I've been looking for a metal framed Kahr for a while. I have a P9 and a CW9 but I never see the K, MK, or T series in my local shops. Well, I stopped in to a local hardware store/gun shop that gets a lot of used guns. Living in a retiree area is good for that. Lo and behold, there it was. Sitting in the used case was a lonely K9. It appeared to be brand new---only sign of it ever being fired was a little brass rub on the breech face. It was obviously never carried. No scratches, no dings, even the rubber grips looked like new. Shop was asking $499 firm. I didn't have the cash on me and hate to use credit cards for gun purchases, so I left to return another day.

I came back later in the week and traded my 2nd Generation Glock 30 for it. I had to pony up an additional $150, but I'm OK with that since I never really used the G30 anyway. The K9 came with one magazine and no case, but that's also OK because I have a few P9 mags AND a for my P9 before I put a CT Laserguard on it. No manual, of course, but those are $5 from Kahr.

I haven't fired it yet, but I field stripped it and it's absolutely pristine. There isn't even any wear on the mag follower. Serial number indicates it was made in 1997. Looks absolutely like brand new.

First impressions upon cleaning and doing a bit of polishing? The build quality is top notch. There are no evident tool marks anywhere. The slide to frame fit is as tight as some custom 1911s I've seen. The trigger pull is even better than the P9, and I hold that as the standard for DAO pistols. Disassembly was different than the P9 but some nice folks on FB helped me figure that out.

I will eventually buy the wood grips from Kahr. Any input on the merits of checkered vs smooth?

I also need a holster. I would like a nice leather holster for this one---it's too nice for Kydex. Will a K9 fit a P9 or CW9 holster?