PM9 doesn't shoot straight

[KCAutoBob]

Now I realize that I'm not bullseye shooting....

lots n lots of dry fire practice....

The whole trigger finger/muscle memory thing.... its like learning to walk again.

I'm not a great shot with my Kahrs. It took a lot of practice and dry firing to be.... maybe a passable ok shot.

I have shot bullseye pistol in the past with 1911 and Ruger .22 and did ok in the 280's with the Ruger. Shooting the Kahr was like ... ****... anoher world of trigger control.

Now I realize that I'm not bullseye shooting and I want to be able to hit a person in the middle without much thought or error, and it only needs to be at about 20 feet away max. I can do that now. I can even double tap into a full size target with repeatable results. And I can keep a group at 7 meters in about the size of a pie plate. That sucks for a bullseye shooter! It really really really sucks. But I'm also satisfied with it because of the nature of how I expect to (hopefully never) use the pistol.

Lots of good advice in this thread! IMHO, a small pistol such as the PM9 (which I regularly carry) is no target pistol. That being said, it's capable of remarkable (unbelievable, even) accuracy at ranges most would shake their heads at! But, if you want high accuracy at any distance, everything has to be "just right"!
I had been carrying a Keltec P11 for years, and if you want struggle, try that! When I first shot a friend's PM9- WOW!-thought I'd been transported to the heavenly realms. My opinion is that such small (micro-size) pistols demand far greater effort and practiced skill than the uninitiated would think. It's the price you pay for safety and concealability. Just sayin....

[jocko]

wellu could not have said that ny better...

[mikemc53]

Now I don't have a lot of time or experience with the Kahr (CM9), nor do I have much with handguns in general, but I will say that the accuracy of the Kahr is pretty darn good.

I am not a real good shot to start with and pretty much have only been shooting small DAO guns as it is (SCCY-cpx2, S&W BG 380 and the CM9) so my comparison sample is limited but, for my tastes, the trigger on the Kahr is like gold. Smooth and pretty light - again I'm comparing it to two pretty tough and long pulls but, I really like it.

Also, and I see this was noted by someone else here, I shoot better with one hand as opposed to two - with all of the pistols noted, by the way. I'm sure that my two hand grip needs work and some of it is my sighting, but my question becomes: If I shoot well with one hand, why would I need to work with two? Not being a smart*** just wanting to know advantages, etc. When I practice I still do the majority of the shooting with two hands but will always work in a few magazines with the one hand grip.

Another note on the gun. My SCCY is a similar size and also a 9mm (though a double stack) but has noticeably more recoil - though not really a tough gun to handle. The Kahr is a dream to shoot and I wonder why the difference.

[PattayaPistol]

PM9 doesn't shoot straight

I find that after a couple of years owning my PM9 I still am continually surprised at how accurate the little gun really is, and just how easy for good follow up shots.

It is always possible that any particularly gun is faulty and not accurate and as such would require a trip back to the mother ship, but usually after some concerted effort on the part of the user to learn its idiosyncrasies these guns will continue to amaze.

Good luck with your gun.

PP

[wyntrout]

The LASER can be a good training aid during dry firing practice. If you do everything perfect, the LASER won't move much and the shot would have hit where the LASER was at the trigger pull... but if you're like most of us, and not concentrating on NOT moving the pistol... the LASER makes a large "whifferdill" in the air... or an ampersand... or whatever... and the impact is SOMEWHERE on that "whifferdill" described in the air by the LASER from the movement of the pistol as you pulled or jerked the trigger.

The LASERLYTE training cartridge does the same thing, but not continuously... supposedly about 200 milliseconds... time for a lot of movement magnified tremendously at 7 yards.

I have to really concentrate and work hard not to wiggle the pistol, but that's what I normally do... lots of "whifferdills".

Many times my first shot is dead center and it goes downhill from there.

Wynn

[wtim]

Well almost 1000 shots through my PM9 and I'm still not getting any better. I even had one of the salesmen at my LGS try it and he wasn't much better. He even missed and tried to pass it off as if it went through an existing bullet hole. He tried to tell me it was the way I was gripping the gun so I did it his way and was worse. I went back to holding it one handed and did much better than with a two handed grip.

So, if I'm hitting target at seven yards and the hits are in a 12 inch radius or so is that all I can expect from this gun? I was disheartened reading a review on the PM9 where the author was keeping it in a 4 1/2 inch group. What groups do you guys get with your PM9? If it is a problem with the gun what is it? The barrel?

Still carrying but beginning to think more and more that it's back to the Glock. Love it but it's so much bigger than the Kahr.

[ParabellumJ]

PM9 doesn't shoot straight

I'm sorry to admit this sounds like a thread I posted several months back. I traded the Kahr for a Glock 26 and haven't looked back. Kahrs are great little guns but they aren't for everyone.

[Matthew L.]

I've always heard that violent encounters will happen at 7 yards and under. Call me crazy but I never practice shooting further than 7 yards. Practice at 7, 5 and 3 yards and get good at it and you'll be fine. Its not a competition, long distance pistol.

Also concentrate on trigger control. Try using the pad of your finger and the first joint. Stick with which one works best for you. Dry fire practice is a must. Use snap caps. That will pinpoint your flaws. Ive found that using the pad of my finger is better than my first joint. Using the joint puts side movement into the pistol causing me to shoot low left and everywhere else.

Having a death grip on the gun with your strong hand is also a no no. That can cause you to be all over the target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgL...e_gdata_player

Good little video on grip

[CJCM9]

I didn't have time to read thru all the posts yet.
Are your shots all over, erratic?
Or are they consistently off in one direction?

[garyb]

PM does not shoot straight. Get serious!

[deadeye]

CM9. Couldn't hit a 81/2 X 11 sheet of paper to start with. Found a CO2 pistol that is about the same size and weight of the CM9 with a trigger pull almost identical. Practice, practice and more practice. Am now putting all the shots in a 3" circle. Hope to get better yet. Don't shoot any further than 7 yds. That is what the gun is designed for. I have a R&H Sportsman .22 with a 6 " barrel that I can drive nails with at 50'. That is what it is designed for.

[garyb]

CM9. Couldn't hit a 81/2 X 11 sheet of paper to start with. Found a CO2 pistol that is about the same size and weight of the CM9 with a trigger pull almost identical. Practice, practice and more practice. Am now putting all the shots in a 3" circle. Hope to get better yet. Don't shoot any further than 7 yds. That is what the gun is designed for. I have a R&H Sportsman .22 with a 6 " barrel that I can drive nails with at 50'. That is what it is designed for.

I agree that you can improve your accuracy, gun handling and speed by practice with a gun that is easier for you to shoot. I have found that my practice with a M&PPro40 has significantly improved the same with my PM40. However, I disagree with your limitations of design. They are designed to shoot them as good as you are able to at any distance. I've never read or have seen anywhere where any gun is designed for accuracy up to a certain distance. The gun is only as good as you are with it. I have increased the accuracy of my PM40 out to 25yds. Try benching that CM and you will see just how accurate they can shoot out to far greater distances than a mere 7 yrds. Likewise for your R&H. It is not the gun.

[MBSL500]

A while back I bought a new 1911.
A few days later I took it to the range to fire a box or two thought it.
I couldn’t hit the target no matter what I did.
I was absolutely convinced that the gun was bad.
I called the gun dealer I bought the gun from and told him that I thought the gun was bad.
He agreed to drive over and try the gun himself.
He fired about 4 magazines though it and never missed the target.
It wasn’t the gun, it was me…and I had been shooting handguns a long time.

[jocko]

I always look with a leary eye of any post where the owner blames the gun. Especially with an owner who just buyts a kahr. IMO they have no clue what DA really is until they shoot a kahr. It takes time and rounds down range to get decent to good with a kahr, but IMO ur still nvber gonna achieve 1911 single action type groups. A few may but most will not. One ha sto accept kahrs for what they are made for. I have yet to read of any kahr add that sayts this is your true IDPA or any type of match competitive gun. Not that It maybe cannot be but there are just dozen of easier to sdhoot gns that fill that niche. Akahr will no doubt save ur life for more than likely ur gonna carry it more than u would a bulkly ass 1911 or big Sig or HK. accept if for what it is desgned to do and u will never look back. Just sayin

MBLS500 kinda hit thge nail on the heat with his statement.

[CJCM9]

Funny thing is that the first grouping thru my gun was about a 3" circle.
I'm very happy with the way it shoots.
Some groupings get a little big, then I concentrate a little more and they come together.