Seldom does a new pistol become popular almost overnight, but when it does it's for good reasons. Those who know quality and what it means, recognize it instantly. I recognized quality the first time I saw a double-action-only Kahr pistol.
Synonymous with not just one attribute, quality in a pistol signifies workmanship, feel, ergonomics, reliability, accuracy and, yes, appearance. Even a pistol that's not particularly good looking becomes a thing of beauty when it functions flawlessly. However, the Kahr was a pretty slick looking pistol from the get-go. When it demonstrated its other characteristics, it went straight to the front of the pack.


Gun Details

One of the simplest autopistols in the world, the Kahr is also one of the most well-thought-out. Fired by a linear striker, the Kahr does not depend on upon a conventional hammer and all the parts associated with it. Instead, it merely uses a striker and striker spring, a drawbar along with its own spring, and a combination sear/striker safety activator. That's it!
Mounted on the right side of the Kahr's interior, the front of the drawbar and its adjoining part of the trigger are housed in a space made possible by offsetting the one-piece feed ramp of the barrel slightly to the left of center. This small but ingenious design allows the Kahr to be one of the slimmest 9mm pistols available.
With its double-action trigger reset with each retraction, or cycle of the slide, the Kahr's trigger is one of the smoothest. What's more, it's just long enough to discourage unintentional discharges, while it remains easy to put the gun into action.
What about reliability? Well, with factory ammunition, I've never had a malfunction with any Kahr pistol, and I've wrung out a bunch of them. With the Kahr's in-line magazine and advanced follower design and one-piece feed ramp, there's no place for the round to go but in the chamber.

In the accuracy department, the typical Kahr is capable of putting five shots into under four inches at 25 yards. I call this “combat accuracy,” and this is outstanding accuracy for a pistol the size of the Kahr. What size is it? With a 3-1/2-inch barrel, the standard seven-shot Kahr K9 measures just six inches long overall and weighs in at only 25 ounces, making it a true pocket pistol in a major caliber.
Did I forget to mention pointability? With a scientifically worked out grip angle, the Kahr points naturally. What does this mean? Well, a great many pistols naturally point low or high. The way to find out where your pistol points is simple.
To test its natural pointing, hold your unloaded pistol at low-ready with either a one or two-handed grip. Look at your target, close your eyes and bring your gun up to eye level. Now open your eyes and see how your sights line up. There's a good chance your front sight will either be way above or below your rear sight. With the Kahr, its bar-dot sights are always right there on target. That's pointability, and in a personal protection scenario, it can also be a health issue - yours!
Buttons and levers? There are only two. The conventional side-mounted magazine release and the slide release lever. There's nothing else to learn. Even the striker safety is completely passive.
Field stripping the Kahr is simple, but requires an object with a non-marring hard surface. I usually use the base of the magazine. Here's how the drill goes:
After removing the magazine and ensuring the pistol is unloaded, “milk” back the slide with the right hand until the two disassembly marks on the left side of the slide and frame line up. Now partially push out the slide-stop pin from the right side of the frame to the left. While still holding the slide back, you should now be able to pull out the slide-stop from the left. If you can't, simply use a brass rod or similar tool to continue pushing it from the right side. New Kahr pistols may be a little tight in this area. Once the slide-stop is remove, the slide group can be removed from the frame by first pulling the trigger. This is why it's so important to ensure the chamber is empty first.
Consisting of the slide (with its internal small parts), the barrel and recoil spring and guide, the slide group can be field stripped by first removing the recoil spring and guide. Take care as the spring is under pressure. With the spring and guide removed, the barrel can be pulled down and out from the rear. Further disassembly is seldom, if ever, necessary, and is not recommended by other than a qualified gunsmith. Reassembly is in reverse order and is even simpler than disassembly.

Polymer Kahr P40

Available for several years only in matte black or matte stainless, the Kahr appeared in a new ultra lightweight 9mm version in 2000. Called the P9, the new pistol was more or less the same size as its K9 sibling and uses the same seven-shot magazine. However, the P9 uses a unique new polymer frame, the reason for the letter “P” in its designation. Now there's a brand new polymer frame Kahr in .40 S&W caliber.
Like the P9, the width of the P40's grip measures only 0.93 of an inch at its widest point, and the very widest point in the front of the frame mikes in at just 0.94 of an inch. Incidentally, this slightly wider area is forward of the triggerguard and is designed to help prevent a tight holster from causing the slide to move to the rear when reinserting the pistol. The P40 also uses the special thin removable polymer sideplate to cover the drawbar normally covered by the much thicker grip panels.
As with the P9, the P40's narrow frame is comfortable. With relatively smooth pebble surfaces on either side of the grip, the front and backstrap are rendered in sharper cross-hatch checkering for a secure grip. Yet, this treatment does not extend to the edges where it could cause wear to the inner lining of clothing. The visible serial number is found on a metal plate permanently implanted in the forward end of the frame. From its beveled magazine well to its triggerguard, the remainder of the frame feels like a well used bar of soap.
However, the exterior smoothness of the P40 doesn't end with its frame. All aspects of the exterior of the pistol's slide are also devoid of sharp edges that could injure the hand under stress. This feature is usually reserved for custom pistols.
Just like the P9, the P40's polymer frame has a few internal differences from the all-steel Kahr pistols. First, there is a hollow area under the backstrap, as is the case on a number of other polymer frames. Although I have no inside information on the subject, somewhere up the road I wouldn't be surprised to see this used as a battery compartment for a Crimson Trace laser.
Other differences consist of the P40's slidestop retaining spring, different from that on Kahr pistols with steel frames, a set of steel rails permanently molded inside the front portion of the polymer frame, and the slidestop pin being a separate part. This leaves the stop free to rotate independent of the pin.
To sum it up, the new Kahr P40 is essentially the P9 in .40 S&W caliber.

Shots Fired

How good did the new P40 shoot? Combined with its superbly comfortable grip, the pistol handles great even though recoil is noticeably sharper than its 9mm counterpart. Standard .40 caliber loads proved surprisingly comfortable to shoot, but +P loads produced significantly more recoil and muzzle flip.
With the outstanding self-defense bullets now being used by virtually all makers, I'm not one who advocates +P loads in defensive handguns. In addition to more wear and tear, such rounds bring more muzzle blast (if not flash). What's more, +P rounds bring more recoil, and more recoil diminishes one's ability to make fast, accurate follow-up hits. After all, no matter what you hear about one-shot stops, fast, accurate follow-up shots are what will give you the edge to survive a deadly force encounter. I wouldn't use +P loads in my Kahr P40 even with a Harrts Recoil Reducer installed.
Comparing the P40 with and without the Harrts Recoil Reducer using the loads listed in the accompanying accuracy chart, I estimated that the device reduced recoil by at least 25% when firing the pistol very fast. In slow fire, the reduction is not as apparent.
How about accuracy? The P40 performed as I expected with most five-shot groups printing about four inches at 25 yards. Even more important, this .40 caliber pocket pistol experienced no malfunctions of any kind during testing.
When carrying my P40 in Milt Sparks’ new Summer Special holster, I hardly knew I had it on. I think the new P40 Kahr is about the finest .40 S&W caliber pocket pistol I've ever used. Furnished in a polymer hard case, the P40 comes with a spare magazine and Kahr's simple and effective trigger lock.


Final notes

Look for the P40 and all the rest of the Kahrs at your nearest dealer's, or visit website at www.kahr.com.