KAHR ARMS
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Kahr’s Arms
If you are looking for a concealable pistol in a variety of calibers than we recommend looking into Kahr Arms. This American company has specialized in the smaller pistols since its founding. However, smaller does not mean weaker with a Kahr product. Instead, the company uses a variety of calibers to help customers find whatever strength of gun they desire.
Kahr Arms was founded in 1994 by Justin Moon. Moon is the son of Sun Myung Moon, the organizer of the Unification Church. Kahr Arms has always been a subsidiary of Saeilo Group. Saeilo first filed as a business with the State of New York in 1981. It was one of the best-known suppliers of CNC (computer numerical control) machine tools. They also supplied applications engineering and expanded in 1986 to include a manufacturing division that produced “contract machining, manufacturing and assembly services for diverse industries, including aerospace, electronics, medical equipment, scientific instrumentation and telecommunications.”[1]
As a relative newcomer to the American firearms market, Kahr has actually made a reputation for themselves fairly quickly. By specializing in a very specific variety of pistol, Kahr cuts down on the variables. They only have to make good sub-compact and compact guns, and they do that extremely well.
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Justin Moon explains his path towards working in the firearms industry in a 2001 interview: “When I was finishing my junior year at college, I began thinking about the path I should follow after I graduated. . . . I decided that I would like to work in the firearms industry. I had been licensed to carry in New York State since I was 18, and had looked for an ultra-compact 9mm pistol. However, to my chagrin, I could not find a pistol with the quality of construction and features in design which I felt were appropriate for a carry arm. Therefore, I decided to design an ultracompact 9mm pistol that I could carry.”[1]
Moon quickly made good on that desire by creating the K9 pistol. It made waves in the firearms world when Kahr took it to the 1995 SHOT Show just a year after the founding of the company. Kahr was not just a one-hit-wonder they continued to create new and better sub-compact and compact pistol designs. Now there are many varieties, styles, and sizes available for purchase.
Today Kahr Firearms Group serves as an umbrella company that controls Kahr Arms, Magnum Research Group, and Auto Ordnance. All three of these companies are still subsidiaries of Saeilo, and supposedly under the control of Kahr founder Justin Moon. Kahr’s headquarters are located in Greenley, PA while their manufacturing factory is in “Gun Valley”—Worcester, MA.[2]
Who Owns Kahr?
One of the most controversial aspects of Kahr Firearms group has nothing to do with the pistols they produce. For reasons that will be explained below, there has always been speculation about who actually owns and runs Kahr.
In July of 2013 Kahr felt compelled to release a statement that set the record straight once and for all. They were primarily aiming this statement at Wikipedia. Here’s what the y had to say: “Wikipedia lists inaccurate information with regard to the history and ownership of Kahr Firearms Group. The corporation would like to go on record that the Kahr Firearms Group was founded in 1994 by Justin Moon.”[3]
From its beginnings, people have speculated that the South Korean company Tongil Group actually owns Kahr Arms. While the company vehemently denies any association, there are ties to Tongil that have kept the rumor alive. Firstly, the Moon family is from South Korea. In fact, Justin Moon was born in Seoul in 1970, but moved to the United States with his family when he was three.
Second, Moon’s father Sun Myong is listed as Tongil Group’s founder and the company’s website once listed Justin Moon as the company chair.
Third, and finally, confusion often occurs because Tongil Group actually owns a company called Saeilo. Although they have the same name, the Saeilo that Tongil Group owns is not the Saeilo that owns Kahr Arms.[4] Confused yet?
While it may never be 100% clear who owns Kahr, one thing is certain; they are an American firearms company that makes a wonderful small to mid-sized pistol.
Different Models
As mentioned above, Kahr only creates sub-compact and compact DAO hammerless striker-fired pistols. But, they do provide a lot of models. Like most firearms manufacturers, they group their pistol offerings into series. Below we’ve provided a quick breakdown of the ten series Kahr currently offers. See Kahr’s website for a more detailed explanation of all of their pistol offerings.
CM Series
There are eleven pistols in Kahr’s CM series. Most of these are separated by caliber, color, and features. Three different caliber CMs are available: .40 S&W (the CM40), 9mm (the CM9), and .45 ACP (the CM45).
These calibers are further broken down into colors of grip and features. The CM40 comes with a LaserMax. The CM45 comes in Armor Black and Tungsten with a grip glove.
There are by far the most options for their 9mm CMs. These varieties come in Armor Black and Kryptek Camo. You can also get the 9mm Cm with a front night sight, in tungsten with a grip glove, or as a part of a holster/mag package.
All of these pistols are quite affordable, with a MSRP of just below $500 for most varieties.
CT Series
Kahr’s CT series also has eleven different options available for purchase. This ultra-skinny pistol primarily shoots .380 Auto. Although, there are a couple of options for 9mm and one each for .40 S&W and .45 ACP.
The .380 Auto options include the CT380, CT380 Gold (which has a gold slide), CT380 Holster/Mag pack, CT380 Tungsten (with a Tungsten slide), CT380 Tungsten with Grip glove.
The CT in 9mm comes with a black carbon fiber frame, Kryptek Camo grip, or front night sights.
All of these pistols also run around $500 MSRP, so are quite affordable for the quality.
CW Series
There are a whopping twenty pistols included in Kahr’s popular CW line. These are slightly larger pistols than the CM or CT lines. However, they also have the most variety of caliber, color, and feature options.
For a CW pistol that shoots .380 Auto you came choose from the base model, one with a black carbon fiber frame, a gold grip, a Kryptek Camo grip, a Patriot brown grip, a holster/mag package, a tungsten slide, a tungsten slide with a grip glove, or one with a front night sight.
For the .40 S&W caliber CWs the only available option outside of the base model provides a burnt bronze slide. The .45 ACP model includes the same options.
Finally, the 9mm CW options provide a black carbon fiber frame, burnt bronze slide, holster/mag package, Kryptek camo grip, Patriot brown grip, or a front night sight.
K Series
One of Kahr’s flagship series, the company designed the K series first and designed it to pass the rigorous NYPD approval off-duty carry test.[5] Today there are twelve K series pistols available.
These varieties shoot either .40 S&W or 9mm. Each caliber includes the same options. Available models include the base pistol, the K Black, K Black with night sights, K Elite, K Elite with Night Sights, and K with night sights.
Kahr recommends around $1000 MSRP for this expensive series.
MK Series
Another series that only shoots .40 S&W or 9mm, the MK provides a slightly smaller version of the K. Options with the MKs remain the same from caliber to caliber. These options include the MK base model, MK Elite, MK Elite with Night Sights, and MK with Night Sights.
These are also expensive pistols, Kahr prices them at around $1000 MSRP.
P Series
Another huge line of pistols for Kahr. The Premium (P) series represents all of the top calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and .380 Auto. They were designed as a conceal carry weapon—as were most of Kahr’s pistols.
The optional features on this model of pistol include different grip or slide colors/materials and various features like the addition of night sights, Laser sights, or LCI.
The price of this series greatly depends on the features of the pistol you choose. P series pistols can run anywhere from $650 to $1000 MSRP.
PM Series
Kahr’s Polymer Micro (PM) series was released in 1994 when the company first opened its doors. As one of their older products, it makes sense that there are twenty varieties of the pistol, representing the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP calibers.
You can purchase any of these calibers with black grips, night sights, a CT laser sight, external safety and LCI, night sights, or a combination of the above.
Depending on your chosen features the PM series pistols will run between $750 to $1000 MSRP.
T Series
One of Kahr’s full-sized lines of pistols, the T series has only six varieties. These pistols all use Walther’s polygonal rifled barrel for improved “balance-in-hand.”
The T series pistols come in either 9mm or .40 S&W. You can choose with the base model, the addition of night sights, or the addition of Novak night sights for either caliber.
All six of these pistols will set you back between $900-$1000.
TP Series
All Kahr TP series pistols come with adjustable white dot combat sights, a black polymer frame, and stainless-steel slide. You can choose to use 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP magazines. You can also choose to add night sights or Novak night sights to any of the three caliber varieties.
S Series
This is the most recent series of pistol released by Kahr. There are currently only two 9mm models: the S9 and ST9. Kahr has completely re-designed the magazine base and grip in the S series. For this series they also offer a limited lifetime warranty, which is different than their limited 5-year warranty available for all other pistols.
The S series is one of the most affordable that Kahr makes, and will only cost around $460 MSRP.
Reliability
Despite the company’s youth, their small and medium pistols have a remarkable dependability. Kahr themselves recommend that you fire at least 200 rounds through the gun before evaluating it for reliability.[6] Reviewers have noted that, as Kahr claims, there can be reliability issues before hitting 200 rounds, but very few have been found after the 200-round mark.
Kahr can ensure such a good reliability rating every time because each pistol that comes out of Kahr’s facility receive extensive testing. Also, Kahr’s innovative pistol design helps keep maintenance costs low. Their CNC machining of parts guarantees an exact fit. Their unique locking, firing, and extraction systems work together seamlessly to create a smooth trigger pull but also remove the need for constant maintenance and lower wear-and-tear on the parts.
Warranty
Kahr stands by their product, and so offers a five-year limited warranty on all of their pistols—expect for the new S series which has a limited lifetime warranty. You can also send your pistol in for service at any time. However, this will cost you a minimum of $65 per hour plus $25 return shipping and handling.
Before you ship your gun to Kahr for either warranty repairs or service, you need to receive a return authorization (ra) form. You can fill out this form online. Send your pistols with their ra number to
K.A.I.
130 Goddard Memorial Dr.
Worcester, MA 01603
Attn: Service Dept.
Conclusion
Despite the debates about its origins, Kahr is an extremely high-quality American company. Justin Moon has completed the task that he set out for himself as a young adult, which was to make a great ultracompact pistol. In fact, he has been so good that Kahr has exponentially expanded their product offerings in recent years.
The sheer number of pistols that Kahr produces may seem a bit overwhelming. However, remember that they provide any size, caliber, or features that you may want in a pistol. All you have to do is scan through their catalog to find something that fits your requirements. And, even if you close your eyes and point your finger at a random pistol model, you will not go wrong. Any Kahr pistol will be durable, accurate, and high-quality.
[1] “The Company,” Kahr.com, https://www.kahr.com/about/ (accessed 3/13/18).
[1] Massad Ayoob, “The Rise of the House of Kahr,” Cult Education Institute (November 2001), https://www.culteducation.com/group/1277-unification-church/23712-the-rise-of-the-house-of-kahr.html (accessed 3/13/18).
[2] “The Company,” Kahr.com, https://www.kahr.com/about/ (accessed 3/13/18).
[3] Daniel Terrill, “Kahr Arms Corrects Its Wikipedia Page, Caps Rumors About Ownership,” Guns.com (July 25, 2013), http://www.guns.com/2013/07/25/kahr-arms-corrects-its-wikipedia-page-puts-a-cap-on-rumors/ (accessed 3/13/18).
[4] Daniel Terrill, “Kahr Arms Corrects Its Wikipedia Page, Caps Rumors About Ownership,” Guns.com (July 25, 2013), http://www.guns.com/2013/07/25/kahr-arms-corrects-its-wikipedia-page-puts-a-cap-on-rumors/ (accessed 3/13/18).
[5] Massad Ayoob, “The Rise of the House of Kahr,” Cult Education Institute (November 2001), https://www.culteducation.com/group/1277-unification-church/23712-the-rise-of-the-house-of-kahr.html (accessed 3/13/18).
[6] Yankee Gun Nuts, “Quality—Sig Sauer and Kahr Arms,” The Truth About Guns (January 25, 2011), http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/01/yankee-gun-nuts/quality-sig-sauer-and-kahr-arms/ (accessed 3/13/18).
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