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 This micro .40 is a breakthrough in big-bore pocket pistols |
| Handguns p.58~61 and p.95 Dec. 1999 By Frank W. James |
The reason that the semi-automatic design has always been popular for a pocket handgun is that semi-automatics have proven more adaptable to fitting inside a trouser's pocket or a vest pocket than revolvers. That's why the term refers to "Pocket Pistols" and not "Pocket Revolvers". Unfortunately, pocket pistols have never enjoyed a great reputation at stopping bad guys, and that has been the reason behind their waning popularity as the consuming public becomes increasingly better informed. The modern view is that one should have not just a gun, but a gun that works - and works well at stopping the bad guy. Until recently, few advancements have been accomplished for this category of defensive handguns, but just over a year ago Kahr introduced the MK9 - the Micro-Kahr - and it was a major advancement in small, but powerful, defensive pistols. Well, now Kahr has taken their design a step further and achieved a significant technological breakthrough in terms of packaging a powerful, yet accurate self-defense pistol in a platform that will easily fit within any pocket pistol size definition. It is the Kahr MK40. This new Micro-Kahr is a Forty, as in ".40 S&W"; and believe me, it shoots!
Well, Kahr listened. Boy, did they ever. The MK40 from Kahr is a breakthrough achievement because here for the first time is a true pocket pistol by almost any size definition you care to use, and it is also that most exclusive of defensive pistols - a true big bore. The Kahr MK40 is the same size and weight as the previously seen MK9 in 9x19mm caliber. The MK40 is 5.4 inches long in overall length, and not counting the sights it is only 4 1/16 inches from the top of the slide to the bottom of the magazine floorplate. The MK40, like all Kahr pistols, is less than an inch wide. The barrel length is three inches. (On auto pistols the barrel is measured from the end of the muzzle to the back of the hood, or that portion of the barrel that rests against the breechface when the gun is in battery.) The MK40 weighs 22 ounces. Some may question this last little fact because in the current market there exist a fair number of revolvers that weigh less than a pound, but with the .40 caliber chambering I'm glad that the MK40 weighs 22 ounces because it makes shooting this little pocket rocket a pleasure. I mean it. It was easy and fun to run this gun on the range against both paper and steel. |
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My criticism against DAO auto pistols, or DAO revolvers for that matter, is a simple one. They are hard to shoot for finite accuracy. The argument in favor of the DAO concentrates on two other aspects of handgun shooting - training the beginning shooter, and keeping the operating mechanism simple, safe and fast. A DAO auto pistol is consistent in its method of operation. The shooter experiences the same trigger pull each time he fires the gun. Many experienced law enforcement firearms instructors have told me that it is easier to teach a beginning shooter who is equipped with a DAO design and pistol. For a gun meant to be utilized in a self-defense application, there are merits to the DAO design. It is simple and therefore quick to operate during moments of extreme stress. There is no manual safety to disengage, and the gun operates in exactly the same manner as the traditional swing-out cylinder revolver. There is no need for fine motor skills to operate the gun. Just point, aim and complete the trigger pull. Added to all this is the excellence of the Kahr double-action trigger pull. It is smooth and consistent. On my trigger pull scale the test MK40 measured between 10 and 10 1/2 pounds in terms of double-action pull weight. The test Kahr MK40 came with two magazines. One is flush-fit to the gun and has a five-round capacity, while the second extends below the grip and has a six-round capacity. The bottom of the extended magazine has a black plastic covering to increase its purchase by the shooter's hand. Deputy Jim Martin of the White County Sheriff's Office in Monticello, Indiana, who helped me test the MK40, felt this covering was a great benefit when we shot this gun for accuracy.
The truth is both assumptions were wrong. Martin probably explained it best when after firing the first round, he looks at me, and stated, "This thing don't kick bad at all. I thought it was going to far worse than it is." He then proceeded to put a series of impact touching hits on the white-painted steel of a non-falling Pepper Popper. The fun aspect of testing this gun came when Martin and I moved to the two Skipper targets on my range. The Skipper target is a humanoid silhouette that weighs approximately 32 pounds. It is held up by a bail on the back that is seated against a short pin that sticks straight out the back of the upward post. Immediately below the pin holding the bail is a second longer pin that prevents the target from falling once it has been dislodged by the first strike. The idea behind this is to create a target that requires multiple hits to neutralize as well as one that is able to withstand multiple hits from medium-bore handguns if the hits are not properly placed during a Drugs and Armor reactive drill. If multiple hits to the center of mass fail to neutralize the target, then the shooter must automatically transition his sight picture to the head. There a solid hit from even a 9x19mm will dislodge the Skipper from the second pin and drop the steel target. It makes for a good training target, if used sparingly, and it is also a good gauge as to the power of the bullet strike. A full-bore Magnum revolver will often hit the Skipper hard enough to drop it with one round. Hardball .45s will usually drop it with two rounds, while .38s and 9mms normally require the use of head shots.
Next, the gun was tried on paper, and here is where the rubber net the road, so to speak, because one of the negative things we both experienced with the Kahr MK40 was the small size of its reduced grip. There isn't a whole lot to hang onto with this pistol, so it's hard to imagine it is going to shoot really good groups. Added to this is the fact that Editor Kerby Smith likes all pistols to be tested at 25 yards for target accuracy. Obviously, our best groups resulted anytime we were within seven yards of the target. Moving away from the paper made the groups grow in size, but I was still able with Federal 135-grain Personal Defense Hydra-Shok ammo to put five rounds into 3 1/2 inches at 25 yards. Was it a fluke? Probably, because I couldn't duplicate it during the remainder of the test session, but I did get several more groups that measured under five inches and one other that came close to four inches. Still, that's pretty good shooting from a gun as small as this one. I challenge you to take your favorite .380 or .32 pocket pistol and go out and beat four inches with five rounds at 25 yards. I'm not sure I can because I don't believe those smaller calibers are capable of this level of accuracy. All of this would mean little if we were talking about a gun that threw a pip-squeak round at rock-throwing velocity, by the chronograph said otherwise. You can examine the velocity table and search for your favorite .40 S&W round, but the fact remains the velocities were comparable to anything I've seen from far bigger guns. The Cor-Bon series of loads were naturally the fastest in terms of pure speed, while the Federal Personal defense series of .40 ammunition was the most accurate in our experience with the test pistol. Yet, all the loads tested exhibited good velocity readings, and when shot on heavy steel, they took the targets down, often with the minimum of two hits. |
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I say, again, the Kahr MK40 is a breakthrough achievement in pocket pistol design. |
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