Kahr for mom and sis?

[stiletto raggio]

I am looking at buying a pair of Kahrs for my mom and sister. I had origianlly thought of Sig 232s (which are gorgeous) or other Bersa/PPK type 380s, but I just can't bring myself to buy a gun that is that big and that heavy but does not shoot a "full-power" round. So I started thinking about the steel framed Kahrs, specifically the MK9.

I personally carry a P9 Covert, but Kahr seems to have discontinued their steel Coverts. I want the weight of steel because neither of them are nearly as experienced shooting as I am and I want them to be comfortable practicing. Also, a steel frame would allow me to get some nice wood grips for them because, as gifts, I want them to be aesthetically pleasing. The duo-tone MK9 is a lot cheaper thn the full stainless, but I can't find a pic of one with wood grips.

Anyone have suggestions? Do you think I am barking up the right tree?

[JCM298]

stiletto raggio,

Here's a photo of mine with wood grips obtained from Kahr. Some owners have had problems with fir and the location of grip screw holes. Mine fit perfectly.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/JCM298A/GunInventory11-03-050003.jpg

Sorry about the photo size. I tried to re-size it but it wouldn't work.

The only thing I have against the Mk9 is the weight. I've been spoiled by the "beast", my Smith 340SC. The Kahr is a little heavy for its size. I bought it used and it's got about 1,000 rounds of factory and my re-loads through it. I've had no problems and it's very accurate.

John

[Blacktails]

Why not consider the wonderful K9? Looks great with wood grips, and is very, very easy to shoot and conceal, and the slightly longer grip might be more comfortable and controllable for your mom and sister, especially if they try any +P loads. My petite wife loves shooting mine.

[tjpet]

I'll second the K9 idea.

I own an early carbon-steel one. A female friend was looking to get her CCP and I loaned it to her for training. The weight was perfect for a novice handgunner. Once the experience and muscle memory set in she purchased a P9 for the weight saving and never looked back.

[stiletto raggio]

I think it will be controllable enough for them with the extended magazine, and concealable as heck with the standard mag. If I was going to get something that long, I would feel better getting a double stack 9mm. I know they aren't likely to carry it on their hip, so width isn't that big a deal, and the cuteness factor is an issue, too.

JCM 298, do you have any more pictures? that is a good looking gun!

[JCM298]

stiletto raggio,

Thanks. Sorry no more photos,

John

[Mark G.]

JCM298, that is an extremely nice looking pistol. Those grips look awesome.

I also think the K9 would be a good choice. If they are carrying in a purse the longer grip does not present any problem.

[joemerchant24]

Before you hand over a gun and say "Here you go," I'd suggest taking them to the shop and letting them handle the Kahrs and see if they like the feel and the trigger. Let the shooter decide.

That said, I did the exact opposite with my wife. We had window shopped for ages to find a full-caliber big sister for her Walther P22. Never really found a perfect fit. Local shop was going out of business, and I couldn't pass up a CW9 for $300.

So, she sort of got forced into the Kahr. She doesn't hate it, but it's not the perfect gun for her either. I have to really push her to shoot it instead of the Walther.

So, we're still looking for her perfect gun.

Long story short, get thier input (especially if they are new to shooting) before you buy them anything.

[LGCubana]

You maybe setting yourself up for the same problem that alot of guys make when buying a firearm for a woman that is an occasional shooter. As you know; the smaller the footprint, the larger the perceived recoil.

Have they shot your P9 Covert ? to see if they can handle it's recoil & abbreviated grip.

[baildoc]

I agree with LGCubana regarding the shorter grip. If at all possible allow them to shoot both the K and MK series and allow them to give you feedback on preference. I agree the all steel guns are the way to go. YMMV

[stiletto raggio]

I understand and, if I had been thinking, I would have found a way to get them out at the range earlier. I have been shopping around with my mom at least, and she seems to like the smallish autos. I nearly bought her a Bersa for her birthday, but I don't want her to be undergunned, and 9mm is cheaper to shoot than .380. My sister wants me to take her shooting over Christmas, but if I wait until then I won't be able to give it to her for Christmas, which would kind of defeat the purpose.

Man I wish they still made coverts in steel.

[warmrain]

Originally posted by JCM298
Here's a photo of mine with wood grips obtained from Kahr. Some owners have had problems with fir and the location of grip screw holes. Mine fit perfectly.
John,

I've got a couple questions...

Did you refinish the wood grips? They're gorgeous!

Is the black slide of your MK9 carbon steel instead of stainless?

Do you know what that finish is called?

Thanks,

[LGCubana]

Originally posted by stiletto raggio
I nearly bought her a Bersa for her birthday, but I don't want her to be undergunned, ...
Man I wish they still made coverts in steel.

I'm on my second Bersa. Sold the 1st one by mistake.

Because of the fixed barrel, recoil is comparable to my Glock 26. But definitely less than my MK9. The good news, scary accurate. Fixed barrels are inherently better than tilt ups.

I practice & use SpeerGoldDot +P in it. No wear issues to speak of.

[Coffin Filler]

You did say your mom and sister are not shooters. This can make a big difference when getting a small gun.

They may think it is cute until they fire the +p load you want them to have for self defence. Then the recoil ends the love affair.

I loaded up some lighter loads for my girlfriend to use with my CW9 that still function the gun. She loves the gun! As she gets more experienced I will bring the loads up. (But I started her on .22's last year)

Gun choice involves so many factors that there is no "ideal" gun. I have 4 carry guns that all have their place. Could I get by with one; but I don't need to "get by".

Let them shoot your Covert before you invest this much money. That should give you some answers. If at all possible, get some lighter loads for them to start with. Ideally they should be starting with a .22 to learn trigger control but I know that in the real world everyone wants to make big holes and shoot a "real" gun.

All of us have seen grown men unable to hold an 8" group at 7 yards - and of course it is because they flinch. In every case, it because they have had no training and started shooting centerfires before they were ready.

[JCM298]

warmrain,

The grips came from Kahr and I applied two coats of polyurthane.

The Mk9 was used when I bought it but it had the box and all paperwork. It's labeled as a Duo-Tone. I have no idea what type of steel was used nor do I know the type coating on it. It is very similar to the finish on a Glock slide.

There are two stories about the Duo-Tone. One said that it was a cheap version and the other said it was a special run. I have no idea what the real story is.

I bought it about two years ago, tested it, replaced the recoil spring and guide, shot it some more, and haven't shot or carried it in about a year. It was in excellent condition when I bought it.

John

[Michigun]

Originally posted by JCM298
There are two stories about the Duo-Tone. One said that it was a cheap version and the other said it was a special run. I have no idea what the real story is.

That's easy, is your slide marked "stainless" anywhere? (Also, how many mags did she come with?)



stiletto raggio, my wife has small, petit hands & chose the Kahr K9 out of a lot of other guns I had her try… last year she had an opportunity to shoot a MK9 side-by-side her K9 & she didn’t care much for the MK9’s more stout recoil.

One other suggestion… don’t overlook the Walther P99 (I like the QA version myself.) with its swappable back-straps!

[JCM298]

warmrain and Michigun,

The frame is marked stainless but slide only says Kahr and Mk 9. I guess the slide is carbon steel.

When I bought it, there were two mags, a 6 and 7 rounder. The 7 round mag looked as though it never had a round put in it. The gun had been fired but it appeared to have been shot very little.

John

[Michigun]

Originally posted by JCM298
The frame is marked stainless but slide only says Kahr and Mk 9. I guess the slide is carbon steel.

Yup, the slide is Carbon steel & you do have the "Box" (AKA, “Economy”) model... not that this is a bid deal or anything however. At worst your slide is just a hair more prone to rust is all, but that isn’t anything one of these newer finishes won’t cure if you do happen to run into that little problem. ^c

[stiletto raggio]

The guy I am ordering from found a pair of consecutively serial numbered guns, so I am going to go ahead and order. I didn't mean o make it sound like my mom and sister are "non-shooters," only that they don't get out very regularly. My mom in particular gives me crap about not inviting her (it has sort of been a guy thing in the past) so I am going to change that.

Now the logicstics begin. Wish me luck.

[USDefender]

If my wife decided to carry, it would most likely be the Bersa. I know for a fact that if she were to carry a Kahr, while she loves the size of the gun, she would have difficulty breaking the thing down to clean it because it takes considerable hand strength to do so. (*And I'm not gonna clean her guns and mine too...)

I trust the Bersa implicitly & wouldn't let my wife carry an inferior firearm. Plus, as much as I love my Kahr, the Bersa that I use to own was much lighter & a little flatter (easier to tote CCW-style).

[stiletto raggio]

It is funny you say that. I have handled Bersas on several occasions and found them to be light and relatively small, but when you compare the measurements of the MK9 and the Bersa Thunder .380, the Kahr is smaller in every way, and sometimes a good bit smaller. The Bersa is an ounce heavier, too.

I don't doubt that the Bersa is a great gun, but at the end of the day, the 9mm is twice as powerfl as most .380 loads, and I'll take a lock-breached gun over a straight blowback gun any day.

I ordered the wood grips for the MK9s because I wanted them to fill the hand (I ordered Pearce entenders for the mags, too). The wood grips look pretty good, too, especially with the two-tone. Right now I am debating whther I should lacquer them or not.