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Three Carry Guns,Three Calibers, Three Action Types, Three Shooters. What Do You Get? Three opinions, of Course. |
Guns & Ammo p.46~52 Oct. 1999 Staff Report |
Our criteria for the three was pretty basic. Each handgun had to represent a different action type, each had to be chambered for a different (yet serious) cartridge, and each had to be as compact as that particular cartridge would allow, taking the need for controllability into question, of course. After much haggling, we decided that no personal sidearms could be involved. No slicked-up, tricked out, well-broken-in favorites. Just out-of-the-box shootin' irons. Our choices were as follows: The Smith & Wesson Model 19 2 1/2-inch; a .357 Magnum double-action revolver, the Kahr K40 a 3 1/2-inch barreled double-action-only auto in .40 S&W, and the Para-Ordnance P12.45; a 3 1/2-inch barreled single-action auto in .45 ACP. We think this is as good a three-gun, three-cartridge spectrum as would be possible to come up with. The DA revolver, represented by the S&W Model 19, has outlived fad and fancy and is the only viable choice for anyone who simply can't abide an auto. The DAO auto represents state of the art in carry and service pistols and, in an excellent specimen such as the Kahr, the trigger action is good enough so that the SA option isn't that much of a loss. The SA auto, naturally, would have to be a 1911, of which the chopped, double-stack Para-Ord is and outstanding representation. The three loads - .357 Magnum, .40 S&W and .45 ACP - pretty much speak for themselves as far as track records go. One other thing. The price range of all three guns runs from $430 on up to $750. As fine as all three are, these are production guns - not slicked-up custom jobs running about a grand-and-a-half or two grand per copy. |
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KAHR K40 ELITE
The Kahr K40 represents two of the latest wrinkles in defensive ordnance: (1) it's chambered for the .40 S&W, and (2) it's a double-action-only auto (and a stainless one at that). Where the Model 19 and the Para-Ordnance P12 can be viewed as modified versions of classic designs (i.e. the DA revolver and the ubiquitous Browning 1911), the Kahr is relatively new on the scene. But this shouldn't deter any traditionalists out there because the K40 is one of - if not the - best examples or its type to be had. At 25 ounces, it's the lightest of the three , being a full 9 ounces lighter than the Para Ordnance.Since we're analyzing the K40 in conjunction with the cartridge it's chambered for, there's good news. The .40 S&W is remarkably efficient from the K40's 3 1/2-inch barrel. The 155-grain Federal Classic JHP load averaged 1,101 fps from our test pistol, while the heftier 180-grain black Hills JHP clocked slightly under the 1,000 fps mark. And all this out of a pistol that a decade ago would not have been feasible size-wise as a 9mm. It's internal hammer configuration, excellent ergonomics and DAO simplicity make it an extraordinarily user-friendly carry gun. One big plus for those who are uncomfortable grabbing hold at a fat-handled double-stack (one staffer likens it to grasping a 2x4), the Kahr is a trim, elegant single stack. And it's very accurate, more so than it needs to be, in fact. Of course, all the inherent accuracy in the world is useless without a manageable trigger pull, and the Kahr has one of the very best DA pulls we've ever seen - a remarkably easy 7 pounds with just the slightest hint of stacking toward the end of the stroke. At 7 yards on a standard silhouette target, groups ran around 2 1/2 inches rapid fire using Winchester 180-grain WinClean ammo. At 25 yards in deliberate rested fire, the Kahr was no less impressive - four shots into a 1 1/2-inch cluster with one flyer pushing things out to 2 1/2 inches. Again, at 25 yards, the Kahr responded well to 180-grain loads - in this case, Black Hills JHPs. The fixed, three-dot tritium sights for the Kahr were excellent, quick to acquire on that broad sighting plane, yet unobtrusive enough to blend in with the sleek, snag-less look of the pistol. |
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THE UPSHOT?
Of the three guns, all had enough power, more than enough accuracy and the requisite amount of reliability (100 percent). The edge in ammo versatility went, of course to the .357/.38 Special Model 19. For simplicity, sleekness and overall carryability, the Kahr was judged the best. For firepower, though the Para-Ord P12.45 would undoubtedly launch the most and biggest projectiles in the shortest amount of time. The ultimate question, who liked what, was a three-way split. It all boiled down to who shot what gun best. Assuming sufficient power, accuracy and reliability, no individual strength or weakness of any handgun is going to override a strong individual preference, rational or otherwise. And that brings us to final chestnut - originally coined by a shotgunner - that applies just as well to defensive handguns: |
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| "Find a gun you shoot well and keep shooting it until you find one that you can shoot better." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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