Kahr K9 Black Diamond Finish

[flashman]

Hi. I have a question about the Black K9. I purchased a used K9 back in 1995. It was the black finish. It was in good condition but did show signs of wear. My gun was stolen out of my shop in July 09. AD0506. Since then I purchased a Kahr PM9. Although it is a nice gun. It is not as nice as my old K9. I want another K9 but cant decide if I should go with stainless or Black. Do the newer K9's have a better finish? Thanks.

Joe

[CJB]

To the best of my understanding.... the current K9(black) is stainless, with the DLC finish, which is fairly durable for a black-over-stainless finish.

Certainly more durable than the older blued Kahr pistols. My PM45 has worn well with the DLC, but its stainless underneath, so I'd expect no rust or corrosion.

You can always do a refinish in Ceracoat or GunKoat (my fav) if you so desire down the road.

[flashman]

Hi CJB,

Thanks for the reply. I am currently talking to a guy about purchasing his black K9. He wants 500 for it. No box and one magazine. He said he thinks it was an early model 96-97. He bought it used in January. I have the serial number. Is there a way to look up the serial numbers to find out the date of manufacture? Also. Does it have a stainless steel slide?

Joe

[flashman]

I found the Kahr serial numbers on Glocktalk.

[jocko]

somewhere

To the best of my understanding.... the current K9(black) is stainless, with the DLC finish, which is fairly durable for a black-over-stainless finish.

Certainly more durable than the older blued Kahr pistols. My PM45 has worn well with the DLC, but its stainless underneath, so I'd expect no rust or corrosion.

You can always do a refinish in Ceracoat or GunKoat (my fav) if you so desire down the road.

I read where the dlc finish has a rockwell hardness that is harder than the stainlless steel under it. It should be extremely durable. so much like glocks Tennifer finish. Nice thing abouot the dlc finish is if it ever wears u have good stainleess protection under neath.

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 In dim light, the glint of a stainless slide being withdrawn by an undercover operative could lead to fatal complications.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

[flashman]

I just got off the phone with Kahr. The tech there said that the newer finish is a little more durable but the old finish was good too. I gave him the serial number and he told me that this gun was manufactured in 1997. Thanks very much for the information.

[flashman]

I bit the bullet and purchased a new Kahr K9 Elite 03 Stainless. I carried a K9 for 13 years before it was stolen. Its accurate, its light enough for me and I will have it until the day I die. Gotta have my K9. Thanks for the info.

Joe Flashman

[Mike_B]

How about some pics! Have you shot it yet?

[flashman]

How about some pics! Have you shot it yet?

Hi Mike. It should be coming in this Thursday or Friday. I cant wait. I will post pictures of the K9. I will let you know.


Joe

[chipD]

Congrats, I am new to Kahr and sure like my K9. It's definitely a keeper.

[roskee]

I own a polished steel K9, but the vision of a matte black K9 with wood grips always crosses my mind...