Kahr?

[SOCO]

I took a close look at a used Kahr PM40 today ($599+ tax). Anyone have any personal experience with them? I love my Glock 27 for primary carry, but now I'm looking to add a pocket gun with more "punch" than my P32. For my daily carry attire, I'm fairly sure I can carry the PM40 in my front pocket ... which would honestly be more comforting than my P32. (6 rounds of .40 S&W vs. 7 rounds of .32)

With that: who loves them? who hates them? are they worth the money? are they just toys for "gun snobs"?? :P

Yes I've considered the P3AT and it's evil twin, the Ruger LCP ... but if I'm going to take the time/money to upgrade I want to go with something larger than a .380.

If I could conceal it, I'd buy a PF9 I think ... if I could find one around town to see how it fits my hand. The obvious advantage of the PF9 is the price. (and maybe the rail?)

[pocketgun]

The PM40 is essentially the same as their PM9, with some slight changes in size. Maybe seed will weigh in on his PM9 and MK40? To say it is going to be a bit snappy is an understatement I suspect.

[pocketgun]

I should add I think they are good quality firearms, but some question the design's reliability. Search out seed's comments under PM9.

[SOCO]

Search out seed's comments under PM9.

Will do - thanks pocket! Also, I agree it will be "snappy" ... but then again, that's what I like about my Glock 27.

[pocketgun]

You hit it on the head when you said "comforting".

[mr surveyor]

as a recent "convert" (only to the products... not the kookie religion), I have become a real fan on the Kahr pistols. For many years I could not get past the company owner's "history", but the quality of the product, and being totally American made, finally made me take a look. Originally I was very interested in the MK9 as I prefer steel over polymer. Since I carry my semi-auto's IWB most of the time, and occassionally OWB under cover garment, the weight wasn't a big factor. By the time my resistance was down and I could no longer hold back on making a Kahr purchase, my bank account was dwindling as well. One of my favorite shops had a NIB CW9 in the display one day and the owner started picking at me to make a trade...he already knew I was interested. He was also interested in my 3 year old P3AT (and had been for a year)... enough so that he ended up with my P3AT and a couple hundred bucks, and I walked out with a NIB CW9 and a couple of boxes of PMC 115 gr.

That was last July, and still on limited range budget I have been able to put a few rounds down range. As of two nights ago the total is 640 - all 100% flawless, including at least a third of those rounds fired by a real "mix" of shooters. Several of my range buddies, and at least 3 adult women and 4 young women/girls, aged 14-22, failed to make the CW9 malfunction. My confidence and appreciation for this one was sufficient to cause me to sell enough scrap brass to raise the $133.90 it took to ship (both ways) my slide to have the newly released Trijicon Tritium sights installed. Wonderful upgrade.

Now, the PM9 is considerably smaller, and being poly framed will obviously be more prone to malfunctions induced by "user errors". The vast majority of gripes concerning the PM series are reminiscent of the early complaints about the P3AT. Anytime you shrink a gun down to the minimum size to power ratio, there will be a high risk of malfunctions... rarely caused by the gun itself. You can follow several forums and see the same 5-6 "whiners" raising all kinds of hell about their crappy Kahr. You can also see the same thing with a few folks that had a bad experience with Kimber, and Glock... or any number of other popular manufacturers. Even the Sig lovers are talking mutiny over what is percieved as reduced quality and support.

I do miss my P3AT as it was the only handgun I had left that could be carried in my boot (my favorite Sunday morning attire), but my supply of ammo ran out, and there was none to be had (affordable) for too many months. I have no doubt the PM9 would fit my boot carry method, but I have my heart set on a HC P32 to fill that niche.

And, as far a CS goes, I will say that Kahr seems to be responsive to their customer's needs, although I don't think that they can hold a candle next to KT's support.

Personally, given the funds, I would have no reservations about buying a PM9, or for another hundred or so the MK9. The .40 cal would certainly be a handful in the PM40, and not quite as bad in the MK40. One of my range buddies has a CW40, which lead me to buy the Kahr in the first place. His CW40, considered to be a "compact" (rather than a sub-compact like the PM40) is pretty snappy, although certainly not uncontrollable. I decided on the CW9 strictly because of the vast assortment of available choices in ammunition, and the fact that I knew follow-up shots would be much more manageable (for me). It's also my understanding from web research that the PM45 is actually more pleasant to shoot than the PM40...which seems to be the case in a lot of other multi caliber offerings.

Anyway, that's my longwinded "short version"


surv

[Popeye]

I just got a PM9 a couple weeks ago and it has been flawless. I do not know to much about the PM40. IMO in the smaller pistols a .380 or 9mm is perfect. I think ,and this is jusy my opinion that the recoil is a bit to strong on a bigger calibers in a small pistol. At least for my liking. It makes them a bit hard to get back on target for a second shot. The PM 9 carries very well but nothing carries like a KelTec .P3at. The size of the PM9 is about a half inch longer and higher and about 3/16 wider than the P3at, but is quite a bit heavier do to the size and weight of the 9mm over the .380 plus the Kahr is built like a tank.

[SOCO]

Figured I'd close out the loop on this thread with you guys regarding my search for a new pocket gun. I went back and re-looked at that PM-40 ($599 used) ... and bought a Ruger LCP! As nice as the Kahr is, it was like a brick in the pocket of my Wranglers (which are all I wear). The LCP simply disappears. Granted, .40 S&W is way more stout than .380, but if I'm going to carry a large(r) gun, it will be my Glock 27.

Primary carry = Glock 27 with a spare mag (and 15-rounder in the truck)

ALWAYS carry = LCP.

Can't wait to the range to try it out!

Now, the $329 question (price of my LCP before tax) is ... what do I do with my P-32? Sell it? Keep it for range use? Keep it as a spare in case the LCP goes down? Stash it in my house? Try to convince my wife to shoot/carry it? (Good luck with that one - she's not much of a gun girl.)

[mr surveyor]

keep the P32 for WHEN the lcp goes down

[banana380]

IMO there are very few reasons to get rid of any gun... I'd keep the P-32 regardless, whether you intend it for an elsie pea replacement from time to time, or a wifey gun.

It seems that with any of these smaller guns, a break-in in necessary, whether done with a couple hundred rounds or a F&B. Though I had a KT P3AT, I'd probably get a new one done, same for an LCP or Kahr for that matter. FWIW, $30 F&B beats the shit out of several $40 boxes of ammo IMO... YMMV of course