chikinhammr
03-26-2010, 10:49 PM
I traded in my Kel Tec PF9 for a brand new two tone Kahr PM9 yesterday. So far, I am very pleased that I did. I never really fell in love with the Kel Tec. It was reasonably priced, very light and very concealable. I put around 400 rounds through it and had no real issues with it besides of a couple operator induced FTF's from limpwristing it. I hated shooting the KT. It was just an uncomfortable pistol to hold and shoot. The fact that it looked like it was made from pot metal (it's not) and rattled like an old Ford Granada did nothing to endear me to it.
The Kahr PM9 makes the Kel Tec look like a toy in comparison. The workmanship in the Kahr is top notch and the extra ounce of weight makes it feel more substantial.
The Kahr is also MUCH more comfortabe to hold and shoot. The Kel Tec always made the web of my thumb sore for two days after shooting just 50 rounds. I never looked forward to shooting it. The Kahr, however, while not easy to shoot, gave me no soreness of any note after 250 rounds. Kahr recommends a minimum of 200 rounds to break in the gun.
I decided to go ahead and break it in yesterday right after the purchase. I wiped off all the excess oil from the gun and loaded the magazines (one six round, one seven) inserted one in the mag well and pulled back the slide and released. Nothing happened. The slide remained locked back. I pushed the slide release button with what seemed like too much pressure and finally chambered a round. I put the "dot-the-i" sights on the x of a paper target, pulled the smooth, metal DAO trigger and it went bang as advertised.
The Kahr in my opinion has a much better trigger than the plastic trigger on the Kel Tec PF9. Kahr has less stacking and a crisper break.
250 rounds later (200 Federal 124 gr FMJ and 50 Remington Golden Saber 124 gr BJHP +P) and the pistol had loosened up a bit. The slide stop/release took less thumb straining pressure to operate, and I could more easily chamber a round by pulling back the slide and releasing it.
The only negative about the Kahr I have found is that the magazines seem like they should be better quality in a nearly $700 gun. They are welded in the back part of the magazine tube and the feed lips look like they mght be a problem in the future. They're also expensive and hard to find. I liked the Kel Tec magazines better. They were quite solid. Probably the best thing about the KT PF9.
Kel Tec PF9 pros: light, thin, concealable, well built standard 7 round magazine.
cons: rattles, ugly, uncomfortable, looks poorly made.
Kahr PM9 pros: reliable, excellent workmanship and materials, thin, light, concealable, great sights, good looking firearm.
cons: very expensive, mediocre magazines, expensive to break in.
__________________
Chaz Murray
NRA, USCCA, ARCCA, Arkansas CHCL holder, Utah CFP holder.
The Kahr PM9 makes the Kel Tec look like a toy in comparison. The workmanship in the Kahr is top notch and the extra ounce of weight makes it feel more substantial.
The Kahr is also MUCH more comfortabe to hold and shoot. The Kel Tec always made the web of my thumb sore for two days after shooting just 50 rounds. I never looked forward to shooting it. The Kahr, however, while not easy to shoot, gave me no soreness of any note after 250 rounds. Kahr recommends a minimum of 200 rounds to break in the gun.
I decided to go ahead and break it in yesterday right after the purchase. I wiped off all the excess oil from the gun and loaded the magazines (one six round, one seven) inserted one in the mag well and pulled back the slide and released. Nothing happened. The slide remained locked back. I pushed the slide release button with what seemed like too much pressure and finally chambered a round. I put the "dot-the-i" sights on the x of a paper target, pulled the smooth, metal DAO trigger and it went bang as advertised.
The Kahr in my opinion has a much better trigger than the plastic trigger on the Kel Tec PF9. Kahr has less stacking and a crisper break.
250 rounds later (200 Federal 124 gr FMJ and 50 Remington Golden Saber 124 gr BJHP +P) and the pistol had loosened up a bit. The slide stop/release took less thumb straining pressure to operate, and I could more easily chamber a round by pulling back the slide and releasing it.
The only negative about the Kahr I have found is that the magazines seem like they should be better quality in a nearly $700 gun. They are welded in the back part of the magazine tube and the feed lips look like they mght be a problem in the future. They're also expensive and hard to find. I liked the Kel Tec magazines better. They were quite solid. Probably the best thing about the KT PF9.
Kel Tec PF9 pros: light, thin, concealable, well built standard 7 round magazine.
cons: rattles, ugly, uncomfortable, looks poorly made.
Kahr PM9 pros: reliable, excellent workmanship and materials, thin, light, concealable, great sights, good looking firearm.
cons: very expensive, mediocre magazines, expensive to break in.
__________________
Chaz Murray
NRA, USCCA, ARCCA, Arkansas CHCL holder, Utah CFP holder.