Opinion on Kahr pistols

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ditrina

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Passed on a .380 Kahr yesterday, older model, box, two mags looked in great shape. I just don't know enough about the brand.

The price seemed ok $250.00 OTD. ( It may still be available )


Thoughts??
 
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I've had several Kahrs over the years. They work well, but aren't really to my taste. I can't argue with leaving it, but it seems a good price.
 
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Not generally a fan
Have had about 5 of them over the years; different models and sizes.
When you pay upwards of $500 and more for some models, you should not have to shoot 200 rounds through them as the factory recommends to " break them in ".
All of mine had feeding problems. Sent two back to the factory for repair. Came back better, but still nor right. I improved the functioning of all of them by clipping one third of the coils from all the magazine springs as there is no reason magazine spring tension on the follower needs to be that stiff.
I always liked the thinness of their designs, but there are several other choices of similar size available that are not near the hassle.
Glock, Sig, S&W, Taurus, and others generally make products that need no breaking in.

Due to the current situation, if you really need a gun, you may be forced to take what you can get.
Otherwise, wait for a Ruger or Kel-Tec; or S&W Bodyguard if you can find one that will work like it is supposed to. You may have to buy two or three different ones to find one that is a keeper.
 
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They're generally good pistols. Similar to a Glock, but without the trigger flipper safety.

I've owned a few. The only one I ever had a problem with was a 9mm target. One of the magazines had an extended base plate and the pressure from my little finger caused feeding problems. It worked fine with the other magazine.

For $250, what do you have to lose? ;)
 
Never owned or shot a Kahr. Heard good things about them. For $250, in this market, I'd take a chance. If you don't like it, I'd bet you could sell it and get your money back in a heartbeat.
 
Other than handling them in a gun shop, I don't have any experience with Kahrs. However, I will say that a Kahr P9 is on a very short list of striker-fired guns I'd like to own.
 
I have a Kahr CM9. That's the cheap PM9. It has been very reliable and has excellent sights and a great trigger pull. The only reason it doesn't get out of the safe much is that I prefer my S&W 649. I am a revolver guy.
 
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I own three, a P380 is my summer/any season pocket carry gun. Only words of wisdom I can add is, the P380 doesn't like european ammo, Geco, Privi etc. The higher pressure/velocity messes with them. They are a very refined gun, you have to take into consideration how small they are. I also have a PM9 that I've had since they came out and a K9 police turn in that I couldn't pass up. Like all super subcompacts they take a lot of practice.
 
My CM9 has been fine from day one, and it never malfunctioned from the first mag to the 100th mag.
 
Also have one.
It's always been reliable.
Never carried it as much as I thought I would,
Also a Revolver guy.
 

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I have owned Kahr pistols since they came on the market. I first bought a K40 (carbon steel frame & slide) & E9 (economy finished steel frame & slide), then came a MK9 (SS steel frame & slide), P380 (poly framed higher end features) replaced a broken Kel-Tec P3AT and finally the CM9 (poly framed economy features). Mine have all been extremely reliable and the trigger pull to me feels kind of like a DAO revolver trigger. The triggers do take a little getting used to because the pull is long but smooth and consistent all the way through the pull. The trigger can be mastered quite readily if you are willing. I carried and qualified with the MK9 as an on duty backup gun for the last 8 years of duty.

With the price of $250, it sounds like it might be the lower featured CW380 which uses standard rifling instead of Polygonal, less machining cuts on the slide and a cast or MIM slide stop instead of machined stainless steel, front side pinned in instead of dovetail drifted. Also only shipped with 1 magazine.
 
Carried a PM9 for close to twenty years now. Has never missed a beat dispite two or three dunkings in ponds and streams, lots of dust/sawdust, ect. Very comfortable to carry in a Crossbred IWB.

It is starting to show it's age and the night sights are beginning to dim a bit, but still can be seen from the top of the chest-of-drawers from the bed in a dark room!
 
Wife and I each have a CW45. Wife has a CW9. I had one too until I went to a Sig P365.

She carries a CW 380 somewhere, but I ain't gonna ask where.


Revolver like trigger and no safeties to worry about. Not a hiccup among them.
 
From my experience with the Auto-Ordnance side and their customer service I would wholeheartedly not recommend them.

To be fair they were completely in their right not to honor the one year warranty to the original purchaser, upfront I told them it was originally purchased over that time frame and that I was second owner.

But, it was a well known failure of the bolt, fracturing of the extractor groove allowing it to jam in the receiver, this problem was discussed in many different forums including a Kahr specific forum. This I found out while researching the problem. My original call to customer service got me a "no warranty, goodbye" and hang up. I messaged them on FB, got a half-hearted reply.

If they had offered me a 50/50 split, a parts coverage and I pay the labor or the opposite, something, anything, I would have come away satisfied. All I got was that I could send it in on my expense both ways, they would inspect it and advise me of the cost to repair it.

Until that first day I took it to the range and it failed it had zero rounds put through it, the failure was less than fifty rounds. When the extractor pops out and the metal of the bolt is flaking and in addition one of the firing pin grooves developed a crack when removing the roll pin I would say metal embrittlement due to incorrect heat treating. And again, in all fairness, the replacement bolt has functioned fine, no signs of embrittlement or cracking in the firing pin retainer pinholes to date.

I purchased the parts to repair it from them, over 300 dollars this was in 2014. If this had been a cheap gun that's one thing, but that Tommy gun
retailed at the time for over 1200 dollars with the accessories.

I won't name the forum but they have a sub group that discusses the semi Thompsons. And that failure is still a common issue.

Sorry to be long winded but I felt I should fully explain this.
 
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