barrelmaker_2002
Sharpshooter
Kahr CM9 First Impressions / Range Report
Summary:
I recently purchased a Kahr CM9 from Bud's Guns in Lexington, KY for $424 shipped. The transfer was processed through Four Guns in Lafayette, IN for $15. I picked it up Wednesday (06/08) and shot it for the first time on Saturday (06/11) at Applied Ballistics in Lafayette, IN.
The fit and finish of the gun was first rate, with no apparent mold marks on the polymer frame and only a few visible machining marks on the inside of the slide. This may be Kahr's "budget" gun, but it is a fine piece of kit overall. I had long considered getting a Kel-Tec PF9 for pocket carry, however, the CM9 is better made, has a nicer trigger and based on reviews of the Kel-Tec, much better to shoot. More on that below.
Ammo:
200 Reloads, 4.0 gr Bullseye under 125 gr Missouri Bullet LRN.
Pre-Shoot Prep:
Field stripped and lubed with CLP. The gun was dry fired about 150-200 times before I took it to the range.
Accessories:
I ordered one spare 7 round magazine ($33) and a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster ($19) - both from Impact Guns.
Shooting impressions:
To start, the gun has good ergonomics. I can reach the slide release and the mag catch with little effort. The grip angle is good and the surface of the grip is textured enough to allow for a good grip without being too abrasive.
The slide was a bit tight at first, but the dry-firing and the first shooting session smoothed it out a bit and now it is no more difficult to cycle than my G19.
Both in dry firing the gun and actually shooting it, the one thing that stands out the most is the quality of the trigger. The pull is about as long as a Glock, but much smoother and more linear feeling. There is basically no take-up or play and the trigger breaks cleanly and consistently. There is little to no discernible over-travel either. The reset is long but terrific - the guns resets so quickly and so positively that the face of your trigger finger might get sore, though no worse than from loading the magazines. I anticipate this "reset soreness" is something I will get used to and it will eventually go away.
Being a pocket 9 MM, I expected the recoil to be pretty bad. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how manageable it was. Follow-up shots were relatively easy and I could empty a mag in a few seconds with no issues and no significant loss in accuracy. I shot 200 rounds in less than 40 minutes and though I got a bit recoil sensitive towards the end, I did not have any issues with numbness, abrasions from the grip or sore hands.
Reliability:
Kahrs have a reputation for being a bit finicky out of the box and the owner's manual does recommend a 200 round break-in. I was expecting to have at least a few issues and I actually had none. The gun fed, fired and extracted perfectly. The slide locked back on an empty mag every time and the mags would drop free when you pressed the release. I did find that you had to relax your grip a bit or the palm of your shooting hand would prevent the mag release from being depressed fully, but that was a minor issue and likely caused by my larger than average hands.
Accuracy:
For my range session, I fired 150 rounds at 5 yards and 50 rounds at 15 yards. I do not expect to use the gun at 15 yards - with a pocket pistol at 15 yards, evasion is probably the better course. Further, I bought the gun to (eventually) carry while running or riding my bike and could be all out of breath if I ever need to use it. Regardless, if I have to use this gun for self-defense, I expect to use it inside of 20 feet or so.
Anyway, here is my 5 yard target. The gun shoots a bit to the left, though I doubt I will try and fix it. I am looking for combat accuracy and this gun has it in spades.
My 15 yard target was not as good. I was getting a bit recoil sensitive and I really did not slow down as much as I should have. 6 rounds off the paper was not good.
Note that the black circle in the center of the target is 3 inches in diameter and the target itself is 8.5X11. So at 5 yards, most of my shots were into about 3.5 inches and at 15 yards my assailant is on the ground and hurting.
Post shooting pictures:
The Bullseye powder dirtied it up pretty good, but there was no effect on function. I do not have a good enough camera to take a good bore shot, but there was little to no evidence of leading and quick scrub with CLP and a bore brush took care of that.
Summary:
I am very pleased. The gun is a joy to shoot, has an excellent trigger and is very accurate. The review that GunBlast did on the CM9 argued that since a CM9 and one spare magazine was over $100 cheaper than the PM9 and no less accurate, there is little reason to recommend the PM9 over the CM9. I agree fully. Obviously, you can get night sights on the PM9, but for this gun's intended purpose, I am not convinced night sights are necessary.
The pocket holster works very well and the gun conceals well in jeans or similar pants. Both magazines worked fine and I really did not notice a difference in shootability with the extended mag versus the flush-fit mag.
Overall, a great gun that I am very happy with. I am even considering a getting a bigger Kahr as an EDC and selling my Glock. Glock could definitely learn a thing or two about making a good trigger from Kahr.
Finally, I have had good experiences with all of the vendors mentioned in this post. Particularly Missouri Bullet Company, whose bullets I reload exclusively and heartily recommend.
Summary:
I recently purchased a Kahr CM9 from Bud's Guns in Lexington, KY for $424 shipped. The transfer was processed through Four Guns in Lafayette, IN for $15. I picked it up Wednesday (06/08) and shot it for the first time on Saturday (06/11) at Applied Ballistics in Lafayette, IN.
The fit and finish of the gun was first rate, with no apparent mold marks on the polymer frame and only a few visible machining marks on the inside of the slide. This may be Kahr's "budget" gun, but it is a fine piece of kit overall. I had long considered getting a Kel-Tec PF9 for pocket carry, however, the CM9 is better made, has a nicer trigger and based on reviews of the Kel-Tec, much better to shoot. More on that below.
Ammo:
200 Reloads, 4.0 gr Bullseye under 125 gr Missouri Bullet LRN.
Pre-Shoot Prep:
Field stripped and lubed with CLP. The gun was dry fired about 150-200 times before I took it to the range.
Accessories:
I ordered one spare 7 round magazine ($33) and a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster ($19) - both from Impact Guns.
Shooting impressions:
To start, the gun has good ergonomics. I can reach the slide release and the mag catch with little effort. The grip angle is good and the surface of the grip is textured enough to allow for a good grip without being too abrasive.
The slide was a bit tight at first, but the dry-firing and the first shooting session smoothed it out a bit and now it is no more difficult to cycle than my G19.
Both in dry firing the gun and actually shooting it, the one thing that stands out the most is the quality of the trigger. The pull is about as long as a Glock, but much smoother and more linear feeling. There is basically no take-up or play and the trigger breaks cleanly and consistently. There is little to no discernible over-travel either. The reset is long but terrific - the guns resets so quickly and so positively that the face of your trigger finger might get sore, though no worse than from loading the magazines. I anticipate this "reset soreness" is something I will get used to and it will eventually go away.
Being a pocket 9 MM, I expected the recoil to be pretty bad. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how manageable it was. Follow-up shots were relatively easy and I could empty a mag in a few seconds with no issues and no significant loss in accuracy. I shot 200 rounds in less than 40 minutes and though I got a bit recoil sensitive towards the end, I did not have any issues with numbness, abrasions from the grip or sore hands.
Reliability:
Kahrs have a reputation for being a bit finicky out of the box and the owner's manual does recommend a 200 round break-in. I was expecting to have at least a few issues and I actually had none. The gun fed, fired and extracted perfectly. The slide locked back on an empty mag every time and the mags would drop free when you pressed the release. I did find that you had to relax your grip a bit or the palm of your shooting hand would prevent the mag release from being depressed fully, but that was a minor issue and likely caused by my larger than average hands.
Accuracy:
For my range session, I fired 150 rounds at 5 yards and 50 rounds at 15 yards. I do not expect to use the gun at 15 yards - with a pocket pistol at 15 yards, evasion is probably the better course. Further, I bought the gun to (eventually) carry while running or riding my bike and could be all out of breath if I ever need to use it. Regardless, if I have to use this gun for self-defense, I expect to use it inside of 20 feet or so.
Anyway, here is my 5 yard target. The gun shoots a bit to the left, though I doubt I will try and fix it. I am looking for combat accuracy and this gun has it in spades.
My 15 yard target was not as good. I was getting a bit recoil sensitive and I really did not slow down as much as I should have. 6 rounds off the paper was not good.
Note that the black circle in the center of the target is 3 inches in diameter and the target itself is 8.5X11. So at 5 yards, most of my shots were into about 3.5 inches and at 15 yards my assailant is on the ground and hurting.
Post shooting pictures:
The Bullseye powder dirtied it up pretty good, but there was no effect on function. I do not have a good enough camera to take a good bore shot, but there was little to no evidence of leading and quick scrub with CLP and a bore brush took care of that.
Summary:
I am very pleased. The gun is a joy to shoot, has an excellent trigger and is very accurate. The review that GunBlast did on the CM9 argued that since a CM9 and one spare magazine was over $100 cheaper than the PM9 and no less accurate, there is little reason to recommend the PM9 over the CM9. I agree fully. Obviously, you can get night sights on the PM9, but for this gun's intended purpose, I am not convinced night sights are necessary.
The pocket holster works very well and the gun conceals well in jeans or similar pants. Both magazines worked fine and I really did not notice a difference in shootability with the extended mag versus the flush-fit mag.
Overall, a great gun that I am very happy with. I am even considering a getting a bigger Kahr as an EDC and selling my Glock. Glock could definitely learn a thing or two about making a good trigger from Kahr.
Finally, I have had good experiences with all of the vendors mentioned in this post. Particularly Missouri Bullet Company, whose bullets I reload exclusively and heartily recommend.
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