Anecdote on Kahr availability

[DavidR]

I went to my local big box retailer/range today, Shoot Straight in West Palm Beach. They’ve always carried Kahr. I bought a CW9 from them more than five years ago and a CT380 maybe two years ago.

Kahr never got prime display space at Shoot Straight, they were always displayed at the counter where you check in for the range and there are usually people standing in front of that counter checking in.

Today they were nowhere to be found. I looked at every counter and couldn’t find them. The place was mobbed so I didn’t ask anyone but I’m guessing they weren’t selling many so they dropped them. Kinda sad .

[King Rat]

I see that they seem to be sold out in many places on line. But who knows in the crazy internet world we live in. The internet Propaganda of small carry guns and light triggers and short resets seems to be the thing more and more. I talked to one owner of the LGS and he was telling me that so many newbies are coming up and asking him and his staff to show them the lightest trigger and of course you must have the shortest reset. Seems they believe that is how a gun is judged these day's. Many will describe any DAO as "A terrible Trigger". Does not seem to matter to them if it is one of the finest ever made. And of course the new fad now is HIGH Capacity. Seems if you do not have at least 10 rounds you are a walking Dead Man. And most would not dream of a gun that might require a break in of a couple of hundred rounds. Heck that is more than they will shoot in a year. But who knows where the new internet fads will go. I am sure for the present the triggers will get to around 4 lbs of pull and no wall. LOL, in fact I had a Ruger LC9S that was shot so often the Trigger was down to 4lbs and it honestly did not feel like there was a wall. Got to the point that I did not trust it. Even sent it up to Ruger but they did nothing. Traded it in for a Kahr Cm9 used and got a heck of a deal.
Yet, when I posted this on another forum. people thought I was crazy as they would love to have the light trigger. In fact one guy even boasted how he sent his in and got his to 3lbs of pull. And of Course, I am called a FUDD, but again, they do not even have a clue what a FUDD is.

[DavidR]

In full disclosure: I own a P365, love it and carry it more than anything else.

[berettabone]

You don't see many Kahr's in my area...…………………...never have. I am kind of astonished about the fact that up here, there are still people who have never heard of Kahr. You don't have to be a firearms expert, just being around firearms, they should have heard of Kahr. Many people are focused on the well known "big" manufacturers like S&W, Ruger, Kimber, H&K, Sig, etc. I'm actually surprised that there aren't more leg shootings with these light triggers, practicing faster draws for defense purposes. As has been mentioned, many of these owners do not shoot/practice much, making a light trigger even more risky, not to forget holstering. I've seen things at a range that made my hair stand up as far as holstering and shooting. IMHO, these super light triggers are nothing but a disaster waiting to happen. They should only be on serious target guns. Many shooters these days just don't have the experience with different types of firearm triggers to even have an opinion of what a "good" trigger is. I'm hoping that the general shooting public will come back to their senses as far as triggers go.

[oldtimer]

I like Kahr guns however the name itself seems to turn off many shooters, kahr does not get the press many firearms do so it may be just not getting word out. I would agree with the post above far too many shooters carrying triggers that are simply wrong for concealed carry, beware of home gunsmith triggers.

[skiflydive]

It's an axiom in retail/distribution that companies inventory what customers ask them for. People clamor for Glocks, Sigs, Rugers, etc because those are the brands they know. It's Kahr's fault IMHO. How much advertising do you see them do? An occasional 1/4 page with the latest prettification of an old standard. I haven't seen any advertising that would drive anyone to the store and say "I want one of those Kahr's." I haven't seen advertising for anything substantially new. I'm not sure why any business owner would stock expensive stuff nobody asks for by name. I did a lot of research before I decided on a CM9 (including a lot of time spent here) but I had to go to 3 LGSs before I found one to buy. I was in the largest LGS around yesterday and saw 3 Kahrs. All trade ins, all 40's, all pretty well buried under other brands, all pretty expensive. It's a shame. Great guns!

[I_Like_Turtles]

It's an axiom in retail/distribution that companies inventory what customers ask them for. People clamor for Glocks, Sigs, Rugers, etc because those are the brands they know. It's Kahr's fault IMHO. How much advertising do you see them do? An occasional 1/4 page with the latest prettification of an old standard. I haven't seen any advertising that would drive anyone to the store and say "I want one of those Kahr's." I haven't seen advertising for anything substantially new. I'm not sure why any business owner would stock expensive stuff nobody asks for by name. I did a lot of research before I decided on a CM9 (including a lot of time spent here) but I had to go to 3 LGSs before I found one to buy. I was in the largest LGS around yesterday and saw 3 Kahrs. All trade ins, all 40's, all pretty well buried under other brands, all pretty expensive. It's a shame. Great guns!

Kahrs are not common where I am.....I have only seen one Kahr in a gun store and that was like 1999 and I bought it. It was in the gun store a long time before I took the plunge. I have only had three friends ever own one and one of those friends had bought it from me.

Gunbroker seems to have a healthy dose of most models and I (hopefully) just now ironed out the shipping and insurance costs on the K9 I won the bidding on last week.

I think Glock, S&W, Sig, and Springfield dominate CCW where I live. For me though, the Kahr fills the "compact semi auto" niche very well. If I need larger it's a 1911 or Browning Hi Power.

[King Rat]

It's an axiom in retail/distribution that companies inventory what customers ask them for. People clamor for Glocks, Sigs, Rugers, etc because those are the brands they know. It's Kahr's fault IMHO. How much advertising do you see them do? An occasional 1/4 page with the latest prettification of an old standard. I haven't seen any advertising that would drive anyone to the store and say "I want one of those Kahr's." I haven't seen advertising for anything substantially new. I'm not sure why any business owner would stock expensive stuff nobody asks for by name. I did a lot of research before I decided on a CM9 (including a lot of time spent here) but I had to go to 3 LGSs before I found one to buy. I was in the largest LGS around yesterday and saw 3 Kahrs. All trade ins, all 40's, all pretty well buried under other brands, all pretty expensive. It's a shame. Great guns!

Kahr's fault? Maybe Kahr has a different Marketing or business strategy than other companies who have one goal, to just sell millions. Yes the world is full of new gun toting owners. Most do not know squat. Just walk into a LGS and listen to them. Many are driven by price. Does Ruger sell millions? You bet they do and they spend a fortune in Advertising. Who do you think actually Pays for those ads? The consumer pays out of his butt for them. Not in cost but in quality. Take a Ruger LCP, and they sell them like cell phones in a plastic bubble rap. How much doe the millions of ads for that gun go into each gun? Yes, Ruger customer service is top notch, even something not wrong with a gun and some clown will send it back. How much money and waste goes into a flagrant customer service? In all can be divided into the gun. I have a feeling Kahr and other manufactuers walk their own path. Happy with making a great quality firearm, keeping a good staff, and keeping things simple. And it seems to be a business that survives.
America is the land of MORE is better. All you can eat is better than a good healty fine dinner at a great restaurant. The Big Gulp is better than a standard size regular. A bucket of Popcorn is better than just a small bag. And More rounds in a gun with more mags is better for every day carry.
The crazy internet, full of tactical nonsense, sensationalism of every shooting, (just as bad as CNN but in a opposite way). FADS, gimmicks, HYPE. Meet Marketing, nothing but propaganda over and over. And the guy that walks into a LGS these days would not know a Kahr quality, from his ass. How many times have you seen a guy behind the counter actually break down a gun and show the difference?

Yep, not many people know about a Kahr and that seems fine with Kahr. Heck it is fine with me. I have news for you. Most popular does not mean BEST. And more rounds in a Magazine does not mean best.

Mega million ads, hype, fads, and the more is better never seems to stop. THE ART OF SELLING THE SIZZLE AND NOT THE STEAK seems to be the norm these days. More is better. NOT

[DavidR]

I wouldn’t say Kahr’s quality is any better, or any worse for that matter, than other manufacturers. We don’t have the data to know. All of them seem to have issues, especially with new designs. Of course we haven’t seen any new designs from Kahr ...

[King Rat]

I wouldn’t say Kahr’s quality is any better, or any worse for that matter, than other manufacturers. We don’t have the data to know. All of them seem to have issues, especially with new designs. Of course we haven’t seen any new designs from Kahr ...

Not sure there needs to be a new design. Something to be said in the KISS method. Kahr seems to have developed the near perfect design from the beginning. Maybe find a way to get the Pm series and the CM series closer together and a just have one price. All the benifits at a lower price. JMO.