Kahr K9 vs.MK9

J

Jhp147

New member
I shot the K9 vs. my J-frame tonight, and was quite stunned to see how much easier the hits came and the groups formed with the Kahr. To be quite honest, in MY hand it was not even a contest. I had shot one a few times, but never in a side-by-side against the 642. Is the smaller MK9 harder to shoot due to the shorter grip? I am seriously considering one to supersede the .38, but the MK9 is much more attractive for ankle and pocket wear. A search of past topics says the Kahrs in general are very well thought of by TFL'ers, I am just wondering if the MK is as easy to shoot as the K. No interest in the polymer gun, still too new, and is longer than the MK. Also, has anyone ever had one that WASN'T reliable? The 642 goes bang every time no matter what or where. All input appreciated. Can't believe I'm considering carrying anything other than a *&*, but that Kahr blew me away.

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When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; IT IS that they shall be destroyed forever...Psalms 92.7

[This message has been edited by Jhp147 (edited July 14, 2000).]
 
I have the K9, it's an early model (when no other models existed) and I love the darn thing though it won't shoot reloads though( early model has extremely tight chambers). I've seen the the MK9 and I like the smaller model, but I also a true beleiver on the idea of "the fuller your grip on the gun, the more control and accurate you will be"; so I'll stick to the orig K9. If you have to do concealment work, the MK9 might be for you, see if you can rent it first though. The K9 isn't that hard to conceal....Kahrs were designed for concealment.
 
your experience does not suprise me. my K40 is so much easier to group with than my DAO SP 101 or my Speed Six that it is not even funny. i find i must practice, practice, practice to even get close to the same results with a revolver fired double action that i do with any semiauto.
however, i do carry my revolvers for a number of reason under certain conditions. i have reached the conclusion that in a self defense situation i would "stage" the trigger of my DAO SP101 or thumb cock my Speed Six if i had time. i know this files in the face of the best advice concerning litigation after the fact. to that i say prove how i shot. i am not telling.
back to the subject the K9 or the K40 is not hard to conceal. the MK9 and MK40 is another ball of wax when it comes to shooting due to it's short grip. i always like the Kahr Covert with the short grip and the full length slide barrel. grip size is more important than slide length in concealment. i recommend renting and shooting both styles before buying anything.

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one. Luke 22-36
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.
 
Interesting posts, because they are contrary to my experience. I find myself being disappointed with my offhand accuracy from the K9 so two days ago I fired four five-shot groups at 25 yds. with it and followed with four groups from a M642 S&W. This was slowfire, two handed, at bullseyes. My average with the 16 oz M642 was close to one inch smaller than with the K9. The M642 hurt slightly with each 160 gr bullet sent down range. The 25 oz. Kahr was completely comfortable.

My opinion is that I shoot both DA revolvers and SA autos more accurately than DA autos.
 
Believe me, if I could rent one I would have already done so. None in the rental case. I want the gun to do pocket and ankle duty, so the smaller the better. A full K9 looks holster size to me, so the MK comes up. I am just skeptical that the shorter grip could be as easy to shoot well. I agree that the grip is the main part to consider in concealment for holster carry, but I don't think it's true with ankle carry. If it was for holster carry, I would have left the gun store with one, believe me. I now realize that this was the first time I shot the snub for groups with some Eagle SS grips, and they are too small for my hands. Guess I'll be posting them for sale soon. Still looking for somebody who has shot the K vs. MK side by side, and all comments thus far are appreciated anyway.
 
FWIW, I have a K40 Covert which has the shorter grip frame of the MK9. Though I have not shot it next to the standard K40 (or K9 for that matter) I can tell you that with middling large paws, even with the five round carry magazine (the 2nd, 3rd, etc carry an additional round and have an extension that negates the shortness of the grip), accuracy is quite good. (Acceptable for its size. I have not tested it extensively. It shoots better than I do so far.)

Muzzle flip is only noticable to me off-hand from my weak hand. For me this is a comfortable pistol to shoot.
 
Hi Jhp147:

I've had three Kahrs. My first was an electroless nickel K9, followed by a K40 Covert, followed by a Mk9. I liked the K9 but found it wasn't that much more concealable than my P7. So, I traded it for a K40 Covert. What a cannon. It was accurate and totally reliable but the recoil was sharp enough that it discouraged practice. I've put about 750 rounds through my Mk9 and I really like it. I was a bit more accurate with the full-sized K9 but for it's intended purpose, the Mk9 was just fine.
I have found it very reliable and I do look forward to shooting it. I think you'll be pleased. BTW, mine shoots anything but seems to like Corbon 115gr. JHP the best. Anyone else have comments on ammo for the Mk9?

Best,

Jeff
 
I own both a K9 and a MK9.

I shoot both guns about equally as well though I had to add skate board tape to the grip of the MK9. I just couldn't hold on to that slick plastic grip very well and the gun would move in my hand from shot to shot.

I have found that for IWB carry, the MK9 doesn't really provide that much of an advantage. In a good IWB holster, I can conceal the K9 with just an untucked t-shirt.

If you have a need for ankle carry, the nod would have to go to the MK9. The MK9 is too heavy for me to carry in a pocket.
 
I looked at both and split the difference: opted for a P7. The full grip fits my hand better yet the weight is not so close to a 12-pounder on a field carriage.
 
I like the idea of the P7, Oleg, but it appears to be as long in the slide as the K9. I am more in need of an ankle and pocket gun, like my 642. The length is probably a key factor for pocket and ankle, not for holster carry (yes, the long one would work better there I think). Also, I am always wary about buying any gun the first year or two they are out, let somebody else find the bugs, if any. The second generation is always improved, and since this polymer frame is so different, I kind of think of it as "first generation." I bet I wind up buying the MK, maybe I won't lose much if I don't like it and sell. These Kahrs are really interesting guns, though. Oops, almost forgot, I took the 642 back to the range and did some experimenting with the grips....bigger grips helped some, but what REALLY improved the groups was the black colored Marks-a-Lot I used on the stainless front sight. Groups shrank by one third immediately, and by then my hand was already hurting from the grip change experiments. In the weird range lighting, I realized that he sight was darn near disappearing. Next project: Have front sight milled off, add blued one or Ashley. Thanks for the input, too.

[This message has been edited by Jhp147 (edited July 17, 2000).]
 
I shoot my MK9 far better than my 642, and with much more comfort. I carry the MK9 with the 6 round mag with a Pearce grip extender, and my pinky fits on the grip just fine, despite big hands. I would choose the 642 for pocket carry and for a quick, stick-in-the-waistband gun (using a Clipdraw), but the MK9 disappears in an IWB and I carry it more often than the revolver.
 
Oleg, the HK P7 weighs 27.5 oz. The MK9 weighs 22.1 oz.

Were you referring to the Kahr P9?

If so, how do you like it? Is the recoil managable with the plastic grip?
 
I owned an Kahr E9 for a long time. Sold it for a Glock 26 for a lighter gun.

Two weeks ago I ran 150 rounds through my range's MK9.

What I can tell you is that although the MK9 is more compact from a carrying viewpoint, it is almost as heavy as the compact sized K9.

And that little puppy does have a pretty snappy recoil to it. It almost jumped out of my hand a couple of times.

I'd go with the larger K9. They are both quite easy to conceal.



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The Seattle SharpShooter - TFL/GT/UGW/PCT/KTOG
 
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