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Kahr PM9 recoil??

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L-Frame

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I was wondering what kind of recoil a Kahr PM9 has with decent combat loads? Being only a 14-15 oz gun how would it compare to a J-frame airweight? I'm thinking about one but am unsure whether to get the polymer or steel frame gun.

Thanks for the help.
 
What do you call a combat load? I've shot Winchester Ranger's 147Gr +p's to Speed Gold Dot LE 124 Gr +p without any noticeable recoil. The pistol has recoil of it's own so you have to learn to control it.
 
I have a CM9 I feel the recoil is less than a j frame. I find the recoil manageable for follow up shots and find it more accurate than I would have figured.
 
It is less than pleasant--hardly a range gun. That being said, I could put hundreds of shots through it if I absolutely had to. That's not the case with an airweight J-frame with hot rounds.
 
I own both a PM9 and an older J frame Smith M 37.
I can easily say that I find the Smith extremely uncomfortable firing 158 grain non plus P ammo at the range and believe me it does not take many five round cylinder refills to make me want to give it up.
My Kahr PM9 is an absolute joy to shoot.
And I have more than once fired two full boxes of 50 round count ammo at the range without issue.
I am no physical power house either at nearly 60 years of age and not that large of a guy.
And I can shoot far better with my PM9 at any distance far better than I can my J frame.

I am not sure what is defined by another poster as a range gun.
I simply love my PM9.
 
I shoot better with my PM9 with 124gr +P ammo than I do with my 642 J-Frame with .38 standard ammo. I think the high bore axis of the revolver was the difference. Neither is pleasant to shoot for long.
 
Love the way my PM9 shoots and soaks up the recoil well, for such a small package. I too feel its a joy to shoot, compared to a J framed revolver, which BTW I no longer own one. LM
 
Thanks for the opinions. Since it would be an IWB gun and not a pocket gun it would probably make more sense to get the steel frame instead of the polymer. Decisions, decisions.
 
I had one a year ago and loved it. The recoil was manageable and by no means stout to me; I shot it quite well and thought it to be a nice carry pistol. I wound up selling it and regret it. I'd take it over my 442 if given the chance again.
 
L-Frame said:
Thanks for the opinions. Since it would be an IWB gun and not a pocket gun it would probably make more sense to get the steel frame instead of the polymer. Decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...

Once I realized that my PM9 was destined for IWB carry, I went with a Walther PPS instead. It's every bit as thin as a PM9, if not thinner--and it's far, far nicer to shoot.
 
I have said before that my pm9 is not much fun but, I shoot it (and my other guns) a lot and have gotten used to it (and more accurate).
I generally will shoot a box of wwb with it one or two times a week and some golden sabre 124g (my carry) every couple of weeks.
I like my other guns better for just shooting but they wont fit in my front pocket in an uncle mikes #4.
 
The only advantage that I can see the the PM9 has over the P9 is the ability fit into a pocket. If you are looking at IWB carry, you could easily go with the CW9, P9 or K9.

The Kahrs are much more controllable than a S&W J-frame...I've carried a M-642 for years and recently changed over to carrying a CW9...because you can employ an optimized thumbs forward grip with it.. I've found it very comparable to shooting a K-frame
 
Asking for opinions of felt recoil is tricky, because recoil is so subjective.

I owned a PM9 for a while and was amazed at what a soft shooter it was. Very pleasant, and much easier to deal with than a .38 snub J-Frame made of steel, alloy, or Scandium.

If you're not going to pocket carry though, I'd go for the P9.
 
I don't find the recoil of the PM9 to be a big deal at all. Some muzzle flip, but much of the energy is directed up and not back to the hand. That's just my experience. I don't shoot mine that much. Once you successfully get through the break in, (good luck with that ;)) and get a few different carry loads through it you can count on it's good to go. It's it is just not my favorite to take to the range other than to make sure it works as necessary.

I found the PM9 to be too heavy for pocket carry, but that's just me. I'm looking at again for winter IWB. I need to get the CT dialed in yet.

Mag/grip extensions can assist in managing recoil as-well.

P6280023.jpg
 
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Asking for opinions of felt recoil is tricky, because recoil is so subjective
Click to expand...

this is an important statement

we all perceive recoil differently

I don't mind shooting full bore 44 magnums but loath shooting a super light snubby. Other folks are just the opposite.
 
I carry the taurus 85 at 21 oz,think j frame, for 11 years . Even with a 3 finger grip and the extra weight on the 85 the kahr cm9 is more controlable easier and quicker to shoot even when shoot +P loads. I also own the cw9 and a glock. When guys shoot all four they are allway suprized how well the both kahr is to control.
 
PM9 is actually very nice to shoot. Easier than a Keltec P9 and certainly more comfortable than my S&W J frame 36.
 
SpodWo said:
PM9 is actually very nice to shoot. Easier than a Keltec P9 and certainly more comfortable than my S&W J frame 36.
Click to expand...
I guess it's all in what you're comparing to. Compared to my normal carry gun (P229/9mm) the Kahr is no fun to shoot but compared to a small .38 or .357 mag I can see where it'd be a pleasure to shoot.
 
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