All posts tagged Kahr 45acp magazines

Pocket Carry Options keep expanding but not everyone considers it

I never tKahr Magazineshought about carrying a pocket gun when I first started carrying a Colt 1991A1 and a Beretta 92FS.   At first I started out with a should holster but when summer came, fanny packs or small of the back were the only good options although I did try IWB with the Colt 1991A1 for a little while.   Most people think of pocket guns as 32acp or 380 but I have to make the Official Announcement that that era is far over.   There are so many durable 9mm pocket guns and Kahr Firearms has been extremely popular for 9mm pocket guns.  The .380 ballistics have come such a long way that it’s not what it once was.

Not enough people consider pocket carry and we hear about it every day in our store.   People are always having trouble picking a holster out but pocket holsters seem to be very generous as far as fit and it’s not that hard to find a good one. The Ruger LC9 was popular but we see more people buying the Smith & Wesson Shield and Kahr is always a given.  We do sell magazine holsters that will work for Kahr Magazines like the Kahr PM9 and I highly recommend carrying them.   There are several pocket holsters from Elite Survival Systems as well as revolver speed loader and single magazine pouches.

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And the most popular concealed carry firearm

According to all of our holster requests are hands down Kahr firearms.  I don’t have a ton of experience with these firearms, but I will say that they are the smallest 9mm handgun that I would ever consider carrying.  I find them to be a little too harsh to shoot for that size, but depending on the on the circumstances I would not feel under gunned with one of these.   I actually first found out about the Kahr firearms from a retired Law Enforcement Official that work in the NYPD for 3 years.   He was the first person I ever met that actually carried two firearms, and  one was a Kahr PM9.

The .380 is a buzz, but every time I look at the ballistics of the firearm, I just cringe.   If I’m going to carry a gun, the 38 Special is the smallest caliber I will carry, but the Kahr PM9 and some spare Kahr Magazines fill my pockets.   I have several friends that pocket carry these firearms and 6 or 7 rounds of 9mm and a spare magazine is not minimal.  Maintenance on the firearms is not different than any other,  it is always wise to keep up with your recoil spring replacement and magazine rotation.

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Regardless of all of those .380 pistols out there

And I’m sure many of you own the Ruger LCP and LCR guns by now, but the Kahr .380 pistols are still in the top 3 as far as parts, magazines and holsters for .380 firearms.   I  own a few Walther PPK handguns but mostly for the nostalgia.   I personally think there are a lot of firearms that people own just because they like them and not because they are all that great of a gun.   There are many firearms in that CCW market that are almost like sports cars, they sit in peoples driveways or garages and get worked on, but they never go out on the street and on occasion, get taken to the race track.

Everyone and their dog is making a .380 pistol now, but the ballistics have not really changed that much and from my real world experience, I won’t carry anything smaller than a 38 Special.   Kahr firearms and Kahr magazines are still the number one selling CCW gun and magazines we see moving.  Their 9mm are very reliable and the prices are pretty good considering what you get from them.   There are a few older models that you might want to avoid, but the stuff they have out now very good for the price.

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The .380 may be lighter and easy to carry but

Don’t forget that the .380 ballistics are something to be aware of if you are protecting your life.    There has been plenty of documented shootings by police and the military involving 9mm stopping power and the statistics are not very good, as a matter of fact, handguns are not very effective when it comes to stopping people in their tracks.  There are varying degrees of this, but the .380 guns that are ever so popular these days need to be looked at more than once.   Sure a gun is better than no gun in a hostile situation, but many firearms especially 9mm guns are smaller, lighter and more reliable than ever.

The Ruger LCP is hands down the most popular and sought after gun for our white collar CCW holders.  Kahr guns are still going strong though because once you actually take those calibers to the range, there is a drastic difference in penetration.   Kahr firearms are really tough and probable the #2 most popular CCW makers as of now, Kahr magazines aren’t too bad in pricing either.  The Kahr PM45 is an excellent CCW 45acp for anyone that wants something smaller than a Sig 220, XD 45 or 1911 firearm.   You do have to pay attention to your round counts with these firearms and replace your recoil springs when recommended.

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Kahr firearms and .380 pistols

I remember the first time I ever shot a .380 pistol and it was an NAA Guardian gun.   They seemed so small that my initial impression was it was just a step up from a fly swatter.   I’ve done some not so scientific ballistics tests on metal fence posts and saw the penetration differences between a .38 Special and a 9mm, and there is a substantial difference between those calibers and penetration.  The .380 is practically a 38 Special short and people need to be realistic when they want to consider what a firearm engagement will be with a pocket pistol such as this.   Worrying about accuracy ans sights on this gun IMHO is pointless because this is the type of firearm that will only stop a threat if it’s put into the main reactor of the Death Star or  you unload the whole  thing and hope the bad guy isn’t wearing body armor.

I have shot a lot of Kahr firearms and I think the 9mm pistols are very well made and I see no reason to change the caliber to a smaller one when the 9mm already fit in your pocket.   Kahr magazines are what you want to use in the gun and I would not compromise on this issue with a concealed carry firearm.  There is  nothing wrong with having range magazines so you don’t wear out your primaries, but it’s mostly only with 1911 firearms would I stray from factory magazines.   If you have a semi-auto that holds 5-7rds and can carry a backup magazine,  and you’ve done some training, you should be good to go.

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Does a small semi-auto CCW gun mean more fragile?

It sure use to mean that, but pocket guns have come a long way.   Defensive ammo has gone a long way in recent years and the 38 special ammo your grandfather used in Law Enforcement is not the 38 Special you have today.    I did some chrono tests with a Smith & Wesson Model 19 and the  feet per second velocity between that and j-frame Model 637 was dramatic.   I was breaking 1000ft per second with the j-frame and it really literally blew me away.   I always thought that having a 4 inch barrel on a gun meant that it was shooting a load faster, but not the case with these two guns.

A friend of mine told me that everything he thought he knew about ballistics was thrown out the door when he got his first Chronograph and I agree.   I also though that because a gun fit in my pocket that it had to be weaker.  I am still trying to unlearn what I had learned with pocket guns, but another buddy of mine did some ballistic tests where he proved that his 32acp penetrated ballistic gelatin as well as a 38 special.   While there is definitely some variations in results from firearms, the ammo you put in your Kahr PM9 and the 6rd or 7rd Kahr magazines that you are using, may be far more potent than you realize.   The Kahr firearms are probable one of the most durable small guns out there and they have had several improvements over the years that put them above their competitors.

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Pocket guns with firepower

Kahr firearms has made some real grounds in the CCW world.  Whenever I talk to some of my shooting buddies about what type of gun I should consider carrying it always ends up being J-Frames, Kahr and then something else.   I never really jumped on the pocket semi-auto bandwagon, but I would have to say that many of my friends have had very good experieneces with Kahr firearms.   My only real interest in buying there products would be one of the M1 Carbines from Auto-Ordnance but I’m not sure if that really counts.    The Sig 239 has turned out to be my primary small semi-auto but I have to admit that even though it fits in a pocket, it is still too heavy to carry there.

Kahr firearms come in the popular .380 caliber, 9mm, 40 S&W and the potent 45acp.  I think the idea of a pocket 45acp is a good idea, but I highly suggest you do some reasearch into how often you will need to replace recoil springs.  Many small semi-autos need more lubrication and spring maintenance and this will play a major factory in gun magazine and recoil spring reliability.  The smaller the gun, the more you will have to be concerned about limp wristing, also.   Kahr magazines are in the $30 price range, but I would seriously consider keeping atleast 3 of them for each gun you own.

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Smaller doesn’t mean easier

Kahr magazinesI’ve got my credentials from the NRA to teach students, but it wasn’t for any financial gain or to be a full time teacher.    The real reason I got into training was because of all of the bad instruction I’ve witnessed from untrained teachers.   I’ve seen guys show up with their girlfriends and basicall load up a handgun to full capacity and begin their first experiences on the firing line by telling them to “rack the slide”.    I believe I’ve seen that type of firearm instruction one too many times, and I believe i’ve seen it atleast 3 times.   The female has her finger on the trigger while she fearfully tries to pull back on the slide and sometimes instantly jams the gun.  The first time I saw this happen there were shooters  on a firing line on both sides and I just stood there shaking my head.  Not only are we going to see an accident about to happen, but this girls first experience wasn’t going to be a good one.   I know now to be more assertive and speak up when I see stuff like that, but luckily there were no major mishaps.

Every other time I saw the same type of behavior I spoke up and got involved.  I’m not going to bash women because I’ve gone shooting with plenty of females that were shooting up to 600yds with 308 rifles so don’t think I’m trying to say that women can’t handle recoil.   I’m not one to say that you have to start a new shooter out on a 22LR pistol, just don’t load it up to full capacity the first time someone is pulling the trigger.    I had a Kahr MK40 with 2 Kahr magazines with me and a Beretta 96.   I asked a friends girlfriend which gun looked like it had more recoil and she thought the Beretta 96 did.   I told  her that if she was afraid of recoil at first, that the bigger gun actually kicked less and the smaller firearm, more.   She started out shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with 38 Specials and worked her way up to a 1911 that day, and I could tell by the smile on her face that she wasn’t afraid of shooting firearms.

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