The Kahr CM9

Authors Paul Helinski Pistols

The original Kahr PM9 tiny 9mm has returned as nearly the same gun as the CM9 over $200 cheaper. To me it seems like a no-brainer. Our review gun proved to be a near infallible platform for concealed carry.

Hornady Critical Defense 115gr., Remington Golden Saber 124gr., Federal Hydra-Shok 147gr., and roundball from Federal, Remington, Winchester and even steel case Tula fed with no failures.

A variety of overall cartridge lengths and bullet shapes worked great in the CM9

This group from Remington Golden Sabers was the best I could shoot with the gun, but most groups of the 7 shots that the gun holds came in under an inch with the three hollow points in the tests. For some reason the roundball opened the groups up to an inch and a half, but it could just be that I am naturually more careful with more expensive ammo. I thought the accuracy much more than acceptable for a tiny gun with a long double action trigger.

The ulitimate limp wrist test. The gun is fired between the trigger finger and the web of the hand with no actual grip on the gun. The CM9 cycled perfectly and chambered the next round reliably and repeatedly.

The PM9 and now the CM9 have last round hold open and no magazine safety.

My only complaint with the gun is that the magazine sticks out a bit when it is full. Hopefully Kahr will fix this in the production guns.

The Kahr CM9

Kahr Arms

https://www.kahr.com/

Making a gun cheaper doesn’t always add up to making a cheap gun. That is the point of the new Kahr CM9. Modeled after their extremely popular but pricey PM9, the $569 MSRP clone CM9 has exactly the same external specifications, the same magazine capacity and is the same weight as it’s more expensive older brother.

This gun is how Kahr answers the question, how do you follow up a home run? The answer is “with another home run, $200+ cheaper” and they really have no choice. Coming out of SHOT 2011, where nearly every handgun company announced a new 6+1 tiny 9mm, the PM9 now has much more competition in the marketplace where it had previously ruled the kingdom. The CM9 cuts corners only where the engineers at Kahr felt they could safely be cut, but is more competitive on price with the new entrants into the field in this size range. The CM9 still has the 7 patented features found in all of these small Kahrs, and it shoots exactly like the PM9, recoiling lower in the hand than most guns this size, which drastically reduces felt recoil and muzzle flip. The CM9 differs from the PM9 in 6 different ways.

  1. Conventional rifling in the barrel. – The PM9 has a polygon rifling that is match grade. Since most gunfights are close quarters without a lot of time for bench-resting, Kahr elected to eliminate this expensive process for the CM9. A side benefit is that you can shoot lead reloads in the CM9, whereas they foul up the PM9.
  2. Pinned-in plastic front sight. – The rear sight is still drift adjustable, so you lose basically nothing unless you are in the habit of hammering in those panel nails that seem to be in all Ikea furniture with the front sight of your PM9.
  3. One magazine instead of two. The second magazine on the PM9 is a 7 round extended, but you can of course buy these if you so choose.
  4. Stamped logos on the slide. – There is a $234 difference in MSRP on these two guns. Not a lot of people I imagine have been sitting around watching TV at night admiring the roll engraving on their Kahr to begin with, but mentioning this says something about the company and their integrity about how they are saving money on the manufacturing.
  5. Injection molded slide stop lever, as opposed to a lever machined from steel, which theoretically would be stronger. I’m sure it was a cost saver, but I don’t think they would use this process if it reduced the reliability of the gun.
  6. Less machining on the slide assembly.  I think this is the key, and it is the way that Kahr is telling you that they have been sobered by the low price point of the new entrants to the market. Running a CNC machine is expensive and there was most likely a very involved machining process from the beginning with the PM9, which is why it is so pricey. Years later with millions of rounds fired through the PM9s, the design is a success, and the engineers have figured out how to make the gun with fewer processes. The CM9 is basically the same inside as the PM9, but Kahr found a shorter and less expensive way to get there.

And that’s it folks. The CM9 is a nearly exact clone of the PM9 at better than $200 cheaper. It has the same last round hold-open that very few small pistols have. It has the same great, always the same trigger pull. And in an ever expanding field of small 9mm pocket pistols, the ergonomics and flip control that you find in these guns is still second to none.

The CM9, like the PM9, is 5.3 inches long and 4 inches tall, but the crucial dimension is the thickness, at only .9 inches thick, or THIN, as Kahr’s marketing campaign is known to say in the ads with the pretty girls. This dimension is in part because both guns have no external safety. The only thing preventing the gun from going bang when you pull the trigger is a long and very smooth trigger pull, similar to a double action revolver, (though I wish you luck finding an out of the box revolver with as nice a pull as the PM9/CM9). Carrying a gun like this in your pocket requires a pocket holster. The pull is long, but easy and smooth, so it does not have the same safety advantages as your run of the mill J-Frame S&W. It takes less training to shoot it accurately, but you have to understand that this comes with safety considerations. In a belt holster you would also want something that completely covers the trigger guard.

Our test gun performed flawlessly and was very accurate as you can see from the pictures. The CM9s are just coming into production (shipping in mid-March), so this was an advance “review gun,” which means it had been checked before we got it, but I’ve seen a lot of review guns over the years and few perform as perfectly as this CM9. I tried everything to try to get it to stovepipe (catch the spent shell in the action as it cycles) and failed, even completely limp-wristing it by firing it with only the web of my hand and index finger.

Pistols are generally considered less reliable than revolvers because most rely on a firm grip on the gun to cycle effectively, and in a gunfight you just never know how you will be holding the gun. You might be fighting off an attacker with one hand while trying to stop his buddy from shooting you from across the room. Having a firm grip on the gun isn’t always a guarantee, so I always test pistols to see if they will fire and cycle effectively with a loose hold. I limp-wristed the CM9 with several factory ball rounds as well as a few combat hollow-points and nothing stopped the gun from cycling reliably, even upside down. I personally have a gunsmith go over every gun I carry, so even if this test CM9 has had a once-over, at least you know that if you buy one and don’t get the same results as I did, the platform itself is capable of reliability worth trusting your life with.

Accuracy is a difficult thing to measure in such a tiny gun. The small sight radius alone makes it almost impossible to test the exact accuracy that the gun is capable of. Tiny differences in angle when lining up the sights on a gun with the sights so close together can cause wide differences in bullet impact on the target. The hold on a tiny gun is also relative to the hand size of the shooter, so just because my hand was capable of controlling the gun in a certain way, your smaller or bigger hand may use different muscles than mine and be easier or more difficult to control for you. I don’t claim to be a prize winning good shot regardless, but on a tiny gun you really have to go shoot it. I predict that the CM9 will instantly become a popular rental gun at the indoor ranges.

Overall the CM9 proved to be more than respectable at 10 yards. It definitely liked the hollow-points better than the round-ball, and the best groups came from Hornady Personal Defense and Remington Golden Saber. With those two the groups ran right around the 1 inch range, and with the round-ball they opened up to about an inch and a half on average. My chronograph battery decided to die on the one day I had this gun, so we’ll have to return for that when the gun comes into production and there are more than a few in the world out here for reviewers.

My only complaint with the gun is that the magazine sticks out a little when full with six rounds. It could just be that this gun is a prototype and the production guns will have better fit. Kahr mags are tumbled so they don’t have any catches on them. That is the kind of attention to detail that you generally see from Kahr. The only other issues you should be aware of are things that are carried forward from the PM9. The trigger reset is long, the same as a revolver pretty much, so you have to let the trigger all the way out before you can pull it again. Fortunately there is a tactile click when this happens, making the gun very intuitive to shoot. And the other issue is true of all but a few striker fired pistols. There is no second strike capability, so if you pull the trigger and the gun doesn’t go boom, you can’t pull the trigger again to see if the primer just needed a second hit. You have to rack the round out and fire the next one. I personally have only owned one gun where this was something that ever happened and the second strike fired the gun, and I as soon as it stopped firing reliably I stopped carrying it (it is an AMT Backup).

The CM9 looks to be yet another home run for Kahr, and I would give it a first look and a last look before buying something else. There are plenty of new tiny 9mm pistols out there, but this is a gun that has been in production and quite a few pockets for many years and has earned a well deserved great, yet expensive, reputation. The same gun at $200 plus cheaper seems like a no-brainer to me.

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  • Diego April 13, 2014, 1:00 pm

    I really enjoyed the review. Thks for sharing! Diego

  • Michael June 30, 2013, 3:46 am

    Sorry, but this review is definitely lopsided.. playing off the differences as if they didn’t matter really isn’t a fair approach. For one the 3-dot sights on the Pm9 are way better than the over/under 2-dot sight on the Cm9 (I know it’s personal preference but any Glock/XD fan will prefer the 3-dot). Also the tritium night sights are easy to install on the Pm9.

    Yes they are the same size, but I like to think that the longer process does help with the longevity of the gun.. So in 30 years when my Pm9 is still functioning beautifully, the Cm9 may not be so lucky.

    Lastly I like to go to the range and shoot a variety of targets and varying distance… While “most” encounters are close range, what about the one’s that aren’t? I definitely enjoy the thought of my rifling being polygon rifling for increased accuracy.

    If you’re so concerned about $200, when the time comes and accuracy is key– your life is worth more than the cost difference. Food for thought.

    (Also I managed to buy mine w/ tritium sights already installed and 3 mags on ArmsList for $550), whereas the cheapest cm9 when I searched was $400 without tritium night sights and with only 1 mag.. For me it was a $150 choice, and I made the right one.

  • fred cruickshank March 2, 2013, 11:27 pm

    OK I have never owned a kahr before, but am looking to get one but very confused between the different models so please for any help. I want a 9mm but don,t know witch model or the difference between them. I have read about the CW9, Cm9 and the PM9. I am planning iwb cc. Price is some concerned but not the deciding factor.
    Thanks for any help you can give me.

  • JR May 7, 2012, 7:22 pm

    I have purchased well worn K9, used PM9, CM9, factory demo P380. The first thing I do with them when they get home is do what you are supposed to do, clean them. I am a little more anal than most. After they have been broken down. I polish all barrels, the inside of the slide where the barrel rubs the slide and feed ramps. The well used K9 is the black version. With its black finish you can see where these pistol need polished. After the polishing, the pistols get a good cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner. Then I use a mixture of dry lube and wet lube. I am experimenting with the dry lube (PTFE). The PM9, CM9 and P380 showed no wear on them when they were bought. I feel the slides need to be smoother. The dry lube may not let this happen. I have run every kind of ammo thru these pistols I can get my hand on. I have not had any issues of any kind. You should expect to have minor issues with any pistol that is new. Every pistol will need to be broken in or polished thru use.

  • Steve March 4, 2012, 12:54 am

    Im looking into the CM9 for summer carry, I currently have a Glock and want something easier to conceal. I probably will buy the cm9. One thing I can say about my Glock is you can put any 9mm ammo in it and it will shoot it with no worries, the Glock may be bulky but ammo problems will be something i’ll never think about with it. its too bad they will never make a single stack thin pistol like the cm/pm series because they are so capacity minded and geared more towards law enforcement and combat applications. A Glock feature I like that Kahr uses is NO external safety to slow you down when you need it to fire! Im sold, ill have one for this summer.

    • dick April 24, 2015, 8:20 am

      Ever heard of a Glock 43 9mm single stack?

      • Brett January 23, 2016, 6:14 pm

        You do realize the comment you’re replying to is from 2012? So no G43 back then, plus it’s still not as small as the Kahr. The Kahr is about the same size as the G42.

  • bimmerland March 1, 2012, 10:44 pm

    Is there any truth to the recoil spring needing replacement after 1000 rounds?

    • Administrator March 2, 2012, 1:28 pm

      I have never heard that actually. I do know that the break in 200 rounds is valid. They come from the factory a little tight. I wouldn’t think the recoil spring replacement would be true.

  • robert croke January 31, 2012, 7:05 am

    Bought the original K9 when first came out, designed at that time for the Corbon +P HP. As author says trigger is buttery and shooting S&B h’ball feels like a .22! Since then bought CW45 and CM9. Well over 500 rounds HB and all variety of h’points through each without a single hiccup, as they say. Would trust them and my CZ PCR over any gun you could mention.

  • C November 13, 2011, 9:28 pm

    I own three polymer frame Kahr semi-autos now…PM9, P380, & now the CM9…along with some Glocks, a couple S&W revolvers, & a growing collection of 1911s. I must say the CM9 is one sweet little pistol…and was by far the best value of any of my pistols. The only thing I did to it was replace the MIM slide stop with a machined part ($25). All the other machining short cuts I couldn’t give a crap about, because I didn’t buy it to be a show piece. People can say all the great things they want about the polygonal rifling…match grade…blah, blah, blah on short barrel polymer frame semi-auto barrels. If you want to spend $250 more and that makes you feel better…then do it. But remember this…these are not bullseye target pistols people!!!…for that I will pick up up my custom hand-fitted Wilson or Fusion 1911, or even my Kimber Gold Match 1911. These small Kahrs serve one purpose only…light weight concealed carry for possible close quarters self defense. Also, the fact that Kahr is honest about a break-in period says a lot…besides…who on earth isn’t going to put several hundred rounds minimum through a brand new gun they will trust their life with?…check for malfunction…see what ammo works best…practice in general…etc. Maybe I just got lucky, but both my PM9 & CM9 have run flawlessly from the very first rounds…couple thousand rounds later still have yet to experience a single malfunction with either. When I shoot the PM9 & CM9 in the same range session, I cannot tell even the slightest difference in accuracy. The P380 did stovepipe 7 times in the first 200 rounds but has run great ever since. The barrel to slide fit on the tiny P380 was extremely tight combined with one stiff mother of a recoil spring…so I kind of expected a break-in period. All in all the Kahrs are great conceal carry pistols, with smooth triggers. Now that I have my CM9….the PM9 is on the block for trade-in on some other pistol.

  • John Ervin November 2, 2011, 8:01 pm

    Great review – thank you!

    John

  • Marcus August 31, 2011, 11:56 am

    Can I install PM9 barrel on CM9 and are the internals (parts), magazines, slide stop interchangeable with PM9? Just in case I wouldn’t care much for the plastic slide release….

    • Administrator August 31, 2011, 1:58 pm

      I don’t think the parts are interchangeable.

      • C November 13, 2011, 9:34 pm

        The slide stop is…I bought one and it required no additional fitting. I have not tried changing any of the other parts because why bother?

  • Ken July 14, 2011, 12:51 pm

    Something wrong here. If the gun is shooting low, wouldn’t you have to lower the front sight – not raise it?
    Kayelr88

  • Brad May 28, 2011, 1:56 pm

    For the first time, I just shot 120 reload HP rounds in my new CM9. I only had one round that didn’t go in all the way. No stovepipes! For breaking in the gun, I’d say that it did amazingly well!

    The new CM9 cost $440 before taxes. Five stars *****

  • Mike Chero May 7, 2011, 9:28 am

    The cost saving measures in this gun are a boon to the shooters of small handguns.

    The slide isn’t as well finished as on the P9. So what? I have yet to see anyone in a self defense situation impressed by the quality of the machining of the slide. The sights are plastic instead of steel? Big deal! I plan on replacing the plastic sight anyway, just as I do with all of my Glocks. Besides, Kahr offers trituim sights for the CW/CM series of handguns. Frankly, I’d rather go through the delacate process of screwing in a front sight than to try and beat a front sight into in a dovetail.

    The slide release is MIM. Again, so what. If it works, don’t mess with it. Kahr also makes a standard machined slide stop lever for a whole whopping $25 for people who don’t trust MIMed parts.

    The barrel is conventionally rifled. Here’s where it gets interesting. Although polygonal rifling works better for sealing the bullet against gas blow by, lead bullets are a big time no no in them. With a convently rifled barrel, I can now shoot lead reloads in them.

    Good job, Kahr!

  • Scott April 27, 2011, 2:42 pm

    I have the new CM9 and Love it! It is a very good gun. (I have 300+ rounds through it so far, no problem)… I also own a CW9 has been 100% reliable too. They are great CCW.

    Good review, I would love to see some chronograph results of the CM9 vs. PM9 with some high quality H.P. ammo, I am betting the reg. rifling does not amount to much, if any velocity loss. And as can be seen by your groups(mine too) it is beyond accurate enough for a self defense, close range handgun.

    Hey Rick,
    Instead of griping about the mag allowing ammo to fall out while floating around loose in your pocket… Why don’t you just get a pocket mag pouch that protects the top cartridge. It also will keep the mag in a upright easy to grab position and it keeps lint and other pocket crap from getting in the mag.
    I made my own and it works 100%. But you can buy them also.

  • Rick April 12, 2011, 6:19 pm

    I agree that for the most part these are great shooters. I’ve owned several variants of Kahrs over the years, but eventually sold each and every one of them for the same reasons, only to later purchase a new variant in hopes that the factory had addressed the ongoing issues, which, in my experience, they have not. First, the magazine follower and/or magazine lip configuration allows for rounds to walk-out of the magazine. This seems to be a very prevalent and consistent problem when carrying a loaded mag in a pocket regardless of whether it is the pant pocket, jacket pocket, or shirt pocket, i.e. where there is a little bit of movement and friction. Yes, I realize that is not the recommended magazine carry method, but when one is working a deep cover assignment or carrying in very hot and/or tropical weather conditions and wearing shorts and a T-shirt, it sometimes is the only way to go. The walk-off’s seemingly occur within a very short time. When retrieving the mag from a pocket, I’ve all too often discovered that as many as 4 rounds or 5 had been dumped from the magazine and were lying loose in the bottom of the pocket. I have never encountered anything like that with any other magazine from other firearms makers; unlike a 1911 mag that always seems to retain its rounds regardless of how it’s carried or how much abuse is administered. I’ve been carrying full-time for over 40-years, therefore I have some semblance of experience. The second problem that I’ve encountered with all Kahrs is that the mag release buttons seem to be too sensitive, allowing for the mags to be easily disengage when the gun is worn close to the body, only to unholster the weapon at some later time and find that the mag is adjar. This is usually prevalent when carrying the piece in most any sort of conventional inside-waistband holster. The second issue is not really unique to just Kahr pistols as I’ve the same thing happen with other pistols having a side button release, but the occurrences have not been as numerous with other makes as has been with the Kahrs. However, the first issue seems to be a problem that is unique with the Kahr. I am very disappointed to say that I have written several letters to Kahr over the years regarding that issue and have never had so much as an acknowledgement from them. For that reason, I no longer own a Kahr and probably will never buy one again until they address the magazine ammo-retention issue.

  • Matt April 7, 2011, 10:58 pm

    I picked up a CM9 yesterday, brought it home and broke it down, cleaned and re-oiled it with break free and let it sit for a couple of hours before I put it back together. Later that afternoon I headed to the range to put 200 rounds of S&B 9mm luger through my new CM9 hoping that this would be a sweet shooter. I loaded up the clip and first round stove piped, 2nd did the same, not good. I continued to push rounds through the gun and it did start working better but then another problem, on occasion the slide would not lock in the open position after the last round, bummer. After running all 200 rounds through the pistol I left the range and promptly called Kahr but it was after hours. I brought the CM9 home, broke it down and cleaned it and let it sit over night. I called Kahr this morning and they said “only use American made ammo and if that does’nt work then we will fix it”. I picked up a box of Winchester loads and I must say the CM9 worked flawlessly. I am happier but will not rely on it until I run quite a few more rounds through it without issue.

    • Administrator April 8, 2011, 5:18 pm

      There is some extremely inconsistent surplus ammo out there right now and you have to be careful that you say right up front that you were using cheapo ammo. Kahr recommends on all of their guns that you shoot them to break them in. At the price of ammo today it is a little bit of a sacrifice to do that but it is good practice for any gun you intend to rely on. It may not just be that you switched to white box winchester. It may just be that the gun needed that 200 rounds to settle in and slick itself up. I would go back and try some of the cheap ammo now. I shot the cheapo steel case Tula ammo and it worked flawlessly every round, but the gun had clearly been slicked up already, probably just from firing.

      • Matt April 8, 2011, 11:12 pm

        Thanks for your response. I dont think the S&B ammo is cheap nor do I consider it surplus ammo, in fact thats all I use in my AR15 and have always been happy with it and that was the main reason for purchasing it for my CM9. The Winchester ammo that I followed up with was less than a dollar more per box more and was a higher grain than the S&B. Fact is that the Kahr tech that I spoke to suggested that I only use American made all brass ammo in the CM9 and the 50 rounds of Winchester worked well. I may at some point try the S&B stuff again but im not feeling like trusting my life to it.

        • Matt April 13, 2011, 10:07 pm

          Thought I would post an update. Ive been to the range a few times now and have run 450 rounds through the CM9 and I am really starting to dig this little gun. I am getting used to the trigger and getting the groupings down a bit tighter. While at the range today I ran out of Winchester ammo and all they had for sale was the S&B so I thought I would give it another try. I am happy to say that 50 rounds went through that pistol without issue. If you are not used to a long pull DOA trigger then you will need to practice quite a bit to get used to it but I truly believe it will make you a better shooter.

    • Sal October 21, 2012, 7:01 pm

      I am considering a PM9. Your comments make me inclined to stick with my 38 snubbie.

  • Patrick O'toole April 6, 2011, 9:56 am

    I own a PM 9, sent back 3 times already for several malfunctions, magazines would fall out after the first shot, sent back the 7 rd because it was basically unusable. Changed the mag release button and recoil spring and it finally fired 100 rounds perfectly, then somehow the slide became stuck (in a closed, normal position) after a cleaning, hence the third trip back to the factory. The author mentions the slight gap b/n the magaine and grip, this is the same on the PM 9. I’m also curious why they need to recommend only using the last round open feature to rack the first round in, when you try this yourself, the round will jam most times and you have to force the round in. Doesn’t make for a good scenario in a combat situation if you experience a jam, might have to throw the thing and run. I’m trying to like this gun as a loyal Mass resident, but so far I won’t carry it, too many problems. I’m curious if they fixed some basic design problems and lowered the price to stay competitive.

  • Gary April 4, 2011, 1:46 pm

    I have carried a cw9 from the day they hit one of my distributors shelves. Love it, not one malfunction with numerous brands of ammo. One the flip side of the coin I have had to return 3 customer cw’s to my distributor due to the failure to eject the magazines. The mags had to be physically pulled out while pushing to release and sometimes would still be hard to remove.
    Customer service told me that with use they would eventually kick out, if not to send the mags in for replacement. I tried the mags from my personal cw with the same results. I am a gun dealer and a ccw instructor and this has turned me away from recommending the cw series to any students. If anyone out there has had the same problem and found a solution to this problem please let me know. Hopefully Kahr has looked into this problem and figured out how to correct it. Oh, by the way I also own a TP9, that has performed flawlessly.

  • Mongo March 31, 2011, 12:14 pm

    I have 2 of the all metal guns. I have a K 40(early gun) and a Mk9 elite. I have had trouble with both guns shooting low. I had to finally have someone build a custom taller front sight for the .40 and use the Miniature Machine adjustable rear sight jacked as high as it goes to get it to shoot to point of aim. Kahr’s service and quality has gone down hill, and also look out when they start making “cheaper” guns with less work in them. I thought that that was the reason for the polymer frames……..I also had a couple of friends that bought the pm9’s at the same time. Both guns wound up in the shop the second day of their proud ownership. I know that at the gun shows in Vegas, it’s a hard sell to try to get rid of one of these………

  • mrbillybob March 31, 2011, 10:49 am

    I’ve had a PM-9 with the Diamond Black slide and nite sites for just over a year, and while it’s extremely accurate, it wasn’t very reliable until it had fired over three hundred rounds. The instruction booklet suggested 200 rounds should be fired before the unit should be considered fully reliable, but mine needed an additional hundred. Because my Kahr is light and easy to hide, I carry it 100% of the time and have retired my S&W J frame.

  • willie March 22, 2011, 12:16 am

    The Kel Tec pf9 is smaller lighter more comfortable to wear and more accurate and still 250 dollars cheaper then even the new CM. The only negative with keltec is there weapons are not finished as cleanly and not as pretty ..but functions as good if not better..also the kel tec trigger pull is not as smooth , but who needs smooth at a 5-7 yds in a firefight…also kel tec has a LIFETIME warranty if Kahr is so good how come their warr is only for the first 60 months..? they should give a 10 yr warr or lifetime..

    • Daniel May 11, 2011, 2:26 pm

      Clearly if you do your research, particularly online, you will find actual gun owners with more issues pertaining to KEL-TEC as opposed to KAHR…..That’s just a FACT!

      KEL-TEC is a fine gun, but in most reviews by owners you will find that KAHR primarily comes out on top, which is not
      surprising considering the KAHRS do cost more.
      I think in this case, as most weapons, “you get what you pay for!”

      • drumslinga December 26, 2011, 10:23 am

        Come on now…the KelTec as a comparison -no offence but those guns are made for people to put in nightstands and “feel secure” about…def NOT a shooters gun. The Kahr’s are nice guns -albeit expensive, and I have NOT had good interface with their customer service – on two separate occasions which makes me hesitant to buy another of their guns. My Kimber Solo, however…TOP NOTCH – with customer service to boot!

  • Ken March 5, 2011, 5:15 am

    Why the plastic front site? Didn’t they learn from what happened with early glocks losing their front sites from holster wear, why not use a painted white dot steel front site, can’t be that much more wholesale

  • RICK PHARRIS March 4, 2011, 12:53 am

    very nice gun.

  • JIM March 1, 2011, 6:37 pm

    Perhaps I missed it, but with all the information touting this “new” carry, the weight is yet to be mentioned. Also its comparative size is not particularly remarkable up against other market choices. Weight and performance [.380 hp DA at a ten foot distance is all that is needed] is the true test. The rest is more performance than required for the designed purpose; overkill; or over carry weight for up close personal protection [all that the law allows].

  • Cadfile March 1, 2011, 7:55 am

    Will they make it in a .45? I remember years ago when some people did a test with a 36 and it couldn’t go through the side window of a car. supposedly because the bullet could not achieve enough velocity in the short barrel. How does the PM/CM-9 do with the FBI standard penetration tests?

  • Edward King March 1, 2011, 5:18 am

    I’ve first had a Kahr P9 but my wife liked it so much she made it hers so I got a P40. Both have been trouble free after the 200 round break in that Kahr recommended be done. Great guns.

  • Spencer Parker March 1, 2011, 5:00 am

    I had one of these guns and it performed more or less flawlessly, but I could not shoot well with it. Switching back and forth between this and my 1911 made for some severe relearning every time. I finally had to sell it.

    • Spencer Parker March 1, 2011, 5:03 am

      a correction; I think the model I had was a CW-9, not the CM-9, but quite similar.

  • george murdock March 1, 2011, 2:00 am

    I owned the first pm9 on the market ser# 0003 never had a problem with any ammo. Just sold it in 2010 I wish i never did they are great guns i would stake my life on it. I will get the new CM9 as soon as they come out. They are great guns for carry.

  • Terry Veldboom March 1, 2011, 1:32 am

    Have owned a PM9 for years. Have shot IDPA matches with it. Not BUG matches, regular matches. Lots of reloading but this gun can shoot. No reason to back away from 35 yd. shots. Just a little slower to aim at that distance. As good a small gun as is available. I wear it every day strongside hip. MUCH easier to hit with that a J frame & better power.

  • Berne March 1, 2011, 1:02 am

    I have carried a CW9 for several years and love it, it is beyond comfortable as I carry IWB. As for accuracy I have shot a 146 in the IDPA classifier twice, so it will do the job if the shooter can.

  • Joe March 1, 2011, 12:01 am

    How does this compare to the new SIG P290?

    • Administrator March 1, 2011, 12:37 am

      thinner and slightly lighter

    • Treyscawk March 11, 2011, 11:23 pm

      It’s Thin?

  • Bodrie February 28, 2011, 10:55 pm

    I too have owne a P-40 for some time. I’ve been thinking of getting another for the wife. I’ll have to check this out when comes to a dealer here. I like to touch and feel.

    Bodrie

  • Wombat February 28, 2011, 9:56 pm

    I’ve owned the P-40 for a few years and love the damned little thing. Well worth the bucks! Kahr IS quality.
    And so is their Customer Service!
    Their changes to make the PM-9 affordibly within reach of all with the CM-9 is a BIG move!
    Everyone should own at least one Kahr!

  • J. McComas February 28, 2011, 9:10 pm

    I am glad they are selling this new pistol. I have a CW-9 and a CW-40. Both are very accurate and very reliable. I have put over 700 rounds through the CW-9 this year alone and over 800 through the cw-40. Not a single malfuntion.
    Thats saying alot.
    Keep up the great guns Kahr.
    Thanks to GA mag for the reiw.
    JM

  • FJ Crist February 28, 2011, 9:06 pm

    How would this CM9 compare to the Kimber Solo?

    • DT March 15, 2012, 11:56 pm

      The Kahr CM9 fires every time right out of the box.

      My Solo is still at Kimber being fixed.

  • J.Greenlaw February 28, 2011, 7:55 pm

    I purchased a Kahr CW9 the cousin of the CM9, the only difference is grip length and magazine capacity. I liked it with the exception of the fixed front sight. with all the different ammo i tried in it, at 7 yards it shot about 6 inches left of center and if i moved the rear sight to compensate i had to drift it so far i had to hold the pistol at an akward angle to hit center target. This may seem like a small criticisim for a close quarter pistol. But when one has 60 years of shooting experience, i found it difficult to change my grip to compensate for this problem. My Colt Commander has a fixed front sight and shooting it with several different brands at evengreater distances (25 yards) punches center target easily I sold the Kahr CW9 and am ordering a PM9 to me the 200.00 dollars is worth the upgrade.

  • John McKernan February 28, 2011, 6:40 pm

    ok

  • Jason Browne February 28, 2011, 6:03 pm

    So, what is the difference in the CM-9, and CW-9? I own a CW-9, and it seems the things that differentiated the CW-9 from the PM-9 are the same things that separate the same things that differentiate the PM-9 and CM-9.

    The grip is shorter on the CM and PM than the CW. Is this the only discernable difference?

  • Glenn Brown February 28, 2011, 5:51 pm

    I like this little gun ,how much is it?

  • Austin G. Bain February 28, 2011, 2:02 pm

    Nice little Pistol I like the 9mm cal.

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