All companies advertise. And they're going to advertise what good they can about the products they sell. Of course, there's advertisement to reverse the natural course of what would otherwise be seen as a marginal product; there's boosting sales of quality product with targeted info spots; and then there's the word-of-mouth type method, putting your money where your mouth is and then letting the market do what it'll do.
Take Heckler & Koch for example. They've sought to make the best-engineered, most reliable products they are capable of making. So highly reliable and durable that military organizations around the world seek out H&K for the quality they know they'll be purchasing. While even H&K doesn't publish their everyday statistics on the MTBF of their firearms, they have published the numbers related to the MK23 tests performed by the U.S. SpecOPS Command in the early 1990's:
During testing, MK 23 pistols met the most stringent operational and accuracy requirements ever demanded of a combat handgun. Endurance testing demonstrated a service life of over 30,000 rounds of +P ammunition. To meet the reliability requirement, the pistol had to demonstrate a minimum of 2,000 mean rounds between stoppages (MRBS) with both M1911 ball and +P ammunition. All pistols exceeded the 2000 MRBS with an average of 6000 MRBS.
Its not propoganda......its all true, Kahrs are outstanding handguns.
Propaganda, yes. But there's propaganda ... and there's propaganda.
I've owned three Kahr pistols, including a PM9, P380 and CW9. None of them have been reliable out of the box, nor after a break-in period many times greater than Kahr's recommendation. The PM9 wouldn't behave until being massaged by Kahr. The P380 still isn't up to snuff, though I'm still trying to wring it out. And while the CW9 is far better than it was, the extreme reliability reported by many folks simply hasn't occurred yet with this one. I like the simplicity and basic operation of these pistols. They seem well-engineered and stout, for the purpose. But in my experience, three out of three, the reliability of the Kahrs I've used simply haven't been the equal of that of other firms who have earned "legendary" reliability.
Glock, SIG, Heckler & Koch, Colt, a few others. These are known for their reliability. They've built their reputations on it. One could argue these pistols aren't in the same class as the Kahrs, which are typically aimed at a different segment of the marketplace. (In the same sense of auto manufacturers claiming a given car has the most power or best reliability "of any car in its class.") Still, there's having legendary reliability, and there's wanting to have legendary reliability. Kahr is on the way up, though IMO it hasn't reached quite the same level of reliability inherent in the designs of the other few I've mentioned.
This post isn't to be contrary or to toss gas on a brush fire. It's only to present a counterpoint with actual experiences on the other side of the reliability fence.
I hope Kahr gets there. The way certain Kahr pistols perform for many people, I think they're well on their way. Good for them, 'cause the mini Kahrs are some of the nicest packages made. If only I could get a PM9 and P380 to work properly. That would be something.
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Originally Posted by vrodray
