['75scout]

Hello, I'm looking for a single stack 9mm thats very compact. I have a GLOCK 26 that I was originally planning to be my primary ccw. But it is still too thick for me to comfortably carry during the Texas summer (Waco is the 18th sweatiest city in the nation). I've decided I want a Kahr and am leaning towards the PM9. But I'm also wondering if the Covert would be better. Length of grip and thickness are the two factors that make a gun difficult to conceal. Both guns are the same on that with the frame being longer on the Covert, added benifit of longer sight radius. I can fit the 26 comfortably into my pocket, it's just too thick and heavy to carry it in the pocket.

I plan on using a polymer pocket holster from Grandfather Oak and an iwb CompTac Pro Undercover. So let me know what you think about which gun or Kahrs in general. I've already read many of the posts on Kahr PM9s.

Also I'm not considering any other brands, either Kahr will fill my requirements exactly.

 

['75scout]

Also what is a common price for the PM9 and what finish do you recomend? Both are stainless but one has a matte black finish over the stainless.

 

[pistolwhipped]

Hmmm well, I can not speak to the Covert as I have never held one. Or even seen one for that matter. Your concern over the grip lenth is understandable. In years past I have never been comfortable with a pinky hanging from the grip.
That being said, I own and carry daily (at work) a Black Diamond PM9 in DeSantis Nemisis Pocket Holster. I have become close friends with this little PM9. The lack of grip length has not been a problem. I can't put a finger (pun) on why that is. Perhaps the weight of the PM9 is the reason. At any rate , I shoot it well. I like the trigger on it. Follow ups and double taps are easily achieved. I have never had a FTFeed or fire. I have it in my front pocket of my dress pants as I write this and it just disappears. I can see no wear on the finish and I have carried it for three years or so. Weekends, I carry bigger OWB and rest the PM9.

The best thing I can say for this PM9 at this moment is that I trust it.

 

[erh]

'75scout - Given those choices, I would go for the PM9 (Often good deals on: www.gunsamerica.com ), I find the covert "Off Balance" somehow. I actually carry my K9 Elite '03 fairly often here in GA. Not much diff. in climate from yours I'm sure...
If you want the ultimate "Smallest 9mm" find yourself a Rohrbaugh R9, or R9s. Try: www.rohrbaughfirearms.com, and also check out www.rohrbaughforum.com for more info.

Good luck with it,

Eric Howland
Savannah, GA.

 

[Erich]

On the advice of folks I met on the 'net (some on this very board :wave: ), I went with the P9 Covert and have been very happy with that decision.

For precisely the reasons that you mention - it's small, and the gripframe is the difficult part to conceal. The Covert conceals just as easily for me as the PM9 (I've tried a friend's), although not as easily as my Rohrbaugh R9s (which just manages to feel quite a bit smaller than either Kahr). The smaller gripframe of a Covert or PM9 gives you plenty to hold on to when firing the easy-recoiling 9x19.


(click any of these thumbnails for a larger photo)

I also have a Glock 26, and find it too bulky for easily concealed pocket carry or IWB carry w/o a cover garment. The P9 Covert's slimness really makes it shine. It's polygonally "rifled" barrel gives it the same velocity advantages you get by using the Glock (I get 1267 fps average out of the 3.5" barrel of my Covert with the Winchester RA9TA 127-gr +P+ load).



I have to say that my Covert came with a pitted barrel, something that (according to what I discovered over at the Kahr forum over at Glock Talk) does not seem to be all that unusual (Lothar Walther's quality control must be going to the dogs). The velocities I got out of this first barrel were notably lower than I would have expected. I complained to Kahr, and after I followed up a few times, they sent me a new barrel. The new barrel gives the velocities that I had expected.



Price? I had to special-order my P9 Covert, since no one around here carries them. I gave $596 + tax for it at Sportsman's Warehouse. I'm quite happy with the gun.

If you're interested, here's a report with more detailed info on my P9 Covert:
http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=497048

Good luck with the decision. cheers, erich

 

[Redneck Repairs]

I have a pm9 with the black dlc and nightsights and am so happy with it i am seriously considering a p40 covert ( why own two of the little critters in the same cal lol ) the covert would not work for pocket carry for me as the pm9 pretty well fills my front jeans pocket but i normaly carry iwb anyway so the extra slide wouldnt be an issue .

 

[WJP9]

I have the straight up P9. Very slim and concealable in a milt sparks watch six holster. The grip is slightly longer I believe than the covert, but I like the feel of a little more gun in my hand. I traded a glock 23 for it. It has been very reliable at the range and comfortable to wear around proprty/house (I am waiting on approval of my CCW). I hardly know it's there! Recoil is very controlled for a polymer framed pistol. I'd try out a few model to see what you are comfortable holding, but I don't think that you can go wrong with a kahr.

 

[Hunting Coyotes]

Reservations about PM9

:frown: I have a PM9 and carry it daily...mostly in pocket w/ Highnoon Pocket Grabber or HN SlideGuard (OWB). It is a great little shooter, light, flat, easily concealed and pleasant to shoot.

A big however, I have had two barrels replaced from peening, along with a slide. I, as well as many others, have had problems with the polymer Kahrs...just check out the Glocktalk-Kahr Forum. I have serious reservations about QA/QC at Kahr and hope they get thier act together. They make a great little carry gun...but reliabilty comes first and that issue needs to be addressed by Kahr before I would recommend buying one.

 

[Erich]

Ah, yes. Barrel peening is another issue - only found on the PM9, I understand.

 

['75scout]

Sounds like mixed reviews. Which is not good. Kahr is the only brand I'm considering for this role. Rohrbaugh R9 is too expensive and Kel-Tec are junk. I fired a P3AT and it almost fell apart in my hands and would have if I hadn't seen the pin coming out. I have enjoyed firing every gun I've ever fired with exception to the Kel-Tec.

But, I have read many good things about the PM9 and will check out the links above.

Thanks

But thanks for the input.

 

[George Hill]

The PM-9 is an outstanding choice.

 

[PJH]

You might consider the MK9. Heavier, but not much of an issue IWB, and nowhere near the problems reported with the polymer guns.

FWIW, I just traded a P40 Covert for a S&W 442 and some $. Very flat and concealable, but it just didn't get along with me. I found it very unpleasant to shoot; the backstrap had rubbed a raw spot on my hand after < 100 rounds. I don't consider myself a "recoil wuss" -- the 442 and my P3AT, both of which many folks hate to shoot, don't bother me nearly as much.

I still like the Kahr platform a lot, and will probably buy another, but I'm leaning toward one of the all steel numbers.

-Paul

 

[srfl]

As my photo below suggests, I own both guns....my P9 Covert is carried behind the hip in one of Eric Larsen fantastic COM IWB holsters and my PM9 is carried as a second gun in one of David Stillwell's (Grandfather Oak) Pocket Companion XL kydex pocket holsters. This pair gets toted around and backed up with two seven (or one seven and one eight) round magazines. Same magazines, same manual-of-arms, same Kahr 9mm goodness....what's not to like here?

By the way, some folks on Glock Talk's Kahr page carry Coverts in pocket holsters and report success in carrying that gun that way.

 

[soflasmg]

I had the barrel peening issue on my pm9 and had the slide and barrel replaced by Kahr. It's fine now.

I wish I would have bought a covert. It has a single recoil spring instead of the double spring guide rod thingy (technical term)

The increased slide mass would assist reliability I would imagine and as Erich said will conceal as well.

 

[oilman]

I carry the Kahr PM9 a lot. It is very concealable. It is only 0.9 inches wide. This gun opens up a lot of carry options. I wear it under a dress shirt in a kangaroo carry. I also use a Desantis small gunny sack (I belive it is called the junior) or in an Uncle Mike's pocket holster (not too heavy for pocket carry in my opinion). It also carry IWB at times.

Recoil is controllable BUT the combination of the recoil and the DAO trigger means you will spend more time practicing with it. It took me hundreds of rounds and lots of dry fire practice to get to used to it.

The gun is very reliable. Out of about 1500 rounds or so I have only had one stovepipe. That's it. In the beginning it preferred that I use the slide release rather than slingshot the slide but even that quirk has passed.

My only wish is that it had a larger magazine capacity but you can’t have everything. The gun comes with a 6 round magazine and a seven round magazine. The latter has an extension for your little finger.

This is the one I have.

http://www.kahr.com/pistols_9mm.html

 

['75scout]

I've decided on the PM9. I also think the Big Dot sights would be perfect for the little gun.

 

[AutoFan]

The PM's seem to have the problems - the PM40s' had problems initially, and then the PM9's. So far the P9's, P40's and Coverts are much more trouble free. The Coverts conceal better than the full sized Kahrs, and have the simpler (more reliable?) spring setups.

 

[BigE410]

I recently bought a MK9........I love this gun, I havent had any problems with mine in the last 200 rounds. Initally I had 2 FTE in the break in period. I went with the MK9 due to all the problems I heard people were having with the PM9. Anyway Good luck with your choice!

 

['75scout]

Mine has to be polymer framed because weight is a big issue for me. Especially since I plane to pocket carry. The MK9 will weight as much as my GLOCK 26 or more.

I did handle a Kahr P9 yesterday and is felt like a great gun. It fit like a glove and all the controls could be reached without changing rip position. If I get a PM9 first, a P9 will still be in the future for me. Looks I've got to change my 2006 shopping list again!

 

[vmo]

I bought a K40 Covert, and really like it. With full power .40 Gold Dots the extra weight is a real recoil damper. It's a little heavy for pocket carry, but I don't seem to notice a difference when it's on the belt. The small size makes it a natural for IWB carry. I carry it in a kydex IWB made for a Colt Officer Model. 100 percent reliable and super accurate with night sights. The only drawback is that it only carrys 6 rounds, but it's faster to reload for me than a revolver.