While in a private group on social media, one member raised an intriguing though not uncommon question: If you could have only one handgun, what would it be? The question was likely intended to reveal members’ favorite pistols or wheelguns. The question did not require explanation of the choice, nor metrics for the selection. Such questions, whether raised about cars or firearms, typically result in a litany of aspirational choices, whether 700-horsepower sportscars that do 0 to 60 in 3 seconds or hand-honed actions and mammoth-ivory grips, respectively. However, while I greatly admire craftsmanship, especially when elevated to a point bordering on art, I nonetheless regard a firearm as a tool, plain and simple. More specifically, I regard a handgun as a personal protection tool. That immediately limits the metrics to just a few: a reliable firearm in an effective chambering that can be drawn and fired with adequate speed and accuracy, and which can be with you as much as possible. To even my surprise, my answer to the question was the 20-year-old Kahr Arms PM9.
Huh? When it first arrived at our editorial offices 20 years ago, it was something of a revelation. Oh, we’d long gotten over the idea of polymer frames and striker-fired actions. Moreover, though the debate over .45 ACP versus .40 S&W versus 9 mm still raged, the 9 was gaining ground thanks to new cartridge designs. What immediately distinguished the PM9 was its weight, or lack thereof, but it soon revealed unexpected virtues or, at least, a marked absence of deficiencies.
The pistol was dimensionally small, about the size of many .380s. Nonetheless, it was big enough to grasp in my rather large hands both comfortably and fast. Moreover, it fit easily in the front pants pocket of most of my jeans and slacks (in a pocket holster, of course). Also, its sub-1-pound weight meant it didn’t sag those pants to the point where it was noticeable or annoying. I know, I know, there are new guns with much greater firepower—but I don’t allow “spec creep.” “Oh, if you can carry 15 ounces, you can carry 18 ounces. This gun is just a little bit heavier. And if you can carry 18 ounces, 20 will be no problem.” Pretty soon you’re carrying two pounds on your hip—“discreetly—for 12 hours a day. You’re pulling up your sagging britches every five minutes and are worn out by the end of the day. Nothing has come along with a combination of dimensions, weight, muzzle energy and firepower (not to mention shootability) that has prompted me to quit the PM9.
When we first got them, the curious and, in fact, amusing thing about the PM9 was the prescribed break-in of 200 rounds. Some buyers were miffed at this requirement, feeling that Kahr should have performed this service itself, but neglecting to consider that it would’ve had to pass the cost on to the consumer in the retail price. Anyway, the thing that was amusing about the break-in was the before & after. Before, the pistol was a clunky, chunky little blaster, not lacking grace, but not overburdened with it, either. Then, just as you reached 200 rounds—and I mean exactly 200 rounds—the gun somehow transformed. The sun came out, birds chirped and angels began to sing. It seemed a totally different gun. It was smooth, even slick, in operation. What clunkiness there had been was gone. There was no abruptness to its operation. Other owners noticed the same thing. It wasn’t so much a break-in as a breakthrough.
Kahr’s have an unusual trigger, for those used to other brands of pistol. The pull is smooth, but slightly heavier than that of other striker-fired pistols. And then—bang. It fires with absolutely no wall to breach. You don’t stage it. You can’t; not with any certainty. It takes a little getting used to, but it works perfectly for its intended role.
Let’s talk about that role. This is a deep cover pistol. It’s a backup pistol. And it’s an EDC primary, if you need it to be. That’s its true beauty. I actually have four good holsters just for this gun, depending on what I need it to do that day. Deep cover, backup or seated carry? A pocket or ankle holster. Quick on/quick off with a cover garment? An IWB. Primary with a cover garment? An OWB.
Many carry experts set the chambering floor for a carry pistol at .380 ACP. I used to carry a gun so chambered, one considerably smaller and lighter than the PM9. Then I accepted that that pistol was too small and too light. It didn’t fit my hand well and it was difficult to shoot accurately quickly. I acknowledged to myself it had become a talisman more than a serious personal protection tool. I realized this the first time I was in a situation where I thought I might have to draw and realized I had no faith in that little gun. I put it away, donned the PM9 and never looked back—and never regretted doing so.
The PM9 removed .380 ACPs from my personal carry rotation, but the gun I really thought it would make obsolete was the medium-caliber snubby wheelgun. Yes, most of those have five shots, whereas the PM9 with a flush-fit magazine and one in the chamber has only two more. It doesn’t seem like a big difference until you do the math and realize that’s a 40 percent increase in firepower. And when it comes to reloading, well, a wheelgun just can’t compete with a semi-auto, speedloaders or no. In the end, the little snubby isn’t going anywhere, though. The .327 Fed. Mag and .357 Mag. in addition to the .38 Spl. (standard or +p) give it more chambering options than the PM9 (yes, there’s a .40 S&W-caliber PM40, but, no, it’s not easily controlled nor nearly as popular as the PM9). Also, the cycling of a wheelgun isn’t dependent on the functioning of the ammunition. A lot of folks are comforted by that, just as they are by the revolver’s simpler manual-of-arms.
In 20 years, the only maintenance that’s been performed on my Kahr is cleaning and lubrication after a very simple fieldstripping. And the only modification has been XS Big Dot sights and a full suite of Talon Grips’ laser-cut appliques. The Big Dots seem made for this pistol as both were crafted for the same scenario: fast, telling hits at close range. When you see that ginormous dot in the crux of that super-shallow “V” and that dot is over the center of mass, you pull the trigger. That setup, with the PM9’s short, holster-clearing muzzle and fall-off-the-table trigger break, may be as good as it gets at close range. Talon Grips enhance control of the little pistol. My gun manipulations, whether gripping or drawing it, or racking the slide, are more positive thanks to the rubberized grips on the grip frame and the index point on the dustcover, and the granulate in the slide serrations.
These days, the PM9 is fed a steady diet of Federal HST Micro 150-grain JHP rounds. It would take a lot to get me to change.
So, yes, my answer to the original question was and is the little Kahr PM9. No, it’s not a barbecue gun. Show it off? Ha, only a few have ever seen it and those who have, well, let’s just say I’ve been obliged to defend its honor. So, no, it’s not my prettiest, fanciest or most powerful gun. It’s just the one I can’t do without.
