Kahr P9

By Ray Rios

I recently purchased a Kahr P9 and have would like to share my experience thus far with Kahr and their gun.

I bought the gun after comparing it to the Sig P232, Beretta .380 (the model number escapes me at the moment), and the Llama MicroMax. It was actually my intent to purchase a .380 pistol to round out my collection. After carefully examining the guns, I came to the following conclusions:

• The Llama was an interesting little gun being set up like a miniature 1911 Government Model. It is certainly cute, but I wasn’t comfortable with fit and finish and the price indicated a lower quality gun than I was interested in. Besides that, it was awfully heavy for such a small gun.
• The Sig P232 is a jewel of manufacture and finish. The stainless version was tempting (I have already owned a P232 in blue finish). What finally turned me off was the weight of the gun. Being of all-steel construction it is heavy for a small pistol.
• The Kahr was lightweight, well-made and 9mm. A better load than .380, and inexpensive ammo to boot.

So, I bought the Kahr. Living in California I waited the mandatory 10 days, provided proof that I owned a State-approved gun safe, and picked up the gun and took it home. Upon close examination that evening I noticed a significant surface anomaly that looked like a crack in the left side of the frame just about where the beavertail would be on a 1911. I looked at it with a magnifying glass and couldn’t decide whether it was a deep scratch or indeed a crack. I called Kahr and they politely requested that I send the gun back to them for inspection. So, I did just that…

I received a call from Larry Meyers at Kahr a couple of days later. Larry stated that he had inspected and test-fired the gun and was confident that the defect was not a crack, but rather a scratch caused during assembly. I accepted the explanation but told him that I paid $57.00 for shipping and insurance and felt that Kahr should help me out with the cost. No problem. Larry and I struck a deal whereby Kahr would install a set of MeproLight sights and deduct my shipping expenses from the price of the sights and installation. I got my gun back the next day. Sights installed, old sights returned and the scratch buffed out of the frame. Great service!

I took the gun to the local range to work it out. Kahr recommends a break-in period of 200 rounds of ball ammo before attempting to use JHP ammo. I cheated.. I put 100 rounds of CCI Blazer through the gun then ran 4 magazine loads of Miwall JHP ammo without any malfunctions. The gun was surprisingly accurate and the DAO trigger was smooth and easy to control. Much better than the Austrian guns that I own, lacking the trigger take-up and stageiness of the Austrian pistols.

The Kahr P9 is lightweight, being of polymer frame with a stainless steel slide. The gun is slim and in my opinion quite attractive. Recoil when shooting wasn’t uncomfortable at all. I like this gun. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a lightweight pistol that packs a 9mm punch.