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Display Until November 11, 2019 Display Until November 11, d d l l r r Printed In U.S.A. o o w w e e s s n n e e f f e e d d l l a EXCLUSIVE a n n o o s s r r e e ATHLON PUBLICATIONS TESTS P GUN TEST KAHR TURNS AND IT’S CELEBRATING ITS SILVER ANNIVERSARY WITH A SPECIAL K9 BY MIKE DETTY • ALEX LANDEEN PHOTO 1994, I had been a gun writer for less than two In years and had published less than a dozen articles. But I saw something at the SHOT Show in Dallas that would shape the future of concealed carry in a huge way. With the passage of the Brady Law and the Crime Bill looming (signed into law on September 13, 1994), the show was busy with dealers trying to get guns before they’d be outlawed. Sales for the moment were brisk, but no one knew what the future held. For the next 10 years or forever, as far as we knew, magazines would be limited to 10 rounds. My gloomy outlook brightened for a moment when I found a single booth in the basement of the Dallas Convention Center. 18 PERSONAL DEFENSE WORLD • 2019 personaldefenseworld.com personaldefenseworld.com 2019 • PERSONAL DEFENSE WORLD 19 GUN TEST The 25th Anniversary K9 features special slide engraving and Hogue aluminum grips with custom set recoil lug on the bottom of the bar- checkering. rel. Like many locked-breech designs, The barrel and trigger are the barrel also uses a kidney-shaped polished bright. cam that the slide stop goes through to pull the rear of the barrel down and un- lock it after a round has been fried. The I picked up what I thought was a .380 offset lug allows the trigger action to ACP semi-auto based on its petite size, ride next to the lug instead of under it, and it had excellent ergonomic features and that dramatically reduces the gun’s and an effortless striker-fired trigger. It height and places the shooter’s hand wasn’t until I turned the gun over in my more in line with the bore’s axis. hand and saw the “9x19” stamping on introducing some of his own well-thought- The Safe-Cam trigger action was the breech block that I understood what out engineering, Moon produced the K9, another trendsetting innovation. Ma- this new gun really was. a gun that I considered “best in show.” chined from tool steel and heat treated, “What do you think?” asked Justin the patented cam has twin lobes. When Moon, then-president of Kahr Arms. He þ NEW BREED pressure is applied to the trigger, one smiled while I admired his brand-new While the original pistol possessed six depresses the mechanical striker block, creation. It was a trim and flat striker- different patents, perhaps two of the which prevents inertial discharges, while fired 9mm that was much sleeker than most important are the gun’s offset the other lobe draws the striker back the Star Firestar I’d been using as a recoil lug and Moon’s “Safe-Cam” trigger and releases it. This makes it physically concealed-carry handgun. Moon went action. Like me, Moon disliked how high impossible for the gun to fire if it is on to explain that he liked the flatness of Sig pistols sit in the hand. Placing the dropped, and the gun can only be fired if his Glock but didn’t care for the trigger, wrist closer to the bore’s axis results in the trigger is pulled. The gun also has a much preferring the that of his Sig P220. less muzzle flip and better control. To cconsistentonsistent ppullull fromfrom ffirstirst sshothot toto llast,ast, andand So, using a bit of selective breeding while achieveachieve this,this, Moon’sMoon’s designdesign usesuses anan off-off- the trigger doesn’t stack at all before the Q SPECIFICATIONS KAHR 25TH ANNIVERSARY K9 CALIBER: 9mm / BARREL: 3.5 inches / OA LENGTH: 6 inches / WEIGHT: 25 ounces (empty) GRIP: Hogue aluminum / SIGHTS: TruGlu Tritium Pro / ACTION: Striker-fired FINISH: Sniper Gray Cerakote / CAPACITY: 7+1 / MSRP: $1,649 20 PERSONAL DEFENSE WORLD • 2019 personaldefenseworld.com HOME SECURITY PROVIDED BY HORNADY® The Critical Defense® line of ammunition puts personal protection and concealed carry confi dence in the palm of your hand. The patented FTX® bullet resists clogging as it passes through thick and heavy clothing and provides consistent, reliable expansion and performance when it counts. Premium low fl ash propellants deliver excellent ignition and reduced muzzle fl ash, even in short-barreled handguns. When it comes to security, Critical Defense® ammunition truly is man’s best friend. 800-338-3220 | HOR ADY.COM GUN TEST shot breaks. It is this smooth, consistent ON THE pull that makes Kahr pistols so easy to FIRING LINE WITH shoot accurately. Prior to the K9, shooters often had to step down in caliber to carry smaller semi-autos. For me, this meant carrying a JUSTIN Walther PP, Seecamp or North American Arms Guardian in .32 ACP 25 years ago. I haven’t used any of those guns since I was introduced to the Kahr K9. And yet MOON I think the K9 also marks the beginning of the push for lighter, more compact concealed-carry pistols. The wide selec- Q WHAT INSPIRED YOU of other people looked at But overall, the design tion of 9mm subcompacts we now enjoy TO DESIGN THE K9? my design and studied remains relatively can all trace their roots back to this pup! When I developed the it, and almost every consistent in terms of At the time of its introduction, the only K9, there really wasn’t iteration of small pistol geometry and function. real criticism of the all-steel K9 was its a small 9mm out there. out there has borrowed We’ve experimented with weight. This motivated Moon to introduce Everybody was talking from it. We’re quite shorter triggers and re- polymer-framed handguns. The P9 is about going down in flattered that people sets, and all we did was basically the K9 with a polymer frame, power from the 9mm have used the Kahr as come up with another and it gives the user all of the same to find a gun that was inspiration to develop Glock trigger. We like features while being half a pound lighter. truly concealable. There a whole new class of the safety aspect of the Speaking of polymer-framed guns, one of certainly wasn’t a .380 pistols that didn’t exist long, deliberate trigger my all-time favorite Kahrs is my PM9, a pistol available with the before the K9. pull. I think the K9 will gun that weighs just around a pound and 9mm’s power. I wanted There were six always appeal to people carries either 6+1 or 7+1 rounds of 9mm a gun with more power patents on the original who want a double- ammo depending on which magazine I without having to step K9, and of course they action-only CCW with a use. The PM9’s tiny dimensions make it down for the sake of are now expired. If you consistent trigger pull. easy to carry in just about any attire as concealability. look at the current crop Q WHAT’S NEXT FOR well. Nonetheless, even though Kahr has of pistols, like the S&W Q WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE COMPANY? introduced bigger and smaller guns than Shield or the Sig P365, THE K9 THAT MAKES the K9, they all share its common features they really don’t shoot Well, you know Kahr IT STILL RELEVANT 25 any more accurately makes a lot of handguns and assets. That’s why, to celebrate YEARS LATER? or function any better other than the K9. Right its 25th anniversary, the company has The offset recoil lug than our original K9. I now, most of our growth released a limited-edition K9. was pretty significant think we did a good job is in the Desert Eagle in terms of getting a with the original K9, and line of guns and the SPECIAL EDITION slimmer profile in the we’ve maintained a BFR revolvers manufac- Only 500 of the 25th Anniversary guns middle of the gun, where good following! tured by our Magnum will be released, and each gun is individu- the trigger and locking Research brand. Our ally numbered. The slide features front lug overlap.