PM9 My First Kahr.... Probably Not My Last

[Ranger]

I bought my first Kahr pistol a little over two weeks ago. I must admit that I hadn’t paid allot of attention to the brand before I started looking for a CCW. As I read and watched reviews it became apparent to me that most reviewers that I considered to be non-biased raved about most of the attributes of the PM9 as a primary CCW.

Almost all of them had a couple of things they would like to have seen changed but most of those were cosmetic or cost. Cosmetic issues are important to me but so far down the list when it comes to my primary CCW I just wasn’t too worried about them. Cost on the other hand is important but so is my life and the lives of my loved ones. So while I can’t say cost wasn’t a factor it wasn’t as high on the list as one might think. Or as high as it would be for a firearm I was going to use strictly for recreation.

The things that did matter to me were reliability, size, the ability to acquire a target quickly, ease of use, safety while carrying concealed, and accuracy. It looked to me like the PM9 scored high with most reviewers in all of these areas. So I bought one.

I took it to the range this weekend and ran 507 rounds through it. Two of the first three went nose down FTF. The Range Master (a friend of mine) saw I was loading the magazines by hand and suggested I use my loader until I got through the break-in period. I pulled my UpLULA loader out of my bag and loaded the mags. Shot 504 rounds flawlessly. I suspect that hand loading the new mags with stout springs I just didn’t seat the rounds all the way back in place. I attribute those two FTF’s to “pilot error”.

I shot Lawman 124 gr FMJ, Remington Golden Saber BJHP 124 gr. And PMC 115 gr FMJs. Not a single misfire, FTF, stovepipe, or failure to battery.

How would I rate the PM9? …. OUTSTANDING! Great trigger (took a mag or two to get use to), easy target acquisition, and very accurate, safe, and easy to pocket carry if you prefer.

This firearm is definitely one of the best if not the best I’ve ever owned. It will be with me for a long time.

[jocko]

if u shot that many roundsin one outting my hatis offto you. that is super. U got the best kahr o the makrket. Now whatI would do now that your hear is read a fewsticksly.

#1 kahr lube chart

#2 propper prepping of ur kahr

# new member information

welcome aboard.The gun just gets smoother with morerounds out of it.

when u think u need new recoil springs go to woffs gunssprings and order their outter recoil springs in factory weight or the 20.5# weight. both will do great for u. While ur there u might want toorder the 5#strker spring to. It drops rightin, really makes a nice trigger pull.

nice way to load themagsis with a uplula or just load one round shy for range use and then tap the back ofthat magazine on a table or solid object. It willthen seat the rounds perfectly.

Muy guess it was not the improper loading of the magazines as much as it wa sthe gun just settlingdwon. Maybe u hand racked it instead of using the slide release leverto. That takes awhile tomaster on khars as their recoil springs are ver strong and if uride the sldie u willget ftf. once mastered, u can hand rack with ease, but kahr does recommend using the slide lock lever to load that first round. Works great tha tway..

[Ranger]

507 is allot but I didn't want to leave there without feeling absolutely comfortable with the firearm.. My buddy (the Range Master) and I played with the gun allot. He probably shot 100 or so of those rounds. He had shot Kahrs before but never the PM9. It won't be long before he joins the club. If he can find one. They are pretty scarce around here.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll catch up with you later.

[RRP]

Welcome aboard, Ranger. It's always nice to read a positive (and well written!) range report.

Keep shootin'. It gets better with age.

[GROTMAN]

Congrats on your success with the pm9. You will learn to love it even more as time goes on. I don't know how you plan to carry but recommend looking into pj holsters as well as the Remora for IWB and Mica pocket holster if you plan to pocket carry. Happy shooting!! :)

[jocko]

507 is allot but I didn't want to leave there without feeling absolutely comfortable with the firearm.. My buddy (the Range Master) and I played with the gun allot. He probably shot 100 or so of those rounds. He had shot Kahrs before but never the PM9. It won't be long before he joins the club. If he can find one. They are pretty scarce around here.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll catch up with you later.

ur buddy the range master that if he sees a cm9, to buy it, basicall the same exact gunless a few bells and whistles. Great gun.:amflag:

[Ranger]

Welcome aboard, Ranger. It's always nice to read a positive (and well written!) range report.

Keep shootin'. It gets better with age.

Thank you.

I have to agree with you on the "it gets better with age" comment. This gun is a different animal after the break-in. It does in fact get better... Noticeably better.

Bob

[Ranger]

Congrats on your success with the pm9. You will learn to love it even more as time goes on. I don't know how you plan to carry but recommend looking into pj holsters as well as the Remora for IWB and Mica pocket holster if you plan to pocket carry. Happy shooting!! :)

Thank you.

I just told RRP that I agree that the PM9 gets better with age or as you put it "as time goes on". It is a different firearm after break-in than it was right out of the box. It may have been just me getting use to it but I don't think so. It actually got more "user friendly" the more I shot it.

I actually pocket carry and will look into the Mica. I'm using a Sticky right now because that was the only thing I could find in town. Like everywhere else I'm sure there has been a tremendous run on CCW firearms and accessories here. My number one requirement is that it MUST cover the trigger.

Thanks again.

Bob

[bikerbill]

Congrats on your PM9 ... I've been carrying mine for nine years and it has never failed ... I think I'd need a hand transplant if I tried shooting 500 rds through it in one session; 50's about all I can handle ... practice is important, but ...

I most pocket carry (use a holster, don't just toss it in there with the gum wrappers and car keys), given that I'm retired and generally am in shorts and a t-shirt during the Texas balmy summers ... I use a DeSantis Nemesis ... ... when it cools off a bit, I carry OWB with a kydex paddle holster, usually cross draw ... it's a wonderful gun ...

[Bill K]

Welcome to KahrTalk and congrats on your PM9.

[Ranger]

Bill/Bill Thanks for the welcome.

500 rounds is allot and in reality, I only shot about 400 of them. My buddy probably shot 100 or so.

I shoot allot (or did before the Obama ammo crunch) every weekend. Usually 200 rounds of 40 and 100 or so .223 in the AR. Can't afford to do that right now though. Hanging on to ammo and literally cant afford to burn $150 on ammo. But it'll come back down in price (I hope).

After 400 it wasn't too bad. Actually I was a bit surprised by that. Gun didn't beat me up bad at all.

BTW only 7 of those were Golden Sabre +P BJHP's.

[Flincher]

Congrats on your PM9. I went through the same research scenario as you did looking for a pocket .380 and ended up with the P380. I'm adding a PM9 stable mate by the end of this month. Kahr has made me a fan in every sense.

[JrFreak]

My PM9 has been my main carry firearm. I fill in a G23 when clothing allows, which is only 5% of the time.

I'm seriously thinking about picking up a PM40 or PM45. Then the Glocks will probably become range queens.

[kb2wji]

Congrats on your PM9, and welcome to the forum!

You mentioned loading with a loader... a little habit i've gotten into (with all guns that use a magazine) is to load it all up (by hand), then wack the back side of the mag (where the primers sit) against the hard meaty "palm strike" part of your hand. It'll slam all the rounds back where they should be just in case theres any wiggle room. Does it actually do anything? I have no idea. It just makes me feel better.

[CJB]

I bought my first Kahr pistol... How would I rate the PM9? …. OUTSTANDING! Great trigger.... safe, and easy to pocket carry if you prefer. This firearm is definitely one of the best if not the best I’ve ever owned. It will be with me for a long time.

Welcome to the League of Kahr.

Your thoughts pretty much sum up my own.

[Ranger]

Congrats on your PM9, and welcome to the forum!

You mentioned loading with a loader... a little habit i've gotten into (with all guns that use a magazine) is to load it all up (by hand), then wack the back side of the mag (where the primers sit) against the hard meaty "palm strike" part of your hand. It'll slam all the rounds back where they should be just in case theres any wiggle room. Does it actually do anything? I have no idea. It just makes me feel better.

Thanks for the heads-up. I always do that with my AR mags. Just habit I suppose.

[wyntrout]

Welcome to the forum, Ranger. I don't know if I've already posted this for you, but here's some info:

Welcome to the Kahrtalk forum supported by Kahr Arms.
Here are a few essential links and things to do BEFORE you take your new pistol to the range, and ESPECIALLY BEFORE taking it apart and trying to re-assemble it! The Kahr is a different design… 6-7 unique patents cover the Kahrs. I’m not trying to imply that you don’t know anything about guns, but many don’t know anything about the Kahrs and some of the things you can do to damage or cause malfunctions of your new, or new-to-you Kahr pistol.
First, if you don’t have a manual, yet, or one didn’t come with your pistol, you can download the pdf file here:
http://www.kahr.com/PDF/kahrmanual.pdf
Impatient? Watch one of these videos FIRST! These videos can point out possible problem areas and emphasize correct procedures!
Take down and re-assembly videos:
T, TP, CW, P, & PM/CM Series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=G2cZgVg_SwA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G2cZgVg_SwA)
MK series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...mSCnIOaUk#t=0s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zXmSCnIOaUk#t=0s)
K series:
http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-K9-Elite.asp
There are many links on fixing problems listed in several places… under the New Member or Kahr Tech sub-forums.
A very handy one is the Kahr Lube Diagram:
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14750
Many of your questions can be answered in these areas and you can learn how your Kahr works and not damage it with improper handling.
Frequently asked questions: http://www.kahr.com/faq.asp?

There are many helpful members here most of the time who might be able to help you, but as anywhere, there are many opinions and not all are correct. Be mindful of this before doing anything drastic to modify your pistol!


Wynn:)
Aka wyntrout

[ParabellumJ]

Welcome aboard. I'm sure you will love your pm9 as much as I love mine. Great gun, and the more you shoot it the better it gets.