CM9 vs the competition

[Starboard]

Howdy everyone, I'm new to kahrtalk although I've been spending a lot of time doing research here trying to pick the best summer carry pistol for My needs.

I purchased a CM9 at Cabelas last week for $419 before tax, not the best price around the country but by the time I added transfer fees, shipping and 8.9% local sales tax, I paid less than ordering it online and received it the same day.

The CM9 came in a cardboard box and not plastic case that others have shown. I really don't care about that anyway as I would rather have Kahr spending time and money on quality control.

I field stripped the pistol to prep as detailed on this site and found that it was indeed very tight to remove the slide stop, but after the slide was removed and inspecting the interior areas inside the slide I was amazed at the lack of tool marks! The machine work inside was some of the best I've seen on a production pistol, especially for one at this price point and also since the CM9 is advertised as having fewer Machining operations.

I looked at the competition and found that:
Beretta Nano, negatives where high bore axis, more weight, and unattractive.
S&W shield, not all that compact and hated the thumb safety.
Ruger LC9, too many nanny state features not all that compact.
Kel tec PF9, looked cheap , feels cheap, not a fan of the trigger.
Kimber solo, TOO expensive, awkward thumb safety

All in all The winner for Me was the CM9. The price was fair, it was nearly as compact as many 380 acp pistols, the weight was less than most in its class, and it has the best trigger for a pistol considering it intended use.

My only criticism of the CM/PM series pistols is the gap between the frame and magazine, I hope Kahr will address this issue in their next generation of pistols.

I will report back after my first range session with the CM9.

[jocko]

once u get the gun broken in right and more rounds down range u will forget about that little gap issue. It is what it is. what we expect sometimes is always not what we get. None of the guns u mentioned are in the same league as the cm9, ur price was fiar and in the ball park of most. not like ur doing it every day eiher. U hv espent the money, u hav ethe gun, sonow just shoot it like u stole it. give is some rounds down range before panicking with anythingin the first 200 rounds. kahrs are tight, their recoil springs are strong andneed to have osme rounds down range to get their desinged set. after a few hundred rounds, u will swear u have a totally different gun, IMO welcome aboard , this forum can help u with damn near any issue or question on ur kahr to.

[Starboard]

Jocko, Thank You for the welcome.

I think that if You weigh all the factors, And you want the most compact, lightest pistol at the best price with the best fire control system, The CM9 is at the top.

I wanted to add that on inspection I found none of the problems that others have mentioned such as sharp edges, the only sharp area I found was on the forward right hand side of the ejection port at the end of the little hooked area. Also The empty magazine ejects completely from the magazine well when the release is pressed. I never noticed a failure loading a round into the chamber using the hand over the slide method and that includes loading from full magazine with slide closed or open.

The magazine gap is not a huge issue to Me, I just feel it would eliminate the only criticism of an otherwise perfect product.

[bmbroker]

I have recently purchased and broken in two of the cm9s (my brother decided he had to have the first one). Both were flawless. Follow the recomended break in procedures. First, field strip and give it a good cleaning, then rack the slide around 500 times (drop the mag and it will rack and not lock open), then go shoot it. I usually shoot decent ammo for the first 100 rnds and then feed some cheaper. However, on the 2nd pistol I fed it crap from the get go and still had no probs. The trigger takes a little getting used to, but you will figure it out. I'm impressed with these little pistols. I've had more recoil from larger.

[Starboard]

I purchased 200 rounds of remington umc 115 grain jacketed hollow points to break it in with in addition to some 200 rounds of american eagle 115 FMJ I already have. I've been racking this thing as much as i can probably 500 times today and about the same right after I bought it. Need to get to the range but its hectic around here lately, probably take a day off next week to have some fun with it, i need a spare 6 round mag though.

[chrish]

Great decision on the Kahr. Of the list of your alternatives, the only one I probably would have given serious consideration to would be the Shield. I've looked at the others and not been overly impressed w/ any of them but the Solo. And while the Solo looks absolutely incredible, looks don't mean much when you are unreliable and some of the reviews are not particularly glowing in that respect.

Happy shooting! It'll get better the more rounds you can put downrange.

[jocko]

solo is i anice gun but u might as well callit a single actionsei, THEY DO.

[Starboard]

The shield would have been great if it were more compact. I looked at a lot of 380 autos too and the sig p238 and p938 were in the hunt but they are more $$. I like the Kahr better since it may ride in a pocket on occasion, and not sure having a safety is a advantage for pocket carry.

[JFootin]

Welcome to the CM9 Owners Club! :D Our official symbol is the wide grin smily because we are so happy with our purchase that we can't wipe the smile off our faces! So, here is your club badge.
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/Smilies/BigSmily.jpg

[Starboard]

Jfootin,
I will wear with pride!:D

:cheer2: AND My new don hume h715 just came in the mail from Kahr!!

[david8613]

the Rohrbaugh R9s are super nice and compact but way too expensive, and I also have noticed the grip is a little slippery for such a little gun shooting 9mm. my pm9 seemsto be just perfect in this category. small enough that you can pocket it but not too small you cant get a good grip on her...

[Starboard]

I've never seen a R9 in person, I heard they were painfull to shoot.

[CJB]

My only criticism of the CM/PM series pistols is the gap between the frame and magazine, I hope Kahr will address this issue in their next generation of pistols.


The gap is there by design, not oversight. I seriously doubt "it will be addressed" by Kahr.

Lets do some history, shall we? Justin Moon set out to design what he thought would be the ultimate carry, deep concealment pistol. Part of that design is the magazine "base" sticking out a little from frame.

Its there for two reasons - one is to allow adequate over travel, to make sure that the magazine is locked in place. The other reason, more importantly, is to make sure you can withdraw the magazine manually if the situation calls for it. That situation would be some failure to cycle properly, due to bad ammunition, that would require the magazine to be withdrawn wholly or partially from the frame, in order to clear the problem, and/or, load the next (good) round of ammunition.

The "gap" is there for a reason. It has to do with the breeding and genetic makeup of the pistol. What you consider a fault, is actually a feature, a good feature for a fighting pistol, especially a defensive fighting pistol of minimal size and weight.

[CJB]

Oh crap... nearly forgot...


WELCOME!~~~~

[Starboard]

CJB, Thanks for the Welcome.

Seems to Me John Browning Who some may agree was a fair firearms designer, Designed the M1911 ( with input from the US army) with a magazine that fits flush to the Frame. Most would agree the M1911 served us well in two world wars plus Korea and Vietnam. I"m sure a lot would agree that the M1911 is a true fighting handgun and it has the 100 years of history to back Up its reputation. I guess My point is That if they really thought having 1/8" of the magazine exposed to be critical in a gunfight, some gunsmith would have sawed off a portion of the mag well, but instead some have found an easier solution and glued or screwed a little rubber bumper to the bottom of the magazine.

Dont get Me wrong, Im very impressed with My CM9, And Justin Moon has a great design, It's his product, His company, It's his design philosophy, We choose to buy it or not and I have enthusiastically. I just prefer that the pistol works and looks good too.

[jocko]

I sent my PM9 mags off and had them totally blued like the dlc finsih, I hav ehad the same magaziner in thegun now for over 5 years and the finish is perfect. If the gap is there, which it is, u can't see it for it blends in with the black polymer grip.

IMO. to much to do about nuttin, I can find a fault in any gun out there, might be piddly like this grip thing but I can do it. They are what they are, we except it or we modify it or we don't buy it..

[LorenzoB]

...My only criticism of the CM/PM series pistols is the gap between the frame and magazine...

Welcome Starboard! Nice review.

I am sure some of you (that know about my little project) are tired of hearing about it, but Starboard is new here, and mentioned the magazine base, so here I go again...

I designed a magazine base plate that matches the bottom of the grip better, and CNC machined it out of aluminum. It will be hard black anodize finish. I made it for my CW9, but I am 99% sure it will work on the PM/CM9's. My gap is much smaller and it feels really good in the hand. I have two side notches for the thumb and forefinger to grab onto if the mag needs to be pulled out, yet it doesn't add any height to the gun (actually I think it might add .015 or something negligible like that). Because it doesn't have abrupt or "sharp" edges, I think it would print less in a pocket or under a thin shirt.

I've been working on this on and off for months as I have spare time, and it is almost done. Innitially I did it for myself, but the tooling costs were higher than expected, so I thought I might sell a few (at other's suggestion) to recover some of those costs.

I will post something as soon as I have something to show you all.

[Snidely Whiplash]

Welcome, Starboard. I thought the gap was a little odd, too, but I've gotten used to it and it never has caused me any problems. Granted, I haven't shot nearly so many rounds through my CM9 as Jocko has shot through his PM9, but then, I'm probably MUCH younger... :D

[david8613]

lorenzo show some pics sounds nice?

[Starboard]

Welcome Starboard! Nice review.

I am sure some of you (that know about my little project) are tired of hearing about it, but Starboard is new here, and mentioned the magazine base, so here I go again...

I designed a magazine base plate that matches the bottom of the grip better, and CNC machined it out of aluminum. It will be hard black anodize finish. I made it for my CW9, but I am 99% sure it will work on the PM/CM9's. My gap is much smaller and it feels really good in the hand. I have two side notches for the thumb and forefinger to grab onto if the mag needs to be pulled out, yet it doesn't add any height to the gun (actually I think it might add .015 or something negligible like that). Because it doesn't have abrupt or "sharp" edges, I think it would print less in a pocket or under a thin shirt.

I've been working on this on and off for months as I have spare time, and it is almost done. Innitially I did it for myself, but the tooling costs were higher than expected, so I thought I might sell a few (at other's suggestion) to recover some of those costs.

I will post something as soon as I have something to show you all.

You gotta love American Ingenuity! Thanks for posting. I believe That every Manufacturer, (and In this Case a Firearms manufacturer) In order to stay competitive will constantly be improving their products, and I'm certain Kahr is one of those manufacturers.

[aKahrt_and_p2KT]

My parents and sister picked up solos because they could but carry kahr 380s if anything (my mon has a p238). The solo is nice but I could do much better with the money and end up with a compact 45.

I like my Cm9 even though it's taking some work to get use to shooting.

[itsthelaw]

I have shot most of the guns on your initial list (and some others) and own 2 CM9s. The others DO NOT compare to overall concealability. The trigger on the Kahrs is special and perfect IMHO for carry also. I have no idea why anyone would care about the base of the mag, but assume it is an aesthetics thing for some. Both of my CM9s have been flawless, and I would trust them with my life.

Welcome to the board and to Kahr ownership. I predict that you will find yourself in awe of this fine handgun as you put more rounds down range. They just keep getting better! :D