After much deliberation and poring through many helpful posts here, I purchased a new PM9 -- the 9093A model with two mags. I bought an additional magazine and added a Pearce pinky extension which I then ground down to about 1/3 the size. Giving me one stock mag with metal baseplate, one modified Pearce, and one 7-round.
I also added three layers of bicycle tire tube to the grip, building it up a little more toward the butt end and creating a little bit of natural texturing on the front where the rubber bunched up just a tad. The felt improvement to grip and comfort was immense.
I performed the recommended clean-n-lube then spent a couple of weeks cycling snap caps and dry-firing. Started the 500-slide-rack trick but probably didn't get past 50.
Finally got to the range yesterday along with another brand-new pistol -- a Sig SP2022 that I impulse-bought out of nostalgia for the P226 I sold in the 90's and have missed ever since. I was fully prepared for the break-in headaches that the internet tells me are inevitable with small Kahrs, especially with the 115gr range-grade ammo (CCI Blazer) I was mostly using.
And... nothing. Not a single problem. I shot about 100 rounds of the CCI and another 20-30 hollowpoints, using all three magazines, without a single hiccup of any kind. The real kicker? The Sig (also freshly cleaned and lubed), by all accounts an exceptionally reliable, overbuilt design, suffered about 10 FTFs in the first few mags. It just did not want to cycle at first! Then it smoothed out and performed as flawlessly as the Kahr.
Of the three mags, I shot the one with the modified Pearce most accurately. Seemed to shoot a little high with the stock 6-rounder, for some reason. I had zero problems controlling it with a two-finger grip, but the different use of my finger muscles compared with the three-finger grips resulted in high shots somehow.
Overall, starting about 10 yards out the Kahr was noticeably less accurate than the Sig, which shouldn't be a surprise. But at 5-7 yards I was putting everything in a five-inch radius or so at a medium pace.
The trigger pull was delightfully glassy and the perfect weight, though, yes, the break is slightly too far back for my medium-size fingers. And it was a sweet shooter even with defensive ammo -- no appreciable difference in recoil or muzzle flip from the much larger and heavier Sig. Slightly LESS sharp, I would say, than my Glock 19 or the P365 I rented last time I was at the range.
Cleaned the PM9 after and takedown was already much lower-effort after just one range session. Overall I'm very impressed with the quality and performance of this firearm.
