Took my new Kahr for a spin today...

[unclenunzie]

My first Kahr, a PM9 of IBxxxx vintage. Ran the break-in protocol using one box each of PMC bronze, PRVI partizan, Magtech 124 gr, and WWB. All fed, fired, and ejected perfectly. Also ran a couple mags of Hornady critical defense (FTX) just to prove the load works good.

This is one sweet little shooter. The recoil is there but controllable and not jarring or painful. In fact, it is not much larger or heavier feeling than my Ruger LCP, but is much more powerful and yet easier to shoot. It hides OK in a Desantis Superfly, and disappears in my Kholster (I also have CB supertucks for my larger weapons). I am wearing it right now at home to break in the kholster, with a loaded mag but a snap cap in the pipe. This is how I get comfortable with the safety aspects of new guns and maintain readiness for emergencies - a temporary compromise.

An observation and a question for more seasoned Kahr owners: The slide and barrel is beautifully made, clean machining inside and out. But the polymer frame near the top is just ragged as all get out. It looks in spots like someone dragged a rasp over it. Is this to be expected? By comparison the Ruger LCP poly grip and aluminum frame insert are as clean as the Kahr PM9 upper.

Anyway I am glad to join the Kahr community, this is my first post here.

unclenunzie

[polkhigh]

Congrats...I too got my PM9 today and put 210 rounds through it. Performed flawlessly, except for one issue where the slide didn't lock on the last round. This happened just once.

I too noticed that the frame rails were really rough and shards of plastic were all over the place. I cleaned it really well and took as much of the loose plastic off prior to going to the range.

When I put the slide back on the frame, it was very hard to rack the slide but I manually racked it about 500 times as someone on this forum suggested and it loosened up considerably.

Enjoy the PM9...

[mx5fan]

Welcome,

I purchased my PM9 a week or so ago and all is well. Haven't had one failure and think it's a sweet little pistol. I too noticed the plastic bits on the frame and figured it was the way it was supposed to be, but I don't know for sure...so far so good, hence I wouldn't worry about it.

I also racked the slide a couple hundred times prior to taking her to the range for the first time.

Enjoy and be safe!

[wagon]

Let's call it "by design" ..... I use some 000 steel wool to lightly run along the frame rail, that took care of it.

Welcome to the forum, and congrat for the new toy.

An observation and a question for more seasoned Kahr owners: The slide and barrel is beautifully made, clean machining inside and out. But the polymer frame near the top is just ragged as all get out. It looks in spots like someone dragged a rasp over it. Is this to be expected? By comparison the Ruger LCP poly grip and aluminum frame insert are as clean as the Kahr PM9 upper.

Anyway I am glad to join the Kahr community, this is my first post here.

unclenunzie

[jocko]

what wagon says is a good thing to do, or get some 800-1000 automotive sand paper and smooth those wild hairs out. the slide once on the gun never touches those polymer rails so they have no bearing on the slide etc, other than they are supposed to give the upper part of the polymer grip some extra strength in that area and their main purpose is a guide to start the slide on the gun. Other than that just smooth it out or actualy after a few hundred rounds out of it the slide itself will take off any high/rubbping spots on that polymer rail.

`you got a super nice handgun there, follow the manual, keep it clean, refer to this forujm in kahr tech for the lube thread. It is excellent.

You can also just sit there and rack that slide about 500 times as fast as you can, this will help with some break in without the bang thing and also smooth out that polmer area u are talking about...good luck and just shoot it like u stole it..

[zena]

Noticed that raggedy plastic on my gun when I first got it, didn't touch it, and hundreds of rounds later it's still there and the gun runs flawlessly. I always go with the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" theory. Just my experience.

[jocko]

probably

Noticed that raggedy plastic on my gun when I first got it, didn't touch it, and hundreds of rounds later it's still there and the gun runs flawlessly. I always go with the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" theory. Just my experience.

the best advice yet on this particular "thread"...

[unclenunzie]

the best advice yet on this particular "thread"...

Yeah, I'm leaving it alone. She has been flawless so far in my short time of ownership, 214 rounds from the box with no failures. During initial inspection and cleaning I noted the rather beefy extractor, the smoothly finished breech face and side walls. About the only thing I have to get used to is the surprisingly light striker-block spring. Feels like just bumping it (from inside the slide when stripped) would disengage it and allow the firing pin to peek through. As the manual says, you need to check it by pulling back the striker a little and letting it go. I am particularly careful to check it when I chamber a round from slide lock, just to be sure the pin is staying put before the breech face slams into battery. I understand why the spring is light, to keep the trigger pull smooth, but I kind of expected it would be maybe twice as strong. To avoid it possibly sticking I make sure to oil it good and make sure it moves freely.

thanks to you all for your thoughts and responses

unclenunzie

[Jim K]

That's good news. 200 + rounds w/o a failure means you can trust your weapon. I think that you will grow to like your Kahr more and more as time goes by. I like mine.

Your comment about the striker block spring is interesting. I checked mine and it seems ok without benefit of a measurement.
Can you give a better description?

Regards, Jim K

[jocko]

the only way that striker block can move is if the cocking cam pushes it up when the trigger is being pulled. Just be careful if you ever take that area apart, as that little spring is so so small , that you can loose it and you will never find it. a drop of oil in that area is fine also. that area for some reason stays clean most all the time. no powder residue gets back that far. I have had mine only apart in that area once time in 25,000 rounds and have never had my K9 apart in that area with about 4500 rounds..

[unclenunzie]

That's good news. 200 + rounds w/o a failure means you can trust your weapon. I think that you will grow to like your Kahr more and more as time goes by. I like mine.

Your comment about the striker block spring is interesting. I checked mine and it seems ok without benefit of a measurement.
Can you give a better description?

Regards, Jim K

I don't have a way to measure the actual spring tension or strength, but the feel of it is that pressing it in (to disengage) is easy. It doesn't have the kind of spring resistance a firing pin spring on a 1911 might have. However, to give it a test I fully unloaded the PM9 and locked back the slide, then checked the block was engaged in the usual manner. I then shook the heck out of the gun to see if rough handling could make it disengage. It held fine. But with the need for the block to re-engage with every firing cycle (I think) a good lube job makes me feel more comfortable. If the gun were very dirty in that area, I could see the possibility of the block being a little sticky.

I have not thoroughly studied the engineering of this gun, but what I see I feel is a genius design in its simplicity. I know the cocking cam keeps the striker partially tensioned once fully cycled, and the Kahr manual says "no way" can the striker move forward without a trigger pull. I know the striker block mechanism is a drop safety, so with the cam they together seem to give a great deal of safety assurance. I have not done an explicit search, but I have seen not a hint of references to ADs. If it were a problem I'm sure we would know by now.

All in all I am becoming comfortable with this gun as a primary CCW. And she's so darn pretty too

unclenunzie

[unclenunzie]

Just an update - another 100 flawless rounds.

I'm really, really loving this sweet little shooter. I'm getting very comfortable with her and the takedown & reassembly. I'll probably put 200-300 rounds a month through her, and maybe tail off once the new toy excitement wear off.

Oh, this 100 rounds was through 4 new Kahr mags, a pair of six and a pair sevens. I had tried a couple very cheap and discontinued promag sevens, but got a fail to lock slide and a fail to strip a round. They are in my opinion trash, just like the ten rounder I got for my LCP. A person might mess around with promags for range and plinking, etc, but if you valuew your life never for defensive use.

My family doesn't like guns, so glad you all are here for me to confess or I'd burst!

[jocko]

stick with kahr mags, best advice I can give, at leat if they give u any issues, Kahr will replace them , no questions asked. That striker block spring is not supposed to be as astout as the striker spring, not even close. It does it's job and it will block that striker back as it should. Keep the gun clean as u would any other semi auto, no more no less, Kahrs are not ammo sensitive and will shoot dirty as hell, at least my two do . they are IMNO simplicity at its best. No doubt the smoothest DA trigger system on the market, compare the simple glock trigger system and their entire lower section to a kahr and you would think that kahr forgot to put in about 20 extra parts. There just really isn't any parts in that lower section of the kahrs. Just amazing engineering IMO. kahr has 7 patents on their guns, so they must be proud of sme of their engineering...

and like some one stated, the more rounds down range the smoother it will get to.
Never been a proven AD with a kahr, no kahrs has ever failed any drop test either.