David's Review of the Kahr PM9

[Brainclaw]

Because of budgetary constraints, it isn’t every day that we get to fill in a missing piece in the Giuffre Armory. We are very practical gun owners and shooters, and really only get kit that we need.

My need started back when I first started carrying a defensive handgun when I was 21 years of age. I got my permit, and promptly bought the most futuristic and powerful handgun I could lay my hands on: The Glock 20 chambered for 10mm Auto.

This was a huge gun, and I had trouble concealing it on the best of days. Good thing was, it was a really powerful man-stopping round, and I could shoot it really well. I finally gave it up and bought the slightly smaller Glock 19, which was chambered for the more readily-available, much cheaper, but weaker 9mm round. I then went even smaller, and traded that gun in for the relatively tiny Glock 26, all in the quest for a small, concealable weapon for year-round concealed carry. Finally, last year, I traded back up to the 10mm Glock 29, which remains my powerful companion three seasons out of the year, usually riding in a Fobus holster on my right hip, under a jacket.

Enter Summer 2007. It had been a really hot summer, and concealing my Glock 29 was still impractical with jeans and a tee-shirt on. I wear my shirts tucked in, and think I look stupid in long, bowler-style shirts that would easily conceal my Glock. So I turned to a relatively new company - Kahr.

Their firearms have a really great reputation for reliability, and they recently released what was being called the smallest 9mm autopistol on the market. After doing a ton of research and checking with owners of the weapon, I decided to buy one. It took me forever to find one, as they seem to be in high demand right now, but I located one at the National Guard Armory Gun Show on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. There was only one of them at the entire gun show, so I snagged it, fully equipped with Trijicon Tritium Night Sights for $700.00. A bit pricey for a micro-nine, you might say? Well, I agree, but it has been worth the price so far.

The gun I bought was also the one with the blackened, diamond finish on the slide, giving the whole gun a uniform, matte black finish. I don’t go for flashy chrome or steel slides on my firearms. Better to be low-profile, in my opinion. Plus, I think they look really tacky.

I filled out my paperwork, waited while my background check was conducted, and then paid for my gun and left. The gun came in a sturdy plastic case, with a standard six round and an extended seven round magazine, a trigger lock and numerous owner’s papers and instruction manuals. No cleaning brush was included, however, unlike every Glock I have ever purchased.

The gun felt solid and well put together in my hands, and there were no sharp areas or unfinished edges anywhere on the weapon. All of the moving parts were a bit stiff, but that was to be expected with any new firearm. Kahr actually says right in the manual that the firearm requires a 200 round break-in period, which was a new thing for me. Every Glock I have ever owned shot perfectly right out of the box. That made me slightly apprehensive when I went to the range for the first time. My fears were unfounded, to say the least.

Day One:

I went to Ready Aim Fire in Bristol, PA to try out my new little beast, with my chiropractor and good friend Wallace Shaffer. We set up an initial human torso target at standard gunfight range of 10 yards. I loaded 6 American Eagle 9mm FMJ practice rounds into each magazine and racked a round into the chamber. The gun cycled the rounds perfectly. The gun seemed very accurate within the ranges that I would be using (or hopefully NOT using) it . There were no failure to fire at all, and I shot almost 200 rounds through the weapon that day.

The only thing I didn’t care for was the way the extended seven-round magazine looks when it is in the gun. The magazines are both bright steel, and the extended mag hangs out of the bottom of the mag well, looking like it doesn’t belong there. The six round magazine looks much better, as it fits flush into the mag well, which also increases its concealability. However, the larger magazine actually makes the gun easier to shoot, because you have a place to anchor your pinky finger while firing. There is at least one manufacturer who makes after-market magazine bottoms that give you a pinky rest while concealing all of that ugly steel. I will undoubtedly be getting a few of these at some point in the future.

Day Two:

I went back to the range after I got an additional toy for this new gun. I ordered, and received in three days, an Armalaser aiming module custom-made for the PM9. It was a snap to install, and takes four small “button” style watch batteries. The whole laser snaps onto the front of the PM9’s trigger guard, and breaks up the silhouette of the gun while it is in your pocket or wherever. The innovative thing about this laser is that it activates automatically when you place your finger inside the trigger guard, or when your opposite hand’s thumb comes in contact with a metallic ribbon on the inside mount of the unit.

The laser stays on for exactly twelve seconds, then shuts off. You can make it stay on for twenty-four seconds if you re-touch the activator again while the laser is on. This is an excellent energy-saving feature built into the laser’s software. If it sounds difficult or awkward, it isn’t. You get used to it in minutes, plus you don’t have to worry about accidentally telegraphing your position to an enemy with an inadvertently-activated laser beam. There is also a kill-switch on the bottom of the unit.

My second day firing this little brute was as good as the first. The gun fired another 200 rounds of FMJ flawlessly, not counting one failure to load with a malformed bullet head. I then ran a box of Federal 128 grain Hydroshoks through the gun, since this is the defensive round I plan to carry in the PM9. Not one failure to feed or jam occurred. I love that kind of reliability. I was skeptical at first, but no longer. The Armalaser was a wonderful addition to this particular weapon, making it easy to shoot quickly and accurately from almost any angle, after an easy sight-in adjustment with supplied hex key. The laser stayed completely sighted in after 500 rounds.

The gun is now broken in, and works like a charm. It also easily breaks down for cleaning, by removing the slide release lever pin (accomplished easily with the pressure of the bottom of a magazine) and then removing the slide, spring assembly and barrel, a la Glock.

I can’t say enough about this small powerhouse, and would recommend it to anyone who needs a deep or hot weather concealment option, but who is unwilling to go below 9mm for a defensive gun. Next time you see me in shorts and a tee shirt, I’m probably armed to the teeth, but you just can’t tell from looking at me!

end of line.

[Cheeseybacon]

Based upon my father's experience and the experience of many others that I have read about, I'd have to say that your PM9 is the exception, rather than the rule. PM9s seem to be hit or miss and you were one of the lucky ones.

My dad's PM9 is total junk. Neither myself nor my dad or anyone else who shot it could hit the broad side of a barn. Even after roughly 700 rounds through it the action still felt rough and gritty, despite excessive cleaning and lubration. I'm also not fond of the magazine design, or the fact that you cannot insert a magazine and chamber a round from a closed slide. In addition to the crappy accuracy and lousy fit and finish, my dad experienced trigger reset issues, barrel and slide peening, frame shaving, and the end of trigger spring poked through the frame and jabs the your finger under recoil. Worst of all, Kahr gave him some serious attitude before finally agreeing to look at it. They've had the thing for over a month and a half now and we haven't heard anything from them yet.

I can see how a PM9 would be a fantastic little pocket peice if you manage to get a good one, but for what Kahr asks for these damn things (My dad's was ~$740 out the door), you shouldn't feel like you're to taking a gamble to get a good one.

[Rule10b5]

Damn, I've got to stop getting into the same threads as you, Cheeseybacon -- every time someone posts about a Kahr P series we run into each other.

Anyway, Brainclaw, you wrote an excellent and informative review (and I say that even though I, personally, have had horrid experiences with Kahr's P series guns). It looks like you have a fine little carry piece, there, enjoy it. I would offer one warning, though, of a user induced problem that I've seen strike a few Kahr owners (I fixed the results of one for a friend of mine the other day).

When you are reassembling the PM9, and inserting the slide stop pin, be very, very careful to make certain that:

(i) the witness lines on the upper and lower match up perfectly; and
(ii) the pin passes through the slide stop pin hole in the barrel.

On a Kahr it is surprisingly easy to reinsert the pin outside of the slide stop pin hole in the barrel which results in the very not fun experience of locking up the gun completely. If you happen to do it, you'll have to fidget with the slide (and push the barrel hood down with your hand or a soft mallet just enough so the hood can clear the slide, rack the slide all the way back until the slide stop cut is lined up with the pin, and then gently force the pin back out. At best, it's a "three hands" job -- at worst it merits a return trip to the factory so they can clear the pin for you. On both of the guns that I saw it happen on I was able to clear the pin myself.

Anyway, it's easy to avoid, if you just make sure that when you line up the witness marks that you line up the pin hole in the barrel, too (you can do this by moving the barrel back and forward with your fingers, obviously).

Good luck, and enjoy your gun.

[TwistedCopper]

I have also recently picked up a PM9 for the same reasons, except you have a Glock and I have an XD.

I have also had a trouble free break-in of mine and have been very impressed with the little Kahr. The long DAO trigger takes some getting used to but once I did it's very accurate.

The slide release could be a little less sharp.

[Cheeseybacon]

The slide release could be a little less sharp.

Indeed, Kahr did a pretty good job making the PM9 smooth and rounded, and then smack dab in the middle of it all is that nasty abomination of a slide release. What the hell were they smoking? What's even more ridiculous is the fact that Kahr has a link on their website to a company called Slide and Cylinder who offer a special carry package for the PM9 which among other things, bevels the slide release for a mere $527.50!

You shouldn't have to pay a ridiculous amount of money to a third party to perform concealed carry modifications on an already ridiculously expensive gun that was obviously intended for and built from the ground up with concealed carry in mind. Kahr sucks!

[TwistedCopper]

Indeed, Kahr did a pretty good job making the PM9 smooth and rounded, and then smack dab in the middle of it all is that nasty abomination of a slide release. What the hell were they smoking? What's even more ridiculous is the fact that Kahr has a link on their website to a company called Slide and Cylinder who offer a special carry package for the PM9 which among other things, bevels the slide release for a mere $527.50!

You shouldn't have to pay a ridiculous amount of money to a third party to perform concealed carry modifications on an already ridiculously expensive gun that was obviously intended for and built from the ground up with concealed carry in mind. Kahr sucks!

I understand your point, and agree with the fact that the slide release is something they dropped the ball on, but it is reliable, well machined, and I'll still take my Kahr over a Kel Tec or pretty much any other "pocket" 9mm. I don't know much about Rohrbaugh except that it's more $$$.

I have read on here people bashing Kahr and saying things like you're getting Kel Tec quality for Kahr pricing, but when you compare the two next to each other the difference is clear that a Kahr is a much better quality weapon.

[Brainclaw]

Wow. That's a shame he had a bad experience. I will keep an eye on mine, and try to keep up on maintenance and cleaning. Thanks for reading my review!

Best,

David

[Brainclaw]

Thanks for the tip!

I will indeed be aware of those things when i am reassembling the weapon.

Thanks also for reading my review!

Best,

David

[Brainclaw]

My wife has an XD and she loves it! It is an amazingly well-designed weapon.

Glad you are digging your Kahr as well.

Thanks for reading!

All the best,

David

[Suburban]

I have a "good PM9," too.

I do have a few issues with it:
If you are not careful putting the slide release lever in, the spring may not engage it properly, and the pistol will lock open in the middle of a magazine. Make sure the lever will snap back down before you load it up.
The slide release lever is large, and if you don't keep your thumbs down, you'll lock the slide open in the middle of a magazine.
The trigger must be released aallllll the way before it resets. Can be a small problem if you shoot Glocks or 1911s and are used to a real short reset.