KAHR CM9
5/12/2011
When a KAHR CM9 finally arrived at the shop I was anxious to take a look at it. As expected, it looks like a great little gun. In a nut shell, it's a small CW9.
If you are not familiar with KAHR Arms visit their web site to see their complete line of handguns. They offer a mind numbing 70 models so I won't begin to list or describe them except to say that all of their models have similar characteristics such as clean simple lines and un-cluttered function. Basically they offer steel & polymer frame guns in 5 barrel lengths.
The CM9 is CM = "Concealed Weapon, Polymer Frame & Stainless Steel Slide, 3.0" Barrel" in you guessed it 9MM.
The upside of the C series is price. It's has some streamlined production processes that reduce the price such as button vs forged rifling, staked front site vs dovetailed, etc..
I own and often carry a KAHR PM40 which is PM="
Polymer Frame, 3" Barrel" in 40S&W. It's a great gun all the way around but expensive because the P series does not have the streamlined production processes.
It's hard to write about any gun without making some comparisons and voicing some opinions. I love Ruger products but I have to admit that I was disappointed when the LC9 rolled out. It wasn't so much the gun as it was the hype that proceeded it. The new "MUST HAVE" gun. The new had not even worn off the Taurus 709 yet and we get another 9MM the same size. Almost couldn't contain myself. Kel-tec's PF-9 has been out there for how long? I will say that Ruger did a great job on the LC9 and smart design made it the grown up version of ever popular the LCP.
Personally, I prefer the 40S&W simply because you gain 20% in horsepower with a very small sacrifice in size. But if a 9MM is your cup of tea, the CM9 is a lot of muscle in a very small package.
So for the sake of comparing sizes and calibers (9 & 40), I had to put together this little table. And before you start screaming that I left out this brand or that, save your breath. This is not a poll, it's not a definitive chart of the "Gun You Must Have". It's a simple comparison because of the intro of the CM9. Sure there are lots more options and brands but there are only so many hours in a day.
| Ruger | KAHR | Kel-Tec | Taurus | ||||||||
| SR9C | LC9 | LCR 38 | LCR 357 | CW40 | CW9 | CM9 | PM40 | PF-9 | 709 | 704 | |
| Weight | 23.4 | 17.1 | 13.5 | 17.1 | 18.7 | 17.7 | 15.9 | 17.7 | 12.7 | 19.0 | 19.0 |
| Length | 6.85 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.36 | 5.9 | 5.42 | 5.35 | 5.85 | 6.0 | 6.24 |
| Height | 4.61 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.62 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.53 | |
| Width | 1.27 | .90 | 1.28 | 1.28 | .94 | .90 | .90 | .94 | .88 | .925 | |
| Capacity | 10+1 | 7+1 | 5 | 5 | 6+1 | 7+1 | 6+1 | 5+1 | 7+1 | 7+1 | 7+1 |
| MSRP | $525 | $443 | $525 | $575 | $549 | $549 | $565 | $786 | $333 | $483 | $483 |
Then apples to apples (9MM Only)
| Ruger | Kahr | Kel-Tec | Taurus | |
| LC9 | CM9 | PF-9 | 709 | |
| Weight | 17.1 | 15.9 | 12.7 | 19.0 |
| Length | 6.0 | 5.42 | 5.85 | 6.0 |
| Height | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.53 |
| Width | .90 | .90 | .88 | .925 |
| Capacity | 7+1 | 6+1 | 7+1 | 7+1 |
| MSRP | $443 | $565 | $333 | $483 |
Now we just play the "wait see game" for the LC40, the CM40 and the over do SR40C.
Bill Wade
Last Modified: Thursday, August 18, 2011 2:01 PM