New Kahr S Series debuted at NRA

[JustinN]

14706

Today at the NRA Show, Kahr showed off their new S series of handguns. Imagine a C series gun feature a rail, larger mag catch, front cocking serrations, and new sites.

The current S series will come in T and W sizes, should be available this summer and MSRP around $475 to $500!

[gb6491]

Thanks for the sharing the photo and info sir!
How is the front sight attached on this economy version of the Gen2 vaporware?
Regards,
Greg

[finpro]

From the picture, it appears not to use a front dovetail, making it like the C series pistols. I appears that Kahr is calling this "Gen2", even though it appears to use the standard visible trigger format, without the Glock-style blade trigger safety. Does this make it Gen2 Second generation? This suggests the trigger innards are the normal long pull trigger. Just a pessimistic guess from someone wanting to try the Gen2 improvements that have now been advertised from time immemorial, or so it seems... Any word on whether the Kahr booth showed the First generation of Gen2 pistols?

[johnh]

I am back from the convention and can give you more info. These are an evolution of the C Series. As such apart from the obvious changes they share the same feature set. The new guns have an accessory rail, front cocking serrations, the Gen 2 mag catch (a bit easier to reach), and 3 dot versions of the C sights. They ship with two mags.

As for why they are C based, Kahr wisely determined that the price point of a Gen 2 based on the P series would be higher than most buyers would want to pay. The C series dominates sales and I can tell you from working the conventions that probably 95% of folks asking about guns are after a C. The MSRP on the SW9 is $495, and the ST9 $460. Street will of course be lower.

On the trigger, the decision was made to stick with the current Kahr trigger for the S series guns. A lot of shooters seem to prefer it. Again, I can tell you that from convention visitor comments. I hear a lot of people say they love the trigger compared to other DAO guns. Kahr guns have a smoother pull than most (if not all) of its competitors' DAO pistols. I think some of us with longer history in shooting tend to compare triggers of all handguns to nice 1911s (including yours truly). :)

The first guns to ship will be the SW9 (CW/P sized), in 9mm. They are already being assembled at the factory. After that the ST9, my favorite of the two but I like T sized pistols. I asked about the next caliber and was told 45 is very likely. I would not want to set a time window for that as it is still being designed. I think an ST45 will be huge in the market. Think polymer framed, single stacked, in between an Officers and a Commander model 1911. Very flat. Very easy to carry. Still plenty of grip for your hand.

Hope that helps, and holler if you have questions. I can tell you Crossbreed is on the ball to get holsters ready if you are wondering about that aspect of the new guns. They are local to me so have a connection so to speak...

[Bawanna]

An ST45 sounds pretty durn nice.

I've had a hankering for a T45 forever, this is probably as close as I'll ever get.

I might even entertain the idea of a ST9. Have to ponder that some.

[JohnR]

What does the "S" stand for?

K is stainless steel
P must be polymer
C is for cheaper? Clean-lines?
S is for super?

[RolandD]

What does the "S" stand for?

K is stainless steel
P must be polymer
C is for cheaper? Clean-lines?
S is for super?
I asked this in another thread.

K is for Kahr
P is for polymer
C is for compact or concealed
S is for ????

T is for target
W is for weapon?
M is for micro

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Bawanna]

Two for Tea and Tea for two, you for me, and me for you......

Sorry, that just jumped into my head.

I'd give it a 7 1/2, got a good beat but you can't dance to it!

[PCnotPC]

Actually, "P" stands for "polygonal" and "C" stands for "conventional", as in rifling.

I'd say the new "S" stands for "sport", since these are geared toward sport shooters.

[RolandD]

Actually, "P" stands for "polygonal" and "C" stands for "conventional", as in rifling.

I'd say the new "S" stands for "sport", since these are geared toward sport shooters.

That makes sense, thanks. Any idea what the W is?

[JohnR]

I thought the CW line was for Country and Western.

[340pd]

I have never been a fan of front slide serrations. During the clearing of a malfunction, their use may cause the offending ejected round to bounce off my hand and it may be kicked back into the chamber area.

[wmatkinson]

S is for ????

Unfortunately, for a lot of us "S" stands for SORRY, another new Kahr that won't be sold in California.

[TXscooterguy]

I'd give it a 7 1/2, got a good beat but you can't dance to it!

I used to watch Dick Clark's Bandstand also.

[johnh]

I will check on the letter meanings. I was under the impression P was for Polymer originally, then became Premium in recent years. But that is a good question. Country and Western is also a strong possibility.... :)

[JohnR]

I don't wish to touch the hot dirty end of the slide. I'm not a glove-wearing "operator." Or are they called "contractors" now?

[finpro]

You do not have to use the front serrations. Normal rear slide serrations will still be there. Sometimes it is better to pull from the front end as some slides are harder to manipulate from the rear. This is true when the slide rides within the frame as is common with CZ pistols, which diminishes the area available to grip the slide. (This may be a better mechanical design, providing improved lockup for accuracy, in the opinion of some.) Sometimes something will interfere with using rear serrations. Some older laser sights interfered with using them, for example. Some find they get a better grip for stiffer slides as Kahrs often have. I prefer to have the option.

[b4uqzme]

^^^ options are good.

[gb6491]

http://i64.tinypic.com/244351l.jpg

[JohnR]

I do like the rollmark. Simple and classy.

[berettabone]

Looks like a $300 firearm....................................

[zaitcev]

I really wish they reworked their .45 ACP design a little bit: reduced the barrel length by about 1/8" and increased the slide travel by that amount. That would improve the feeding and increase the slide travel time, again giving more time for magazine spring to lift cartridges. But such a significant change seems beyond the capabilities of the current Kahr.

They could at least add some fencing for the magazine release. I keep dropping them. Although it may be related to the barrel lug smacking the magazines.

Otherwise, the S series looks like a welcome change. The 9mm guns work okay, I heard, so all they need are cosmetics.

[finpro]

I really wish they reworked their .45 ACP design a little bit: reduced the barrel length by about 1/8" and increased the slide travel by that amount. That would improve the feeding and increase the slide travel time, again giving more time for magazine spring to lift cartridges. But such a significant change seems beyond the capabilities of the current Kahr.

If you have not done so, you should check to see that there is nothing slowing your mag follower. As an experiment, you might lubricate the interior of the mag with a dry lubricant or metal conditioner to see if this helps.
While you can hope for a Kahr redesign of their .45s, you would likely see sooner results by replacing your magazine and recoil springs with stronger versions. The Wolff springs website, gunsprings.com, does not list springs for Kahr .45s, but a call or email to them might be helpful. As a guess, a heavier spring for a .40 would probably serve for your .45. If a mag spring for the 9mm/.40 mags would not work well in a Kahr .45, you might ask them if, say, a 1911 mag spring would work. If you do any of this, please let us know how it works for you.

[Bawanna]

I really haven't heard of many issues with the 45's. Never had any with mine.
The barrel lug smacking the magazines is especially common in the 40's but seldom heard of in the 45's. Just file off a bit of the lug if that's an issue.

[johnh]

Here is what I am told on the letter designations for as requested above:

C = Concealed. Value Series Line
S= Silver. Gen 2 Value Series Line
P = Premium Polymer Line
K = Kahr. Steel guns only
M= micro (3" barrels) PM, MK, CM
W= weapon (may have had another meaning at another point in development, like P)
T= tactical

[MMyers1970]

So since these are being called "Gen 2", does that mean the ones teased for the last two years are a no go?

[DJK11]

Rework the 45? Both my pm45 are flawless. The older version slide has more than 10k down the tube and the current version has more than 6k. Just picked up a TP45 with 550 hand loads rounds, no factory rounds yet, without a hiccup.

No need to change the 45!

[DJK11]

If you have not done so, you should check to see that there is nothing slowing your mag follower. As an experiment, you might lubricate the interior of the mag with a dry lubricant or metal conditioner to see if this helps.
While you can hope for a Kahr redesign of their .45s, you would likely see sooner results by replacing your magazine and recoil springs with stronger versions. The Wolff springs website, gunsprings.com, does not list springs for Kahr .45s, but a call or email to them might be helpful. As a guess, a heavier spring for a .40 would probably serve for your .45. If a mag spring for the 9mm/.40 mags would not work well in a Kahr .45, you might ask them if, say, a 1911 mag spring would work. If you do any of this, please let us know how it works for you.


I called wolff about 45 mag springs and as I assumed they can't recommend a spring. They can't tell you to experiment with their springs if they don't have a direct replacement. They list springs that I think may function.

[wyntrout]

I've had many problems with the Kahr .45 magazine springs. I've had the mag tubes split at the top rears... 3 or 4 times. My PM45 went back 6 times total and they replaced the frame once and finally swapped me the PM for a new P45 DLC with NS as I wanted. I continue to have problems with cartridges feeding fully into the chamber. I did discover that the screw holding the washer and spring for the slide lock kept coming loose. Tightening it every 20 shots or so sucked, so I used some medium thread locker and haven't been back to see if that helps.

On top of that I've had major issues with the magazine springs in the past and had mine replaced numerous times due to the springs shattering into small pieces... one about a dozen pieces. I inspected all 9 of my mags and found that the 14-coil springs were shattering in my two 5-rd and my 6-rd mags. I was having issues with my six 7-rounders, too, and took those apart. All six had the same 14-coil springs that the smaller 5 and 6-rd ones had... and they only protruded about 3 or 4 cartridge diameters above the mag lips. The spare springs I had for the 7-rounders were all 18-coil springs and a BEAR to install.

Kahr wanted me to return ALL of the mags and I talked them into just sending the proper springs, which they did... problem solved... except for the splitting.

After I got my new P45 and all 9 mags, I checked them out and the six 7-rounders had 14-coil springs. At that point I was disgusted and with gun shows, family deaths and travel for Christmas and funerals, I haven't gotten back to sorting the mags out.

I've bought a lot of springs from Wolff and way back, I asked them several times about springs for the Kahr .45's and the .380's, but got no good answers.

I do have a ten-pack of springs for the 7-round 9mm and .40 mags that I will compare and see if they will work. I don't know if I can even get 18-coil springs from Kahr anymore. The few spares I bought recently were 14-coil! This is inadequate for the 7-rounders... part of my disgust, because I have had the wrong springs in many different 7-rounders from different sources turn out to be the weaker 14-coil ones. I had them all replaced several times or batches, but now I get the 14-coil ones when I order for the 7-rounders.

I would love to carry my P45, but I'm still carrying the P40 with a ported barrel, and have the P9 with a ported barrel for backup carry. All three fit in my XB Minituck that I bought for my PM9 back in 2010.

Pix below show the 14-coil springs in the 7-rounders and a new 18-coil springs, which I apparently can't get anymore. Then there's a closeup of the shattered springs... all of the 5 and 6-rd 14-coil springs shattered, and one more since then with the replacement springs. Note the GREAT difference between the 14-coil and correct 18-coil spring for the 7-round mags.

Wynn :(

[JohnR]

You have the patience of a saint. If I'd had that much trouble with any of my Kahrs, I would have moved on to another brand.

[DJK11]

Yes Wynn you seam to have bad luck. I love the history of Boomer, RIP. I can't say enough good things about my two PM45's. I favor the older, shorter slide over the current version. I have 12, 5 and 6 round mags with zero problems. All have the original springs. Wolff has an 18 coil mag spring for a 1911.

[wyntrout]

Well, I put Wolff +5% 9mm/.40 mag springs in 3 of my 6 7-round .45 mags. They are 18 coils and seem to be the same size coils... a PITA to install, especially after the first when I remembered to lightly oil the springs. That sure helped install them a lot... NOT! I did cuss a bit.

I'm going to the range to try my new P45 again after threadlocking the SL screw a few weeks ago.

I hope I get the results that I want today.

:)

[JohnR]

Finally, a new model of Kahr!

Um, not exactly.

https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/18588681_1503431156375314_1411347315411766455_o.jp g?oh=0e07f54477a0ff8e9bd5f2c43f477b76&oe=59BEC542