Looking at all the options for a small single stack 9. Both get great reviews. I rented a 43 and was pretty impressed. Can't find a Kahr to try out but have watched a ton of YouTube and looked at them in the stores. The Kahr is more money but is also smaller for pocket carry with same capacity.
Kahr has an odd slide stripping process. Don't know about the Glock.
Love my CW-9 and qualify with it every year against full size guns and it normally groups better than its competitors...but that's a shooter thing and not necessarily a gun thing.
"It's a source of great pride, that when I google my name, I find book titles and not mug shots." Daniel C. Chamberlain
I've not fooled with the Kahr but I'm impressed with my 43. I carry IWB and it's nearly always with me. I don't pocket carry the 43 as I have a p3at for that.
I have the two on either side of the PM9....the larger CW9 and the smaller P380. Much prefer the smooth continuous trigger pull of the Kahr over the Glock.
Have not shot a 43 but have fired a 42 and much prefer the P380 in both size and trigger pull. A friend who ran out and bought a 42 when they first came out looked at my P380 the other day and is probably going to trade the 42 in for one of the Kahrs...
Bob
If you can not deal with reality, reality will deal with you....
Just bought a slightly used Kahr PM9 for $459, which included 500 rounds of ammo. Great gun!
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
Looking at all the options for a small single stack 9. Both get great reviews. I rented a 43 and was pretty impressed. Can't find a Kahr to try out but have watched a ton of YouTube and looked at them in the stores. The Kahr is more money but is also smaller for pocket carry with same capacity.
Within four thousand rounds of use, I experienced two small parts breakages in my Kahr P9. In their defense, however, it was an early specimen of their polymer framed guns, and in each case the broken small part was polymer, and the replacement part was steel, as they had switched those parts to steel after discovering the short lifespan of the polymer parts. So, like Glock, they do make upgrades based on customer experience.
Hickok45 does a nice overview and comparison. I have a G43, to be uniform, with other Glocks I run. I am pleased, but that doesn't mean I would speak poorly of the PM9. Even down to the point they machine the slide stop out of tool steel, and add additional steps of machining the slide, goes to show they are not cutting corners. The barrel, and the basic design is good. But, it would be up to you to determine if this additional work and expense is of value, when in reality, it is a takeoff of a Glock, which other than the G43 being slightly longer, will run near forever.
�I've never met a genius. A genius to me is someone who does well at something he hates. Anybody can do well at something he loves -- it's just a question of finding the subject.�
Have experience with a K9 Elite, P9, PM9 and PM40. Plus a S&W Shield 9. I have not fired the Glock 43. I like most people have definite opinions.
1). Do not under any circumstances buy any of the polymer 40 cal Kahr models. Stick with 9mm, the 40's don't hold up. 2) If you are set on wanting to pocket carry, the get the PM9. The others are still a little too big to work well at pocket carry unless you have big cargo pockets. 3). If you will carry IWB or hip carry, or appendix carry, go for the S&W Shield 9. Better price, softer shooting more capacity, steel sights, handles +P too. Do not get a 40 Shield either, stick with 9mm in these small pistols. 4). The Glock 43 is probably good too, but the few guys I have talked to who have shot them and the Shield universally say the Shield is softer shooting and easier to hit with. Still it's a Glock so you know it's decent even at worst case, but you will pay more for the name.
If you want to pocket carry then you need the little Kahr.
IMHO the bigger Kahrs, the Glocks & the Shields are just enough bigger that they only work well in cargo pockets as Mark said.
Personally I jumped on the Kahr train years before the Shield or the dinky Glocks came along & I'm not switching no
'Four legs good, two legs baaaad." ---------------------------------------------- "Jimmy, some of it's magic, Some of it's tragic, But I had a good life all the way." (Jimmy Buffett)
If you want to pocket carry then you need the little Kahr.
IMHO the bigger Kahrs, the Glocks & the Shields are just enough bigger that they only work well in cargo pockets as Mark said.
Personally I jumped on the Kahr train years before the Shield or the dinky Glocks came along & I'm not switching no
'Four legs good, two legs baaaad." ---------------------------------------------- "Jimmy, some of it's magic, Some of it's tragic, But I had a good life all the way." (Jimmy Buffett)
Expect a 250 round break in with the Kahr, and they tend to be very reliable after that.
I find the ergonomics and the trigger of the Kahr preferable to the Glock; but that's just personal preference. The G43 is an excellent pistol, and if you were to "settle" for the G43 then you're doing very well indeed.
Last winter I tried the Kahr CM9, sheild 9, and the Glock 43. The Kahr's grip was too short and I did't like the trigger. The Smith was a great pistol but I thought the Glock was more comfortable to shoot after adding the Pearce +1 mag extension. It was a case of too small too big and just right...
I just picked up a Glock 43 last night and I also have a Kahr PM9. I haven't even had the Glock to the range yet, but here are a couple of initial observations. I have several Glocks so I'm pretty familiar with them. All of my Glocks are completely stock save for some aftermarket sights. First and foremost, the Glock 43, at least my example, has the very best Glock trigger I have ever experienced. No, it's not a tuned 1911 trigger, but compared to my other Glocks it is by far the best stock Glock trigger. There is still a bit of creep in the trigger pull, but then a pretty crisp let off and no "sprong" sound when the trigger breaks. My Kahr PM9 has the typical smooth but very long trigger pull that seems common to all Kahr pistols. Even though I can only get a two finger grip on the Kahr, it has proven to be quite accurate at 10 yards. Kahrs are very tight, so I'd describe disassembly and reassembly of my Kahr as about a dozen cuss word process. The Glock 43 is typical Glock disassembly, easy and straightforward for most and only a one or two cuss word process for me only because I forgot a step or fumbled getting the slide back on.
Bottom line is in my opinion the Glock 43 is so good that the Kahr will likely be heading down the road. That may change once I get a chance to compare them both at the range, but I doubt it. Here's a quick photo comparison of the two.
I have the K9 Elite and CM9 as well as Glock 19/26. I can shoot the CM9 as well (maybe even better) than the 19. The trigger on the Kahr is better than any of the Glocks. the CM9 is about as small of a 9mm as you can find. Easily able to pocket carry with loose pockets.
If there is anything negative about the CM9, it is that the mag followers are prone to breaking on earlier models. That was fixed with these:
I've had two Khars a 40 & 45. The 40 would not re-cock on cycling and had to be sent back but eventually worked. The 45 was a jam-a-matic. My Glocks on the other hand have yet to malfunction.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
"I" would only get a kahr if I wanted to pocket carry, that being said I don't own a kahr..... I wouldn't get a 43 either though...I'd get a 42 which has less recoil and for me, I shoot a 380 tiny pistol better than a tiny 9mm..... I also feel that 90 grain gold dots put in the right spot should do the job...I could be wrong though, wouldn't be the 1st time...
The pearce extension is recommended
Last edited by SAKO75; 08/03/16.
"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered." ― George Orwell, 1984
I had a Kahr PM9 and recently sold it to buy a Glock 43. The trigger pull on the Kahr is long, smooth and looong. It takes a fair amount of concentration to keep the sights (or the laser--mine had a CT laserguard on it--aligned through the trigger stroke. The Glock's short pull I find easier to shoot consistently and quickly. Also, the slide on the Kahr is very stiff. I had 300 rounds through mine (excellent reliability throughout, not a single jam with WWB 115gr ammo) so it is not a matter of "breaking in;" the PM9 simply uses a stiff spring system which makes the slide hard to retract compared to the Glock 43.
Also, consider after market support for holsters and magazines. Glock magazines are about 10 bucks cheaper, and there are far more holsters available.
You won't go wrong with either gun but, having had the Kahr, I chose the Glock.
If you're really undecided, I would recommend you buy the Kahr and see if you like it. The Glock 43 is a Glock--Glock feel, Glock trigger--so it is likely a known quantity if you have experience with Glock 9mm's. The Kahr is a different animal--no trigger is really quite like it. Some compare it to a DA revolver, but I found it different from my S&W's and Colt's in that the Kahr trigger stacked and compressed toward the end of the stroke. I found my experience with the Kahr to be interesting, and I'm glad I owned the gun. Mainly because now I have no interest in owning another Kahr.
![[Linked Image]](http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m179/compintheusa/IMG_0302_zps5xby6w8n.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://s140.photobucket.com/user/ed_Brown308/media/Attach54925_20160730_113430_zpsxzfdyqzt.jpg.html)