I have owned just about every model of pistol Kahr makes. Certainly every model in 9mm, most in .45 and .380. My current primary concealed carry pistol is the S9, with the ST9 rotating in depending on what I am wearing. These are exceptional pistols, completely reliable, easy to carry, and accurate. But while they are among my favorite Kahr pistols, neither is quite able to claim that spot. That honor still belongs to the original, the Kahr K9. I have only ever owned one K9 pistol. It was perfect the day I bought it and has never let me down. The K9 is my favorite to shoot, and I still carry it regularly. Why does this one hold the place of best Kahr in my book? Lots of reasons.

When I first met Justin Moon I asked him about the K9 and how he came to design the pistol. I was curious about its features and its aesthetics. The K9 is a beautiful handgun in a time period when many designs are purely functional. Many guns show no attention to lines, angles, curves--just cover the internals with something and make it work. Justin was very aware of this, and had intentionally drawn the gun to reflect earlier handguns he admired. When he sat in his college class doodling the first Kahr on paper, he was thinking of the lines of German designs from earlier in the 20th Century. He had a sense that looks mattered, and making a gun with clean lines and elegant curves was as important in firearms as in a fine watch or fast sportscar. I love the K9 for how it looks, and that translates to how it feels when carried. The grip angle is perfect. The surface free of bumps and sharp angles. The balance is ideal. It weighs just enough to be substantial, but not too much to be burdensome. My K9 is a work of art in stainless steel.

On that point there is another thing worth mentioning, the K9 is all steel. Yes, that makes it heavier to carry. One has to remember that when it was introduced, the market for concealed carry pistols did not have the current slew of polymer framed options. The K9 was relatively free of competitors in the category of single-stacked, compact, 9mm pistols. Certainly in its size range, most semi-autos were chambered in .380. The K9 is only 6” long, and .9” wide. Yes, it is all steel but only weighs 26 oz. At the time many folks were carrying compact 1911s or compact double-stacked 9mm pistols for concealment/off-duty that weighed more. They were also bulkier. Some opted for snubby revolvers, but unless they were alloy framed the guns were not exactly lightweight. That brings us to another point, shootability.

Lightweight guns kick more. When the K9 came out, it was competing against alloy framed revolvers and semi-auto pistols that were generally not fun to shoot. The K9 is a dream to shoot. Its steel frame and ideal balance make it very easy to control. You can shoot it all day and not get tired. Couple that with its match grade barrel, and the K9 is a tack driver in a very small package. The same cannot be said for many competing designs of the time. I still remember a certain brand’s compact .380 caliber, 1911-ish pistol I carried as a backup when working as a reserve officer. It was minute of barn accurate. It fed FMJ only, and sometimes would not eat that if it was not feeling its oats. Not so for the K9. It chambers any ammo I have tried, and just keeps putting one round on top of the other at social distances.

Nowadays I have found that the lower weight of polymer Kahrs is beneficial for my concealed carry needs. I tend to go with a P/S sized gun in the summer, and the ST in cooler months when my wardrobe allows it. They shoot great, and polymer Kahrs do not recoil badly despite their low weight. In large part this is due to Justin Moon’s design carried over from the original K9. The pistols are simply engineered to be easier to shoot. So I concede all the advantages of the newer Kahrs and strongly advise their purchase by anyone looking for an accurate, reliable, and easy to conceal pistol. Once you buy your first Kahr, consider the K9 for your second. I think you will find that (like myself), it is an exceptional handgun. The K9 is as much art as it is weapon, but it is one masterpiece of a weapon. You will smile the first time you shoot it, and like me will find reasons to carry it even when you might have that S9 sitting there ready to go. After all, owning and carrying a fine pistol is a luxury every shooter deserves.

-John H.