K40 Goodness!

[sharpetop]

Bored from sitting in the house, I decided to punch some paper with the CW9 and K40.

As well as I like the CW9, the K40 is such a joy to shoot. I get back on target just as quick as with the CW and the K40 is more accurate in my hands. Double taps are no problem.

Although the CW9 carries a little better due to weight, the K40 made it's way back into the carry holster.

[queevil]

I'm loving my k40 covert. I'm glad your getting along with yours.

[Bongo Boy]

Absolutely. While I don't have anything I can compare it to (no other small pistols, no other Kahrs, etc) I find it a joy as well, and I say that with no exagerration. The recoil now feels 'smooth' or 'fluid' if you will, at least far more so than when first getting used to the gun. I find the Trijicon sights are enormous and in-your-face, and it puts 'em right where you point 'em. Another 1,500 rds of focused practice and I think I'll be able to say I really know the weapon. Enjoy! I'm happy to hear it's back on the saddle again!

It's the best, highly compact carry pistol ever made. :D

[Mike Brownhouse]

A K40 is the first Kahr and the first .40 I ever fired, 17 years ago. It still sticks out in my mind. If I ever come across a good deal on one, I'm sure I'll end up with it.

[phil413tx]

Oh man. I love my K9 but have really been going back and forth on the K40. This is really making me want to order one! I have heard mixed reviews on the recoil. I plan on keeping my K9 and I think they would be a great one-two combo. I love how my k9 shoots and if the k40 is anything close to that, I will be moving forward.

[Bongo Boy]

Your first 10 rounds would likely be, "Oh wow. That really pops." The next 150 will be getting over it and moving on, and at 1,000 rds, you will feel only the slight sting of shame and embarassment at having taken so long to make the decision. You will feel the confidence and satisfaction that comes with shot after shot printing a single tiny hole at distances unimaginable to the human mind. You will say, "This gun was made for me!"

[queevil]

Bongo Boy is right. The increase in recoil with the .40 vs..9 is noticeable but it isn't a hindrance to good shooting. It's manageable. It isn't painful or uncomfortable. You just have to learn to shoot it like any other firearm. I've shot some HARD recoiling handguns like a scandium J frame Smith in .357 and the k40 is a creampuff.

[phil413tx]

That is exactly what I wanted to hear. I am not afraid of the .40. I am deadly accurate with my Glock 23. I had just heard some people say the k40 kills your hand because o the smaller frame. After hearing all of these reports, I am now on the lookout for one. Thanks guys!

[queevil]

In some respect they're right. Think of it like this. If someone hit you in your arm with a full closed fist and then hit you in your other arm just as hard with their nuckles, which would hurt more? The nuckles right? Because the impact of the punch is spread over a smaller area so that smaller area absorbs all of the impact. It's the same with your Glock vs. the Kahr. The wider, double stack grip will disburse the impact of the recoil over a wider part of the inside of your hand than the Kahr will. So, yes the recoil might feel a little harder on your hand but I still stand by my previous post. The operative word is "might" because it is subjective. If you want the grip to fill your hand a little more then you could always use the slip on grip from Hogue or a bicycle innertube as some here have done.

I can tell without a doubt that reloading those stiff single stack mags is way harder on the hands than the recoil, but Kahr mags are pretty stiff in general.


Don't think to much about it. If you want a k40 then get one. I'm on my second one, a k40 Covert, and I haven't regretted it. I put 210 rounds through it in one range session last weekend and I can't wait to put thousands more through it. Me and that little hand cannon are gonna become best friends.

[queevil]

Oh, one more thing. I've shot a lot of pistols chambered for the .40 over the years and the Kahr is flat out the most accurate pistol I've ever shot in that caliber. More so than some pretty high dollar full size pistols like Sig and HK, for me at least. Not only is it accurate but it is freakishly accurate for a pistol of its size. It's not target grade accurate but for a pistol that is meant for self defense it is a tackdriver. With a little practice you'll be tearing one ragged hole in your target. It's that good.

[phil413tx]

Thanks Queevil. I am definitely buying one! As you can probably tell, I am a researcher. It is hard when you do not have one to try. I love my K9 but I love the .40 caliber and would like to have the K40 to compliment my K9. I also have an MK9 that I will be selling to help fund the K40.

[queevil]

No problem. I'm a .40 guy myself. I don't think 9mm is a slouch by any means. With today's modern ammo it is more than adequate. As a matter of fact I'll probably buy some kind of full size 9 soon. I'm eying a S&W MandP Pro. However, I've been shooting .40 for about a decade now and it's what I've become comfortable with. The mk series are really neat. I don't think you'll have any trouble moving it. Let us know when you get it and post a range report. I think you'll like it. Hell, the extra recoil is kind of comforting because you know that it's hitting that much harder on the other end.

[Bongo Boy]

Oh, one more thing. I've shot a lot of pistols chambered for the .40 over the years and the Kahr is flat out the most accurate pistol I've ever shot in that caliber...Not only is it accurate but it is freakishly accurate for a pistol of its size. With a little practice you'll be tearing one ragged hole in your target. It's that good.

I strongly resist the urge to attribute magic qualities to any gun, but these statements are eye openers for me for a couple of reasons. First, I've never actually thought about it, but queevil's first comment holds in my case as well...the K40 has actually been more accurate than my M&P 40 Pro 5". I'm not going to give that up as being due soley to the K40...but some combination of the idiot shooting it, and the gun.

His second comment: 'freakishly accurate for a pistol of its size'...yes. Yes. My impression has been nothing short of astonishment at just how well the little gun does. Sure, I'm going to give myself some credit for my experience, and I'll give plenty of credit to the shooter for other reports of accuracy here at the site. But...this is a wee little gun with a wee short barrel and a wee short sight radius. The gun is a precision freeking handgun--by any reasonable standard for 40SW. I think that if an old retard with crappy eyesight can drill 1" groups at 7 yards with a tiny toy pistol, and do it quickly and regularly, then sit up and take notice.

I think I should probably mention: it's the finest ultra compact 40SW handgun every made...if I failed to mention that already. :D

[queevil]

Yep. For a fighting gun it sure is classy.

I second your statement that the shooter gets some of the credit. I suppose that not every shooter could shoot a Kahr well despite the fact that they are very accurate. We're all a little different and we don't all shoot well with weapons that are generally regarded as accurate. Hell, I shot a Kimber one time and wasn't worth a damn past 7 yard and even then it was still a large group. Actually, except for my k40 I generally shoot revolvers more accurately than pistols which is probably why I get along so well with the Kahr trigger.

[sharpetop]

I guess since I started this thread I may as well chime in. I shoot the K40 at least as well, if not better than my Glock 23 and my previously owned Sig P229. The K40 just feels like an extension of my arm, though it's a bit heavy for it's size. That's why it shoots so well.

[queevil]

The trigger on the sigs have never done it for me. I owned a p239 and hated the trigger. Out of the sigs that I've fired the one that I really liked was one that had the DAK trigger. It was sweet. After I owned a Beretta and a Sig I realized that the DA/SA trigger isn't my cup of tea. I like the trigger to feel the same everytime.

[sharpetop]

I hear ya' on the DA/SA trigger. My Sig and Beretta are now in somebody elses hands. I do still own a CZ 75BD which is a great range gun but too big for carry, IMHO. The CZ does however, outshoot anything else I own, including the Kahrs.

[jsavik]

When I was Fed, I would do the qual course with my K40 vs the guys and their duty pistols. I couldn't keep up with the round count...6+1 vs 11+1, but the accuracy from 2.5 yds to 25 yards was just as good as the good shooters and way better than the average shooter.
Now I'm just waiting for Kahr to make me a new frame. Mine cracked and they are having a new frame made so I don't have to have a new SN.
Now if they'd only offer one with an accessory rail....

[sharpetop]

I hear ya on the round count jsavik. We just have to make our shots count with the K40 and they carry alot better than a duty pistol.

I'm personally not into an accessory rail, but I can see where it would be handy for law enforcement or possibly a bed side gun.

Sucks about the cracked frame.

[harrydog]

When I was Fed, I would do the qual course with my K40 vs the guys and their duty pistols. I couldn't keep up with the round count...6+1 vs 11+1, but the accuracy from 2.5 yds to 25 yards was just as good as the good shooters and way better than the average shooter.
Now I'm just waiting for Kahr to make me a new frame. Mine cracked and they are having a new frame made so I don't have to have a new SN.
Now if they'd only offer one with an accessory rail....

How many rounds did you have through your K40 before the frame cracked? I think that is a rarity but on the other hand I don't know how many high round count K40's there are out there.