Differences between newer and older MK9s

[MK9]

I just picked up a new to me MK9 (I guess you could've guessed that:)) and was pretty surprised that it was manufactured over 10 years ago. It looks almost brand new!

I've read on the forums the slide releases are shaped different now, and was wondering if there were any other differences. I was also wondering if someone could educate me on what is considered a newer design (what years).

Thanks!

[jocko]

I just picked up a new to me MK9 (I guess you could've guessed that:)) and was pretty surprised that it was manufactured over 10 years ago. It looks almost brand new!

I've read on the forums the slide releases are shaped different now, and was wondering if there were any other differences. I was also wondering if someone could educate me on what is considered a newer design (what years).

Thanks!

#1. get out and shoot it and see if it is totally reliable, which proabably it will be. That is a nice gun,.

#2, The only change that I can say kahr made is that they changed the size of the recoil assembly flat washer that goes against the barrel lug. Yours if you measure it proably is 3/8" across. the new size will now be 1/2". Why they made that change, I cannot say, but if you order a new recoil assembly which if the gun is 10 years old,yoiu definitely should order a complete assembly for it just to be sure . Measure that part and if it is 1/2" then rest assured the previous owner has installed a new recoil assembly.
#3 My PM9 has oefver 25,000 rounds through it and you can't tellif it has had 100 rounds or what, so tha tis not uncommon for the gun to look new, as probably the owner took good care of it to. It is a darn nice gun and age should not have anything to do with its realibility.

If it was mine, I would do this.

Order a new recoil assembly from kahr and order new magazine springs from kahr and a couple of magazine followers also from kahr. replace those sprngs and you willhave peace of mind that this gun isnow in tip top condition.

Nice gun, now just go out and shoot it like you stole it. Make sure the grip screws stay tight, especially on the right side grip. A loose grip will let the trigger bar move in a wrong direction and can cause reliability issues. Just check the grips screws every time you clean the gun.

[MK9]

#1. get out and shoot it and see if it is totally reliable, which proabably it will be. That is a nice gun,.

#2, The only change that I can say kahr made is that they changed the size of the recoil assembly flat washer that goes against the barrel lug. Yours if you measure it proably is 3/8" across. the new size will now be 1/2". Why they made that change, I cannot say, but if you order a new recoil assembly which if the gun is 10 years old,yoiu definitely should order a complete assembly for it just to be sure . Measure that part and if it is 1/2" then rest assured the previous owner has installed a new recoil assembly.
#3 My PM9 has oefver 25,000 rounds through it and you can't tellif it has had 100 rounds or what, so tha tis not uncommon for the gun to look new, as probably the owner took good care of it to. It is a darn nice gun and age should not have anything to do with its realibility.

If it was mine, I would do this.

Order a new recoil assembly from kahr and order new magazine springs from kahr and a couple of magazine followers also from kahr. replace those sprngs and you willhave peace of mind that this gun isnow in tip top condition.

Nice gun, now just go out and shoot it like you stole it. Make sure the grip screws stay tight, especially on the right side grip. A loose grip will let the trigger bar move in a wrong direction and can cause reliability issues. Just check the grips screws every time you clean the gun.

Thanks for all the advice. I will be shooting it tomorrow (Fri) and I hope I like it. I like how it feels in my hand and like the way it looks too.

I just measured the flat washer and it's 1/2 an inch. Now I'm really curious because my serial # wasn't on the Kahr serial # list I found somewhere on this forum, which is copied/pasted below:

GA101x - MK9 - Nov 1997
GA25xx - MK9 - Date unknown
GA3xxx - MK9 - Aug 1998

Mine is GA28XX which is between 1997 and 1998 so I just figured the gun was manufactured in '97 or '98. Could it be newer? I would think the guy I bought it from would've mentioned he bought new parts for it. I guess there's always the chance he wasn't the original owner too.

Thanks!

[jocko]

ur serial # falls within that date though, so it is probably 10 years old. You can call kahr and they will tell you also. No big deal. Just go out and shoot it like u stole it..

[MK9]

ur serial 3 falls within that date though, so it is probably 10 years old. You can call kahr and they will tell you also. No big deal. Just go out and shoot it like u stole it..

Well I took it to the range today and put 50 rounds of winchester FMJ though it with no problems. This is my first pocket gun, I was pleasantly surprised with the accuracy. I'm glad I chose the MK9 over the PM9. Don't even want to know what the recoil is like on the PM9.

My Superfly pocket holster showed up right before I left for the range, which was a bonus for the day. The MK9 is a little heavy for sweats, but felt just fine in my jeans. I think I prefer the holster without the flap but I'll test it out both ways.

[jocko]

i nver liked the flap, to me just more bulk in that area. You will know u are carrying it there, no one else will. glad it worked like we all thought it did to. nice gun, really is. I have never shot a MK series, love my PM9 but would like to someday just shoot one to say I shot one.actually the PM9 is a very very nice shooting lightweight. I love to shoot my PM9 more than my G19, which for me anyways shoots circles around my PM9, with me behind it..

[MK9]

i nver liked the flap, to me just more bulk in that area. You will know u are carrying it there, no one else will. glad it worked like we all thought it did to. nice gun, really is. I have never shot a MK series, love my PM9 but would like to someday just shoot one to say I shot one.actually the PM9 is a very very nice shooting lightweight. I love to shoot my PM9 more than my G19, which for me anyways shoots circles around my PM9, with me behind it..

I think they should have included a few pockets in the flap. If I could put my DL, debit card/cash , and CHL in there, I could leave my wallet at home which would make the added bulk worth it.

Have you tried removing the velcro? It would be nice to have that side sticky. Once you get your hand on the grip, I find it a little easier to draw with the flap because the holster stays in the pocket better.

[dzldust]

trigger differnces??

[Bawanna]

From what I'm told there are two series of MK. The GA serial and the GC. I have a GA. Only thing I know for sure is the GA grips will not fit the GC guns. I'm also told there were only two series so everything since the GA switch to GC is the same to the present day. At least the way I understand it.

[dzldust]

I just picked up a GA29xx and the top of the trigger, where it normally has a sharp edge at the top of the arc ,is smooth and solid,does not dig into my fat fingers on full pull,have not found any info on this as to whether it is a mod or the way the trigger is made

[jocko]

Probably made around 1998.

[dzldust]

do they still make the mk9?

[Bawanna]

do they still make the mk9?

Yes.

[dzldust]

local shops around here carry all the polemer framed Kahrs but have not seen an all steel in ages

[Bawanna]

I see very few Kahrs of any kind at our local shops. For a long time I never saw any at out gunshows either but in recent months theres be a few more.
Reminds me I gotta track down a CM9 for one of the boys here. He's talking Taurus 738, gotta change his mind.

[O'Dell]

I see very few Kahrs of any kind at our local shops. For a long time I never saw any at out gunshows either but in recent months theres be a few more.
Reminds me I gotta track down a CM9 for one of the boys here. He's talking Taurus 738, gotta change his mind.

Please do! I'm 1 for 3 with Taurus. Two were bad out of the box and Taurus couldn't make them right in 6 weeks. The other, a 24/7 c 45 was actually pretty decent, but I sold it because I just didn't like owning one.

[taxifolia]

I just picked up a new to me MK9 (I guess you could've guessed that:)) and was pretty surprised that it was manufactured over 10 years ago. It looks almost brand new!

I've read on the forums the slide releases are shaped different now, and was wondering if there were any other differences. I was also wondering if someone could educate me on what is considered a newer design (what years).

Thanks!

I bought MK9 SN GA17XX in 5/98. Original mag followers were steel, no slide lock back. I bought two poly mag followers and replaced the steel. Clayton Covel told me in 4/08 (when he was still with KAHR) that my old style (GA) differed from the newer MKs in frame/barrel/dovetails and that there was nothing negative about the older style except that KAHR's wood grips would not fit without a little Dremel work.

[xaman]

Make sure the grip screws stay tight, especially on the right side grip. A loose grip will let the trigger bar move in a wrong direction and can cause reliability issues. Just check the grips screws every time you clean the gun.


Jocko,

What kind of problems would a loose grip cause???

[jlottmc]

That will allow the trigger bar to move laterally, and then you get mash trigger, and nothing. No click, no bang.

[jlottmc]

I see very few Kahrs of any kind at our local shops. For a long time I never saw any at out gunshows either but in recent months theres be a few more.
Reminds me I gotta track down a CM9 for one of the boys here. He's talking Taurus 738, gotta change his mind.


All right there humbucker, I have three Taurus guns in the house, and all have been perfect. I have a cop friend who has a 24/7 pro in 40 (just like mine, whoudathunkit) and his has been flawless. Taurus gets a bad rap from their earlier days. They do work, and the price point is nice too. Do they have the same fit and finish no, but the one I've handled do work and work well, at least for me and people without soft grips and spongy wrists. I have remained silent long enough.

[Bawanna]

I'm not trash talking Taurus. They have come a long way from the early days when if you got a good one you had a great gun or you got a bad one and got a real POS. Much more consistant now but still a few no so good.

My deal here is this guy is a cop, the 738 is a 380. I've heard of a few depts that no longer allow 380's as backup and off duty guns.

We have 2 other 738's which is why he wants one. They qualed with them last week and he saw them. Neither officer could get their gun apart to clean. Now their thinking is I won't have to take it apart for a year or until I qual next time. Not good thinking to me but somewhat typical cop, not gun guy thinking.

For a 100 bucks more he gets a 9 (almost a meaningful caliber), in a much much more quality platform. Still probably won't get cleaned or taken care of any better but just a much better package for a guy that really may need it very badly some day.

For what it's worth, he thanked me for my advice and told me to get him the Taurus, he really wants it. Soooooo, my good intentions and work here is done.

[jlottmc]

Indeed, he could also get a 9 or morer and betterer a 40 in the 740 slim for about the same money. In fact both of my pocket pistols are Taurus. I have a 605 in 357, and a 740 slim in you guessed it 40 for that very purpose. As for breaking it down, that's easy, comes apart like a Glock. Unload, pull slide back a hair, pull tabs down, release slide and pull trigger. Otherwise it's more like a Beretta, unload, lock slide to rear, twist take down pin, pull pin, release slide gently and pull trigger. After that, they're all close to the same.

[Bawanna]

These things (738) you just lock the slide back and have to take a screwdriver and pry out the take down pin. It's kind of tight and you have to pry to the point where you think your gonna break something. There's no hole to push the pin out from the other side.

Its a kitchen drawer pry it apart situation.

I wouldn't own one myself although I'm told they shoot very accurately and of course they are so flat and light they dissappear.

I'm ordering another one up for the officer now, hope he never needs it and if he does it somehow manages to get the job done.

[jlottmc]

Me I went with the 40, and since I don't have it in front of me I can't tell you if its tabs or pin. That pin is kind of like a Kahr's slide stop, little tight, but workable if you know what you're doing.