Coatings?

[dashunde]

On Friday I bought a PM9 and it came with the longer tapered slide that is stamped "STAINLESS" on the right side and the barcoded sticker on the box says "PM9 W DIAMOND BLACK SLIDE PM9094A".
What did I end up with and what kind of performance should I expect from it?
The black cost me ~$80 more than they had the stainless priced at a few days before - they sold the stainless before I could get to it, but I think I like the looks of the black better anyway.

And while we're at it, what is the current difference between the "blackened" stainless, Black-T & the "Black Diamond" coatings?


Also...

Hi all, first post here. :banplease:
I had a pm9 about 7 years ago and sold it when I moved to a non-ccw state, now that I'm back in MO I just had to have another. :)

[jocko]

kahr puts a DLC diamond like coating on the black guns that are stainlless. They have just changed their terminology. It is a durable finsih, when done properly. We had a few on this forum that was not right and kahr took care of it. For me I llove that finish. It should wear good and underneath it is ur stainless slide. You got a good one, not shoot it like u stole it.

u being new here go to the kahr tech section and hit on two great threads that will make your PM9 first trip a winnner.

#1 kahr lube chart

#2 Propper prepping of your new kahr

welcome aboard.

ur last sentence: answer only the wording, same finish,if it's black on a new kahr it is the DLC

found this for ur reading pleasure:

I have checked the search and didn't find an answer. I have read that the black diamond coating is not supposed to scratch, but while on Gun Broker someone was selling a PM9 and showed a large scratch on the top of the slide and was selling it for a lower price. I have the SS version but would like to get the diamond coating PM9. Can someone tell me if this is something rare or could this be an ongoing problem? Thanks for your help


that finish is awesome, It ahs a rockwell of 90 on it. It i tungsten diamond finish, that I know Kahrs says will not scratch and more than likely 95% of the time will indeed not scratch, but it depends on how the scratch got there to. It is as good a finish if not better than the tennifer finish on glocks and we know they are durable.

If u can find the dlc finish, but it, you will never be dissapoitned in that finish. From normal every day use, it will not scratch. Nothing to my knowledge is scrathless. Even stainless finish slide will scratch to and even easier for the stainless slides are not as hard as the finish that kahr puts on that slide with the DLC finish..

FOUND THIS INFO.:A couple of years back Kahr decided to discontinue carbon steel guns and manufacture all slides and steel frames from stainless steel. Most consumers liked the corrosion resistance of stainless.
However, Kahr quickly discovered that not all consumers wanted bright and shiny guns. In dim light, the glint of a stainless slide being withdrawn by an undercover operative could lead to fatal complications.
To solve this problem and darken the stainless slide, Kahr flirted briefly with baked-on Teflon used by many manufacturers but found the results less than satisfactory. The economy of the finish was appealing to Kahr, but is soon discovered that the cosmetics were short-lived. Kahr tried another process that required substantial heat. This actually changed the metal's molecular structure and made it more brittle. Finally, Kahr developed its proprietary Tungsten Diamond-Like-Coating (Tungsten DLC), which uses a process called Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition to coat the parts.
Tungsten DLC is applied in a vacuum chamber where cathodes transform the tungsten into a gas that plates the parts. The process increases the surface hardness to a whopping 90 on the Rockwell C scale. Just for comparison, your average 1911 frame will register about 28 to 30 on the same scale.
One of the best selling points of the Diamond-Like Coating in that the parts are never heated over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, so there's no need to worry about the parts losing their temper, softening, or becoming brittle. Also, only about two microns of the material is deposited on the slide. In case you're wondering, that amounts to about 80 millionths of an inch-far too little to affect the parts' function or fit.
Kahr's Tungsten DLC thoroughly impresses me. Not only does it perform its intended task of coloring the bright stainless steel to a matte, non-reflective black, it also provides a tough, corrosion-proof covering that is virtually scratch proof. And it will not wear even when subjected to extensive holster carry. For a gun that will be used exclusively for concealed carry, the Tungsten DLC finish makes a lot of sense.

[CJB]

The DLC finish does indeed wear. My PM45 gets daily "jeans pocket" duty, and the front of the slide, edges of the slide where the sharp part is on the side where it meets the rounded top section... those all have bright silver spots. I got the pistol in the beginning of March, so its not quite two months old.

I've read one report, here I think, about "thin finishes" on black DLC slides, and that could be. I have no proof one way or the other. If the finish on mine wears, I could give a hoot'n-holler. If it gets really really bad, I've got the setup here to reblast it, and apply some K-Kote to it. I carried a K-Kote Officers model .45, for a few years, and it really didn't wear at all, except around the ejection port. Ditto for my very early "transitional" civilian AR-15, only where the brass whacks things does it show wear.

I will "probably" pull out the trigger of the Kahr, and round the annoying sharp edges on it one day. K-Kote will fix the cosmetics.

Think of it this way - the underlying steel is a tough stainless alloy. The "black" is just there to make the stainless not stick out like a sore thumb. A few bright marks at the edges will not materially undo the purpose of the finish.

[dashunde]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I was out in the field working Friday and swung by to pick up the gun, then did a little more work and headed straight to the outdoor range with four boxes of Federal fmj.
In the first couple of mags it:
Nosed round # 2 in under the feed ramp using the 7-round clip
The slide didnt stay back at first using the 6-round mag.

The 7-rounder nosed in only once and the 6-rounder started catching the slide somewhere in the middle of the first box.

It easily did the last 150 rounds without a hicup.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the black holds up...

[jocko]

don't be to disgusted if the 7 rounder acts up. quite a few have issues with them in he PM9, if the 6 round flush fit works perfect, just use the 7 round for range use or not at all. If it works ok, then ur good to go.

hopefully u went to the kahr tech section and hit on the great stickys:
#1 kahr lube chart

#2 propper preping of ur new kahr,

both willhelp you..