Okay guys, time for a fact injection into this discussion.
First, the failure rates discussed here are completely false. It is important to remember that the PM9 is Kahr's number one selling pistol. You can see that reflected on the forum when you look at the most popular tags. The PM9 is always one of the top two. I know from a very reliable source that the return rate on PM9s has been FAR LOWER than .5%. Not FIVE percent, but point FIVE. That includes any possible returns for any reason, including order issues unrelated to the product. We all know that many guns return to manufacturers that have absolutely nothing wrong with them.
Second, the taper on the nose was added at the request of LEA customers, for better holster compatibility. If you wear a holster a bunch, you will know that even slight tapering on the nose of a pistol greatly helps to smooth insertion into the holster.
Third, to make up for the lost slide mass, the slide (and by necessity the barrel) lengths were increased by .1 inch. Very, very little, but important in keeping the mass the same for reliable cycling.
Fourth,
no price increase.
Please do not believe everything you read on gun blogs and forums. This stuff gets circulating and becomes much like the telegraph/phone game my daughter plays in Kindergarten. You know, where they sit in a row and the first person tells the second something, then the second passes it to the third, etc. By the time it gets to the end, the story has very little to do with how it started. I would venture to say sometimes the little kids are better at keeping the facts straight than adults on the Internet.
Hope that helps guys!
John