Thinking about getting PM9

[HHB Guns]

Just to start off I am a current Kahr owner for the past two weeks and one week of that the gun was back at Kahr getting repaired. Part of me wants to get a PM9 and see if it is any better than the P380 but I'm scared to drop another $700 to find out I'm wrong. The P380 sucks so bad I wont list it for sale in fear of ripping somebody off and getting bad feedback on gunbroker. It wont shoot one round without stove piping or FTF or double feeding. I have tried many different rounds off my shelf's and all do the same thing. I even tried buffalo bore +P ammo and when using that it shot but developed a new problem of premature slide locking to the rear while there was still rounds in the mag. I have even let others shoot it with the same results. Kahr said it was good and now the 350th round shoots no different than the 1st round fired. I need a pocket gun that is reliable and I have heard much better reviews on the 9 vs the 380 now after the fact. What do you guys suggest?

[TheTman]

I believe the PM9 is a much more reliable weapon than the P380 from what I've read here on the forum. Many use the PM9 as their primary CCW. There was a thread recently about how one owner found that a certain brand of ammo eliminated most of the problems he was having with his P380, you might want to look that up. I think that was posted in the past week or so.
Jocko would be the guy to tell you about the PM9. He has run a boatload of ammo through his and it functions perfectly. It looks like to me, there are 10 complaints or more about the P380, for every 1 on the PM9.
Here is the thread on .380 ammo:
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6490

[Bill K]

Hi,

Welcome to Kahrtalk. Sorry to hear about your P380 issues.

I think you need to ask yourself why you chose .380 over 9mm in the first place in order to decide what to do next. Today's pocket .380s are going to pocket carry, in my opinion, a lot better than all the nines I know about except one, that one is not the PM9. A different .380 might be a better choice than the PM9 but only you can decide.

Bill K.

[Rotorflyr]

Mrs.Flyr's PM9, while not having more then about 325-350 rds thru it, hasn't skipped a beat!

If you don't feel good about spending the $$ on a PM9, see if you can find one of the new CM9's instead.

[OldLincoln]

I'm with Rotor, consider the CM9 first. Besides being less expensive, the CM9 is taking the resale value right out of the PM9.

[HHB Guns]

Thanks. I will take a look at the cm9. I love to pocket carry and think i could still do it with a stellar rig pocket holster. I have one now with the 380 and love it. Thanks for the warm welcome.

[Jeff00042]

Don't let your P380 experience discourage you from trying a PM9. I gave up on my P380 and sold it after two return trips to Kahr. I subsequently bought a PM9 and am delighted with it. It has not missed a beat in about 700 rounds. The PM9 and my other Kahrs have been extremely reliable.

[nelly]

Don't be discouraged yet.I sent mine back for repair and I was down on it just like you,however after they returned it I put 173 trouble free rounds thru & didn't even clean it until today,so give Kahr the chance to make it right,then listen to the wiser members that told me that it eventually will shoot itself right..now it feeds and shoots everything from golden saber to WWB Flat points,& I couldn't be more pleased.I NEVER had these kind of problems with any other guns!! But hang in there, you may be pleasantly surprised...

[Cartman]

I have a PM9 and it's my EDC, you just can't beat the size to power ratio. You won't pocket carry it unless you live in cargo shorts. Pocket carry for a 9MM means Rohrbach, and I don't have a spare grand lying around. There are a lot of neat option to hide the PM9 between belly bands, Kangaroo and others. It is thin and light, just can't beat it.

[tomwalshco]

I've had 'em both for a good while. CW9, too. My P380 had all the typical issues.

I'm a tinkerer and a fiddler and was determined to get mine running good. Experience has taught me that trips back to any factory are painful and expensive. And I like to understand my guns, in and out, not look at them as some type of mysterious contraptions.

My 2nd life as a gun owner re-started with Kel-Tecs, so I got past the limp-wrist issues pretty quick.

From my experience and reading others, I narrowed it down to 2 areas - the chamber and ammo types.

Kahr = tight clearances. Combine with a micro gun and you've got issues waiting to happen. I polished my chamber to a mirror finish. Helps both feed in and drag out. Also aids in consistent breech/closure/lockup. Only issues occur now when gun is dirty or after 100 or so rounds in a row. Won't be shooting that way in real life anyway...

The ammo - again clearance related. If the tip of the round glances across the slide stop point, it will lock open. Kahr mags seem to allow the round next in line to be pulled forward slightly which will compound the issue. Aggressive, flat-nosed HP rounds will generally cause problems. More tapered rounds usually work fine, but you just have to test and stick with what feeds. Some mags may perform better than others. Mark them with a Sharpie.

Some ammo types work for some, not for others. Golden Saber works good for me, plus the casings are nickel plated making them slicker, which really slays 2 birds with 1 stone. My 380 will feed Buffalo +p no problem now, too.

Just my experience. Take what you will. All 3 of mine now run like champs.

[Tangolima600]

You won't pocket carry it unless you live in cargo shorts.

For me, I carry my pm9 in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster in my regular Jean pockets with no issue at all. Some jeans have shorter pockets than others but the average pocket fits it perfectly with nothing poking from the top. There are inherent issues with pocket carrying such as possible snagging when drawing under stress but it is dependent on the shape of the pocket and how much you practice your drawing drills. Just my two cents so far as a new ( and very satisfied pm9 owner).

[CJB]

Don't think. Just do.

[OldLincoln]

I'm with Tango. I carry my PM9 in a pocket holster in regular Levis around the house doing yard work etc. when it's warm out, and in the IWB when cooler or going out. It's no issue either way. The Silent Thunder IWB is an easier carry because I don't feel it there most of the time. I wear suspenders so they carry the weight.