Are the ergos of the K9 and different than the P9?
Over the years I owned several of the small K's and had trouble with all. Sending them back did not resolve issues. I don't doubt that some work as they should. Their instructions advised that chambering the first round should be done by releasing a locked back slide. The company advised not to chamber a round in any other way. Factory reps always were helpful and courteous. Maybe now they function.
#RESIST
I don't buy the "you either get a good one or a lemon" - I bought a "known lemon" from a frustrated officer for cheap and fixed it with $50 in aftermarket followers. He had sent it back to Kahr, but at that time they hadn't updated their followers so they had no fix with oem parts (for a time, Kahr was even selling lakeline followers on their website).
Was there a new question for the 18 month bump?
Most of the 9mm Kahr feed issues can be resolved with new magazine followers. Kahr finally updated their own polymer followers a year or two back, or your can buy aluminum ones from Lakeline LLC out of Washington state. Before that, many people solved it by sanding and reshaping the follower (there is a write-up on kahrtalk), but those followers are still known to break so I prefer to replace them. Kahr magazine springs are often installed backwards which can cause feed issues too - check the owner's manual for the proper orientation.
Also check to see if the feed ramp is making contact with the follower. If so, you can dremel the part of the ramp making contact (search "kahr rampectomy" to find pictures on the internet) or just buy the Lakeline aluminum followers and shoot it enough until the aluminum gets bashed out of the way.
Finally be careful of the slide lock spring when reassembling. It is easy to bump out of place and you made need to use the torx to adjust & tighten it. Be careful not to overtorque.
Broken OEM Kahr follower:
"Rampectomy" :
Instead of doing a rampectomy, Lakeline aluminum followers will self-clearance during their break-in:
Correct magazine spring orientation:
https://images.app.goo.gl/yx3QGjFD2kXrSmr4A
Kahr has been putting out these quality firearms for years. And of course like any gun Made in history (other than a Glock which never has seen a problem in history) you will see a internet post of a problem and then of course all Khars are trash. I guess I am lucky. I own three of them and they run like sewing machines. IMO the Kahr Pm9, CM9 were way ahead of the game years ago. Hard to beat one for EDC. Perfect size, great build quality light weight. And a beautiful Striker fired DAO trigger that is consistent with all their firearms. I WANT MORE!
How pre-cocked is the striker on Kahrs? Is it any less than Glocks?
I love my K9. It's been reliable, super concealable and it shoots very accurately in my hands. I purchased mine brand new, this past December--I have a thread on it, which I've been meaning to update. But, I've got around 800 rounds through it now with no problems. So, based on this sample of one... I'm inclined to agree that Kahr does, in fact (or at least can), make excellent guns.
To address Bill's question...
Having a too light of a trigger (with no safety/decocker) was one concern I had with Kahr. I'm not really a fan of most SFA guns for that reason--especially those with the fully cocked actions. But I can confidently say that the Kahr is a different animal in that regard: it is partially cocked, but it's a notably longer stroke than a Glock, etc. It's still not quite as long as a DA revolver pull... but, for me, it's long enough for peace of mind. The resistance is more or less constant (6ish lbs?) until it breaks. I had an LEM HK for a while... I feel like the Kahr has more resistance along the length of the trigger stroke. The LEM felt more or less like empty slack leading up to a single action break. But, admittedly, it's been a while.
Long story short: The trigger is smooth enough to be very shootable, and long enough to feel secure without a safety. At least that's my take on it. I really like mine. And I find the most other folks who have K9s also dig theirs.
Last edited by MattyD380; 02-05-2020 at 08:56 PM.
Woah, Kahr fixed their mag issues? I can finally get one now! Fun!
State Government Attorney | Beretta, Glock, CZ & S&W Fan
Yeah, they definitely did. I’ve carried mine loose in a pocket. Even jogged a few miles with one in a jacket pocket. Rounds didn’t budge. Overall, the mags seem solid and well made. And these are the factory offerings with the newer (apparently) plastic followers. Ordered two extra ones from gunmag warehouse—they’re exactly the same.