K40 Covert.....a few questions.

[dcsamps]

I recently picked up a NIB K40 Covert (all steel), which I am not very familiar with (and have yet to fire). I just have a couple of questions:

First, it is all black with the "Diamond Black" finish. Is this a good finish or will it be prone to rust down the road at some point? I have seen Kahrs with the stainless steel finish but only one or two that had the black finish.

Also, from reading through this great forum, I see that the K40 Covert has mostly positive feedback, however it is no longer produced. When were they made and for how long?

Furthermore, the short grip on the Covert should make it easy to conceal, however, are the rubber grips on it good enough to get a good comfortable grip on the weapon, or are there any after market grips that would work better?

And finally, would anyone happen to have an extra extended magazine (6-rounder) that would fit this K40 Covert they would like to sell? I would like to pick up an extra one.

Any additional information (problems or issues I should be aware of) on the K40 Covert would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, I picked it up for $440 (NIB 1-5 round magazine and 1-6 round magazine with all paperwork,etc. - never been fired)....was this a reasonable price?

Thanks again,
David

[LGCubana]

$440 for NIB is an excellent price.

On the size of the grips; only your hands can answer that question.

For myself, I like the stippled wood grips & the pinky extensions (for the flush mags).
http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/291/291639/folders/247693/1952185IMG04501.jpg

If you do not suffer from limp wristing,
http://www.gunsprings.com/SemiAuto/KahrNF.html

I've found that the heavier recoil springs can tame some of the gun's desire to be jumpy.

[AZ Traveler]

The K40 Covert (Steel) was a transitional piece introduced before the MK40 was developed. It was Kahr's first approach at making a more concealable 40 caliber. The one I had was made in Jan of 2001. It was discontinued sometime after that.

The K40 Covert uses the same grips and mags as the MK40. {The P40 Covert (Polymer) and PM40 also use the same mags.} The "normal" finish is matte stainless. However I understand there was a limited run with the "Black Diamond Finish". I believe this finish was done outside of Kahr and may predate the DLC finish. I do not recall who I heard did the Black Diamond finish.

The K40 Covert also does not have the Elite trigger as it predates the decision by Kahr to put the Elite Trigger in all models. Kahr recently made an exception to this "rule" with the K9 with the NYCPD Trigger. The NYCPD Trigger is the old non-Elite Trigger. So you could say the K40 Covert has the "NYCPD Trigger". The difference between the NYCPD and the Elite trigger is the distance of travel. The NYCPD or non-Elite Trigger has 1/2 in. of travel and the Elite Trigger has 3/8 in. of travel. The parts to convert the K40 Covert to the Elite Tigger can be purchased from Kahr for about $30.

Now because your K40 Covert is "Special", I do not know which trigger it has. I believe you should give Dottie a call an find out what you can about your K40 Covert.

I also think you got a screamin deal at $440 NIB. I paid $439 for my matte finished K40 Covert in Oct 0f 2004.

FYI, your K40 Covert will use the same recoil springs as the K40.

Of the Kahrs I have owned the K40 Covert was the sweetest shooter. My MK40 and P40 Covert are handfulls the K40 Covert was not.

My K40 Covert was retired to Kahr with a cracked frame and replaced by Kahr with a MK40. The crack was in the rear of the magwell. And while a crack there is uncommon, I have heard of the same crack on a MK40 Elite 2003, so it is not a specific problem to the K40 Covert. If it is going to crack there, it will happen in the first few hundred rounds. Kahr said that it was a heat treating issue. The crack never effected the function of my K40 Covert.

Enjoy your new Kahr.
:supergrin:

[USDefender]

@ dcsamps: AZ Traveler has pretty much said it all. I would just like to add that I paid $450, nearly two years ago, to get my 40Covert from a friend & I think I got a good deal... You definitely got one, IMO.

I love carrying mine, haven't had one problem with it (except a tiny bit of rusting on the reverse of the chromed mag-release, and a slight bit of discoloration under the grips. (I'm pretty sure it's because of the acidity of my sweat...unfortunately. I just keep it well oiled.) Either way, I completely trust its reliability & accuracy & believe you'll get a lot of confidence from carrying yours, as well.

Regarding the grips: Mine came with hard-plastic grips (not the softer, rubbery ones on the MK models). They work well & provide me with an excellent shooting hold. That said, only you can decide what will work for you. *I did replace a couple of the magazine floor-plates -of the five-shot mags- with extended 'pinky' holds from Pierce Grip. They helped a little, but have a tendency to slide off...which can be a bad thing if your magazine comes apart while you're in a sensitive area... I, eventually, put the metal floor-plate back on one of the mags & actually thing I shoot better with that one than with the extended pinky-hold.

I know Kahr has some nice wooden grips available. Also, a short time ago, I was in e-mail contact with "Ed" at www.wickedgrips.com. They make some really cool grips (albeit for a tidy sum, usually) for all sorts of pistols, although he doesn't have all that much available for the 'MK-size' grips. He will, however, work with you to make some if you're interested.

I was going to have him make some custom grips for me but then my 'funding' dried up... I still may do that in the future.

Regarding extra mags: The only place I trust to sell reliable Kahr mags is Kahr. IMO, the peace of mind (for reliable functioning) was worth the butt-load of money I spent on them. After bringing my gun home, I promptly ordered two more mags (one five-shot, one six) so that I could switch out, every so often, with the ones that came with the gun. Whatever you do, DO NOT buy PRO-MAG after-market grips. They suck, simple as that.

*Oh yeah. I think it was GUNS Magazine that did a feature on your Kahr back in 1998, or so... (I seem to remember salivating all over the pics). You may want to try to do some research on the net, maybe something will come up.

I'll do the same & post what I find, if I do.

Welcome to the Kahr club & I hope you enjoy your covert as much as I've enjoyed mine.

[dcsamps]

Thanks so much for all the replies and great information regarding my new K40 Covert Kahr!

[GlockRik]

I will recommend the pinky extension and I did get the wood grips for mine, but just for looks. I have a Sparks VM2 with sharkskin ordered so that should tell you something about how much I like it. Pretty sure that yours is stainless under the black, but you can check with Kahr.

Best, Rik

[3rdbuttondown]

I just won an used K40 Covert on Gunbroker. The slide to rail tolerances seem to be very loose on the right hand side of the weapon.

The slide will rock from right to left but has much less play left to right.

Is this common? The gun does not seem to have been shot very much.

Thanks in advance.

[USDefender]

Mine doesn't do that.

Btw, '3rdButton', if you do have yours 'looked at' by the factory, be aware they they will replace it with an 'MK' Kahr (because that's what supplanted the Covert).

So if you want a new gun, send it to them for 'repair'. If you want to keep your 'Covert' & still have work done, take it to a local smith.

[AZ Traveler]

USDefender,

FYI
Kahr will only keep your K40 Covert if they deem it to be unrepairable. I knew my K40 Covert was unrepairable before I returned it. This knowledge was based on my first phone conversation with Dottie. My K40 Covert had a crack in the frame in the rear of the magwell. Kahr stated that it was a heat treating problem. (I've seen the same problem on a MK40 Elite 2003, so it is not just a K40 Covert issue.) I was asked to return it with a letter stating the problem and stating what model I wanted as a replacement. My choice was a MK40. They upgraded it to a MK40 with Night Sights.

It is my understanding anytime Kahr deems a firearm, returned for repair, as unrepairable, the owner is given their choice of any current production Kahr model.

IMHO there is no reason for Kahr to keep any returned for repair K40 Covert that is repairable. It is less expensive to repair then to replace.

YMMV

[3rdbuttondown]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your response. Given that I bought the gun used, I don't think Kahr will do much for me other than either sell me a new slide or frame, whichever is out of spec.

Maybe I'll take it to a gunshow and see if I can get my money out of it. At least that way, the buyer has a chance to decide if the fit is a problem.

[AZ Traveler]

FYI
Frame is unavailable, because the K40 Covert is a discontinued model. The frame is specific to the K40 Covert. The Slide is available, because the slide is the same as the K40.

The question is how does it shoot?