Evening Discussion

I’ve been having so much fun seeing the various Candle-light vigil pictures. Nice to see what people chose to photograph and how they composed their shot. What surprised me most of all was how many people had the primary/backup/light carry setup of an M1911 of some sort and a Kahr Arms Polymer of some sort.

Here’s my 5″ Stainless House gun (My primary carry is my Scandium Commander) and my Kahr PM45

Wally mocked up the above picture with his own guns, but in 9mm

Essentially the same guns, but a Norinco M1911 in .38 Super, and a Kahr P9.

Of course Wally and I aren’t the only ones, seems a LOT of people have a little plastic Kahr backing up an all-metal 1911.

I carry a Kahr because I find them to be the smallest, lightest pistols for what they do, and they have a VERY agreeable trigger, and zero extraneous safeties or “Safety features”.

But meanwhile I carry my 1911 because I’m so invested in the gun that it would be foolish, and pointless to switch to something else. But while the 1911 is one of the slimmest pistols on the market, they exposed hammer/beavertail makes the gun longer than it needs to be, and the gun has not only a drop safety but a thumb safety AND a grip safety.

Seems a bit of a contrast, and I was curious how all my other brothers of the Kahr came to settle on that combination.

This entry was posted in Guns, Safety, Self Defense. Bookmark the permalink.

0 Responses to Evening Discussion

  1. Wally says:

    I agree the Kahr does it right, simple, straightforward, and no nonsense.

    My uncle carried a P40 for a while and he got me convinced to try it. I got a great deal on the P9 and fell in love. It was my first polymer, and my first striker fired. My prior carry gun was a sig P239 which was instantly retired once I used the P9.

    That set me down a long road, but I have remained striker/polymer EDC for many many years now. Not always with the Kahr, but it is no deeper than #2 on the roster !

  2. Jack says:

    Similar reasoning.
    Speaking as another 1911 and Kahr carriers:

    I liked the 1911 pattern. For the slim size and all metal and simplicity of design. There’s also that my father carried/carried a 1911 too. Also being over 6-2 I can carry a 1911 in most any weather so there wasn’t much of an issue with the overall length.

    For the Kahr I was looking for something in 45 that would be small enough to pocket carry. And the PM45 is about the smallest. I was also turned on by the trigger pull and the very robust and simple design.

    (Look at the trigger and number of parts on an M&P, that thing is a nightmare to take apart. Just look at the slide stop retaining “staple” Now functionally it is a very reliable design, and Apex mods can make the trigger run really good.)

    But I still have to say for a polymer design, Kahr has a great combination of trigger pull, reliability, weight, and take down simplicity.

  3. Paul B. says:

    I hate shipping out of NYC. The one place where everyone knows that personal safety would be supplemented by concealed weapons, and I’d be a felon for carrying them. No candlelight pictures for me, but I’m thoroughly enjoying everyone else’s.

  4. Calm Gun says:

    I’ve been anxious to purchase a Kahr but have frequently talked myself out of it. The few I have shot functioned well and I must confess it is the first firearm I’ve been reasonably impressed with that I could not purchase. There’s no reasonable explanation with the possible exception that in a former life, someone named Kahr spit on my feet.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      As the imp on your shoulder, I advise you to have a look at the pricetag on a CW9 or a CM9 (or .40 if that’s how you roll, and they make a CW45 which isn’t exactly a pocket gun….frankly for belt carry if I was buying a .45 that big I’d rather grab a glock 30, 36, or a XD or M&P compact.)

      But yeah the big balking point is the price of the Kahrs….I think they’re worth it, but the CW/CM series remedies that.

  5. Old NFO says:

    I have both 1911 and a Kahr P-9, because the grip angle is the same, and it’s an easy carry for pocket and/or summer carry, where a 1911 is NOT a pocket pistol

  6. maddmedic says:

    I like my Kahr CW9 due to it’s size and function.
    Remove from holster..
    Pull trigger..
    Hear, feel bang…
    Repeat..
    Simple, small and nice..
    Am lusting after PM9 though…
    Sigh..

  7. weambulance says:

    I don’t carry a 1911 primary anymore, but a Kahr P9 is my backup to a Glock 17 Gen 4. It’s too big for pocket carry so it’s typically worn at 1 to 1:30 in an AIWB holster. The Kahr doubles as my deep concealment gun, in which case I’ll wear it at 4 o’clock in a normal IWB holster (Comp-tac MTAC).

    It’s light, unobtrusive, slim, chambered in 9mm like the Glock, and most importantly, I already owned it when I decided to start carrying a backup pistol. I like the Kahr quite a bit, though the muzzle twitch in dry fire is a little strange. The trigger is nice, and I can make good torso hits on an IDPA target out to around 20 yards (I’m a mediocre to poor shot past 20-25 yards). The only thing that would make me like my Kahr more is a cheaper magazine.

    If I do start carrying my 1911s again, it’ll be a choice between the Kahr P45 and the Glock 36. I want at least ammo compatibility between my guns.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      The P45 is smaller, lighter, and holds as much as the Glock…also you can buy extended magazines for the P45. Also I think the P45 is a bit cheaper. Certainly the CW45 is.

  8. Pingback: Lighting a candle | Gun Nuts Media

  9. Pingback: Lighting a candle | GunCrunch

Leave a Reply to Weerd Beard Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *