Kahr reliability

[MW surveyor]

CW9 bought in November.
Zero problems except for during the first two mags when I did not follow the recommendations in the manual about loading the first round using the slide stop.
Have shot over 1,000 rounds of factory and my reloads through it since purchase.
DA trigger is smooth and consistent. Accurate as far as I'm concerned less than 3" group at 15 yards.
It trades places with my SP 101 for daily carry.

 

[F=ma]

My PM9 occasionally hiccups on 124gr Hydra-Shoks...FTF nose-into-the-ramp. A slap on the mag bottom is enough to chamber the round.

Never a problem with any 115 grainers, which I stick to now.

 

[tlm225]

I bought a CW 40 last year. Loved everything about it except the reliability which started off bad and got worse, even after two trips back to the factory.

Others have had no problem.

I went through 500 rounds and averaged a FTF about 1 in 25 rounds.

 

[Wasper]

Bought a used & abused K40 two years ago (price was right). Though obviously dropped many times and taken apart by an amateur (the firing pin safety plunger spring was missing !) the gun has been accurate and reliable with zero jams so far. It is my primary carry gun.

 

[mukibetser]

Another vote for Kahr (so far). Almost through the "break-in period" on my new PM9 black diamond, with 150 rounds through it. Not one single hitch. Mags weren't dropping free at first, but after a second field strip, clean and lube they are now. Plus, the gun is surprisingly accurate and fun at the range. Will add a Pearce extension for the 6 rd magazine. Overall, very very pleased so far.

 

[JCP281]

My CW9 has been nothing but amazing. Not one failure and the thing is more accurate than the guy on the trigger more often than not.

 

[Dknight16]

I've carried my P9 for over 7 years. In that time I've had periodic range visits consuming perhaps 500 rounds. No FTFs or FTEs that I can recall. Certainly none in the last 3 years. I doubt I will ever retire my Kahr as my primary carry gun. I love the smoothness of the trigger. It's the perfect CCW in my eyes.

 

[vyse.04]

I know you said you wanted opinions from people who owned one of the polymer Kahrs, but this may or may not help as well.

I fired a P45 at the range (rental), and had the magazine fall out at least twice per magazine. The slide would drop when I loaded a magazine, so already I was thinking something was up. I even fired it with my thumb off of the gun to make sure I wasn't hitting it during recoil (wasn't hitting it before but just to be safe). The gun shop had to send it back to get repaired. Before you buy one I'd say try loading it to see if the slide stays back, but with it being a range rental I'm sure it was abused. I ended up walking out with a used K9 though (always been partial to metal frames) because the trigger was THAT good! I'd still recommend a Kahr to anyone though. They are very slim, and accurate as well.

 

[dean1818]

I am also adding a K40 as an option

I do need to sell one of my rifles as well, to pay for it

I still verry much like an all metal gun and 23 ounces (empty) is still
a very resonable weight for a good holster and good belt.

The THIN is in!

Thoughts?

 

[CK I]

I haved owned my CW9 for probably just over 3 years and I literally recommend it to everyone who asks! I would say I have ran probably 3000+ rounds through it including a few hundred various HPs and only have had one malfunction that I can remember. During my first trip I had a spent casing fail to eject from the barrel. I think it may have been ammo related (UltraMax factory re-loads) or could have been the fact I didn't oil enough for my first range trip, too excited. But I carry it everyday in a Don Hume IWB hoster.

 

[vyse.04]

I put over 150 rounds through my K9 this weekend and I am VERY happy with my purchase. Zero issues with ball and hollow points, and it shot well from 10 to 35 feet. Would have shot it more, but we only had a 30 minute slot and I brought some other guns with me. Ammo adds a bit of weight too, but it is FAR from being too heavy.

You might be able to find some deals on a used K40. From my experience, I've seen more used .40s at the LGS than 9mm. It's a shame too because they had a MK40, Rami 40, and Browning HP 40 (all of which I would have considered if they were 9mm) and each one was less than $600 when I bought my K9. Obviously your results will vary with that though.

 

[2edgesword]

Uncertain So Far

I purchased a new CW45 and have 250 rounds through it. During the first 100 rounds I had one fail to fire (good primer strike but no boom) and during the second 100 rounds one failure to go into battery (about 1/8", pushed the slide forward, pulled the trigger and bang). The last 50 rounds have been flawless.

The only other problem I had was reassembly, specifically getting the slide rod inserted. I managed with significant difficult to get it done a few times for cleaning but after much trial and error I came to the conclusion that the problem wasn't with me but with the firearm.

After some investigation and discussion with other Kahr owners I discovered that the end of the guide rod that gets inserted into the slide hole is suppose to have a bevel. That bevel allows you some tolerance when it comes to the initial insertion of the rod in the hole. Without that bevel if you don't get the rod position "exactly" right it will not get started through that hole, and with spring tension and breechblock of the barrel, I found it very difficult to hit that exact angle.

This problem was solved with a dremel and a couple of minutes of work but I don't accept that I should have to do finishing work that should have been done by the factory.

 

[dsa1115]

I have a PM9 and had some FTF's during break in, but those occurred in the first 50 rounds fired through the gun. I've put about 400 flawless rounds through the gun since.

 

[HKFan9]

Before I sold my PM-9 (I regret selling it) I had it up to 1000 rounds or so and it never had any issues. It fired a lot of WWB, American Eagle, Blazer Brass/Aluminum, PMC flat nose, and Speer Gold Dots 124gr +p's with never any issues. After about 400 or 500 rounds I was able to hand cycle a round in with no issues. I really do miss that little gun.

I actually had my heart set on buying a Walther PPS but my local dealer is a police shooting instructor.... he carries and uses a Glock everyday. When he took his very own PM-9 out of his back pocket and cleared it and told me to check it out... shoot it if I'd like... my heart certainly changed.

 

[zeromeow]

My p380 only had one major issue, a FTE on it's first six rounds it fired. Other than that, no big troubles so far after 200 rounds.

 

[5whiskey]

I think my CW9 had 1 FTE during the first 50 rounds of the break in period. Other than that, I haven't seen another malfunction in the last 1k rounds.

 

[edward5759]

I have seven of them, traded in from Law Enforcement Officers because the department issued ammo will not fire in them. Any handgun that has a required break in is just using the public to do their quality control for them.
"Rifles are different".

I called Kahr and the guy told me that
"their springs never wear out!"

"Now I have a masters in engineering I would love to find something mechanical that has no stress or wear!"

I took several out to shoot. One would not function at all, the other had very light strikes from the striker. It would not fire three out of four times. The third a CW45 required a new spring, Lucky I had one the right size left over that would fit the striker. Got it from "Granger" off of a relay.

No love for them here! :barf:

 

[Billy Shears]

+1 for Kahr reliability.

I bought both a CW40 and a CW9. Shot them both a ton with no problems whatsoever. Sold the 40, kept the 9, and I carry it with me almost everywhere. Great little pistol. Nearly two years now and nothing but solid and predictable performance.

 

[Hunter2678]

2006 p40 here....2000+ rounds later, no FTF with HP's or FMJs...needless to say its my everyday ccw

 

[dean1818]

After reviewing the 9mm vs 40 cal info, I decided on a K9

(In many cases the differince in expansion of the 9 vs the 40
showed a good HP 9mm to be almost as good as a 40 cal)

It will arrive next week