Should I Purchase a K9?

[capp5050]

Background: I currently own 2 handguns- my first ever, an H&K VP9 (9mm), which I purchased about 8 months go and thoroughly enjoy, and a Walther PPQ-M22, (.22lr) which I bought about 2 months ago to give me a similar form factor and function to my VP9 with lower ammo costs (i.e., more bangs per buck at the range). I wasn't planning on another handgun, but I have an extra purchase permit thanks to an administrative error by my local PD. If that's not a sign that I should buy another...

Note: I live in NJ, with very strict laws and thus concealed carry is NOT an option. Which leaves home defense and range as my primary uses. Also worth noting is that I won't own a lot of guns, this will be the last for a long time.

Over the past few weeks, I've become somewhat obsessed with the K9 Elite 03, but I'm not really sure why. If I could carry concealed, this would be a no-brainer, but I can't, so why is this gun still in my decision set?

Favorable Factors:


9mm - I think for ammo cost and consistency w/my other handgun, I'd like to stay in 9mm
All metal frame combined with smaller form factor to create stability and reduce recoil (I've shot .380s and HATE the snappiness). I would entertain a small/compact factor if it handled well at the range and I could get good purchase on it.
It's different/uncommon - I'm not trying to make a statement, as practically nobody but me will ever see or use this gun, but quality and uniqueness count for me
Really nice looking gun - viewed from a 'collectible' perspective.
Very positive reviews from owners, esp. for feel, accuracy, quality
Interesting DAO trigger choice (Aside: semi-auto handguns have always 'scared' me a little from a safety perspective. Put simply, I can pick up a revolver and pull the trigger - with some effort - it goes bang. Semi's I have to wonder, is it loaded? Is a round chambered? Is the hammer/striker cocked? Is there a manual safety? I realize these things don't matter at the range and really most other times, but still - the idea of requiring a little more physical effort (via DAO or even DA/SA) but w/greater simplicity is a plus to me and if I COULD carry, would be a must.


Questionable Factors:


Size. I am 5'10 and have fairly large hands. I have no problems w/my double-stack VP9, it actually feels great. Will the K9 feel too small in my hands? Most reviewers seem to think it fits just right.
Trigger - Most owners claim that the DAO works fine for them with some practice. But am I potentially messing myself w/respect to practice consistency since my primary home defense weapon (the VP9) more closely resembles SA?
What 'role' will this serve? For the range - small form factor and only 7+1 seem to count against for the range. Home Defense- no rail and only 7+1 seem to count against; DAO counts in favor. Does it need to have a role?
Given that I'm not carrying, should I be thinking of something bigger? a T9? I've read good things about them, but much more about the K9; also, that's opening a whole diff can of worms


Some of my questions might be addressed if I could actually hold/handle the K9, but I haven't found a dealer near me that has one. I called Kahr and they said, "we sell to distributors, so we don't know what retailers have them on site at any time"

FYI, the desire to have an all-metal 9 led me to add a couple others to my consideration set:


CZ 75-PCR -- DA/SA, 14rds, called a 'compact', but it's almost the size of my VP9; also, it's not as pretty/unique as the K9
Sig P239 -- DA/SA, 8rds. Appears to be high quality, bu ironically this one I DID handle at my LGS and I really wasn't crazy about how it felt (balance-wise).


Ruled out:

Kimber Ultra 9 - seems to be some controversy around reliability/functionality on this model (and mini 1911's in general)
Sig P229 -- they make a really nice SS version, but it's 40oz and frame is too large (despite being called a compact).
HK P7 -- too expensive and hard to find


I realize that by definition, participants in this forum are probably biased...and maybe that's what I subliminally want; in any case, I would appreciate any applicable feedback from the community that's relevant to the factors that I've raised above.

Thanks in advance!

[Bawanna]

Capp, welcome, glad you found us. While most are of course biased most of us also like variety so we're not completely biased.
The K9 is a great gun, probably the flag ship of Kahr, it along with it's little brother the MK are enjoyed and carried by many.

That being said based on your location and your apparent plan to adhere to the local laws I see no point in a compact gun myself. You could certainly get one and use it for both range and home with hopes that things may improve in your area, positive thoughts are always a good thing.

You might try to find a T9, hard to find but much sought after as well.
I don't think I'm helping here much just tossing stuff out.

I deleted the second version of your first post, not sure why it showed up twice. Both were in the K section so no loss.

[TheTman]

Yes, get the K9. I bet you will love it.

[JohnR]

If it won't be carried, get a T9.

[jocko]

[QUOTE=Bawanna;352313]Capp, welcome, glad you found us. While most are of course biased most of us also like variety so we're not completely biased.
The K9 is a great gun, probably the flag ship of Kahr, it along with it's little brother the MK are enjoyed and carried by many.

That being said based on your location and your apparent plan to adhere to the local laws I see no point in a compact gun myself. You could certainly get one and use it for both range and home with hopes that things may improve in your area, positive thoughts are always a good thing.

You might try to find a T9, hard to find but much sought after as well.
I don't think I'm helping here much just tossing stuff out.

I deleted the second version of your first post, not sure why it showed up twice. Both were in the K section so no loss.[/QU


damn, I hate to agree with the colonel, he gets such a big head over it. But I have a used K9 nypd trigger een and it is just one hell of a shooter, but again it is my range/home gun and nutting more. Knowing what I do now, if I had a chance to purchase a T9, I would go for it over the K9, just because. My dealer here carries alot of kahrs, but NO t SERIES OR tp SERIES , LUCKY TOS EE A k9 IN HIS CASE EVEN.

[getsome]

Hello capp5050 and welcome to the gang.....My opinion is yes get a K9 if you can find a nice one, you may one day not live in a Commie state like New Crappy your whole life and a nice pistol like a K9 is very useful for both home defense as well as concealed weapon which you might find yourself needing sometime, law or no law, your life matters more than what some bureaucrat says......

Get one, either a K9 or a M9 because they're getting hard to find in good used condition...In my area (Georgia) I've never seen either one, plenty of PM's, CM's and CW's but never a nice K9....Again welcome to Kahrtalk and even if you don't get a Kahr you're always welcome to come jaw here

[b4uqzme]

...If that's not a sign that I should buy another...

Sign? You don't need no steengkeeng sign! :rolleyes: Welcome Capp. Seriously, if you can find a T9, buy it. But it's really just a bigger K9 so get one of those if it's more available. Or have you considered a K40? It's a sweet shooter too and you would open up your world to another caliber. I remember the last ammo crunch: .40sw was more available and cheaper than 9mm. Variety is good!

Best of luck. Enjoy. Nice gun that VP9 btw. You have good taste.

[CJB]

If weight were not an issue, I'd own a K9 (or better yet a K45).

That K9 (or was it MK9) with the custom grips in a recent thread was THE CATS ASS!

Personally, you could do much worse for a handgun. For a 9mm, jeeze, the K9 is not a bad choice in a DAO type of handgun.

All of that from a .45 sort of shooter, who also happens to own three Browning HP's - and oldie oldie, a mid 70's commercial, and a mid 90's target (non Browning USA) model.

Also own a PM0, because I need the occasional lower weight, smaller print sort of pistol.

[Alfonse]

I really like the K9. In my experience, it won't bother your trigger conditioning on your PPQ or VP9 at all. In fact, you will probably be better with them after using the K9. I have 2.

Also love CZs. If the PCR seems small, go to a regular 75B. There are lots of variants, from SP01 to regular. Either type can be had with a decocker or regular safety. You would develop skills with a hammer and DA/SA. You might find you prefer it to the VP9 or at least would have a very viable backup. Hammers give you lots of options safety wise and you can see what is going on with them as compared to a striker fired pistol.

I'm probably not helping, because the T9 is a great thought too.

[berettabone]

There are 2 T9's on Gunbroker, and one in my state capital on armslist. I see the T9's around here a few times a year. They are nice, and they are around. Wood grips, and they are a thing of beauty. I actually love the CZ and the Sig that you have handled.

[ripley16]

•Size. I am 5'10 and have fairly large hands. I have no problems w/my double-stack VP9, it actually feels great. Will the K9 feel too small in my hands? Most reviewers seem to think it fits just right.
It's a full grip. You should like it.
•Trigger - Most owners claim that the DAO works fine for them with some practice. But am I potentially messing myself w/respect to practice consistency since my primary home defense weapon (the VP9) more closely resembles SA?
The Kahr trigger is different, no doubt. Only practice will answer that question.
•What 'role' will this serve? For the range - small form factor and only 7+1 seem to count against for the range. Home Defense- no rail and only 7+1 seem to count against; DAO counts in favor. Does it need to have a role?
I'm a collector so don't ask me. Can't have too many pistols.
•Given that I'm not carrying, should I be thinking of something bigger? a T9? I've read good things about them, but much more about the K9; also, that's opening a whole diff can of worms
I actually prefer the K to the T, although both are nice. They are not identical, except for size, as some may think. I shoot them pretty much the same. My personal favorite model is the TP9. The K9 is a true winner. Hope you find one soon.

[JohnR]

small form factor and only 7+1 seem to count against for the range.

I've found that there's more to gain from shooting small groups at a time than dumping a whole mag just because it's there. Load two mags with four rounds each, or five rounds to take an entire row out of the ammo box (I like neatness). Shoot one mag, practice a mag change, shoot those. Paste two targets on the cardboard and pretend it's two bad guys, put five rounds in each.

Your arm won't get so fatigued holding the pistol out for five rounds, compared to fifteen. And yes I do this with my Ruger P95 which holds 17+1.

[capp5050]

Haha, you guys are great. I appreciate all of the feedback, even though it hasn't brought me much closer to a decision.

The qualitative feedback on my particular situation is much appreciated. Nobody said I SHOULDN'T get the K9 (surprise surprise). That said, in 10 responses, I tallied ~5 endoresments to get the K9, and another 5 votes to get a T9.

Someone stated interestingly, that (paraphrasing) 'despite what most think, the T9 is NOT just a slightly larger version of the K9'. I would love to hear any further info on that particular point, as I assumed that other than the grips (T9 wood vs. K9 soft polymer), that frame/barrel/mag size were the only major differences.

Bear in mind that any T9 vs. K9 comparison for me would be comparing the T9 to the K9 Elite, as I like the idea of the polished SS (even though I haven't seen it in person). Buds appears to have both in stock, the T9 is $680 and the K9 Elite is $713 (std K9=$655).

[RonW]

Back to the OP's original question, "Should I purchase a K9". My answer would be a solid ​YES

[ripley16]

...as I assumed that other than the grips (T9 wood vs. K9 soft polymer), that frame/barrel/mag size were the only major differences.

The two models are certainly more alike than different. However, the T9 takedown is akin to the polymer Kahrs and not the same as the K9. I've always wondered why. The T9 is much easier to takedown and reassemble. The T9 doesn't feel as nice in my hand and the trigger guard irritates my finger in a way the K9 does not. That's all that I meant.

[muggsy]

Capp, The best way to find out how the gun will feel in your hand is to hold it. You have nothing to fear about a semi-auto, but fear itself. Once you get used to it you'll wonder why it took you so long to make the switch. I keep my CM9 fully loaded and in that way never have to wonder if there is one in the chamber, there is. The long, but super smooth trigger is all the safety that you need. It's just like the trigger a revolver, but Kahr saw fit to include a striker block. For your added protection Kahr pistols cannot be fired of of battery. So, go ahead and take the plunge and tell 'em Muggsy sent ya. BTW, mine is carried appendix style and I still pee standing up. No worrys.

[capp5050]

The best way to find out how the gun will feel in your hand is to hold it.

I agree, but unfortunately I cannot locate a K9 or T9 for that matter to handle. Kahr doesn't even know which retailers have them if any. Maybe one of the more popular polymer frame models have similar dimensions and feel? Prob not though, as the grip and weight are surely different.



You have nothing to fear about a semi-auto, but fear itself. Once you get used to it you'll wonder why it took you so long to make the switch

To clarify, the 'fear' I have had doesn't have any practical purpose for my usage. If I were (able) to carry, then my concern would kick in, in which case the K9/T9 with the full DAO trigger would address this more than adequately.

I own an HK VP9 - it has no manual safety, and even though it's called 'DA', it's really more like 'heavy SA'. But it's a range gun and home defense weapon. Range time is not a 'high stress' situation so I'm ok with the trigger/loading. For home defense, admittedly I still keep the gun in the bedside safe with a loaded mag but not chambered (cond. 3).

---

In any case, I remain perplexed (maybe more so now, because members here have now got me thinking about .40SW as an option as well :)

But I'm leaning towards the K9 (or I guess K40 as well) vs. e.g., T9 at this point for the following reasons:

-- More popular than the T9 - there are more of them out there, probably more advice, available accessories, etc.

-- Quality vs. T9 - My non-scientific review of forums, YouTube, etc., has raised some questions regarding the build quality consistency of the T9. Perhaps because they don't make as many of them, they don't get as much attention w/respect to QC by Kahr. In any case, I haven't really heard anyone complain about K9 quality issues, and there are MANY more of them out there, so if there were a big issue, I'd expect to have seen more.

-- K9 grip vs. T9 -- I like the wood on SS look, but some have complained about quality issues in the T9 grip and even comfort issues in long range sessions. On the other hand, everyone who picks up a K9/K40 seems to marvel at the feel and comfort of the grips.

-- Concealed Carry-ability - Deep down, I WANT to carry -Even though it's not legal in my state - and likely never will be - I don't plan on breaking the law, but perhaps this is 'wishful thinking' or a tacit recognition that irrespective of the local laws there may come a time when TSHTF and it becomes necessary (e.g., if I were living in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, I'm pretty sure I'd be carrying). That said, if it was so small that it couldn't be a practical range gun, I'd have to favor the T9.

-- I THINK it can be a good range gun. The consensus seems to be that it works as a range gun. I don't really shoot form more than 10yds, so I'm not looking for sniper rifle accuracy, but I do want it to be comfortable and easy to shoot accurately at 10yrds or less - with a full-hand grip - and I think it will.

[Bawanna]

Personal opinion forthcoming. For what tiny bit it might be worth.
I have a K40 magna ported and a K9. The K40 is a fire breathing dragon in this small package. Personally while many love them I would not enter the K40 into the mix. If you find one you love at a good price I'd probably grab it.
It's not unmanageable and it's a great gun, just too much flip for me to carry.

I've only once held a T9 but if I had the money at the time I'd still be holding it, it felt like they made it just for my hand, it was awesome. I know of no quality control issue on the T's. As you say there are a whole bunch of K's out there for each T.

If you go 40 it probably is a lot better in the T, being it is a little larger all around, might actually be quite good.

Either way K or T I don't think you'll be dissapointed. There are wood grips available for the K so that's not really an issue either.

The water was starting to clear, figured I better stir up the mud a bit.

[muggsy]

Ya done a good job, Bawanna.

[sharpetop]

IMHO, buy the K9, get the hell out of New Jersey to a state you can actually carry that gem in, and never look back.

[b4uqzme]

Personal opinion forthcoming. For what tiny bit it might be worth.
I have a K40 magna ported and a K9. The K40 is a fire breathing dragon in this small package. Personally while many love them I would not enter the K40 into the mix. If you find one you love at a good price I'd probably grab it.
It's not unmanageable and it's a great gun, just too much flip for me to carry.
....

^^^ Wimp! ;) When's the last time you changed out the recoil spring in that K40 Colonel? It made a HUGE difference for me. Seems the weak spring was allowing the slide to slam to the end of it's travel...that hurt. The new spring works great. I've shot a couple of IDPA BUG matches with the K40 and it's just as easy to shoot and accurate as my larger pistols.

With that said, I think the biggest advantage for OP to go .40 is to gain another caliber option. The K9 was actually my first choice too. I just couldn't find one used at the time. I agree with Jocko that the K9 is the flagship.

[maxmanta]

I have an older K9 and it is an outstanding little gun. I use it for EDC. I fully recommend it.

[RonW]

Proud K9 owner here. Brand spanking new from Bud's gun shop. All stainless steel, night sights & I love that rubbery grip... feels reel nice in the hand, deadly accurate. I might add that it wasnt cheap & has cost me many trips taking out the trash & doing laundry. :o

[harrydog]

Buy the K9. It's a solid, substantial gun with a nice heft that the polymer guns don't have. I have quite a few guns but my K9 would be one of the last that I would consider getting rid of.
And like others have said, get out of New Jersey!!

[capp5050]

OK, I'm just about convinced on the K9 - which I'd have to buy sight-unseen. I want to throw out (hopefully) one final question w/respect to night sights, since Buds (who have the lowest price I've found on the K9 Elite) are out of stock on the model 'n':

-- If I bought the night sights separately from Kahr, what should I expect to pay a gunsmith to install? Is there any downside (besides cost) to doing it this way vs. factory installed?

Thanks all!

[Islander]

I have an older K9 and the night sights were pretty dim. I just replaced them and my local gunsmith charged $40 to install them. Shop the net for the best price. I got my Meprolight's for $80 on Amazon. As an edit I'll add that the local guy installed them while I waited.

[RonW]

OK, I'm just about convinced on the K9 - which I'd have to buy sight-unseen. I want to throw out (hopefully) one final question w/respect to night sights, since Buds (who have the lowest price I've found on the K9 Elite) are out of stock on the model 'n':

-- If I bought the night sights separately from Kahr, what should I expect to pay a gunsmith to install? Is there any downside (besides cost) to doing it this way vs. factory installed?

Thanks all!

On Kahr's website you can order the Night sights & they also offer gunsmithing services where you'd have to send in your slide & for a fee of $40 they will install the sights for you.

What I would do is buy the K9 from Bud's and then after you pick up the pistol contact kahr by phone & see if you can purchase the night sights over the phone & then send in your slide so they can install the night sights at the factory. That way you wont have to wait for the sights to ship to you, you just send them your slide & they'll slap on the new night sights. Turnaround time should be about 3 weeks according to their website

[b4uqzme]

I had a local gunsmith install a set for about $40 IIRC.

[Planedude]

I bought one of the NYPD trade in K9s at the local gunshow for a real good price. I grab the pick of the litter with some dead Trijicon sights, but it was otherwise very nice, just dusty and dirty. The plan that day was to shoot it, as is, for a few boxes of ammo and then make it into a stunning safe queen. Thought my friends might be turned to the Kahr lite-side after some range time with a very pretty face...


A funny thing happened though, from the first box of junky 115grn ball, it became my go-to carry gun. I shoot that K9 better than any autoloader I have ever owned including some well tuned 1911s. I was quoted by Trijicon a "re-lamping fee" of (IIRC) $56 + 20 return shipping and I just have to mail the slide. I have not yet sent it along as I just cant stand being without the use of the gun for an undetermined timeframe...


...And I still am thinking of some sexy, low slung Novak night sights for four times the money. Choices and choices. Good luck on yours.

[capp5050]

TWISTED MY ARM....is what you guys did.

Today I bought the K9 Elite - having neither seen nor touched said handgun. Should have it within a week or so and I'll post a pic.

Thanks everyone for your opinions. :D

[Shadetree]

There's a T9 on Buds Gun Shop website in case you are interested. The K9 is a great gun and it won't disappoint you.

[capp5050]

...and bought the K9. I'd love to share a photo of my new girl, but can't for the life of me figure out how to upload a photo here. :(

I can't even seem to provide a dropbox link that works.

[Big Sexy]

Hi, Capp --
I'm anxious to see how you like your K9. I've had my K9 Elite for about a year now, and I absolutely LOVE mine! It is my primary CCW, and she's a sweet shooting beauty. Being the type who can't leave well enough alone, I had to add some bling. So, I added night sights, Lakeline G10 grips, Lakeline aluminum follower, Stainless steel guide rod, and I sent the frame to Cylinder and Slide and had them checker the front strap 30 LPI. Now in its current form, it's my idea of the perfect compact CCW and it's not a bad range gun either. Despite its size, it has a nice heft to it, and I shoot it just about as well as I do my full size Sigs and Glock. It's about as small as a pistol can practically get while still allowing a full 3 finger grip, and I find the ergos to be great, especially with the Lakeline grips! It and my H&K P7 are the last pistols I'd ever consider parting with. I have an MK40 as well, and love it too, but it's in my EDC rotation and is a little too small to be what I'd consider an ideal primary CCW.

I hope you enjoy your K9 as much I have mine!

Ted

[rjt123]

...I sent the frame to Cylinder and Slide and had them checker the front strap 30 LPI.

I have seriously considered having the front strap checkering done on my K9 Elite. How much did C & S charge you for that work?


NRA Life Endowment Member

[Big Sexy]

I don't recall honestly, but I believe it was about $225 or so. It wasn't cheap, and I do recall it was enough that I was on the fence about having it done. But, I'm glad I did, as it looks and feels great!

[RonW]

but can't for the life of me figure out how to upload a photo here


Congrats on your new K9!!! Great choice man!! I recently purchased a new stainless K9 with night sights and it is THE smoothest shooting pistol I've ever held in my hands. You're gonna love it... Now as far as posting photos is concerned, you'll have to wait until you've made your 30th post on the forums before it will unlock that feature.... Just keep posting! ;)

[capp5050]

Hi, Capp --
I'm anxious to see how you like your K9. I've had my K9 Elite for about a year now, and I absolutely LOVE mine! It is my primary CCW, and she's a sweet shooting beauty.
Ted

I ended up with a new K9 Elite 03 with the night sights. It's real pretty. I've taken it to the range once and put about 60 rounds through it - that number would be much higher but for a novice friend who was with me that I shared my range time -but not my K9 with, and the 7/8 round mag limit.

Initial impressions (see the OP if you need context):



Look/Appearance - LOVE - the polished slide is not gaudy or excessive. Fit and finish are impressive all-around. I see why some people consider this a collection piece.
Feel - LIKE A LOT - very comfortable, thankfully doesn't 'feel' too small to be a range gun (prior to purchase had not handled, let alone seen the K9 live)
Trigger - LIKE A LOT (I think) - I now understand why some shooters don't care for this trigger system. It's unquestionably different from my other two handguns (VP9 and PPQ 22). So I wasn't surprised when I looked 7 yds down range occasionally wondering where my shots went. That said - as I started to 'forget' or 'unlearn' what I had been accustomed to, the beauty of this system started to emerge. No 'take-up', no 'break'. Just keep pulling and eventually it goes 'bang'. I think its easy to discount how much anticipation of the next shot with a traditional 'SA-like' trigger can affect your control. Doesn't happen with this trigger. So I have a feeling that the more I practice with this, the more I'm going to like it.
Recoil - PRETTY GOOD - I had set high expectations here. My prior experience with smaller guns was primarily with .380s and blowback recoil systems which I found too 'snappy'. I figured that the K9's heavier metal frame would result in recoil characteristics similar to my larger (but polymer frame) VP9, but alas, it's a bit snappier than the VP9. That's Ok though, it's still not what I would call unreasonable, and less than the .380/blowback examples I had tried. And I THINK it might be a little quicker to get back 'on-target' than my VP9 due to its compactness.
Operation/Control Manipulation - OK - The spring is tight as hell. The slide release is virtually useless with no mag installed (I know, it's supposedly by design) and racking the slide on the first round is really difficult - almost annoyingly so. Definitely made easier by racking back empty, inserting loaded mag, and then snapping the slide back to release - which is probably the recommended method as well. But I like that I can do it either way on my VP9 and I kind of miss that. I've also heard that the mechanism loosens up a bit after break-in and some usage, so I'll reserve final judgement.
Takedown - TERRIBLE - Crazy difficult to remove the slide release. Unfortunately I think I've already put some marks on the frame from 'tapping' it with the back of a screwdriver as recommended by Kahr. The popular technique of inserting an empty mag to facilitate release doesn't seem to apply to the Elite 03. The best method I've gleaned (from this forum) so far is sticking a Sharpie in the open ejection port and then pressing (still hard as hell) with the bottom of an empty mag. I see that people defend this craziness, citing the 'tight tolerances' etc., but I think there should be an easier way.
Ammo Capacity - OK - I knew what I was getting here, but I'm not a CCW user, I'm a range and HD guy. And 7/8 rds is a little light for my taste. And the mags are really hard to load (especially on the 7/7 and 8/8 round) Recommendations for loaders appreciated here. I was very pleasantly surprised that the K9 came with 3 mags (two 7-rd and 1 8rd), but alas, I've already ordered 2 more 8-rounders.
Shooting Performance - TBD - Unfortunately shooting performance involves the weapon and it's handler, so until the latter has a bit more experience with this baby, judgement is reserved.


Thank again everyone who goaded me into making this purchase. Thus far, I like it a lot and am looking forward to getting to know her!



... Now as far as posting photos is concerned, you'll have to wait until you've made your 30th post on the forums before it will unlock that feature.... Just keep posting! ;)
well, that seems kind of arbitrary if you ask me; and something the forum moderator *wink wink* has control over.


Meanwhile, I'll try to provide a link to the photo, we'll see if it works: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/82wcjzaibekssf8/AAB7uWl0blyPpktVXkE6yiM9a

(https://www.dropbox.com/sc/82wcjzaibekssf8/AAB7uWl0blyPpktVXkE6yiM9a)

[Islander]

Congratulations on your new K9. I love mine and it's become my EDC. Take down gets easier with practice, the slide gets easier to rack with use/break-in, and I use an Uplula loader for the magazines.

[capp5050]

...the slide gets easier to rack with use/break-in, and I use an Uplula loader for the magazines.

I own an Uplula that I use for my double-stack 9mm, but it felt awkward to use on the Kahr; but after you suggested Uplula, I did a little research and found the Uplula 1911AI which is a small plastic/rubber(?) insert that easily attaches to the bottom of the Uplula and serves as a guide for single-stack mags. It was $18 (for two, but who needs two?); not cheap, but after testing it once, I already know it was worth it. Thanks!

[Big Sexy]

Takedown - TERRIBLE - Crazy difficult to remove the slide release.



(https://www.dropbox.com/sc/82wcjzaibekssf8/AAB7uWl0blyPpktVXkE6yiM9a)


Totally, 100% agree. It and the stiff slide release are my 2 lone criticisms of the K9.

[ZardozCZ]

Lots of good comments here, maybe mine will be helpful, maybe not. First of all, I'll state that my second centerfire pistol was a Kahr K9 police trade in. (first was a Glock G27 for campouts/backwoods abuse). I then got tempted to try a 'combat league' a friend attends and I could barely hit the target in the 50' stage. So I sold it to get a full size - longer sight radius - 9mm. I went to the gun store and tried all sorts of pistols that had similar models in both 9mm and 45 (which I was determined to own some day). Affordability was a big factor that kept me from some manufacturers. I had read that it's important to good accuracy to have a pistol that you can pick a spot, close your eyes, raise the weapon aiming at that spot then open your eyes to see how close it is. Glocks always point to the sky for me, but CZ was right on, and their 75B and 97B were very similar (blind pointed at the same spot). So I got a stainless 75b, having really liked the stainless K9. Fast forward a few years, I've a few more CZ pistols, and a CM9 that is my daily carry.

My funnest shooter is a CZ 83 in .380, with it I can get fast and accurate double or triple taps. It is likely my most accurate semi auto. But it too is a bit big for carry. Something about Kahr's slimness that makes a huge difference for me, and I'm 5'10" at 195. I can carry the CZ P-01 with 3 season Minnesota clothing, just don't like to have the bulk.

My point is, do the blind pointing and see what works for you best, you never know when THAT alone will save your life. Since you won't be carrying in NJ, and won't have other state reciprocity with no carry permit from NJ, size won't matter so much. If Kahr blind-points for you well, then by all means! If it requires up or down adjustment, or grip adjustment for left-right, then maybe another will be a better choice for HD/SD.

If your other pistols are more likely to be your HD/SD choices than for sure get the Kahr of your choosing!

I'm shopping for a K9 in my price range at present, hope to bring one home soon. Nope, not going to lose the CM9, it's earned a place in my life.

Oh, I've a CZ PCR (sold for P-01), P-01, 75B stainless, P-06 (Cajunized!), 97B, and 83, so you can tell what I'm liking. The SAR K2 45 is a great beast as well, actually prefer it to the 97B at this point of my ability, but the glossy blue 97B is awful nice too. Still, there's a hankering for another K9 that needs to be fulfilled.

Can't have everything I'd like, but sure can try!

PS Just won a K9 on GB, hope to see it soon!