New member...range report...good&bad PM9

[joelotto]

Hello all :D

I'm new here(from San Diego, Ca) and want to say hi. A couple weeks ago I got a new PM9 and ran 200 rounds thru it today with zero problems. This is my first handgun and haven't shot in over 20 years so I had to do a little research about cleaning, oiling, aiming,....etc. I cleaned the gun good found that many people like Weapon shield oil so thats what I went with. I fired 50 rounds of 115 UMC and 50 rounds of RWS???(walmart 12$ special) 124. 100 rounds total....took the gun apart to see how it looked. Dirty but still well lubed so I figured I would just put it back together and shot it like I stole it....no cleaning. 100 more rounds without any issues. I was very impressed with the gun. When I started the target/bullet holes were all over the place but on my last 50 rounds at 15 feet I shot all in the center, 10, 9, 8 area. I think the 8 area was about 4-6 inches across...To me that seems pretty good for a new shooter. The gun recoil was real nice and the gun moved very, very little off target. I think I might get some sort of rubber grips or use gloves as the checkering on the back of the gun/grip that sits in you palm between the thumb and index finger gets a little sore. Maybe I just need to shot more and build up so tough skin in that area. When I got home took the gun apart and looked everything over for anything that didn't look right. Nothing found and it actually looked 99.9% the same as new....once cleaned. Everything look great and cleaned up real easy. I was very impressed with Weapons Shield!!! After two hundred rounds I checked everything that I oiled.....and all parts were still well oiled but dirty. I also lubed some different areas not on the Kahr 10 lube points and I also polished some areas that have metal on metal or friction but does not call for oil but I will post more on this in a different post with pics and hope the experts say good, bad, or waste of time.

So now for the BAD :mad: it's fun shooting at the range but it can add up to some serious money and it's only going to cost more when my Kimber Ultra CDP .45 acp arrives next week. Now I'm looking a getting one more KAHR

[In-Yo-Grill]

Great report and welcome to the show. Plenty of good folks here to offer advice when you need and especially when you don't...lol

Range time can get very expensive and it's tough to keep it in check. I like to go twice a month and usually put 100-150rnds down range. Almost $100 a month if I'm not careful.

[jlottmc]

Welcome aboard.

[cgo99]

Hello all :D



So now for the BAD :mad: it's fun shooting at the range but it can add up to some serious money and it's only going to cost more when my Kimber Ultra CDP .45 acp arrives next week. Now I'm looking a getting one more KAHR
Just wait until you start buying accessories for your new guns :eek:, that's when things get really expensive (I have spent more than I care to admit in holsters alone :der:).
So yes it might get a little expensive (or a lot) but it is well worth it, not just for the fun and it is a lot of fun but also for the peace of mind to know that you will be ready if the bad guys suddenly show up.:86:
Welcome and have fun.

[at_liberty]

So now for the BAD :mad: it's fun shooting at the range but it can add up to some serious money and it's only going to cost more when my Kimber Ultra CDP .45 acp arrives next week. Now I'm looking a getting one more KAHR

I addressed that by getting an annual membership, worth about 9 range sessions, but I will use 30-40. See if the range has an annual plan, paid up front. It might set back a plan for another gun, but put it all in perspective. You have to fit a bunch of expensive ammo in there too. I know the feeling.

[jmstallard]

I think I might get some sort of rubber grips or use gloves as the checkering on the back of the gun/grip that sits in you palm between the thumb and index finger gets a little sore. Maybe I just need to shot more and build up so tough skin in that area.

I know exactly what you mean. Get yourself one of these (http://www.amazon.com/What-a-Grip-COLOR-Black/dp/B0002SY29K):

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31WEKB2Z4BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I put one on my CW9 because of the rough backstrap, but it improved the overall feel of the gun so much that I'd use it even if the backstrap wasn't so rough.

[G26ster]

Ammo expensive??? Say it ain't so :eek:

That's why I bought a .22lr kit for my Glock. Shooting Remington Golden Bullets, I'm down to 2 1/2 cents per round. That, plus an annual membership at my range has saved hundreds, and hundreds of $$$$. Sure, I don't get the recoil of the 9mm, but practice sighting, holding on target, trigger control, etc. is all good too.

Of course, I still need to spend the big bucks to shoot my ultra compact 1911 and my Kahr PM9, as there are no .22lr kits for them, but it sure is fun anyway :D

[at_liberty]

This is more about being new to shooting and the attendant expense than the PM9, but lately I have been buying ammo 1000 rounds at a time and 22LR in the 3330 round case of 10 x 333. That can easily feel like "coulda had another gun for that much", but at some point we want to shoot these things too. I am supporting (2) .45 ACP, (1) 9mm, (2) .40 S&W, and (1) .22 LR in pistols. My storage room looks like an armory, including reloading supplies, spent brass, range bags, etc. An outing with IDPA can shoot up $75+ worth of ammo, and those matches alone are 3-4 times a month. There are also bowling pin and bullseye matches each month. There is a special .22 match each month. There are new guns that need break in rounds through them. You have to set a pace and a budget, or it can get pretty out of control. Taking on new guns is best done at a slow pace or it can make you crazy. Heck, the holster hunt alone is a challenge.

I don't pretend to be saving any money at it, but reloading is a nice distraction from all the focus on hardware and kind of sets the pace for how much shooting I do. The Kimber 1911 with its anodized aluminum ramp as part of the frame only gets factory rounder nose ammo, but all the rest are candidates for reloads after break in.

[joelotto]

I was just watching a video on youtube about the Kel-Tec PF-9(shooting Impressions) as I see people comparing it to a PM9. The recoil seems to be allot more on the PF-9 with the barrel flipping up quit a bit. When I shot my PM9 and watched a video of me shooting there is very little recoil/movement of the gun. Is this a classic case of......YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR?????? Has anybody here shot both guns???? Does the Kel-Tec have allot more recoil than the PM9????? Just curious.

One more thing... I have heard on this forum that many people find the glock trigger allot different than the Kahr trigger and it takes some time to learn the new trigger. I didn't really know what the difference was as the PM9 is my first gun. Well today I got my Kimber Ultra CDP and wow....there is a huge difference in the triggers between guns. I pump 500 rounds through the PM9 in the last couple weeks and have the feel for the KAHR triggers. Well...I tried the Kimber and pulled the trigger maybe a 1/4" with very light pressure and BANG. I thought that can't be right so I tried again but much, much slower and the same thing. Real different but nice. Started thinking that I should have got the PM45 as the trigger is the same(I think) but now I have to get two different triggers en-grained into my brain.

Kel-Tec PF-9: Shooting Impressions

[jocko]

Personally I never try to compare the kel tec to any kahr, each in their own different price range and certainly different quality..

[Bawanna]

Personally I never try to compare the kel tec to any kahr, each in their own different price range and certainly different quality..

How about the large pile of dog ***** I rolled thru, would that make a better item to compare the kel tec with? Ride around in a chair awhile you learn to hate doggie surprises and people who spit. Filthy animals.

No comparison between anything Kahr versus anything kel tec.

[recoilguy]

True that.......I have been called a gun snob because I carry a Kahr by Kel-Tec people. When people ask I always say buy the best gun you can afford...and if all you can afford right now is a Kel-Tec wait a while before you buy. It's just my opinion but it is a my strong opinion.

RCG

[jlottmc]

Ok people put the stones down. We all know that that other brand is like the fat women and mopeds... ya just gotta do it once to see why that's funny.

[getsome]

I read that the FBI found a kel-tec 9mm in failed NY City bomber Faisal Shahzad's car at JFK airport....Looks like his choice of weapons is on about the same level as his bomb making experience....Not Too Good.... I wish they would take that SUV out to an empty field somewhere and handcuff that POS Shahzad to the steering wheel and let the NYPD bomb squad show him how to really set it off.....See Faisal, all ya gotta do is push this little red button like this and KA BOOOOOOM!!!!!!

[jlottmc]

OUCH, man very ouch.

[Bawanna]

Ok people put the stones down. We all know that that other brand is like the fat women and mopeds... ya just gotta do it once to see why that's funny.

Perhaps our sack full of stones is the better weapon choice given the choice? I'm dropping the sack just the same. People who refuse to spend for real defense deserve defense too, (just not as much I guess).

[jlottmc]

Eh bullet launchers do the same thing, just like cars and stuff. Just a different flavor, and such. The real beauty is in the differences though...

[G26ster]

I didn't really know what the difference was as the PM9 is my first gun. Well today I got my Kimber Ultra CDP and wow....there is a huge difference in the triggers between guns. I pump 500 rounds through the PM9 in the last couple weeks and have the feel for the KAHR triggers. Well...I tried the Kimber and pulled the trigger maybe a 1/4" with very light pressure and BANG. I thought that can't be right so I tried again but much, much slower and the same thing. Real different but nice.


All 1911 style pistols (except the Para LDA models) are single action (SA) triggers. The Kahrs are double action (DA). That's the reason you have so many safeties on a 1911 (grip, hammer), as the 1911s will always go BANG with very little movement and pull. You need to be extra careful with your Kimber, or any SA weapon (not that you don't need to exercise safety will all weapons :)).

[Michael W.]

I was just watching a video on youtube about the Kel-Tec PF-9(shooting Impressions) as I see people comparing it to a PM9. The recoil seems to be allot more on the PF-9 with the barrel flipping up quit a bit. When I shot my PM9 and watched a video of me shooting there is very little recoil/movement of the gun. Is this a classic case of......YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR?????? Has anybody here shot both guns???? Does the Kel-Tec have allot more recoil than the PM9????? Just curious.

One more thing... I have heard on this forum that many people find the glock trigger allot different than the Kahr trigger and it takes some time to learn the new trigger. I didn't really know what the difference was as the PM9 is my first gun. Well today I got my Kimber Ultra CDP and wow....there is a huge difference in the triggers between guns. I pump 500 rounds through the PM9 in the last couple weeks and have the feel for the KAHR triggers. Well...I tried the Kimber and pulled the trigger maybe a 1/4" with very light pressure and BANG. I thought that can't be right so I tried again but much, much slower and the same thing. Real different but nice. Started thinking that I should have got the PM45 as the trigger is the same(I think) but now I have to get two different triggers en-grained into my brain.

Kel-Tec PF-9: Shooting Impressions

The Kel-Tec PF9 serves it purpose and judging by the success of Kel-Tec as
a gun company in the relatively short amount of time they've been in the
business definitely indicates that their products resonate with certain
segment of the market. The PF9 is a pretty well thought out little gun in
terms of it's design but there is much truth to the "You-get-what-you-pay-
for" paradigm with regards to this gun. The PF9 does recoil much differently
than the PM9 largely due to the higher bore axis. What this refers to is the
axis of the bore of the gun relative to your grip. The higher the bore axis, the
more the gun will tend to torque upward during shooting. Some guns are
designed with this in mind, most notable Glock and Kahr. They both have
relatively lower bore axis' as compared to Sig, S&W, Ruger auto's.

I see the PF9 as more of a "hobby" or "tinkerers" gun. With a little TLC it can
be made into a reliable shooter as many people have done. But it's probably
not the best gun for a first time buyer.

Re: triggers, your PM9 has probably one of the smoothest double action pulls
in the industry right out of the box. Basically, double action only (DAO)
triggers originated on the revolver and only made the jump over to semi-autos
about 18-20 years ago. It was probably the advent of Glock that precipitated
this trend. When Gaston blew onto the scene with the revolutionary Glock
pistol it was the one of the first semi-autos that had the same consistent
trigger pull every shot. Before that, the traditional DA/SA (double action-
single action) semiauto required a shooter to make first a long. heavy double
action pull with each subsequent shot a light single action shot. Glock made
the premise that training to shoot only one consistent type of trigger made
more sense. Whether you agree with this or not, it opened the door for other
modes of triggers based on the principle of "same pull every time". In
particular those that thought the Glock trigger was too light to be in a safe
carrying condition became proponents of the DAO trigger on a semi-auto. In it
you got "as safe to carry as a revolver, same trigger pull each time, lots-o-
bullets". What Kahr has done is perfected this in my opinion. There is no
question that Justin Moon had a very high regard of gaston Glock's designs
and you can trace the legacy of the striker fired arrangement in the Kahr back
to Glock. But the Kahr's very smooth and light pull is in a class of it's own I
think. I also happen to think that in the Kahr's compact micro package it
makes the most sense too.

Regarding your Kimber, this is a whole nuther animal. The venerable 1911's
light single action trigger can seem very squirrely as compared to the Kahr's
double action. You probably couldn't have chosen two more different guns in
terms of their manual of use. That's not to say with some training you can't
get used to both. Many people can shoot lots of different type of triggers and
use these types of guns interchangeably without issue. The Kimber Ultra CDP
is a very nice gun and is carried by a LOT of 1911 aficianados. But it requires
more training and a more rigorous approach in handling all the intricacies
unique to the 1911 if you plan to carry it.

Hope this helps make some sense.

Michael-

[Bawanna]

Excellent well thought out and articulated post Michael. You put some good effort into this one.

I have little use for Kel Tecs but as you say they fill a niche, like Makarov's etc.
I love 1911's ALOT! BUT, I dont carry one daily because I carry too many others. I carry a Para LDA always. It looks like a 1911, feels like a 1911 but lots more forgiveness, trigger similar to the Kahr in many respects. I've always maintained either carry a 1911 and nothing else ever or don't. I have several 1911's that I shoot alot at the range, love em just don't carry em.

Thanks for your post, nicely done.