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Kahr Insurance: Putting the Kahr CM9 Through its Paces

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Kahr CM9

Don’t let the price fool you. Though the CM9 is part of Kahr’s Value Series, this affordable pistol runs just as well as its more expensive competitors.

Richard JohnsonbyRichard Johnson
January 23, 2017
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Kahr CM9
Don’t let the price fool you. Though the CM9 is part of Kahr’s Value Series, this affordable pistol runs just as well as its more expensive competitors.
Kahr CM9 pistol
With its compact dimensions and 6+1 capacity, the 9mm CM9 was born for concealed carry.
Kahr CM9 pistols

Kahr CM9 concealed carry
The pistol sports a 3-inch barrel with conventional 1-in-10-inch-twist rifling. The stiff recoil spring helps the CM9 run reliably, but it also means the slide is harder to rack.
Kahr CM9 concealed carry pistol
Kahr equips the CM9 with a white-dot front sight, while the rear sight has a white line painted below its notch. To accurately aim the pistol, you simply “dot the i.”

It seems that single-stack 9mm pistols have been gaining in popularity as more companies introduce new guns to serve this niche. But Kahr Arms has been serving customers in this market for a long time, and doing so with a highly respected line of handguns. The Kahr CM9 is an affordable subcompact pistol offering a range of features that should make it attractive to a large number of shooters.

For my part, I’ve owned a CM9 for nearly five years and have really put the gun through its paces. Some of the online scuttlebutt suggests that Kahr’s Value Series pistols may not be as durable as the company’s more expensive guns, but to that I say, “Hogwash.” My gun runs great, and I’ve put it through more use and abuse than most people will put to any of their pistols.

My First Kahr

Kahr CM9 pistol
With its compact dimensions and 6+1 capacity, the 9mm CM9 was born for concealed carry.

I wound up adding the Kahr CM9 to my personal collection after having tested one several years back. For me, the gun seemed to check a lot of boxes. It was thin and light while still being chambered in a serious defensive caliber and with good sights. I was looking for a real combat handgun that I could easily carry in non-permissive environments, and I didn’t like a lot of the other options on the market at that time. So, I picked it to be my first Kahr.

In regular range testing, I found the gun to be a reliable performer, and I felt comfortable trusting it to be part of my self-defense plan. As time went on and I shot it more frequently, I began carrying it on a regular basis.

  • RELATED STORY: 3 Polymer-Framed Compacts by Kahr Arms with .380 to .40 Stopping Power

At the time, I was still a uniformed police officer. I always carried my favorite J-Frame revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 642, as a backup gun. However, as we began to encounter more armed felons and violent crime in our jurisdiction, I felt it was prudent to carry a second backup gun as a bit of extra insurance. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Although I had carried a Glock 27 previously, I wanted something a little thinner and lighter that would still be completely reliable should I find myself in a tight spot. The CM9 got the nod.

At that point, I trained very regularly with the pistol. In addition to my own practice, the gun became part of my ongoing training at the department. I simply don’t know how many rounds I’ve put through the gun, but I can safely say several thousand, including a healthy diet of +P self-defense loads. During all of that time, the gun ran very reliably with very, very few malfunctions. I’m happy to say that I never needed to use the gun in a serious situation, but I was assured it would have done the job if I had needed it to.

Kahr Shopping

Kahr CM9 concealed carry
The pistol sports a 3-inch barrel with conventional 1-in-10-inch-twist rifling. The stiff recoil spring helps the CM9 run reliably, but it also means the slide is harder to rack.

As mentioned, the Kahr CM9 is part of the company’s Value Series of handguns. Kahr makes a broad range of concealed-carry pistols, and in my experience, all of them have been high-quality guns. Even so, the company offers a Premium Series as well as the Value Series. Differences between the series include the use of metal-injection molded (MIM) parts instead of machined ones, reductions in the amount of machining steps on the slide and the use of conventional rifling instead of polygonal.

  • RELATED STORY: Kahr Arms’ Full Size CT45 Packs 7+1 Rounds of .45 ACP Firepower

The term “value” has been abused by many marketing people to the point where some consumers assume it means “cheap.” But that is certainly not the case with the CM9. While the price is very affordable, Kahr still uses top-quality parts and construction, including a fully machined stainless steel slide and top-quality Wolff springs in the magazines. And everything, including the magazines, is made in the U.S.A.

It has been my experience that Value Series guns have all of the accuracy and reliability of the Premium pistols. Based on my experience with the Kahr CM9, I am comfortable in saying that they appear to have the same long-term durability as the more expensive guns as well. My gun shows no unusual wear from extensive shooting. Nor does it show any corrosion or dis-coloration despite being carried by a street cop in an ankle holster working close to saltwater.

For more from author Richard Johnson, visit  http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com

Like what you’re reading? Check out the rest of this article in ‘Concealed Carry Handguns’ 2017. For information on how to subscribe, please email subscriptions@outdoorgroupmags.com or call 1-800-284-5668.

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