New series PM9 thoughts

[whardi]

I just recently purchased a PM9 serial # series IAOxxx the Black polymer frame, matte stainless slide. From what I have read this serial number preface is a brand new run of guns.

I took it to the range yesterday and ran about 150 rounds of various ammo through it. 6 rounds of CorBon 115gr JHP, 120 rounds of Remington UMC 115gr MC, and 20 rounds of Winchester 115gr JHP. Much to my delight I had no failure to feeds or any failure to fires. The little pistol handled well and the recoil was certainly very manageable even with the CorBons. It shot good tight patterns although it did shot low but I quickly adjusted.

I had read some of the bad reports of past but I can personally say that so far I couldn’t be more pleased. I sort of rolled the dice on this purchase but I think it was no gamble at all.

I had nothing but total misery with two brand new legendary SIG P232 SS .380’s. This pistol was a total disappointment. I insisted that SIG replace with a P229 .357 and they did. I told then to send the P232’s back to Germany and let the Germans have them.

I figured I would head in another direction and give the Kahr PM9 a try.

I traded my Glock 26 plus some cash for the PM9 and it was money well spent. The Glock is a great pistol but is not near as concealable as the PM9. I must say the Kahr does resemble the Glock but the Kahr appears to be a better made pistol. I am all grins every time I look at and pickup the new PM9 actually I am amazed at the little powerhouse.

[isecobra]

Right On Brother!!!!!!!!!

[Khemist]

i think Kahr really has their act together with the current production guns...I've had no failures with my pm9, none what so ever...all the gunshops in town say they've had no complaints from recent customers..i am completely infatuated with this pistol...my only possible regret is not spending the extra 90ish bucks and getting the black diamond version with the nightsights...i wasn't so sure about a non-stainless slide for my carry weapon (i live in the deep south) and didn't see the point in nightsights for the type of weapon it is...it's so much more accurate than it needs to be I will probably put some tritiums on there eventually....it was just hard to justify the $638 pricetag at the time. after owning one for awhile, i would say it's worth every penny...

[whardi]

I guess it is all in what we like. I prefer the matte SS slide and the SIG type factory sights verses having to pay extra for the night sights. The Kahr factory sights are 10 times better quality than the Mattel sights that Glock places on all their pistols. Since the PM9 will only be used as my deep concealed carry choice the night sights are not a must for me. I too believe it was worth every penny I paid but it took all the spare pennies I had.

[AZ Traveler]

Hate to break it to you Khemist, but the DLC finish is only applied to stainless steel. So a PM9 DLC does have a stainless steel slide that has been DLC coated.

YMMV.

[Dandapani]

Can the OP please comment on the interior finish of his new run PM9? Are shards of plastic flaking off the rails? Are there visible machine/tooling marks inside the slide? Since the OP had a Glock, he knows what a good polymer pistol should look like on the inside. Rgds, Dan.

[whardi]

Can the OP please comment on the interior finish of his new run PM9? Are shards of plastic flaking off the rails? Are there visible machine/tooling marks inside the slide? Since the OP had a Glock, he knows what a good polymer pistol should look like on the inside. Rgds, Dan.

The interior finish of the new run PM9 is every bit as good as the Glock’s I own and have owned. I see no flaking off the rails of any kind. The polymer frame actually appears thicker and sturdier than that of the Glock’s. The machine work on the slide is top notch. That was one of the first things I noticed when I initially broke it down. The work on the breechface looks really good. I cannot compare to the older Kahr’s but these new runs are high quality and I doubt that any other manufacturer could exceed. Maybe some could but we would pay for it.

Justin Moon is certainly to be commended for the excellent design and the offering of these fine pistols. He seems to be the only one in the handgun world that was interested in developing a high quality pistol that also offered the larger more powerful cartridges. The big names refused to listen to the public and law enforcement. Glock came the closest but stopped short when they refused to offer a single stack version. The exception being the Model 36. The Glock trigger is still a little scary. The Kahr trigger design makes me feel much more comfortable while packing with one in the pipe.

[Khemist]

Hate to break it to you Khemist, but the DLC finish is only applied to stainless steel. So a PM9 DLC does have a stainless steel slide that has been DLC coated.

YMMV.

yeah, i know that now, didn't know it when I walked into the gunshop.:embarassed:..i can also attest to the improved finish of the pm9 (compared to my 3 year old pm40, which still manifests black frame slivers on occasion)...I also own an XD and USP. I would say the pm9 falls somewhere between those two...but all three are very nicely made firearms....

[TMann]

So can anyone else share more info on the newer PM9's. What serial numbers indicate a newer model, verses an older one? Any known changes? I might be interested in getting another PM9...

TMann

[Dandapani]

This is great news. I owned an older PM9 which worked fine, but the manufacture quality was low. (I was seduced by the Rohrbaugh and sold my PM9, which I regret since the R9 was a failure for me.) Looks like I'll have to find me one of these new PM9s.

The alpha prefix of the new ones start "IAO" (eye, ay, oh?), you say?

[whardi]

This is great news. I owned an older PM9 which worked fine, but the manufacture quality was low. (I was seduced by the Rohrbaugh and sold my PM9, which I regret since the R9 was a failure for me.) Looks like I'll have to find me one of these new PM9s.

The alpha prefix of the new ones start "IAO" (eye, ay, oh?), you say?

I found this info on the forum..
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=850961

[Khemist]

my serial # starts with VD, bought the first of april

[Sgt01]

Yep... "IA" prefix on a black PM9 bought directly from Kahr the second half of March.

[SVTNate]

I have an IAO PM9 that I just purchased yesterday. I haven't shot it yet, as we have a 10-day wait here in CA. My dealer let me take home everything but the frame, and I got it all cleaned up this afternoon.

The interior of the slide does have some tool marks, as does the lower lug on the barrel, but it's minor, with no burrs, and otherwise the gun seems flawlessly made. There are no tool marks anywhere on the exterior. I got a two-tone PM9 with standard sights. I plan to pocket carry the gun with Winchester Ranger 127gr. +p+, and I've already cleaned and loaded up the two standard 6-round mags I have to break in the springs a bit. I don't plan to use the included extended mag except for range use, and this will be a strictly pocket-carried gun.

I just striped the slide again after posting this, to look inside. Actually, the tool marks are incredibly minor, and can only be seen in the right light. I think that when I was cleaning it earlier, I was cleaning under a bright fluorescent light, and it make the minor tool marks appear worse than they are. Here in my fairly well-lit bedroom, I had to take a second look because I actually didn't see the tool marks at first glance. They are truly minor, and only in a couple very small areas. The interior is smooth, though, free of burrs or anything else that might cause premature wear or failure.

[Tough Guy Levi]

Howdy SVTNate:

[Tough Guy Levi]

Howdy SVTNate:


I haven't seen "new" Kahrs around in local stores in OC

Tough Guy Levi

[Dandapani]

my serial # starts with VD, bought the first of april

Yep... "IA" prefix on a black PM9 bought directly from Kahr the second half of March.

VD is the older number. Mine was a VA, but released during the later VB era.

Looks like another PM9 might just be in my future. It will have to be IA or later. To the IA owners, let us know how you fair around 800-1000 rounds. That's when the dreaded barrel peening would start up...

[MarkTX]

Well my VD series PM9 purchased in Jan, has been okay -but its not yet shown itself to be the equal of any Glock I've owned.

I just gave up on the 7 round extended mag -after 1000 rounds it still won't reliably feed that top round when fired 7+1. I finally contacted Kahr and just asked if I could exchange it for a 6 rounder -went in the mail today.

I may still trade it off simply because I can't get used to the long trigger reset. This is mostly a matter of training as I'm so used to the short trigger reset on my Glocks that I often short stroke the trigger when attempting rapid followup shots with the Kahr. If the reset spring was a bit stronger I think it would help, but overall its just the problem you have when trying to cross train on multiple pistols. A double action revolver guy would be more at home with the Kahr than us Glockaholics.

Ultimately we know Glock just doesn't want to make the effort required to build a PM9 sized pistol, but as yet I'm not prepared to praise Kahr over this little PM9. YMMV

[Dandapani]

I gave up on the 7 rounders and sold mine and bought two sixers when I had my old PM9. I actually like the longer, revo type trigger. Matches my snub. :) I'm excited at the hope that Kahr has improved their build quality.

[alnitak]

SVTNate -- the +P+ ammo is not recommended for the Kahr (per Kahr)...just +P. Most places I've read suggest the 147 gr. Federal HST, or the 124 gr. +P.

[whardi]

SVTNate -- the +P+ ammo is not recommended for the Kahr (per Kahr)...just +P. Most places I've read suggest the 147 gr. Federal HST, or the 124 gr. +P.

I may have misstated the +P+. Sorry. I did read that Justin Moon specifically design the PM9 to shoot the HOT CorBon ammunition. The Corbon ammo imay not be technically called +P+ but it is some of the hotted ammo for the 9mm on the market. The is the Samson IMI 115-gr. JHP +P+ but I do not know the ballistics and maybe it is law enforcement only.

This is pulled from the Kahr website. Maybe that is where I read the +P+ stuff.
Guns Magizine http://www.kahr.com/PA-1B/review_gm1103.html
By Massad Ayoob, Photos by Ichiro Nagata
Guns Magazine, November 2003, p.48-56, p.73-75
Quote” The gun is very controllable. Recoil is mild, even with +P or +P+ ammo. It's at least as easy to shoot as the Glock 26, which is very easy indeed.”

[moonshot]

I've got a VC prefix PM9 with the DLC finish. So far, through around 700 rounds, not one failure of any kind, and that includes loading the flush mag with 6+1 and the extended mag 7+1. Even forgot to load top round via slide release and loaded just like my Glock - rack slide and let go - again no problems.

The 200 round break in was a non-issue. I did hand cycle slide before first range trip 400 times, loaded A-zoom rounds via slide release several dozen times, cleaned and lubed well. First range trip - no issues.

Looking for another PM9. Will wait for new run of guns. Kind of wanted a VE serial number in honor of my parents in WW2 (I would also need a VJ gun).

[alnitak]

Whardi -- I saw that same review a few months ago when I was researching the Kahr, deciding to buy. However, if you go to the Kahr web site and their Q&A, it says no +P+. I also called customer service and they confirmed that.

I suspect if you don't shoot a steady diet of +P+, the PM9 will be OK. For me, I'm comfortable with +P and the factory recommendation, keeping the Kahr within spec (and maybe warranty?).

[whardi]

Yes it was my mistake. They only recommend the +P ammunition. The CorBon’s are hot enough and I would think that even a constant diet of those would probably not be good. I couldn’t afford to shoot many of them.

Here is the ammo information from the Kahr website.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w213/whardi/KahrAmmo.gif

[Sgt01]

Here's a brief write-up on my recently purchased IAxxxx series PM9....

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=853808