Auto Ordanance by Kahr..??

R

RH Factor

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I looked at a Auto Ordanance today that said it was made by Kahr. Does anyone have any opinions on this gun. The one I saw held 7 rounds..but the gun store said it will be getting in the 10 rounders this weekend. I've heard pro's and con's on this gun..but now that Kahr is involved..with the frame building I assume, I wondered if this might be an inexpensive entry level gun ($440.00) that could be built on later?
Thanks
RH Factor
 
I bought a Charles Daly for 400$ and got more gun for my dollars than an Auto-Ordnance could give me. I also had a 300$ paperweight that Auto-Ordnance called a gun that left a bad taste in my mouth where their guns are concerned. Things may be different now, but Kahr will have to let me try one before I'll buy one.
 
Actually...

...it's not so much "made by Kahr" as "made by a company that Kahr bought".

Dunno if Kahr's implemented any changes, but for years now the Auto Ordnance has been pretty low on the 1911 food chain. Mostly complaints about low-quality steel and small parts breakage.
 
Actually Tamara, if you bought one of the old ones and it merely broke small parts, then you got one of the good ones. Mine (bought in 1990) was a total POS that wouldn't even feed ball! In addition there was enough tool marks on it that you could have used it to sand a swelled door frame down.
 
1911forum.com is down right now, or I'd suggest posting your question there. If you'll take my word for it I can tell you comments there have been all bad on the Kahr 1911. Bad construction, ill fitting parts, same old story as A.O.. I was waiting most of last year as they postponed release of this gun. It appears Kahr still produce several models of the A.O. design. If they would have concentrated on a quality 1911a1 knockoff for $500 they could of sold a ton of em. Ibought a S.A. milspec. I suggest you do the same.
 
I have held one of the new AO 1911's and it does not seem to be much of an improvement. The finish was parkerized, but it was uneven and splotchy. The fit of the slide to the frame was government issue loose and the barrel had the loosest fit of any 1911 I have ever seen.
 
Hmmmm. That is surprising and sad to hear. With the quality of Kahr arms as they are, I was hoping when they took over AO..
things would change. Too bad...

Shoot well
 
I'm going to guess that things will get better with time. I don't see Kahr buying AO and still making bad guns. Where's the profit motive?

Here's to hoping that things get better in the future...
 
Supposedly...

...an acquaintance of mine, when asking the folks at Kahr if they were going to improve QC and materials on the Tommy Guns, was told that "no, our first priority is the 1911's".

Hopefully there'll be results from that priority soon.
 
I handles a new AO, yesterday. Considering the press that was lavished on the "complete retooling", etc., the the gun seems just like the old, West Hurley guns. I would definitely spend an extra $50 on a Colt M1991A1.
 
Don't know about them now that Kahr has taken over, but AO used to be known as a jammatic. Even the gun rags were knocking them. I remember when they came out with something called a Pit Bull (kind of like an Officer's ACP). Turned out to be a money pit. That said, I believe with Kahr in charge things can only improve. Problem is, you probably won't see many new reviews in gun mags because it's still the same brand and pretty much the same models. Let's hope they do well. I've heard a lot of good things about Charles Daily pistols, by the way.
 
The 1990-vintage AO I referred to jammed not only because of a badly warped extractor, but also because of severe tooling gouges inside the chamber. Replacing the barrel and extractor with GI units allowed it to run okay, but the thing was a never pride of my then-meager collection. If I remember correctly I paid about $325 or so for it. If the new ones are selling for only $50 or so less than a Colt I'd say Kahr is going to have a hard time selling them. Like most here I want to see and test one before I even consider suggesting it to people.
 
FWIW, the new "Shotgun News" has an article on budget-priced
1911's that had a decent review on the AO/Kahr .45. The jist of
the article said the new ones were decent guns, now, bud were
MILSPEC, although they apparently ran some Remington hollowpoints through it without a problem.

ANM
 
I read Walt Raulch's article, and in there he admitted there were several FTF's with his test sample but played them down.

C'mon! A modern 1911 should feed nearly anything, even most JHP's. The cheap Norincos sure did, and they cost what? $279?
 
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