# Kahr PM9?



## Carol (Mar 23, 2014)

Been looking at compact semis, and met up with someone in my area selling a Kahr PM9.  

I've shot a Glock 26 and a Springfield XD but never a Kahr.   He wants $700 it with 2 mags and Crimson Trace.  He will let me shoot it before committing to buy it, but its a little more than I had budgeted for a used piece.

Thoughts? Are the Kahr's worth it?


----------



## Tgace (Mar 23, 2014)

If you are gonna spend that much look at buying New....

Never shot a Kahr myself, but a co-worker had one. Sold it...said he didn't like the trigger.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Carol (Mar 23, 2014)

That was pretty much my concern.  I know the market for striker-fired compacts is pretty tight but I'm just not seeing what makes a Kahr that much better.  Especially when I can get a new G26 for 5 bills and no sales tax.


----------



## ballen0351 (Mar 23, 2014)

I like kahr.  My partner used one undercover for years.  He swore by it.   But he wants WAY too much.  They are going for around $599 for brand new in box on gun broker with free shipping


----------



## Carol (Mar 23, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> I like kahr.  My partner used one undercover for years.  He swore by it.   But he wants WAY too much.  They are going for around $599 for brand new in box on gun broker with free shipping



Thanks Ballen, that certainly puts it in perspective.


----------



## Grenadier (Mar 24, 2014)

The Kahr PM9 is more of a true pocket pistol, when it comes to the semiautomatics.  

It's a single stack 9 mm, which is significantly thinner than the Glock 26 (which is still more of a holster-carried firearm).  It also weighs about 5-6 ounces less than the Glock.  It does a decent job of managing recoil, since it has a locked breech mechanism.  Overall, it will have less felt recoil than a S&W J-frame Airweight.  

Even though the Kahr pistols are double action only, it's actually a pretty nice trigger pull, coming in at about 6.5-7.0 lbs, and it's a very smooth pull that has a consistent breaking point.  If I had to get another pocket firearm, I'd feel comfortable with a Kahr PM9.  


The price on that used PM9 is a bit steep, even with the Crimson Trace lasergrips (they sell for about 200).  Also, you might not like the feel of the weapon with the CT grips on them, since you'd have to alter your grip a bit.


----------



## Carol (Mar 24, 2014)

Thank you VERY much!  This was exactly the info I was hoping to find.   I did like my G26 when I owned one, but I'd be all for finding something easier to conceal while sticking with a 9mm round, and that sounds very favorable.  

I've shot other pistols with Crimson Trace grips before.  They don't bother me too much but at they don't excite me either.   Paying too much for a sidearm definitely does not excite me....lol    I think its time to go to the range and try one


----------



## ballen0351 (Mar 24, 2014)

I daily carry the Sig P239.  Single stack 9mm.  With cross breed super tuck.  Summer clothing or winter it conceals nice. I wore it under cover on buys nobody ever saw it even if they looked me over closely thinking I was a cop.  Never doubted its reliability.


----------



## Carol (Mar 24, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> I daily carry the Sig P239.  Single stack 9mm.  With cross breed super tuck.  Summer clothing or winter it conceals nice. I wore it under cover on buys nobody ever saw it even if they looked me over closely thinking I was a cop.  Never doubted its reliability.



That's a fine piece, I just don't particularly care for Sig's DA/SA system.   I'd rather have the pull be consistent each time.

A good friend reached out to me and said he has a G26 Gen3 that he doesn't use anymore.  I suspect we may be working out a deal soon.


----------



## Carol (Mar 25, 2014)

Or....not.  He wants $525 for his gen3.   You'd think he'd be a bit more generous to someone who helped him move 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ShazamKenpo (May 3, 2014)

I had a partner who has a Kahr pocket 9mm and it is a reliable pocket pistol.  Pocket being the key word.  It is MUCH smaller than the Glock 26/27.  Both are great guns but if your looking for ultimate concealment the Kahr is a better choice.  Both my partner and I picked up the .380 versions and he has the "nicer" model which I believe is their "PM" series and I have the cheaper "CW" truly the difference is in the barrels for the most part definitely not enough to make up the difference in cost. However, both .380's are NOT as reliable as the 9mm or his LCP or my old Smith Bodyguard that they replaced.


----------



## Brian R. VanCise (May 3, 2014)

*You no me Carol I am all in for you to get a Glock*.  Do yourself a favor get a Glock, buy new and you will love it!
*
As Glock owners say:*

There are those that shoot a Glock and then there is everyone else who wants to shoot a Glock! 

or another of my favorites,

Not saying what your carrying isn't nice but..... that is no glock! 

or

That secret smile inside when you see someone else have a problem with a handgun and because you own a Glock you will never experience it! 


*Just sayin*...........................


----------



## ballen0351 (May 3, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> *You no me Carol I am all in for you to get a Glock*.  Do yourself a favor get a Glock, buy new and you will love it!
> *
> As Glock owners say:*
> 
> ...



As someone that's owned a glock and carried one on duty I will say I disagree with this post.  So many better choices then glocks


----------



## jks9199 (May 3, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> As someone that's owned a glock and carried one on duty I will say I disagree with this post.  So many better choices then glocks



Very much depends on what you're after. 

I'm a big fan of Glocks for self defense and cops.  They're not pretty, but they're damned reliable.  There's just not a hell of a lot to go wrong with them.  Sure there're are fancier guns, and guns with much finer finishing, tolerance, etc.  There are guns that are inherently more accurate because they're more tightly assembled.  And, I do admit, the need to pull the trigger to disassemble the gun isn't fantastic.  But, still, for a gun that you're going to carry and count on no matter the abuse -- I'll take a Glock.


----------



## ballen0351 (May 3, 2014)

jks9199 said:


> Very much depends on what you're after.
> 
> I'm a big fan of Glocks for self defense and cops.  They're not pretty, but they're damned reliable.  There's just not a hell of a lot to go wrong with them.  Sure there're are fancier guns, and guns with much finer finishing, tolerance, etc.  There are guns that are inherently more accurate because they're more tightly assembled.  And, I do admit, the need to pull the trigger to disassemble the gun isn't fantastic.  But, still, for a gun that you're going to carry and count on no matter the abuse -- I'll take a Glock.


Watch one explode in someone's hand on the firing line will make you a little bias


----------



## wimwag (May 3, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> Watch one explode in someone's hand on the firing line will make you a little bias








That and the "drop safety." Yeah.  I prefer my Sigma.


----------



## Tgace (May 4, 2014)

jks9199 said:


> Very much depends on what you're after.
> 
> I'm a big fan of Glocks for self defense and cops.  They're not pretty, but they're damned reliable.  There's just not a hell of a lot to go wrong with them.  Sure there're are fancier guns, and guns with much finer finishing, tolerance, etc.  There are guns that are inherently more accurate because they're more tightly assembled.  And, I do admit, the need to pull the trigger to disassemble the gun isn't fantastic.  But, still, for a gun that you're going to carry and count on no matter the abuse -- I'll take a Glock.



When I was at Quantico for the FBINA I got to visit the HRT...they had recently returned their fancy Springfield .45s because their tighter tolerances and "better accuracy" meant they malfunctioned too much. What did they switch to (at least back in 2008)? The Glock.

Accuracy in a combat handgun is a bell curve issue when it comes to engagement ranges, the average shooters abilities and the weapons reliability.

The KB issue with Glocks is a bit overblown (no pun intended) and primarially an issue in .40 cal models firing major power factor reloads. Some instances of KBs also happen when the weapon fires out of battery, but ammo is the primary culprit and causes KBs in all sorts of handguns.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Brian R. VanCise (May 4, 2014)

I have owned Glock's for over thirty years.  I have yet to have one malfunction. (though I do keep them extremely well cleaned)  I cannot say the same for the 1911 that I own or even my revolvers.  Everyone will have there preferences but if you want reliability then you cannot do better than a Glock!  Just sayin....


----------



## ballen0351 (May 4, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> but if you want reliability then you cannot do better than a Glock!  Just sayin....



Until they explode.    I haven't even cleaned my Sig in years and never had a single issue.  
Now Smith and Wesson M and P are junk.  We have had the factory reps at our station 3 times so far.  A neighboring county police sent them all back.  We were on the verge of sending them back.


----------



## jks9199 (May 4, 2014)

Tgace said:


> When I was at Quantico for the FBINA I got to visit the HRT...they had recently returned their fancy Springfield .45s because their tighter tolerances and "better accuracy" meant they malfunctioned too much. What did they switch to (at least back in 2008)? The Glock.
> 
> Accuracy in a combat handgun is a bell curve issue when it comes to engagement ranges, the average shooters abilities and the weapons reliability.
> 
> ...



I agree.  We've had one "blow up" in a shooter's hand.  I was there; it blasted the extractor rod and magazine out, but didn't hurt his hand much.  (I know that some of the reported Glock explosive failures have caused injuries; I'm not dismissing them.)  Our initial examination found that there was a lot of gunk built up in the guts of the gun (places like the firing pin channel and the extractor rod channel that you just don't ordinarily clean without a detail inspection and cleaning), and we also suspected a hot factory load.  (It happens...)  Glock's examination found that nothing was wrong with the gun, and they blamed the ammo.  (Big surprise there...)  But that's been one gun in my personal experience out of maybe several hundred, between rookie schools and other training.


----------



## ballen0351 (May 4, 2014)

jks9199 said:


> I agree.  We've had one "blow up" in a shooter's hand.  I was there; it blasted the extractor rod and magazine out, but didn't hurt his hand much.  (I know that some of the reported Glock explosive failures have caused injuries; I'm not dismissing them.)  Our initial examination found that there was a lot of gunk built up in the guts of the gun (places like the firing pin channel and the extractor rod channel that you just don't ordinarily clean without a detail inspection and cleaning), and we also suspected a hot factory load.  (It happens...)  Glock's examination found that nothing was wrong with the gun, and they blamed the ammo.  (Big surprise there...)  But that's been one gun in my personal experience out of maybe several hundred, between rookie schools and other training.


Same thing happened.  It also cracked the barrel.  He got 7 stitches in his hand and a big chunk of metal imbedded in his safety goggles.  Glock blamed Winchester (ammo company)  Winchester blamed Glock.


----------



## wimwag (May 4, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> Same thing happened.  It also cracked the barrel.  He got 7 stitches in his hand and a big chunk of metal imbedded in his safety goggles.  Glock blamed Winchester (ammo company)  Winchester blamed Glock.





In this case I tend to believe Glock.  Winchester has had a lot of problems as of late regarding double charges.  Just saw a recall notice up at the gun counter at Wally world.  This is why I buy the TulAmmo.


----------



## ballen0351 (May 4, 2014)

wimwag said:


> In this case I tend to believe Glock.  Winchester has had a lot of problems as of late regarding double charges.  Just saw a recall notice up at the gun counter at Wally world.  This is why I buy the TulAmmo.


This was about 10 years ago. Winchester Ranger SXT.  Never once have I had an issue with it.  Other then a few crimped casings but I doubt they would have even chambered


----------



## ballen0351 (May 4, 2014)

Glocks are ok Im just not a fan.  Even more annoying are the Glock fanboys that run around acting like its the best gun ever made.


----------



## jks9199 (May 4, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> Glocks are ok Im just not a fan.  Even more annoying are the Glock fanboys that run around acting like its the best gun ever made.



Never said that, either.  But I do think that the Glock guns are excellent cop or self defense guns.  They're simply so tolerant of abuse and so reliable even when abused...  The mechanism and design is simple, and free of extraneous elements.  There's just not much to go wrong -- and when it does, it's usually shooter induced and cleared easily.  

Sigs are great guns, too.  But they're also more finicky.   Not so familiar with Kahr -- but haven't heard anything really bad about 'em either.


----------



## Brian R. VanCise (May 4, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> Until they explode.    I haven't even cleaned my Sig in years and never had a single issue.
> Now Smith and Wesson M and P are junk.  We have had the factory reps at our station 3 times so far.  A neighboring county police sent them all back.  We were on the verge of sending them back.



Never seen a Glock have any problems.  Not saying that they could or have not just my experience they have been absolutely fantastic!  There is a reason why people like Glocks, simple, efficient with few if ever any problems.  The reason I have found why some people hate glocks is that they do not like how it fits in their hands.  Jks9199 made some very good points about just why they are a great self-defense and law enforcement guns.  Reliable, free of extraneous mechanisms and capable of taking abuse.  Look I love Glocks in comparison to other firearms I have fired through the years.  However, they are not the only firearm I carry.  I also usually have a back up gun around my ankle and that usually is one of my small revolvers.  

As for your favorite ie. your Sig that is a good firearm as well.  I had one in the past.  I liked everything about it but the weight and also the feel in my hand.  Quite a few of my friends also fire Sig's. (their primary duty gun)  It is not a Glock but it is still a good gun!


----------



## Brian R. VanCise (May 4, 2014)

I will say that for Carol she should check out a few and see if she can fire them either at the store or with some friends.  That way she can choose what she likes and feels right for her.


----------



## wimwag (May 4, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> I will say that for Carol she should check out a few and see if she can fire them either at the store or with some friends.  That way she can choose what she likes and feels right for her.






And feed it a variety of ammo while testing it!  I made a mistake buying a Walther PK380 after only firing one brand through it.  Other people swear by theirs but I only swear at mine.


----------



## wimwag (May 4, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> This was about 10 years ago. Winchester Ranger SXT.  Never once have I had an issue with it.  Other then a few crimped casings but I doubt they would have even chambered




I wasn't even old enough to buy a handgun then.  Can't imagine going out without it now.  Criminals like my 20 year old self are out there...


----------



## ballen0351 (May 5, 2014)

jks9199 said:


> Never said that, either.  But I do think that the Glock guns are excellent cop or self defense guns.  They're simply so tolerant of abuse and so reliable even when abused...  The mechanism and design is simple, and free of extraneous elements.  There's just not much to go wrong -- and when it does, it's usually shooter induced and cleared easily.
> 
> Sigs are great guns, too.  But they're also more finicky.   Not so familiar with Kahr -- but haven't heard anything really bad about 'em either.


I wasn't saying anyone here was that way.  I just know a couple guys that buy anything and everything with the word Glock hats shirts knives glasses ect


----------



## Carol (May 5, 2014)

wimwag said:


> And feed it a variety of ammo while testing it!  I made a mistake buying a Walther PK380 after only firing one brand through it.  Other people swear by theirs but I only swear at mine.



Ya know the thought of firing a variety of ammo through what I'm testing never occurred to me.  Great suggestion!   :asian:


----------



## vincymull (Jul 31, 2014)

I have a PM9. Haven't shot it much but so far so good &#65279;


----------

