOT of 9mm stockpiled), and it carries well in my backup holster. It’s not definite yet, but looks like it will be a good choice for a backup gun and lightweight primary CCW. I should probably get it up to 500 rounds, but it has performed so well in the first 200 rounds, I’m already carrying it as backup (though I won’t carry it alone as a primary, yet).

Some pics:



Notice the 45-degree relief cuts in the barrel hood. They have lots of small details like this, which overall give me the impression of a good design:

You can see the rear bar sight; I really like the bar-dot sights. May eventually get night sights, but for the close ranges involved with a backup gun, I may not even bother. I can see these sights really well even in dim lighting.

The wide trigger blade is comfortable for me:

Holding the gun with 7rd extended mag:

Gun with 7rd extended mag:

Holding the gun with 6rd flush mag:

The stainless steel mags: they feel very well constructed to me, with 400-series stainless, and good solid followers.

23

I own the following small guns;
Glock 26 ( Bought it about 2 years after the G26 was introduced)
S&W M&P9c (about 18 months)
Kahr MP9
S&W 642

As such, I feel I can comment on the Kahr PM9 vs. the others, as I have carried all of the above, and have shot them against one another on several occasions.

The Kahr PM9 was purchased used, but in like new condition. I don’t know how many rounds the original owner put through it. It has performed with utter reliability for me.

The Kahr is the easiest for me to carry in a pocket. I can shoot it and faster and with more accuracy than the S&W 642.

Issues I have had with the Kahr so far are two fold.

First, I don’t like the weak spring on the mag release. Makes me nervous.

Secondly, I have had issue with the magazines. If the mag is in the gun, no issue. Carrying a spare magazine in my weak side pocket (nothing else in the pocket) I have had occasions where rounds would slowly pop out of the magazine, one at a time. This first occurred while at the zoo with the family. Very odd feeling, and could not really address the issue as I was in a crowd. By the time I was able to go to the restroom and check it out, three rounds were out of the magazine and in my pocket.

I called Kahr, they said “Hmmm”, it shouldn’t do that. They then sent me a free magazine. I still will have the issue (with all three magazines now), but not consistently.

The S&W 642 is a great gun. Harder for me to conceal in a pocket than the Kahr. But it’s easier for me to grab out of a pocket in a hurry due to the shape, than the Kahr PM9. My 642 is reliable. Completely. I trust it implicitly.

The Glock 26 and the M&P9c, are in my mind, a different class of gun than the PM9. Both the G26 and the M&P9c shoot more like full size guns to me than deep concealment BUG’s. Ask me my preference between the G26 and the M&P9c, and it’s real close. Depends on which day you ask me as to which I prefer. Both of these guns are as reliable as their full size designs, in my opinion.

I own a kydex pocket holster for the Glock 26, made by FIST. Great holster, provided I have a pocket large enough, (Cargo type shorts) and a good belt to hold it all up.

The M&P9c is just a bit too big for me to consider getting a FIST pocket holster. My pockets aren’t that big.

I own IWB holsters, but if using an IWB holster, I prefer to go from the Glock 26 to the Glock 19.

I carry my M&P9c in an IWB holster, but in winter, might switch it for my issued M&P full size gun.

All of my IWB kydex holsters are the “tuckable” type.

There are many new 380’s out there. I just don’t feel comfortable with the caliber.

24

I have 3 Kahr’s - an MK9, a PM9 and a P9. I’ve not had any issues with any of them. All are quite accurate, and as one might expect, the MK9 is simply crazy accurate…

Personally, I would not own a Kahr chambered in a round that started with a “4”…

25

I have two Kahrs, an old E9 and a P40.

The only time I have had an issue with the E9 is if my reloads were not hot enough. It likes them hot and functioned fine with the box of 50 Hydra Shoks so that is what I carry in it. I am not sure of the round count but it is in the thousands.

The P40 I picked up used recently and have only shot a box of factory loads through it with no issues. Recoil is uncomfortably snappy and I am thinking of trading it in on a K9.

26

I have thought about getting a pm9 for my wife for ccw has anybody had their wife or GF shoot theirs and if you have how did they like it . I am worried it might not work for her she limp wrists and I cant get her to stop doing it and she just refuses to practice with a revolver.

27

I have had a Kahr for years. It looks terrible (scratched up) but it shoots great. I once had a hiccup with a Gold Dot, but I have shot several hundred rounds of GD since that worked fine. Great little carry blaster.

28

I’ve had a PM-9 for about 5 years. It has been trouble free for over a 1000-1500 rounds other than one or two failures to feed in the first twenty rounds. I know this isn’t a lot of rounds given how long I have owned the gun, but I always seem to have newer, more interesting to shoot guns that take up my range time and training use.

While I have had relatively good luck with my PM-9. I have heard of a lot of people who have not been as lucky and had reliability problems, which seem correctable with trips back to the factory. Normally I would hesitate to recommend a gun like this, but there are not a lot of alternatives for 9mms this compact.

For me the Kahr PM-9 is a niche gun–something for pocket carry in dress pants in a work environment where something bigger would print.

I actually prefer the Smith J frame for pocket carry because the shape of the grip makes it easier to grab and the back of the frame is rounded to minimize chances of it snagging on your pocket if it is drawn from an awkward position.

However, when it comes to pocket carry in an NPE, the Kahr PM-9 is flatter and smaller and does not print. Depending on your pants, you may need to have the pocket deepened by a tailor, since some pants pockets would be fill if they held anything bigger than a small cell phone.

It is different carrying in a non-permissive environment such as work, because you see the same people every day and they are more likely to notice something, not to mention brushing against those people in places like tight hallways and the copy room. In this capacity a gun like the Kahr PM-9 excels.

29

i went through the tiny handgun thing a few monthes back and ended up with a G26. it’s a little blocky, but really, nobody can see it.